Chuguyevka is a military air base in Primorski Krai, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. The base's primary objective was to scramble aircraft against SR-71 flights over Vladivostok

Vladivostok

The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...

. The primary operator was 530 IAP (530th Interceptor Aviation Regiment) of the 11 OA PVO

PVO

PVO may refer to:* DaimlerChrysler's Performance Vehicle Operations, also known as Street and Racing Technology* Private voluntary organization...

. During the 1960s it flew MiG-17 aircraft, and by the 1970s as SR-71 flights became an issue of concern it acquired 36 MiG-25P Foxbat planes. By the 1990s it phased them out with MiG-31.

The base rose to prominence in September 1976 when a MiG-25 from Chuguyevka, piloted by Victor Belenko, defected to Hakodate, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. This incident was a major security breach for the Soviet Union. Currently, Google Earth

Google Earth

Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...

high-resolution imagery shows at least 20 MiG-25 and MiG-31 aircraft on the airfield.