MOSCOW, 20 Apr-RIA Novosti. The Russian Defense Ministry has built a runway for all types of aircraft on the Arctic island of Alexandra Land (Arkhangelsk Region), Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.
According to him, the length of the runway is 3.5 kilometers, and the construction was completed last year.
According to open data, no strips of this length have been built in the Russian Arctic before. Thus, this runway will be able to land, including strategic aircraft.
In addition, Shoigu noted, the construction of the Temp airfield on the Novosibirsk Islands archipelago is being completed. In parallel, in the interests of the Third Air Defense Division, a military camp is being built in the Yakut village of Tiksi.
"It is important to say that the Northern Fleet is constantly practicing the use of fighter aircraft from the airfields of the Arctic archipelagos. The development of military infrastructure on the Arctic islands and the coast of the Arctic Ocean continues, " the Minister said at a meeting of the board.
The Minister praised the results of the Arctic expedition of the Northern Fleet, during which, for the first time in the history of the Navy, three nuclear submarines simultaneously surfaced in a limited area with a radius of 300 meters, breaking through the ice.
The operation took place "in the difficult navigation of the Cambridge Strait for the first time in the history of the Navy." In addition, during the expedition, a flight was made to the polar region with refueling in the air of two MiG-31 fighters, which passed the geographical point of the North Pole and "successfully solved other tasks".
According to him, during the complex Arctic expedition conducted under the leadership of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy in the area of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, the fleet personnel demonstrated high professionalism.
"The expedition involved more than 600 military and civilian personnel, about 200 samples of weapons and military equipment. For its support, 66 sorties of military transport aviation were carried out, " Shoigu said.
