The 'Russian Air Force' (
Russian: Военно-воздушные cилы России,
transliteration: ''Voyenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii'') is the air force of
Russia. It is currently under the command of Colonel General
Aleksandr Zelin. The
Russian Navy has its own air arm, the
Russian Naval Aviation, which is the
former Soviet ''Aviatsiya Voenno Morskogo Flota'' ("Naval Aviation"), or ''AV-MF''.) It is claimed to be the second air force in the world in power, behind only the
U.S. Air Force.
[1]
History
Following the dissolution of the
Soviet Union into its fifteen constituent republics in
December of
1991, the aircraft and personnel of the
Soviet Air Force - the ''VVS'' were divided among the newly independent states. Russia received the majority of these forces—approximately 40% of the aircraft, including the big majority of the ultimate fighters, and 65% of the manpower, and the major commands of the former Soviet VVS - the
Long Range Aviation, Military Transport Aviation and Frontal Aviation were renamed, with few changes, Russian VVS commands. However, many regiments, aircraft, and personnel were claimed by the republics they were based in, forming the core of the new republic's air forces. Some aircraft in Belarus and Ukraine returned to Russia, as well as a long range aviation division based at
Dolon in Kazakhstan. The former Soviet
Air Defence Force remained independent for several years under Russian control, only merging with the Air Forces in 1998.
The ''VVS'' participated in the
First Chechen War (1994–1996) and the
Second Chechen War (1999–2002). These campaigns also presented significant difficulties for the ''VVS'' including the terrain, lack of significant fixed targets and insurgents armed with
Stinger and
Strela-2M surface-to-air missiles.
In 1998 the ''VVS'' was merged with the
''Voyska PVO'' (Air Defence Force). In 2003 the aviation assets of the Army—mostly helicopters—were transferred to the VVS. The former Army Aviation, was in its previous form intended for the direct support of the Ground Forces by providing their tactical air support, conducting tactical aerial reconnaissance, transporting airborne troops, providing fire support of their actions, electronic warfare, setting of minefield barriers and other tasks.
Current state
Insignia of Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force has a strength of 2400 combat aircraft and a total of 3365 aircraft. In October 2004 the disbandment of the 200th and 444th Bomber Aviation Regiments with
Tupolev Tu-22M3, the disbandment of the 28th, 159th, 790th, and 941st Fighter Aviation Regiments, the 302nd and 959th Regiments equipped with
Sukhoi Su-24, and the 187th and 461st Assault Aviation Regiments with the
Sukhoi Su-25 was announced.
[2]
Currently, a fifth-generation fighter jet is being developed by a consortia of companies, including
Mikoyan,
Yakovlev and spearheaded by '
Sukhoi'. The program has been named '
Perspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Frontovoi Aviatsyi' (Перспективный авиационный комплекс фронтовой авиации in Russian) -
PAK FA, which means Future Air Complex for Tactical Air Forces. It is intended to replace the
MiG-29 and
Su-27 in the Russian Air Force. Russia will soon start construction of a prototype fifth-generation fighter plane, Air Force Commander Alexander Zelin said August 8, 2007.
[Russia to build fifth-generation fighter prototype soon] "At present, we have completed the development of technical documentation for the fifth-generation fighter and passed it to the production plant, which will start construction in the near future," Colonel General Zelin said.
[ Sergei Ivanov, a first deputy prime minister supervising the defense industry, said in May that Russia's fifth generation fighter will take to the skies by the end of 2008.]
The Air Force commander also said Wednesday that Russia would deploy advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with flight range of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles) and flight duration of up to 12 hours by 2011.[ The UAVs of both fixed- and rotary-wing types will perform a variety of tasks, including reconnaissance, attack, retransmission of radio signals and target designation, the general said.][ ]
The 16th Air Army will soon receive two regiments of the advanced Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers in the near future.[ General Belevitch said the 16th Air Army would also receive MiG-29SM Fulcrum fighters to replace outdated MiG-29s and modernized Su-25 Frogfoot close support aircraft, which showed outstanding performance during operations in Afghanistan, Chechnya and other "hot spots."][Russia to equip two air regiments with Su-34 strike planes soon]
Russia resumed the Soviet-era practice of sending its bomber aircraft on long-range flights at a permanent basis in July and August 2007, after a 15-year unilateral suspension due to fuel costs and other economic difficulties after the collapse of the Soviet Union.[3][4] Patrols towards the North Pole, the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean were reinstated, bringing the planes often close to NATO territory.
Structure
Structure of the Russian Air Force (click to enlarge)
This order of battle is reproduced from Air Forces Monthly's July & August 2007 editions.
★ 4th Aircrew Combat Training Centre - Lipetsk Air Base
★ 2881st Reserve Helicopter Base - Mi-24 - Totskoye (air base)
'Special Purpose Command', HQ Moscow, Moscow Military District
★ 16th Air Army - Kubinka
★
★ 105th Composite Aviation Division, Voronezh
★
★
★ 455th Bomber Aviation Regiment - operating Sukhoi Su-24, based at Chertovitskoye Airport, Voronezh
★
★
★ 899th ''Shturmovik'' (Assault) Aviation Regiment Su-25, based at Buturlinovka.
★
★ 14th Fighter Aviation Regiment - MiG-29 - Kursk
★
★ 28th Fighter Aviation Regiment - MiG-29 - Andreapol (air base)
★
★ 47th Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment - MiG-25 and Su-24 in service - HQs at Shatalovo
★
★ 237th Air Technology Demonstration Centre of Guards - Kubinka - MiG-29, Su-27, Su-27M, L-39C;
★ 226th Independent Composite Air Regiment (Mi-8, Mi-9, An-12, An-24, An-26, An-30) (Kubinka (air base));
★ 1st Corps of PVO (surface to air missiles only);
★ 32nd Corps of PVO (Rzhev)
★
★ 611th Fighter Aviation Regiment Su-27 Dorokhovo
★
★ 790th Interceptor Aviation Regiment - MiG-31, MiG-25U - Khotilovo
★ Army Aviation components
★
★ 45th Independent Helicopter Regiment (Oreshkovo (Vorotinsk) near Kaluga) Mi-24
★
★ 440th Independent Helicopter Regiment for battle control- Vyazma - Mi-24, Mi-8
★
★ 490th Independent Helicopter Regiment for battle control - Klokovo (4 km north of Tula) - Mi-24, Mi-8;
★
★ 865th Reserve Helicopter Base (Protasovo/Aleksandrovo (air base), near Ryazan);
'6th Army of VVS and PVO', Leningrad Military District
★ 21st Air Defence Corps - Severomorsk
★
★ 9th Fighter Aviation Regiment - HQ atKilp-Yavr (Poliarnyi) - Su-27;
★
★ 458th Interceptor Aviation Regiment - HQ at Savatiya (Kotlas) - MiG-25U, MiG-31;
★ 54th Air Defence Corps - HQ at Taytsy
★
★ 177th Fighter Aviation Regiment - HQ at Lodeynoye Pole (air base) - Su-27;
★
★ 159th Fighter Aviation Regiment - HQ at Besovets Airport - Su-27;
★ 149th Composite Aviation Division
★ 67th Bomber Aviation Regiment - HQ at Siverskiy-2 - Su-24;
★ 722nd Bomber Aviation Regiment - HQ at Smuravyevo (Gdov) - Su-24;
★ 98th Guards Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment - HQ at Monchegorsk (air base) - MiG-25RB/U, Su-24MR;
★ 138th Independent Composite Air Regiment - HQ at Levashevo - An-12, An-26, Mi-8, Tu-134;
★ 147th Independent Helicopter Squadron of Electronic Warfare - HQ at Pushkin - Mi-8PPA;
★ 332nd Independent Helicopter Regiment for Battle Control - HQ at Pribylovo - Mi-8, Mi-24;
★ 85th Independent Helicopter Squadron - HQ at Alakurtti - Mi-8, Mi-24.
'4th Army of VVS and PVO', North Caucasus Military District
★ 1st Composite Air Division - Krasnodar
★
★ 559th Bomber Aviation Regiment - Morozovsk - Su-24 in service;
★
★ 959th Bomber Aviation Regiment - Yeysk - operates the Su-24 and L-39C;
★
★ 368th Assault Aviation Regiment - Budyonnovsk - Su-25;
★
★ 461st Assault Aviation Regiment - Krasnodar - Su-25;
★
★ 960th Assault Aviation Regiment - Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Su-25;
★ 51st Air Defence Corps - Rostov on Don
★
★ 3rd Fighter Aviation Regiment - Krymskaya, (ex 562nd) - Su-27;
★
★ 19th Fighter Aviation Regiment - Millerovo - MiG-29;
★
★ 31st Fighter Aviation Regiment - Zernograd - MiG-29;
★
★ SAM Regiments
★ 11th Independent Reconnaissance Air Regiment - Marinovka - operates the Su-24MR;
★ 535th Independent Composite Air Regiment - Rostov on Don - Mi-8, An-12 and An-26 in service;
★ ex Army Aviation component
★
★ 55th Independent Helicopter Regiment - Korenovsk - Mi-24, Mi-8;
★
★ 325th Independent Transport-Combat Helicopter Regiment - Yegorlyskaya - Mi-26, Mi-8;
★
★ 487th Independent Helicopter Regiment for battle control- Budyonnovsk - Mi-8, Mi-24;
'5th Army of VVS and PVO', HQ Yekaterinburg, Volga-Ural Military District
General Lieutenant Mikhail Kucheryavy[5]
★ 128th Independent Composite Air Squadron - HQ at Koltsovo near Yekaterinburg - An-26;
★ 320th Independent Transport Squadron of Search & Rescue Service - HQ at Uprun (Troitsk), near Chelyabinsk - Mi-8;
★ Unknown Air Base - HQ at Kant, Kyrgyzstan - L-39, Mi-8, Su-25;
★ Army Aviation component;
★
★ 793rd Independent Helicopter Regiment - HQ at Kinel'-Cherkasy - Mi-8, Mi-26;
★
★ 237th Independent Helicopter Squadron - HQ at Bobrovka - Mi-8, Mi-24;
'14th Army of VVS and PVO', HQ Novosibirsk, Siberian Military District
★ 21st Composite Air Division - HQ at Dzhida;
★
★ 2nd Bomber Aviation Regiment - HQ at Dzhida - Su-24M;
★
★ 266th Shturmovik Air Regiment - HQ at Step',Oloviannaya - Su-25;
★
★ 313th Reconnaissance Air Regiment - HQ at Bada - Su-24MR;
★ 120th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment - HQ atDomna, 27 km southwest of Chita - MiG-29;
★ 712th Interceptor Aviation Regiment - HQ at Kansk (air base) - MiG-25PU, MiG-31;
★ 137th Independent Composite Aviation Squadron - HQ at Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport - An-26;
★ Army Aviation component
★
★ 337th Independent Helicopter Regiment - HQ at Berdsk - Mi-8, Mi-24;
★
★ 112th Independent Helicopter Regiment - HQ at Chita - Mi-8, Mi-24;
★ Two SAM regiments and four radar units
'11th Army of VVS and PVO', Far East Military District - HQ at Khabarovsk
★ 23rd PVO Corps - HQ at Vladivostok;
★
★ 22nd Fighter Aviation Regiment - HQ at Centralnaya Uglovaya (Artem) - Su-27;
★
★ 530th Intercepto Aviation Regiment - HQ at Sokolovka - MiG-25PU, MiG-31;
★ 25th PVO Division - HQ at Komsomolsk na Amure
★
★ 23rd Fighter Aviation Regiment - HQ at Dzemgi - Su-27;
★ 303rd Composite Aviation Division - HQ at Ussuriysk
★
★ 277th Bomber Aviation Regiment - HQ at Khurba - Su-24;
★
★ 302nd Bomber Aviation Regiment - HQ at Verino - Su-24;
★
★ 18th Shturmovik (Assault) Air Regiment - HQ at Galenki - Su-25;
★
★ 187th Shturmovik Air Regiment - HQ at Chernigovka - Su-25;
★
★ 799th Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment - HQ at Varfolomeyevka - Su-24MR, MiG-25RB(?);
★ 257th Independent Composite Air Regiment - HQ at Khabarovsk-Bolshoy - An-12, An-26, Mi-8;
★ Army Aviation component;
★
★ Unknown Independent Helicopter Regiment - HQ at Sokol (Dolinsk) - Mi-8;
★
★ 319th Independent Helicopter Regiment for Battle Control - HQ at Chernigovka - Mi-24;
★
★ 364th Independent Helicopter Regiment - HQ at Srednebelaya - Mi-8, Mi-24, Mi-26;
★
★ 825th Independent Helicopter Regiment - HQ at Garovka-2 - Mi-6, Mi-8, Mi-26;
Air Armies of the Supreme High Command
★ '37th Air Army' (strategic bombers) - HQs at Moscow
★
★ 43rd Centre for Combat and Flight Personnel Training - Ryazan - operates the Tu-22M3, Tu-95MS, Tu-134UBL and An-26;
★
★ 22nd Heavy Bomber Air Division "Donbass" - HQs at Engels;
★
★
★ 121st Heavy Bomber Air Regiment - Engels - Tu-160 in service;
★
★
★ 184th Heavy Bomber Air Regiment - Engels - Tu-95MS;
★
★
★ 52nd Heavy Bomber Air Regiment - Shaykovka - Tu-22M3;
★
★
★ 840th Heavy Bomber Air Regiment - Soltsy - Tu-22M3;
★
★ 326th Heavy Bomber Air Division - HQs at Ukrainka;
★
★
★ 182nd Heavy Bomber Air Regiment - Ukrainka - Tu-95MS;
★
★
★ 79th Heavy Bomber Air Regiment - Ukrainka - Tu-95MS;
★
★
★ 200th Heavy Bomber Air Regiment - Belaya (air base) (near Irkutsk) - Tu-22M3, Tu-22MR;
★
★
★ 444th Heavy Bomber Air Regiment - Vozdvizshenka (Ussuriysk) - Tu-22M3;
★
★ 203rd Independent Air Regiment of Tanker Aircraft - HQs at Ryazan - Il-78 and Il-78M in service;
★
★ 181st Independent Air Squadron - Irkutsk - An-12 and An-30;
★
★ 199th Air Base - Ulan-Ude;
★
★ 3119th Air Base - Tambov;
★
★ Unknown Air Base - Tiksi;
★ '61st Air Army' (former Military Transport Aviation) - Moscow
★
★ 610th Centre for Combat and Flight Personnel Training - HQs at Ivanovo - Severnyi;
★
★
★ Unknown Instructor Military Transport Air Squadron - Ivanovo - operates the Il-76;
★
★ 12th Military Transport Air Division - Tver (Migalovo);
★
★
★ 196th Military Transport Air Regiment - Tver - Il-76 in service;
★
★
★ 566th Military Transport Air Regiment - Seshcha - Il-76, An-124;
★
★
★ 76th Independent Military Transport Air Squadron - Tver - An-22;
★
★ 103rd Military Transport Air Regiment - Smolensk - Il-76;
★
★ 110th Military Transport Air Regiment - Krechevitsy - Il-76;
★
★ 117th Military Transport Air Regiment - Orenburg - Il-76, An-12;
★
★ 334th Military Transport Air Regiment - Pskov - Il-76;
★
★ 708th Military Transport Air Regiment - Taganrog - Il-76;
★
★ 78th Independent Military Transport Air Squadron - Klin-5 - operates An-26, An-12 and Tu-134;
★
★ 224th Air Detachment of Military Transport Aviation - Tver - An-124, Il-76MD;
★
★ one communications centre
The List of Soviet Air Force bases shows a number which are still active with the Russian Air Force.
Aircraft inventory
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service[6]
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| Su-27
|
| Fighter
| Su-27
| 449
| 150 Frontal Air Force, 300 Air Defence ; are being modernized to reach Su-27SM level
|-----
| Su-30
|
| Fighter
| Su-30
| 9
| Frontal Air Force
|-----
| Su-33
|
| Fighter
| Su-33
| 23
| Designed for service on the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov
|-----
| Su-35
|
| Fighter
| Su-35
| 12
| Frontal Air Force
|-----
| MiG-29
|
| Fighter
| MiG-29
| 380
| Frontal Air Force, planned modernization to reach the MiG-29SMT level.
|-----
| Sukhoi T-50[7][8]
|
| Fighter
| 2 (Testbeds)
| To be mass produced by 2012
| To be mass produced by 2012
|-----
| MiG-31
|
| Interceptor
| MiG-31
| 386
| 30 Frontal Air Force, 256 Air Defense + (100 in reserve)
|-----
| Su-24
|
| Tactical Bomber
| Su-24M
| 412
| 400 Frontal Air Force; 58 Navy, planned modernization to reach Su-24M2 level
|-----
| Su-25
|
| Attacker
| Su-25
| 255
| 265 Frontal Air Force; 10 Navy, planned modernization to reach the Su-25SM level.
|-----
| Su-34
|
| Fighter-bomber
| Su-34
| 8
| Frontal Air Force, ''(200 ordered to year 2020)''[9]
|-----
| Tu-22M
|
| Strategic bomber
| Tu-22M
| 162
| 117 (37th Air Army) 45 (Navy)
|-----
| Tu-95
|
| Strategic bomber
| Tu-95MS
| 64
| 64 (37th Air Army)
|-----
| Tu-160
|
| Strategic bomber
| Tu-160
| 16 (30 by 2012)
| 16 (37th Air Army)
|-----
| Il-76
|
| Transport
| IL-76
| 210
|
|-----
| Il-112V
|
| Light Transport
| Il-112V
| 0
| 18 to be delivered until 2015
|-----
| An-22 Antey
|
| Transport
| An-22
| 3 flying + several stored
|
|-----
| An-72
|
| Transport
| An-72
| 20
| IISS does not list any in service
|-----
| An-124 Ruslan
|
| Transport
| An-124
| 25
| 14 says IISS
|-----
| Il-80
|
| Command Post
| Il-80
| 4
|
|-----
| Tu-214
|
| Command Post / VIP
| Tu-214-100
| 4(ordered)
| 1 in final stages and 3 in construction
|-----
| IL-78
|
| Refueling Tanker
| IL-78
| 20
|
|-----
| Su-24MR
|
| Reconnaissance
| Su-24
| 99
| 79 Frontal Air Force, 20 Navy
|
|-----
| MiG-25RB
|
| Reconnaissance
| MiG-25
| 25
|
|-----
| A-50 Shmel
|
| AWACS-Reconnaissance
| Beriev A-50
| 16
|
|-----
| Yak-130
|
| Training
| Yak-130
| 0
| 60 ordered, to be commissioned until 2015
|-----
| Ka-50 Black Shark
|
| Attack Helicopter
| Kamov Ka-50
| 16
| 3 more to be commissioned this year [10]
|
|-----
| Ka-52 Alligator
|
| Attack Helicopter
| Kamov Ka-52
| 9
| Special Forces - 12 more to be commissioned until 2015 [10]
|-----
| Mi-24
|
| Attack helicopter
| Mil Mi-24
| 260
| 240 Air Force, 20 Navy
|
|-----
| Mi-28
|
| Attack Helicopter
| Mil Mi-28
| 10
| 67 more to be delivered until 2015 [10]
|-----
| Mi-6
|
| Transport Helicopter
| Mil Mi-6
| 5
|
|
|-----
| Mi-8
|
| Transport Helicopter
| Mil Mi-8
| 195
| 160 Air Force, 35 Navy
|
|-----
| Mi-14
|
| Transport Helicopter
| Mil Mi-14
| 9
|
|-----
| Mi-26
|
| Transport Helicopter
| Mil Mi-26
| 25
|
|-----
| Ka-27
|
| ASW Helicopter
| Kamov Ka-27
| 88
| Navy
|
|-----
| Ka-60 Kasatka
|
| Transport Helicopter
| Kamov Ka-60
| 7
|
|-----
|}
Gallery of images
Ranks and insignia
Main articles: Air Force ranks and insignia of the Russian Federation
See also
★ Morskaya Aviatsiya -WWII Soviet Naval Air Service
★ Voenno-vozdushniye Sily - Soviet Air Force
★ List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS
References
1. The previous note on 'number' has been removed because the IISS Military Balance notes the Chinese PLAAF with 2,643 combat capable aircraft, as opposed to the VVS's 1,650 combat capable aircraft. IISS Military Balance 2007, p.200, 350.
2. Valeriy Kolosov, Military Reform: Minus One Hundred Thousand, Kommersant, 11 October 2004, cited in Scott & Scott, Russian Military Directory 2004
3. BBC NEWS, ''Russia restarts Cold War'', 17 August 2007, patrols, [1]
4. Russia restores Soviet-era strategic bomber patrols - Putin -2 Russian News & Information Agency
5. 'Kucheryavy takes up post as Urals Air Force, Air Defense Army commander', AVN Military News Agency, MOSCOW. July 10, 2007 (Interfax-AVN)
6. "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', January 15 2007.
7. Russia's fifth generation combat aircraft to fly by late 2008-Ivanov
8. Russia to build fifth-generation fighter prototype soon
9. RIAN news article on Su-34
10. Air Forces Monthly, July 2007 edition.
11. Air Forces Monthly, July 2007 edition.
12. Air Forces Monthly, July 2007 edition.
External links
★ Russian Air Force Unofficial
★ REDSTARS News, analyses and reports about the Russian Defense and the Russian Air Force
★ VVS Order of Battle courtesy of Scramble.nl
★ Russian-language VVS site
★ Photos Russian Air Force
★ Listing of Soviet Air Bases
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