Engels-2 (Russian: Энгельс) is a strategic bomber military airbase in Russia located 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) east of Saratov.

The personnel of the regiments was assembled by choosing the best specialists of the Long Range Aviation, graduates of military schools and academies.

[7] The 3M bombers were part of Long Range Aviation until 1985, and then were destroyed in accordance with the agreement on the reduction of offensive weapons.

[citation needed] Engels was home to the Tupolev Tu-95MS Bear-H cruise missile carrying variant beginning in 1979.

[10] The 184th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment was reformed at the base in September 2000, drawing on Tu-95MS aircraft transferred from Mozdok.

Construction of a new runway parallel to the existing one was completed in 2015 in conjunction with a supporting network of taxiways, communications, electrical and meteorological systems.

[12] On 5 December 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, an explosion caused by a Ukrainian drone attack reportedly damaged two Tu-95s.

[13][14] According to Russian Ministry of Defence, Ukraine attempted to strike Russia's long-range aviation bombers stationed at the base with Soviet-made jet drones.

According to Russian television, "A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down at low altitude while approaching the Engels military airfield in the Saratov region," Ukrainian and Russian social media accounts report a number of bombers were destroyed.

[17] On 29 December, Busargin claimed that a Ukrainian drone was shot near the airbase with only slight damage to residential housing and no injuries.

[19] Schuyler Moore from U.S. Central Command later said this was probably an attempt to fool image recognition algorithms on systems that might be used to attack the base.

[21][22] [23] On January 8, 2025 Ukraine’s General Staff announced they hit a fuel storage facility supplying the Engels air base; governor of the Saratov region Roman Busargin merely confirmed that an unspecified industrial plant in Engels had sustained damage from falling drone debris.

[24] Governor Busargin confirmed that early morning on December 10, Ukrainian drones attacked the Engels military airfield.

On 11 February 2025, Ukrainian drones struck Saratov Oblast, explosions were reported around the perimeter of Engels-2 air base.

[28] In 2015/16, the division was reformed within the Russian Aerospace Force's Long-Range Aviation branch and based at Engels.