Skulte airplane IL-28 Military equipment
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Located in the village of Skulte in Mārupe municipality, near Riga International Airport.
Skulte was one of the model villages created for Soviet military personnel. An aviation unit was located there, which carried out the bombing of Berlin and other cities in 1941, and also participated in the occupation of the Baltic States. In 1978, an environmental object - an IL-28 aircraft - was installed there to highlight the merits of Soviet Army pilots in World War II.
After the war, the Soviet Union continued its active armament policy. The IL-28 was the first, most widely produced Soviet jet bomber. The first serial atomic bomb, the RDS-4 ("Tatyana"), was dropped from the same model in 1953 to test the army's ability to launch an attack after a nuclear explosion. The aircraft had various modifications. During tests, it reached a speed of 906 km/h, carrying several tons of cargo and making a flight of 2,445 km. It was piloted by a crew of 3 people.
The plane is not only a witness to military heritage, but also a symbol of ideology. In 2010, to celebrate the victory of the Soviet Army over Germany, the plane was restored. There have also been several unsuccessful attempts to dismantle it as an object glorifying the Latvian occupation regime. This was successful in 2022, when the plane was moved.
Currently, the aircraft can be viewed nearby at the Riga Aviation Museum in Skulte, as well as get an idea of the village built for Soviet Army military personnel.
Used sources and references:
Antonevičs, M. The “cult place” of Soviet military pensioners in Mārupe municipality. La.lv, 2012. Available: https://www.la.lv/padomju-militaro-pensionaru-kulta-vieta-marupes-novada-2 [accessed 9.3.2021.].
Upmalis, I. Latvian-USSR military base. 1938-1998: materials and documents on the presence of the Soviet army in Latvia and its withdrawal. Riga: Zelta grauds, 2006.
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