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The first airport was established in the '40s as a grass airfield which was built to a concrete runway (800m long, 40m wide) in 1944. In January 1945 the 611., 659., 897., Fighter Air Regiment (iap) and the 10. Assault Air Division (ShAD) were based at Kiskunlacháza. The original concrete surface was lengthened in 1950-51 to 2500ms.
The base was one of the most important airbase of the Hungarian Airforce reborn after WWII, housing the 37. Independent Reconnaisance Air Regiment of the 82. Bomber Division from late 1952 till the events of 1956.
On the morning of November 3., 1956, the tanks of the Red Army occupied the airport, ranking on the runway, blocking the way of the Hungarian MiG-15s. Some days later, all planed of the regiment were flown to Sármellék. The 37. Independent Reconnaisance Air Regiment was dissolved in that year as well.
In May 1957 the Mig-17s of 14. Guards Fighter Air Regiment (gviap) arrived from Poland, which already had 20 MiG-17F and 10 MiG-19P aircrafts by 1959. From 1962 14. gviap had 10 MiG-21F-13/U, 10 MiG-19P and 10 MiG-17F, while from 1965 the unit had only 35 MiG-21PF/U. In 1968 hte unit still flew 35 MiG-21PFs/Us which were deployed in Kosice on August 22, 1968. In the begining of the '70s new MiG-21s arrived (PFMs in 1970, SMs in 1972 and UMs in 1973). 1973 saw two An-22 landind at the airport, one carrying weapon systems to the Middle-East, the other carrying a trophy M60 Israeli tank from Syria to the USSR. In 1975 the MiG-21s were replaced by MiG-23Ms and MiG-23UBs. The shelters had to be modified, lengthended and 28 additional shelters were built. The same year, the second squadron of the unit was appointed to be a special nuclear carrier one. Its planes flew with a special pylon under the left part of the fuselage and did not take part in alerts.
Even two Granit-type nuclear weapon warehouses were built next to each other, near the old Hungarian kerosine station. In 1979 some of the MiG-23Ms were replaced by more modern MiG-23MLs.
1982 the unit had 45 aircraft, in 1984, 86 several accident occured in one a MiG-23UB fell on a school in neadby village Áporka, luckily only minor injuries happened. From August 14, 1986 gradualy most of the MiG-23s were replaced by MiG-29s. In mid 1986 515. iap moved from Tököl to Kiskunlacháza due to the renewal of Tököl airport. They left the base on August 6, 1987. On September 14, 1987 the MiG-29s were moved to Tököl, since the renewal of the base started which lasted for almost one year. In October 1988 the planes arrived back from Tököl. In 1989 4 MiG-29UBs replaced 4 MiG-23UBs, but 8 23UBs stayed in service till May 1991.
On May 20, 1991, the 45 aircarft of the regiment flew to Zherdevska (Kubinka) to leave Hungary.
When the unit left the base several buildings, machinery, systems, also electrical cabling were destroyed also the keep secret tactical information but also to turn the infrastructure useless for future use. During the next ten year the Hungarian state was controlling the present and the future of the base. Several study was made to prove the concept of the airfield future as Budapest Airport 3. but nothing was really done. During these year a few events were organised annually at the airport and a company operating helicopters were operating from the airport. No conservation or renovation work was carried out during these years.
In 2004 The Hungarian Privatization and State Holding Company (ÁPV Rt.) issued a privatisation tender for the sale of the state property. It was the third process in 2006 when Bárdi Autó Zrt. finally purchased the 460 ha ex-soviet base from the state.
Many thanks for the historical information to Mr. Károly Vándor, who published a book about Soviet Airforces in Hungary.
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