Engels-2 (air base)

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Engels-2
Энгельс-2
Engels, Saratov Oblast in Russia
Engels-2 Location of Engels-2 Show map of Saratov Oblast Engels-2 Engels-2 (Russia) Show map of Russia
Coordinates	51°28′52″N 046°12′38″E / 51.48111°N 46.21056°E / 51.48111; 46.21056
Type	Air base
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Russian Aerospace Forces
Controlled by	Long-Range Aviation
Condition	Operational
Site history
Built	1952 (1952)
Built by	Soviet Armed Forces
In use	1954–present
Battles/wars	2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine[1]
Garrison information
Garrison	184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: none, ICAO: XWSG
Elevation	37 metres (121 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 04/22 3,500 metres (11,483 ft) Concrete 04R/22L 3,500 metres (11,483 ft) Concrete

Engels-2 (Russian: Энгельс) is a strategic bomber military airbase in Russia located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) east of Saratov. Engels is a major bomber operations base, and is Russia's sole operating location for the Tupolev Tu-160 (NATO: Blackjack) strategic bomber. The base has a 3,500-metre (11,500 ft) runway and about 10 large revetments. It is named after the nearby city of Engels, which is named after the Communist philosopher, Friedrich Engels.

The base is home to the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment with the Tu-160M and 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment with the Tupolev Tu-95MS (NATO: Bear-H) of the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division.^[2]

Aircraft from the 121st and 184th attacked Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[3] On 5 December 2022 a drone attack here damaged an undetermined number of aircraft, and on 19 April 2024 a Tu-160 from this airbase was downed apparently by a modified S-200 missile.^[4]