Skulte airplane IL-28 Military equipment
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Located in Mārupe region, Skulte village, near Riga International Airport.
Skulte was one of the typical villages that was created for Soviet military personnel. There was an aviation unit that bombed the cities of Berlin and other places in 1941, as well as took part in the occupation of the Baltic States. In 1978, an environmental facility, the IL-28, was installed there to highlight the merits of Soviet Army pilots in World War II.
After the war, the Soviet Union continued its active armaments policy. IL-28 was the first, most produced Soviet jet bomber. The first RDS-4 atomic bomb ("Tatiana") was dropped from a plane of the same model in 1953 to test the army's ability to attack after a nuclear explosion. The aircraft had various modifications. In tests, it reached a speed of 906 km / h, carrying several tons of heavy cargo and flying 2,445 km. It was run by a crew of 3 people.
The plane is not only a witness to the military heritage, but also a symbol of ideology. In 2010, marking the victory of the Soviet army over Germany, the plane was rebuilt. There have also been several unsuccessful attempts to dismantle it as an object glorifying the occupation regime in Latvia.
Today you can see a plane, as well as get an idea of a village built for Soviet military personnel.
Used sources and references:
Antonevičs, M. “Military place” of Soviet military pensioners in Mārupe region. 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 location of the Soviet army in Latvia and its withdrawal. Riga: Golden Grain, 2006.
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