의주 공군기지에 재배치가 확인된 북한 공군의 Il-28

[위종민]

코로나 시기 의주공군기지가 3년 반 가량 검역센터로 전용되며 배치됐던 폭격기들이 장진비행장과 손덕비행장으로 이동했었는데, 검역을 종료했는지 의주공군기지에 Il-28 비글 폭격기 31대가 배치된 것이 위성사진에 찍혔네요. 

2024년 8월 활주로상에 배치됐던 컨테이너들이 제거되고 비행장 복원을 시작해 9월 22일 활주로에 도색작업이 시작됐다고 합니다. 

돌아온 Il-28은 총 30대이고, 마지막 한 대는 검역센터로 활용됐던 때에도 기지에 남아 있었는데 아마도 비행할 수 없는 상태인 것으로 추정합니다. 이 비행기는 12대, 8대의 MiG-21과 같이 보관돼 있었다고 하네요. 

Uiju Military Airfield Welcomes Back Bombers - 38 North: Informed Analysis of North Korea

Uiju Military Airfield Welcomes Back Bombers - 38 North: Informed Analysis of North Korea

Uiju Military Airfield Welcomes Back Bombers

• By: Peter Makowsky and Martyn Williams
• October 7, 2024
• Satellite Imagery

North Korea’s Uiju Airfield is back in business. Commercial satellite imagery shows the return of 31 Ilyushin IL-28 medium-range bombers to the base, ending a three-and-a-half-year absence while the airfield served as a quarantine center for incoming goods from China.  

Their return rebalances North Korea’s bomber aircraft between bases on the east and west coasts after having them all based on the east coast during Uiju Airfield’s closure. It also represents another step in North Korea’s move back to pre-pandemic conditions. 

Figure 1. Overview of Uiju Airfield on October 4. Image © 2024 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

Quarantine Center 

Conversion of the airfield into a quarantine center began in March 2021, approximately a year after North Korea closed its borders to all travelers and most cargo. The quarantine center began operating in December 2021, when trains began to arrive, and containers began to populate the main runway. 

That continued into early 2024, but by April, the number of containers had decreased significantly. By August, all had been removed, and the restoration of the airfield had begun. Also in early 2024, quarantine warehouses were periodically dismantled. On September 22, the paint marking began on the runway while work to restore other areas of the airfield continued in anticipation of the regiment’s return. 

In order support the temporary quarantine mission of the airfield, in the first half of 2021, the IL-28 regiment  deployed to airbases on the country’s east coast—Changjin, home to another squadron of IL-28, and Sondok, a transport aircraft facility home to Antonov AN-2s.  

Return of the Bombers 

On imagery from October 4, five of the aircraft were observed on the southeast alert apron, 16 were on the northeast apron, and nine were located at the far eastern apron queued in front of one of two aircraft storage tunnels at the base.

Figure 2. Five IL-28 aircraft parked at the southeast alert apron. Image © 2024 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

Figure 3. Sixteen IL-28 aircraft on the northeast apron. Image © 2024 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

Image © 2024 Planet Labs, PBC cc-by-nc-sa 4.0. For media licensing options, please contact thirtyeightnorth@gmail.com.

The last of the IL-28s never departed the airfield, likely because it was not flight worthy. It has been parked in one of a series of revetments along a service road south of the aircraft tunnels. Two of the other revetments along the road hold 12 and eight MIG-21 aircraft, respectively, all of which had been stored in the revetments throughout the conversion period. 

The bombers, which are also referred to as Harbin B-5, belong to the nation’s 24th Bomber Regiment. 

의주비행장의 위치

[백선호]

혹시 MiG-17도 현역일까요??

[위종민]

https://www.38north.org/2020/06/wonsan062320/

2020년 6월 원산갈마 공군기지에서 주기된 사진이 있네요 파머와 프레스코를 전환훈련기로 쓰는 것 같습니다

"MiG-15/17 Operational Conversion Unit, or OCU"