Note: this page covers the Standalone version of DayZ; for information on the Mod, see Mod: International Airfield.
Vybor Air Base (Russian: Выборская Авиабаза, Vyborskaya Aviabaza), also known as the North-West Airfield (NWAF), is a large military air base in South Zagoria located north of the town of Vybor. It is a common area for survivors to acquire high-tier military loot, and as a result has garnered a somewhat legendary reputation as one of the most dangerous areas in the region.
General[ | ]
Vybor Air Base is, as its name suggests, a military air base consisting of 1.4km long runway, parallel taxiway and several military installations along its length. With its impressive footprint on the landscape, it is easily the largest facility of its kind and the largest single location of any kind on the map. The air base is enclosed by the towns of Vybor, Lopatino, Vavilovo, Topolniki, Novaya Petrovka, Grishino and Kabanino, indirectly causing said towns to experience similar banditry and elevated levels of footfall.
Due to its popularity among survivors, bandits are often a rampant threat with the ability to position themselves atop the tall military structures after arming themselves with sniper rifles. Therefore, caution should be exercised when approaching any of the buildings within the facility and the surrounding perimeter wall.
History[ | ]
Pre-Outbreak[ | ]
During the Second World War, the air base was much smaller and used for training Red Army paratroopers. Following the war, the air base was gradually expanded to become the major regional air base it is today. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the newly formed Republic of Chernarus, the successor to the Chernarussian Autonomic Republic, inherited all former Soviet military installations within its borders, including Vybor Air Base. These bases would have been operated by the equally new Chernarussian Defence Force.[1]
In the basement of the military prison at the facility atop Bashnya hill lies an assortment of medical equipment and a cell with a blood-stained mattress inside. It is impossible to know for certain what events transpired in this facility pre-outbreak, but we can ascertain that an individual/individuals were confined in this space for research and possibly experimental purposes.
Post-Outbreak[ | ]
Post-outbreak there is significant evidence that the base was used as a major supply and evacuation conduit and as a base of military operations throughout the area. This is evidenced by the base's large aircraft service hangar being repurposed into an emergency field hospital, and the presence of two western C-130J Hercules aircraft and their cargo.
Found in the administration section in the south-western area of the base is an abandoned convoy that was attempting to transport dozens of charred corpses, perhaps alluding to the systemic culling of infected persons in the early stages of the outbreak in a desperate attempt to prevent further spread of the virus.
Layout[ | ]
An ariel view of Vybor Air Base. In the top-left of the picture is the town of Novaya Petrovka and the village of Topolniki, and to the right of the picture is Grishino.
The air base can be split into eight main sections:
- 1) Bashnya Military Base
- 2) Military Camp
- 3) Utility and Administration Area
- 4) Hangars
- 5) Training Grounds
- 6) South Barracks
- 7) C-130J Wreck
- 8) Western Area
Bashnya Military Base[ | ]
Bashnya, a small hill north of the airfield, is host to a military complex of moderate size comprising several barracks, a military prison, a guardhouse, some garages and a unique RADAR tower. The remnants of a long abandoned military convoy litter the road leading up the hill to the installation. Also unique to this facility is a small underground bunker in the basement of the military prison building which was evidently fortified pre-outbreak. The bunker itself is host to an array of abandoned medical equipment, and an ominous blood-stained mattress behind a re-enforced cell door. Due to its proximity to Novaya Petrovka, and to the airfield itself, it sees high survivor foot traffic.
Military Camp[ | ]
At the top end of the airstrip is a modestly sized military camp - like the camp at Myshkino, this area is ripe with loot. It is surrounded by flat land to the west and south and therefore presents a target for opportunistic snipers.
Utility and Administration Area[ | ]
The north-eastern side of the air base is host to a variety of different utility and administration buildings, including but not limited to a large ATC tower, military fire station, a unique industrial coal plant, a HQ building and a large aircraft service hangar. This aforementioned service hangar was repurposed as a field hospital in the early stages of the outbreak, like the one present at Krasnostav Airfield. Also present in this area is a small camp (consisting of four tents) and six smaller aircraft hangars.
Hangars[ | ]
Eleven of the base's 17 aircraft hangars are found in the south-eastern section of the base, in addition to a few barracks, a Quonset hut and other assorted industrial buildings.
Training Grounds[ | ]
In a forested section of the easternmost portion of the air base lies a small obstacle course and firing range, accompanied by a military prison, barracks and a few tents.
South Barracks[ | ]
The south barracks is a large compound found in the south-western section of the base, comprising three large two-storey barracks, mess hall, two large administration buildings, a large industrial yard and a radio tower. Also present in this section of the base is a unique and iconic monument depicting a MiG 21 of the Chernarussian Defence Forces. Its apparent use pre-outbreak was for accommodating CDF troops stationed at the base. Of note are the charred remains of a military convoy outside one of the admin blocs with trucks containing dozens of dead bodies.
C-130J Wreck[ | ]
The wrecked remnants of an abandoned C-130J are an obvious landmark on the otherwise flat and barren expanse of the base's runway. The contents of this aircraft, a series of (randomised) scattered supply crates, lay strewn amongst the grass nearby, alongside the wrecks of a few emergency vehicles presumably from the fire station opposite. The aircraft's cabin is blocked with debris and all that remains of the pilot's corpse is a skeleton still in sitting in the pilot's seat.
Western Area[ | ]
The western area of the air base is home to a single barracks, a large industrial shed, an underground tank garage and various ruins found along the treeline. To the northern end of this section is a large vehicle graveyard.
Gallery[ | ]
Trivia[ | ]
- It is possible that the original layout of the airstrip was based upon the Hradčany Air Base, an airfield near the municipality of Povry, where Chernarus was conceptualized.
- Vybor Air Base was completely re-imagined and expanded upon in the 0.63 update, with added buildings and locations to expand upon the original linear layout. An archived version of the 0.63 - 1.22 era Airbase can be found here: Vybor Air Base (0.63 - 1.22)
- Before 0.63, the military installation atop Bashnya consisted of no more than a military prison and a water pump. It was remodelled along with the airfield in 0.63.
- Vybor Air Base was again redesigned in patch 1.23.
- Pre 0.63 Vybor Air Base
- Pre 0.63 facility at Bashnya
References[ | ]
- ↑ Military Zones section of the Arma 2 Official Website