Misplaced Pages

Russian Air Force
Военно-воздушные силы России Voenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii
Emblem of the VVS
Founded	1912 1992 (current form)
Country	Russia
Type	Air force
Role	Aerial warfare
Part of	Russian Aerospace Forces
Headquarters	Arbat District, Moscow
March	"Air March"
Anniversaries	12 August
Engagements	South Ossetia war (1991–1992) War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) First Chechen War War of Dagestan 1999 East Timorese crisis Second Chechen War Russo-Georgian War Annexation of Crimea Syrian Civil War Russian invasion of Ukraine
Website	structure.mil.ru/structure/forces/air.htm
Commanders
Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces	President Vladimir Putin
Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces	Colonel general Viktor Afzalov
Commander of the Russian Air Force	Lieutenant general Sergey Kobylash
Insignia
Flag
Roundel
Roundel (1992–2010)
Patch
Middle emblem
Insignia
Aircraft flown
Attack	Su-24M, Su-25SM, Su-34
Bomber	MiG-31K, Tu-22M3, Tu-95, Tu-160
Electronic warfare	A-50/A-50U, Il-22PP, Il-80
Fighter	MiG-29, MiG-35, Su-27, Su-30, Su-35, Su-57
Helicopter	Ka-60, Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-26
Attack helicopter	Mi-24/Mi-35M, Mi-28N, Ka-50, Ka-52
Interceptor	MiG-31
Trainer	Aero L-39 Albatros, Yak-130
Transport	Il-76, Il-86, Il-112, An-22, An-26, An-124, An-140, An-148
Tanker	Il-78

The Russian Air Force (Russian: Военно-воздушные силы России, romanized: Voenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii, VVS) is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reborn Russian armed forces began to be created on 7 May 1992 following Boris Yeltsin's creation of the Ministry of Defence. However, the Russian Federation's air force can trace its lineage and traditions back to the Imperial Russian Air Service (1912–1917) and the Soviet Air Forces (1918–1991).

History

The Russian Air Force, officially established on August 12, 1912, as part of the Imperial Russian Air Service, has a long and complex history. It began as one of the earliest military aviation units globally, although its early years saw slow development due to the constraints of World War I. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the air service was reorganised under the Soviet regime, evolving into the Red Air Fleet in 1918, which later became part of the Soviet Air Forces (VVS).

Early development and Soviet era

During the interwar period, the Soviet Union made significant advancements in aviation technology and pilot training. By World War II, the Soviet Air Forces had grown substantially and played a crucial role in key battles, such as the Battle of Stalingrad and the Defence of Moscow, helping to turn the tide against Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front. Soviet pilots flew legendary aircraft like the Yakovlev Yak-3 and Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik, which were crucial in gaining air superiority.

After the war, the Soviet Air Force focused on modernising its fleet, developing jet fighters like the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, which became famous during the Korean War. Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet Air Force was a pivotal part of the USSR’s military strategy, with long-range bombers like the Tu-95 and advanced fighters such as the MiG-21 and Su-27 becoming iconic symbols of Soviet air power.

Russian Armed Forces
Ministry of Defence
Staff
General Staff of the Armed Forces
Services (vid)
Russian Ground Forces Russian Aerospace Forces Russian Navy
Independent troops (rod)
Strategic Rocket Forces Russian Airborne Forces
Special operations force (sof)
Special Operations Forces
Other troops
Logistical Support
Military districts
Leningrad Military District Moscow Military District Southern Military District Central Military District Eastern Military District
History of the Russian military
Military history of Russia History of Russian military ranks Military ranks of the Soviet Union
v t e

1991–2000

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union into its fifteen constituent republics in December 1991, the aircraft and personnel of the Soviet Air Forces—the VVS—were divided among the newly independent states. General Pyotr Deynekin, the former deputy commander-in-chief of the Soviet Air Forces, became the first commander of the new organization on 24 August 1991. Russia received the majority of the most modern fighters and 65% of the manpower. 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 republics' air forces. Some aircraft in Belarus and Ukraine (such as Tupolev Tu-160s) were returned to Russia, sometimes in return for debt reductions, as well as the 79th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division at Chagan in Kazakhstan.

In 1993 and 1994 Deynekin announced that a Frontal Aviation Command (Moscow, under General-lieutenant of Aviation Nikolay Antoshkin) and a Reserves and Cadres Training Command (Samara, under Colonel-General Leonid Stepanyuk) were to be established. But little more was heard of these commands.

During the 1990s, the financial stringency was felt throughout the armed forces made its mark on the VVS as well. Pilots and other personnel could sometimes not get their wages for months, and on occasion resorted to desperate measures: four MiG-31 pilots at Yelizovo in the Far East went on hunger strike in 1996 to demand back pay which was several months overdue, and the problem was only resolved by diverting unit money intended for other tasks. As a result of the cutbacks, infrastructure became degraded as well, and in 1998, 40% of military airfields needed repair.

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.

The former Soviet Air Defence Forces remained independent for several years under Russian control, only merging with the Air Forces in 1998. The decree merging the two forces was issued by President Boris Yeltsin on 16 July 1997. During 1998 altogether 580 units and formations were disbanded, 134 reorganised, and over 600 were given a new jurisdiction. The redistribution of forces affected 95% of aircraft, 98% of helicopters, 93% of anti-aircraft missile complexes, 95% of the equipment of radiotechnical troops, 100% of anti-aircraft missiles and over 60% of aviation armament. More than 600,000 tons of material changed location and 3,500 aircraft changed airfields. Military Transport Aviation planes took more than 40,000 families to new residence areas.

The short-lived operational commands were abolished. Two air armies, the 37th Air Army (long-range aviation) and the 61st Air Army (former Military Transport Aviation), were established directly under the Supreme Command. The former frontal aviation and anti-aircraft forces were organized as Air Force Armies and Anti-Aircraft Defense Armies under the military district commanders.

There were initially four such armies with headquarters in St.Petersburg (Leningrad Military District), Rostov-on-Don (North Caucasus Military District), Khabarovsk (Far East Military District), and Chita (Siberian Military District). Two military districts had separate Air and Air Defence Corps. When the Transbaikal Military District and Siberian Military District were merged, the 14th Air and Air Defence Forces Army was formed to serve as the air force formation in the area.

The number of servicemen in the Air Force was reduced to about 185,000 from the former combined number of 318,000. 123,500 positions were abolished, including almost 1,000 colonel positions. The resignation of 3000 other servicemen included 46 generals of which 15 were colonel generals. On 29 December 1998 Colonel General Anatoly Kornukov, a former Air Defence Forces officer and new commander-in-chief of the merged force succeeding Deynekin, reported to the Russian defense minister that the task had 'in principle been achieved'. General Kornukov established the new headquarters of the force in Zarya, near Balashikha, 20 km east of the center of Moscow, in the former PVO central command post, where the CIS common air defense system is directed from.

2001–2010

In December 2003 the aviation assets of the Russian Ground Forces—mostly helicopters—were transferred to the VVS, following the shooting down of a Mi-26 helicopter in Chechnya on 19 August 2002 that claimed 19 lives. 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. The former Army Aviation was subsequently managed by the Chief of the Department of Army Aviation. In 2010, it was announced that the 2003 decision to transfer Ground Force Aviation to the Air Force was reversed, with the transfer back to the Ground Forces to occur sometime in 2015 or 2016.

During the 2000s, the Air Force continued to suffer from a lack of resources for pilot training. In the 1990s Russian pilots achieved approximately 10% of the flight hours of the United States Air Force. The 2007 edition of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Military Balance listed pilots of tactical aviation flying 20–25 hours a year, 61st Air Army pilots (former Military Transport Aviation), 60 hours a year, and Army Aviation under VVS control 55 hours a year.

In 2007 the VVS resumed the Soviet-era practice of deploying its strategic bomber aircraft on long-range patrols. This ended a 15-year unilateral suspension due to fuel costs and other economic difficulties after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Patrols towards the North Pole, the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean were reinstated, bringing the planes often close to NATO territory, including in one instance flying over the Irish Sea between the United Kingdom and Ireland.

During the 2008 South Ossetian War, the VVS suffered losses of between four and seven aircraft due to Georgian anti-aircraft fire. The 2008 Russian military reforms were promptly announced following the war, which according to Western experts were intended to address many inadequacies discovered as a result. The reforms commenced in early 2009, in which air armies were succeeded by commands, and most air regiments became air bases. Aviation Week & Space Technology confirmed that the reorganization would be completed by December 2009 and would see a 40 percent reduction in aircrew numbers.

In February 2009, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that 200 of the 291 MiG-29s currently in service across all Russian air arms were unsafe and would have to be permanently grounded. This action would remove from service about a third of Russia's total fighter force, some 650 aircraft. On 5 June 2009, the Chief of the General Staff, Nikolai Makarov said of the VVS that "They can run bombing missions only in the daytime with the sun shining, but they miss their targets anyway". Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov said that Russia's long-range bombers would be upgraded in 2009 to be able to hit within 20 meters of their targets.

Also in September 2009, it was reported that an East European network of the Joint CIS Air Defense System was to be set up by Russia and Belarus. This network was intended to protect the airspace of the two countries as defined in the supranational 1999 Union State treaty. Its planned composition was to include five Air Force units, 10 anti-aircraft units, five technical service and support units, and one electronic warfare unit. It was to be placed under the command of a Russian or Belarusian Air Force or Air Defence Force senior commander.

In July 2010, Russian jet fighters made the first nonstop flights from European Russia to the Russian Far East. By August 2010, according to the Commander-in-Chief of the VVS Alexander Zelin, the average flight hours of a pilot in Russian tactical aviation had reached 80 hours a year, while in army aviation and military transport aviation, it exceeded 100 hours a year. On 15 August 2010, the Russian Air Force temporarily grounded its fleet of Su-25 ground attack aircraft to investigate a crash that happened during a training mission. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the plane crashed on 6 August 2010, 60  km to the north-west of Step air base in Siberia, according to RIA Novosti.

2011–2020

According to the instructions of the General Staff of the Armed Forces on 1 September 2011, the unmanned aircraft of the VVS and the personnel operating them moved under the command structure of the Russian Ground Forces.

As of 2012, the VVS operated a total of 61 air bases, including 26 air bases with tactical aircraft, of which 14 are equipped with fighter aircraft. In terms of flight hours, pilots in the Western Military District averaged 125 hours over the 2012 training year. Pilots from the Kursk air base achieved an average of 150 hours, with transport aviation averaging 170 hours.

In February 2014, during the early periods of Russia's annexation of Crimea, the assets of the VVS in the Southern Military District were activated and flown to the peninsula for supporting the rest of the operations.

On 1 August 2015, the Russian Air Force, along with the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces and the Air Defense Troops, were merged into a new branch of the armed forces, now officially called the Russian Aerospace Forces.

On 30 September 2015, the VVS launched a military intervention in Syria, in Syria's Homs region. On 24 November 2015, during a bombing mission, a Turkish Air Force F-16 shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 that Turkey claimed had violated its airspace.

In March 2020, the indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets by the VVS in Syria has been described as "amounting to war crime" by a United Nations Human Rights Council report.

On 9 November 2020, a Russian Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter was shot down mistakenly by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war killing 2 crew members and injuring 1 more. Days later, after the signing of the ceasefire agreement, Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh with aviation to patrol its borders.

2021–present

Modernization plans and programs carried out since the 2010s are being continued into 2021 as a part of Russia's State Armament Program for 2018–2027.

VVS role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 24 February 2022, the VVS was deployed in support of the invasion of Ukraine. The VVS had reportedly deployed about 300 combat aircraft within range of Ukraine. Aircraft have also been deployed in Belarus for sorties over Ukraine.

On 25 February 2022, Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed several aircraft and set a Russian airbase on fire in the Millerovo air base attack.

On 13 March 2022, Russian forces launched cruise missile attacks on Yavoriv military base near the Polish border.

As of 20 March 2022, it was claimed that VVS carried out at least 1403 airstrikes on Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion.

The VVS has generally been noted by its relative absence from the invasion and has as of 25 March 2022 failed to subdue Ukrainian air defenses or the Ukrainian Air Force. It has, as of April 1, 2022, also failed to achieve air supremacy. Failure to achieve this has been attributed to the lack of SEAD operations on the part of the VVS likely due to the lack of flying hours for Russian pilots as well as the lack of dedicated SEAD units and precision-guided munitions within the VVS. These weaknesses have been compounded by the mobility of Ukrainian air defenses with the extensive use of MANPADS as well as NATO reportedly sharing early warning information with Ukrainian forces. According to the Ukrainian MoD, as of 16 March 2022, the VVS has also suffered at least 77 aircraft losses, however only 12 were verified by independent sources at the time.

In the first six months of the campaign, Russia's air war was largely a failure. An American intelligence analyst said that less than 40% of the 2,154 missiles fired by Russia hit their targets, such as the Zatoka bridge which sustained over eight air attacks before being disabled. The VVS reportedly flew over 20,000 sorties in the war, fewer than 3,000 of which entered Ukrainian airspace, possibly due to fear of Ukraine's sustained air defense.

The VVS has struck civilian targets during the invasion prompting an International Criminal Court investigation in Ukraine. Notably, during the battle of Mariupol it struck a hospital as well as a theatre.

Russian pilots in Ukraine are having to use civilian GPS units "taped to the dashboards".

On 19 September US Air Force General James B. Hecker said that Russia had lost 55 military aircraft due to being shot down by Ukrainian air defenses since the start of the invasion. He credits this success to the Ukrainian use of SA-11 and SA-10 air defense systems. As the US doesn't have these systems getting new missiles from European allies is a "big ask" from Kyiv. Russian airplanes increased their operations due to the September 2022 Ukrainian Kharkiv Oblast counteroffensive. This was due to several factors including changing front lines, former safe territory is now held by the enemy. Or because they were under pressure to provide closer ground support.

On 8 October 2022 the chief of the VVS Sergey Surovikin became the commander of all Russian forces invading Ukraine.

On 10 October 2022 the VVS re-commenced the bombardment of cities like Kyiv and especially energy infrastructure like electricity grid facilities. The large-scale coordinated attacks also hit Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Lviv, Dnipro, Ternopil, Kremenchuk, Khmelnytskyi, and Zhytomyr. The oblasts of Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Zhytormyr, Kirovohrad were attacked on this day. When, by 17 October, these energy infrastructure attacks continued unabated the western media labeled the delivery system "kamikaze drones", and Ukrainian president Zelensky called this "terrorizing the civilian population". By 23 October (not yet two weeks) 40% of Ukrainians were without electricity and/or water.

Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian infrastructure again intensified with the deployment of the UMPK (unified gliding and correction module) bomb kits since early 2023, which allowed to Russian Air Force convert dummy Soviet-era aerial bombs into a precise ammunition. UMPK bomb kits are being particularly used with general purpose FAB-250, FAB-500 and FAB-1500 aerial bombs containing highly explosive warheads. These glide kits greatly increase range and also add an element of guidance, allowing Russian bombers, namely the Su-34, to execute aerial attacks from safer distances without entering areas covered by Ukrainian air defense systems. According to Ukrainian General Ivan Havryliuk, since start of 2024 year, Russian aviation dropped over 3,500 of these bombs on Ukrainian positions.

Wagner Group rebellion

On 23 - 24 June 2023 the state-funded private military company Wagner Group rebelled against the Russian government citing increased tensions with Ministry of Defence leaders. With the majority of Russian ground forces already committed in the invasion of Ukraine, the VVS was a primary component of the Russian military response to the rebellion.

During the conflict, the VVS lost one Il-22M Airborne Command Post and five helicopters (three Mi-8, one Mi-35M, and one KA-52) as well as one damaged Mi-8. Two of the destroyed Mi-8s as well as the damaged one were Russia's newest Mi-8MTPR-1 Electronic Warfare variants. Up to 29 crew were killed, assuming the aircraft were fully manned, but the VVS has not released casualties. Wagner lost at least five vehicles during hostilities, but it is unclear how many can be attributed to VVS actions. Reports indicated that the Russian Armed Forces were failing to stop Wagner's momentum toward Moscow when a political resolution to the rebellion was announced. The U.K. Defense Intelligence reported that the Il-22M was a particularly high value asset, being one in a fleet of only 12 special mission aircraft, and that its loss could have an impact on the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Leadership

Previously the highest military office until 1 August 2015.

Since the merger between the VVS and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces on 1 August 2015, the commander of the VVS as part of the new Russian Aerospace Forces is titled Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Commander of the VVS. Lieutenant General Andrey Yudin became the first holder of the position until he was succeeded by Lieutenant General Sergey Dronov in August 2019.

Structure

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2024)

In 2009 the structure of the VVS was completely changed to a command-air base structure from the previous structure of air army-air division or corps-air regiment. The VVS was divided into four operational commands, the Aerospace Defense Operational Strategic Command (seemingly primarily made up of the former Special Purpose Command), the Military Transport Aviation Command, and the Long-Range Aviation Command. This listing is a composite; the available new information covers frontline forces, and the forces of central subordination are as of approximately August 2008. Warfare.ru maintains what appears to be a reasonably up-to-date listing, and Combat Aircraft magazine in June 2010 listed their organization's estimate of the new order of battle.

This listing appears to be as of June 2009:

Regional air armies

Russian Air Force flights often use a callsign beginning with RFF: For example RFF1234.

• 1st Aerospace Defence Forces Army (Moscow Military District)
  • 4th Aerospace Defense brigade (Dolgoprudnyi, Moscow Oblast)
  • 5th Aerospace Defense Brigade (Petrovskoe, Moscow Oblast)
  • 6th Aerospace Defense brigade (Rzhev, Tver Oblast) (former 32nd Corps of PVO?)
  • 6963rd aviation base (Kursk Vostochny Airport) (Su-30, MiG-29SMT/UBT)
  • 6968th fighter aviation base (Borisovsky Khotilovo, Tver Oblast) (Su-27, MiG-31B, MiG-31BM, Su-24)
• 6th Air and Air Defence Forces Army (Voronezh) (Leningrad Military District)
  • 1st Aerospace Defense brigade (Severomorsk)
  • 2nd Aerospace Defense brigade (St. Petersburg)
  • 6961st aviation base (Petrozavodsk Airport) (Su-27)
  • 6964th aviation base (Monchegorsk Air Base, Murmansk Oblast) (Su-24M, Su-24MR)
  • 6965th aviation base (Vyazma Airport, Smolensk Oblast) (Mi-8TM, Mi-24V, Mi-28N)
  • 7000th aviation base (Voronezh Malshevo Air Base) (Su-24M, Su-24MR, Su-34)
• 14th Air and Air Defence Forces Army (Yekaterinburg) (Central Military District)
  • 8th Aerospace Defense Brigade (Yekaterinburg)
  • 9th Aerospace Defense brigade (Novosibirsk)
  • 10th Aerospace Defense brigade (Chita)
  • 6977th Aviation Base (Bolshoye Savino Airport, Perm Krai) (MiG-31BM)
  • 6979th aviation base (Kansk Air Base, Krasnoyarsk Krai) (MiG-31BM)
  • 6980th aviation base (Chelyabinsk Shagol Airport) (Su-24M)
  • 6982nd aviation base (Domna Air Base, Zabaykalsky Krai) (MiG-29, Su-30SM)
• 11th Air and Air Defence Forces Army (Khabarovsk) (Eastern Military District)
  • 11th Aerospace Defense Brigade (Komsomolsk-na-Amur)
  • 12th Aerospace Defense brigade (Vladivostok)
  • 6983rd aviation base (Komsomolsk-on-Amur Airport, Khabarovsk Krai) (Su-27SM, Su-30M2, Su-35S, Su-34)
  • 6988th aviation base (Khurba, Khabarovsk Krai) (Su-24M, Su-24M2, Su-24MR)
  • 6989th aviation base (Vladivostok International Airport) (Su-27SM)
  • 265th transport aviation base (Khabarovsk)
• 4th Air and Air Defence Forces Army – (former 4th and 5th Armies of VVS and PVO) (Rostov-on-Don) (Southern Military District)
  • 7th Aerospace Defense brigade (Rostov-on-Don)
  • 8th Aerospace Defense Brigade (Yekaterinburg)
  • 6970th aviation base (Morozovsk, Rostov Oblast) (Su-24M, Su-34)
  • 6971st aviation base (Budyonnovsk, Stavropol Krai) (Su-25SM, Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-24V, Mi-28N)
  • 6972nd aviation base (Krymsk, Krasnodar Krai) (Su-27, Mi-8, Mi-24P, Mi-28N, Ka-27)
  • 6974th aviation base (Korenovsk, Krasnodar Krai) (Mi-8MTV-5, Mi-24V, Mi-35M, Mi-28N)
  • 999th aviation base (Kant Air Base, Kyrgyzstan) (Su-25, Su-27, Mi-8T)
  • 229th transport aviation base (Rostov-on-Don) (Mi-26(T), Mi-8AMTSh(TM))

Helicopter regiments providing support to the Ground Forces include the 39th, 55th, granted Guards status after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 112th, 319th, 332nd, 337th, 440th, and the 487th. There is also a helicopter regiment in the Navy, the 830th Anti-Submarine Helicopter Regiment.

Military Transport Aviation Command

Headquarters: Moscow

• • 6955th Aviation Base (Migalovo (Tver)) (Il-76MD)
  • 6956th Aviation Base (Orenburg) (Il-76MD)
  • 6958th Aviation Base (Taganrog, Rostov Oblast) (Il-76MD)
  • 6985th Aviation Base (Pskov Airport) (Il-76MF)

Long-Range Aviation

Headquarters Moscow

• • 6950th Aviation Base (Engels-2, Saratov Oblast) (Tu-22 M3, Tu-95 MS6, Tu-160) former 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division
  • 6952nd Aviation Base (Ukrainka Air Base, Amur Oblast) (Tu-95 MS16)
  • 6953rd Aviation Base (Belaya Air Base, located at Sredni, Irkutsk Oblast) (Tu-22 M3)

Forces of Central Subordination

• 132nd Central Communications Center, Balashikha, Zarya airport, Moscow Oblast
• 1st Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment – Su-24 – Lebyazhye – absorbed by 6970th Aviation Base, 1 September 2009
• 764th Fighter Aviation Regiment – MiG-31, MiG-25PU – Bolshoye Savino Airport (Sokol)
• 8th Special Purpose Aviation Division (Chkalovsky Airport)
  • 353rd Special Purpose Aviation Regiment— Chkalovsky Airport — Il-18, Il-76, Аn-12, Аn-72, Тu-134, Тu-154.
  • 354th Special Purpose Aviation Regiment— Chkalovsky Airport — Il-18, Il-76, Аn-12, Аn-72, Тu-134, Тu-154.
  • 206th Special Purpose Aviation Base — Chkalovsky Airport — Mi-8 helicopters.
  • 223rd Flight Unit – commercial transport – Chkalovsky Airport – Il-62M, Il-76MD, Tu-134A-3, Tupolev Tu-154B-2
• 2457th Air Base of Long Range Radiolocation Detection Aircraft – A-50, A-50М – Ivanovo Severny
• 929th State Flight Test Centre named for V. P. Chkalov (Akhtubinsk)
  • 1338th Test Centre – Chkalovsky Airport – Ilyushin Il-22, Ilyushin Il-80, and Il-82
  • High-altitude mountain Center for Air Materiel and Weapons Research – Nalchik
  • 368th Detached Composite Aviation Squadron (An-12)
  • 13th Aeronautic Test Facility – Volsk – air balloons
  • 267th Center of Test Pilots Training – Akhtubinsk
• 4th Centre for Combat Employment and Retraining of Personnel – Lipetsk Air Base
• 968th Sevastopol Composite Training and Research Aviation Regiment, Lipetsk Air Base, fighter jets MiG-29, Su-27, Su-27M, Su-30, bombers Su-24M, Su-24M2, Su-34, reconnaissance plane Su-24MP, jammer Su-24MP, strike-fighter Su-25, Su-25T, Su-25SM
• 3958th Guards Kerch Aviation Base, Savasleyka, Nizhegorod Oblast, MiG-31.
• 185th Centre for Combat Training and Flight Personnel Training – Astrakhan
  • 116th Training center operational use — Аstrakhan — MiG-23, MiG-29
  • 42nd Training center operational use — Ashuluk — SAM and targets.
• 344th Centre for Combat Training and Flight Personnel Training – Torzhok (ground forces helicopters) (ru:344 Центр боевой подготовки и переучивания лётного состава армейской авиации)
  • 696th Research and Instruction Helicopter Regiment (Torzhok)(Ka-50, Mi-8, Mi-24, Mi-26, has used Mi-28)
  • 92nd Research and Instruction Helicopter Squadron (Sokol-Vladimir (Ruwiki says Klin)) (Mi-8, Mi-24)
• 924th Centre for Combat Training and Flight Personnel Training – Yegoryevsk Base UAV.
  • 275th Separate research and UAV squadron instructors(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), Yegoryevsk, Moscow Oblast. UAV Tu-143, Yakovlev Pchela-1T, IAI Searcher 2 .
• Russian State Scientific-Research Institute Centre for Cosmonaut Training – Zvezdnyi Goronok
• 70th Separate test and training Aviation Regiment Special Purpose — Chkalovski — Il-76 and other.
• 2881st Reserve Helicopter Base – Totskoye – Mi-24P
• 5th Independent Long-Range Reconnaissance Aviation Detachment – Voronezh (CFE and INF verification)
• 185th Centre for Combat Training and Flight Personnel Training – Astrakhan
• 118th Independent Helicopter Squadron – Chebenki (Dmitriyevka), Orenburg Oblast
• 4020th Base for Reserve Aircraft – Lipetsk
• 4215th Base for Reserve Aircraft – Chebenki
• 15th Army Aviation Brigade of the Western Military District at the airport Ostrov, Pskov Oblast

Warehouses, Storage and Maintenance Depots, Aircraft Repair Plants

(Russian: List of Aircraft Factories in Russia)

• Central Aviation Base of Rocket Armament and Ammunition, Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Oblast
• Aviation Warehouse of Rocket Armament and Ammunition, Yoshkar-Ola
• Supply and Storage Depot of Air Defense Rocket Armament, Serpukhov, Moscow Oblast
• Storage and Maintenance Depot of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Yaroslavl (Tunoshna)
• 502nd Military Equipment Maintenance Plant, Fryazevo (Noginsk-5)
• 1015th Military Equipment Maintenance Plant, Nizhniye Sergi-3, Sverdlovsk Oblast
• 1019th Military Equipment Maintenance Plant, Onokhoy-2, Buryat Republic
• 1253rd Central Radar Armament Maintenance Base, Samara-28
• 2227th Armament Maintenance and Storage Base, Trudovaya, Moscow Oblast
• 2503rd Central Base of Automated Control Systems Maintenance, Yanino-1, Leningrad Oblast
• 2529th Central Base of Armament Maintenance, Khabarovsk
• 2633rd Base of Armament Maintenance and Storage, Lyubertsy, Moscow Oblast
• 3821st Base of Armament Maintenance and Storage, Tosno, Leningrad Oblast
• 20th Aircraft Overhaul Plant, Pushkin-3 (not an inhabited locality, or name is misspelled), Leningrad Oblast
• 150th Aircraft Overhaul Plant, Lyublino-Novoye, Kaliningrad Oblast
• 419th Aircraft Overhaul Plant, Gorelovo, Leningrad Oblast
• 695th Aircraft Overhaul Plant (Factory), Aramil, Sverdlovsk Oblast
• 99th Air-Technical Equipment Plant, Ostafyevo (Shcherbinka), Moscow Oblast
• 5212nd Testing and Control (Docking?) Station, Znamensk, Astrakhan Oblast

Training and Research Organisations

• 2nd Central Scientific-Research Institute — Tver
• 13th State Scientific Research Institute "ERAT" Luberchi, Moscow Oblast
• 30th Central Scientific-Research Institute (ЦНИИ АКТ) — Shelkovo, also includes research institutes in Noginsk.
• Gagarin Military Air Academy (VVA) — Monino
• Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy — Moscow
• Zhukov Command Academy of Air Defense — Tver ( branch in the St. Petersburg )
• Yaroslavl Anti-aircraft Missile Defence Institute
• Chelyabinsk Red Banner Military Aviation Institute of Navigators
  • 604th Training Aviation Regiment — Chelyabinsk Shagol Airport
• Voronezh Central Military Aviation Engineering University (VCMAEU)
  • Both the Irkutsk Military Aviation Engineering Institute and the Tambov Military Aviation Engineering Institute were disbanded in 2009 and transferred to VCMAEU.
• Krasnodar Military Aviation Institute (L-39Cs); by 2016, the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation Pilots College Named for Hero of the Soviet Union A.K. Serov
  • 704th Training Aviation Regiment — Котельниково — L-39
  • 627th Training Aviation Regiment — Тихорецк — Л-39
  • 797th Training Aviation Regiment — Кущевская — L-39, Su-25, Su-27, MiG-29
• Syzran Military Aviation Institute (Mi-2, Mi-8T and Mi-24V, Ansat, Ka-226T
  • 131st Training Aviation Regiment — Saratov-Sokol — Mi-2, Mi-8
  • 484th Training Helicopter Regiment — Syzran airfield — Mi-24
  • 626th Training Helicopter Regiment — Pugachev — Mi-2, Mi-8, Mi-24
  • Branch in Kirov, Kirov Oblast
• 783rd Training Centre (Armavir) (MiG-29, L-39C)
  • 713th Training Aviation Regiment — Armavir — L-39, MiG-29
  • 761st Training Aviation Regiment — Khanskaya — L-39
• 786th Training Centre (Borisoglebsk):
  • 160th Training Aviation Regiment — Borisoglebsk — Su-27
  • 644th Training Aviation Regiment — Michurinsk — L-39, Su-24, Su-25, MiG-29
• 705th Training Aviation Center for Training Flight Crews and Long-Range military transport aircraft – Balashov:
  • 606th Training Aviation Regiment – Balashov
  • 666th Training Aviation Regiment – Rtishchevo
• Center for anti-aircraft missile troops, Uchhoz (Gatchina-3), the Leningrad Region. Chief – Colonel Alexander Dobrovolsky.
• 357th Training Center, Belgorod. Chief – Colonel Viktor Baranov.
• 834th Centre for Signal Corps Radio and ensure Novgorod. Chief – Colonel Vasily Fedosov.
• 874th training center (settlement) of radio engineering troops, Vladimir. Chief – Colonel Yuri Balaban.
• 902nd Training Center (settlement) of anti-aircraft missile troops Kosterevo-1, Vladimir Oblast.

Medical and athletic facilities

• State Research Institute of Aviation and Space Medicine, Moscow. Chief – Major-General Igor Ushakov.
• 5th Central Military Research Aviation Hospital, Krasnogorsk-3, Moscow Region.
• 7th Central Military Research Aviation Hospital, Moscow.
• Spa Air Force, Chemitokvadzhe, Krasnodar Krai. Chief – Colonel Theodore Barantsev.
• Central Sports Club VVS Samara. Chief – Colonel Dmitry Shlyahtin.
• 361st Center of Psychophysiological Training of personnel, Agha, Krasnodar region.
• 709th Center of Psychophysiological Training of personnel, Anapa (now Dzhubga), Krasnodar region.
• 464th Training Center for Physical Culture and Sports, Ufa, Bashkortostan.

The list of Soviet Air Force bases shows a number that are still active with the Russian Air Force.

With the Air Force now fusing into one joint service branch the personnel from the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces and their respective facilities, the following now report to the Aerospace Forces HQ:

• Space Command (Russian: Космическое командование (KK)):
  • 153rd Main Trial Centre for Testing and Control of Space Means named after G.S. Titov at Krasnoznamensk (Russian: Главный испытательный центр испытаний и управления космическими средствами имени Германа Титова)
  • 820th Main Centre for Missile Attack Warning (SPRN) (Russian: центр предупреждения о ракетном нападении (цпрн)) in Solnechnogorsk
  • 821st Main Space Surveillance Centre (SKKP) (Russian: центр контроля космического пространства (цккп)) in Noginsk-9, Moscow Oblast

Early warning of missile attack:

Voronezh radar at Lekhtusi, Armavir, Kaliningrad, Mileshevka, Yeniseysk, Barnaul

Daryal radar at Pechora

Volga radar at Hantsavichy

Dnepr radar at Balkhash, Irkutsk and Olenegorsk

Oko early warning satellites

Space surveillance:

Okno in Tajikistan

Krona in Zelenchukskaya and Nakhodka

RT-70 in Yevpatoria (since its annexation by the Russian Federation, Crimea's status, and thus that of the city of Yevpatoria which is located on Crimea, is under dispute between Russia and Ukraine; Ukraine and the majority of the international community considers Crimea and Yevpatoria an integral part of Ukraine, while Russia, on the other hand, considers Crimea and Yevpatoria an integral part of Russia) and Galenki (together with Roscosmos)

Missile defense:

A-135 anti-ballistic missile system

Don-2N radar

A-235 anti-ballistic missile system (future; after 2020)

Satellite systems:

Liana space reconnaissance and target designation system (3 electronic reconnaissance satellites 14F145 "Lotus-C1")

• Air and Space Defence Command (Russian: Командование противовоздушной и противоракетной обороны (К ПВО И ПРО)):
  • 9th Missile Defence Division (A-135 anti-ballistic missile system) in Pushkino
  • 4th Missile Defence Brigade in Dolgoprudny
  • 5th Missile Defence Brigade in Vidnoye
  • 6th Missile Defence Brigade in Rzhev
• State Testing Plesetsk Cosmodrome (Russian: Государственный испытательный космодром «Плесецк» (ГИК «Плесецк»))
  • Kura Test Range

Squadrons

As of 2014:

• 8 × Bomber squadrons (4 operating Tu-22M3/MR; 3 operating Tu-95MS; 1 operating Tu-160)
• 37 × Fighter squadrons (8 operating MiG-29; 3 operating MiG-29SMT; 11 operating MiG-31/MiG-31BM; 10 operating Su-27; 4 operating Su-27SM1/Su-30M2; 1 operating Su-27SM3/Su-30M2)
• 27 × Attack squadrons (11 operating the Su-24M/Su-24M2; 13 operating Su-25/Su-25SM; 3 operating Su-34)
• 10 × Attack & Reconnaissance squadrons (1 operating Su-24M/MR; 8 operating Su-24MR; 1 operating Mig-25RB)
• 1 × AEW&C squadron (1 operating A-50/A50-U)
• 1 × Tanker squadron (1 operating Il-78/Il-78M)

Equipment

The precise quantitative and qualitative composition of the VVS is unknown and figures include both serviceable and unserviceable aircraft as well as those placed into storage or sitting in reserve. FlightGlobal estimated that there were about 3,947 aircraft in inventory in 2015. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the share of modern armament in the VVS had reached about 35% during 2014. The figure was raised to 66% by late 2016 and to 72% by late 2017. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian Air Force received in 2023 more than 100 new and repaired aircraft and 150 helicopters.

Estimates provided by the IISS show that VVS combat pilots average 60 to 100 flight hours per year and pilots flying transport aircraft average 120 flight hours per year.

Radars

The VVS operates several Nebo-M radars, that combine meter, decimeter, and centimeter range. First two Nebo-M regiments were deployed in 2017 to Saint Petersburg and Kareliya. In 2018, further two regiments were deployed to Crimea and Penza. In 2019, a regiment was delivered to Volga region. In 2020, two regiments were deployed to the Far East and Naryan Mar.

Additionally, the VVS operates radars that work in meter range only. Such systems are Nebo-UM (first units were delivered in 2018 to Voronezh and Novosibirsk, and in 2020 to Rostov-on-Don) as well as Rezonans-NE radars that have been constructed in the Arctic in Zapolyarniy, Indiga, Shoyna and Nova Zemlya, with another in Gremikha under construction.

Ranks and insignia

The VVS inherited the ranks of the Soviet Union, although the insignia and uniform were slightly altered and the old Tsarist crown and double-headed eagle were re-introduced. The VVS uses the same rank structure as the Russian Ground Forces.

Rank group	General/Flag/Air officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Russian Aerospace Forces v t e
			Генера́л а́рмии Generál ármii		Генера́л-полко́вник Generál-polkóvnik		Генера́л-лейтена́нт Generál-leytenánt		Генера́л-майо́р Generál-mayór		Полко́вник Polkóvnik		Подполко́вник Podpolkóvnik		Майо́р Majór		Kапита́н Kapitán		Старший лейтена́нт Stárshiy leytenánt		Лейтенант Leytenant		Mла́дший лейтена́нт Mládshiy leytenánt

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Russian Aerospace Forces v t e
	Ста́рший пра́порщик Stárshiy práporshchik			Пра́порщик Práporshchyk			Старшина́ Starshyná		Ста́рший сержа́нт Stárshiy serzhánt		Сержа́нт Serzhánt						Мла́дший сержа́нт Mládshiy serzhánt						Ефре́йтор Efréĭtor				Рядово́й Ryadovóy

Aircraft procurement

Production of the Russian aerospace industry for the Russian Armed Forces, 'by year of manufacture (first flight):

Future of the Russian Air Force

• Sukhoi Su-57
• Tupolev Tu-22M
• Ilyushin Il-276
• Ilyushin Il-112
• Kamov Ka-60
• Mi-38
• Yakovlev Yak-130
• Yak-152

See also

• Awards and emblems of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
• Orders, decorations, and medals of Russia
• Honorary titles of Russia
• List of Russian aviators
• Air Intelligence of Russia

Notes

1. "100 лет ВВС России: взлет или упадок?". BBC News Russian. 3 August 2012.
2. ^ Russia creates new Aerospace Force service branch Archived 27 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine, janes.com, 4 August 2015
3. O’Neill, Mark (2002), Higham, Robin; Kagan, Frederick W. (eds.), "The Soviet Air Force, 1917–1991", The Military History of the Soviet Union, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 153–168, doi:10.1007/978-1-137-12029-8_10, ISBN 978-1-137-12029-8, retrieved 29 September 2024
4. JPRS Report, Central Eurasia, Military Affairs, JPRS-UMA-95-015, 5 April 1995, p. 103, 106.
5. Austin & Muraviev, The Armed Forces of Russia in Asia, Tauris, 2000, p.235
6. Jeroen Brinkman, 'Russian Air Force in Turmoil,' Air Forces Monthly, No.105, December 1996, p.2, cited in Austin & Muraviev, 2000
7. General Heikki Nikunen, The Current State of the Russian Air Force Archived 15 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, last updated 2005
8. Piotr Butowski, 'Russia's new air force enters a tight maneuver,' Jane's Intelligence Review, May 1999, p.14
9. Piotr Butowski, 'Russia Rising,' Air Forces Monthly, July 2007, p.83
10. Moscow Defense Brief #2, 2010 page 23
11. Routledge/IISS, IISS Military Balance 2007, p.200
12. "BBC NEWS, ', Russia restarts Cold War', 17 August 2007, patrols". BBC News. 17 August 2007. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
13. "BBC NEWS, RAF intercepted Russian planes, 30 April 2008". BBC News. 30 April 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
14. Warfare.ru, Air Force: structure accessed May 2009
15. "Russian Military Aircrew Numbers Tumble". Aviationweek.com. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
16. Reuters.com, One-third Russian fighter jets old and unsafe: report Archived 15 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine Friday, 6 February 2009 5:40  am EST
17. "Russian Military Weakness Increases Importance of Strategic Nuclear Forces". Cdi.org. 11 June 2009. Archived from the original on 28 August 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
18. "Russia upgrades bomber-ALCM force for 21st century". Upi.com. 5 January 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
19. "18 September 2009". Asbarez.com. 10 February 1995. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
20. "Радиостанция "Эхо Москвы" / Передачи / Военный совет / Суббота, 14.08.2010: Александр Зелин". Echo.msk.ru. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
21. Александр Зелин. "Aviation EXplorer: С-400 начнет защищать границы России в 2012 году". Aex.ru. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
22. ""Максимальный налет летчика в Западном военном округе превысил 215 часов в год " в блоге "Армия и Флот" – Сделано у нас". Сделано у нас. 26 November 2012. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
23. "In Crimea, Russia signals military resolve with new and revamped bases". Reuters. 30 July 2017.
24. Gordon, Helene Cooper, Michael R.; Macfarquhar, Neil (30 September 2015). "Russians Strike Targets in Syria, but Not ISIS Areas". The New York Times.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
25. Lydia Tomkiw (24 November 2015). "What Is A Fencer Su-24? What To Know About The Russian Plane Shot Down By Turkey". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
26. Press release (24 November 2015). "Hava sahası İletim" [Transmission of Airspace]. Turkish Armed Forces Chief of Staff (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
27. Borger, Julian (2 March 2020). "Russia committed war crimes in Syria, finds UN report". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
28. "Russia deploying peacekeeping forces to Karabakh". anadolu agency. 16 November 2020.
29. "Russia analyst: What are the Kremlin's priorities for 2021?". defensenews. 22 February 2021.
30. "Russia's Military Modernization Plans: 2018–2027". ponarseurasia. 22 February 2021.
31. ^ Bronk, Justin (28 February 2022). "The Mysterious Case of the Missing Russian Air Force". rusi.org. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
32. Lonas, Lexi (25 February 2022). "Ukrainian forces target Russian airfield near border: report". The Hill. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
33. "Russia carries out 1403 airstrikes in Ukraine since start of invasion". defence-blog.com. 20 March 2022.
34. Vergun, David (21 March 2022). "Defense Official Says Ukrainians Continue Strong Resistance Against Russian Invaders". DoD. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
35. Lopez, Todd C. (7 March 2022). "Defense Department Reports Airspace Above Ukraine Remains Contested". DoD. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
36. Bronk, Justin (4 March 2022). "Is the Russian Air Force Incapable of Complex Air Operations?". RUSI. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
37. ^ Axe, David. "Russian Pilots Have No Choice But To Fly Straight Through Ukraine's Man-Portable Missiles". Forbes. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
38. "Exclusive: Russia's air war in Ukraine is a total failure, new data show". Newsweek. 25 May 2022.
39. "Statement of ICC Prosecutor, Karim A.A. Khan QC, on the Situation in Ukraine: "I have decided to proceed with opening an investigation."". www.icc-cpi.int. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
40. "War Crimes by Russia's Forces in Ukraine". United States Department of State. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
41. "US formally accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine". The Guardian. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
42. "Russia attacks theatre sheltering civilians, Ukraine says". BBC News. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
43. "Ukraine war: Three dead as maternity hospital hit by Russian air strike". BBC News. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
44. "Downed Russian fighter jets are being found with basic GPS 'taped to the dashboards,' UK defense minister says". Business Insider. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
45. Paul McLeary (19 September 2022). "Ukraine has shot down 55 Russian warplanes, U.S. general says". Politico. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
46. "Russia may have lost four combat jets in Ukraine in last 10 days, UK says". Reuters. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
47. "Russia names new commander of its forces engaged in Ukraine". Alarabiya. 8 October 2022.
48. "Ukraine racked by the intense bombardment of cities, energy infrastructure and central Kyiv among targets". 10 October 2022.
49. "Ukraine war: Russia dive-bombs Kyiv with 'kamikaze' drones". BBC News. 17 October 2022.
50. "'Wide-Scale' Russian Attacks Target Ukraine's Energy Grid".
51. "Russia develops guidance modules for air-dropped munitions". storymaps.arcgis.com. December 2023.
52. "Russia intensifies air assault strikes in Ukraine". defence-blog.com. 19 March 2024.
53. ^ Oryx. "Chef's Special - Documenting Equipment Losses During The 2023 Wagner Group Mutiny". Oryx. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
54. "Russia deploys Mi-8 MTPR-1 Electronic Warfare helicopters to jam Ukrainian air defence". airrecognition.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
55. "Russian Air Force suffers significant losses in Wagner mutiny". Janes.com. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
56. Gamio, Lazaro; Hernandez, Marco; Holder, Josh; Kurmanaev, Anatoly; Zhang, Christine (25 June 2023). "How a Rebellion in Russia Unfolded Over 36 Hours". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
57. "Loss of Ilyushin Il-22M Airborne Command Post Aircraft Impacts russian Air and Land Operations - Defense Express". en.defence-ua.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
58. Юдин Андрей Вячеславович [Yudin Andrey Vyacheslavovich] (in Russian). Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
59. "Russian Armed Forces". baummil.org. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
60. Dmitry Gorenburg, Air Force Structure Archived 29 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 7 February 2011
61. "Kursk Airport · Aeroportovskaya Ulitsa, 99, Kursk, Kursk Oblast, Russia, 305545". Kursk Airport · Aeroportovskaya Ulitsa, 99, Kursk, Kursk Oblast, Russia, 305545.
62. "Google Maps". Google Maps.
63. ^ Части центрального подчинения [Parts of Central Subordination]. Kommersant (in Russian). 25 August 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
64. Michael Holm, 1st Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment, accessed October 2011
65. Piotr Butowsky. Force Report:Russian Air Force, Air Forces Monthly, July 2007.
66. Nikolay Surkov and Aleksey Ramm, "Подготовку летчиков пустят на поток (Flight Crew Training to Be Stepped Up)," Izvestiya Online, 2 October 2017. https://iz.ru/645337/nikolai-surkov-aleksei-ramm/letchikov-budut-gotovit-tysiachami via OEWatch, Vol.7, Issue 10, November 2017. See also http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/division/schools/kvolty.htm.
67. ""Фотофакт. Новые вертолёты Ансат-У и Ка-226 для ВВС России " в блоге "Фотофакты" – Сделано у нас". Сделано у нас. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
68. "Герасимов: Приоритет в 2015 году — развитие стратегических ядерных сил". warfiles.ru. 29 December 2014. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
69. UKRAINE REPORTS RUSSIAN MILITARY ACTIVITY ON CRIMEA BORDER Archived 18 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Newsweek (8 August 2016)
    Gutterman, Steve (18 March 2014). "Putin signs Crimea treaty, will not seize other Ukraine regions". Reuters. Reuters. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
    Ukraine crisis timeline Archived 15 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News
    UN General Assembly adopts resolution affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity Archived 4 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine, China Central Television (28 March 2014)
70. Podvig, Pavel (25 October 2018). "Cosmos-2528 – new Lotus-S1 electronic reconnaissance satellite". Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
71. "9th independent Anti-Missile Defense Corps". www.ww2.dk. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
72. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2014, p.186
73. "Major powers: Our Top 10 of military aviation strength". 4 December 2015. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
74. "ТАСС: Армия и ОПК – Шойгу: оснащенность Российской армии современным оружием и техникой за год выросла на 7%". ТАСС. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
75. "Восемь МБР приняты на вооружение в интересах РВСН во втором квартале". РИА Новости. 16 July 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
76. "ЦАМТО / Новости / Выступление министра обороны РФ генерала армии Сергея Шойгу на расширенном заседании Коллегии Минобороны". www.armstrade.org. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
77. "Remarks by Chief of General Staff of the Russian Federation General of the Army Valery Gerasimov at the Russian Defense Ministry's board session (November 7, 2017): Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation". eng.mil.ru. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
78. Новости, РИА (26 January 2024). "Армия в 2023 году получила 3,5 тысячи отечественных беспилотников". РИА Новости (in Russian). Retrieved 14 March 2024.
79. Kay, Linda (24 May 2021). "Russia's Nebo-M Radars Can Detect U.S. F-22 and F-35 Jets: Developer Says".
80. "Система РЛС "Небо-М"" (in Russian). Iz.ru. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
81. App Store (25 April 2018). "Новая радиолокационная станция "Небо-М" поступила на вооружение войск в Поволжье". Tass.ru. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
82. ""Новая радиолокационная станция "Небо-М" поступила на вооружение войск в Поволжье" в блоге "Армия и Флот" – Сделано у нас". Sdelanounas.ru. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
83. "Все статьи с тэгом "Небо-М" – Сделано у нас". Sdelanounas.ru. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
84. "Что может С-300 в поединке с истребителем F-35". ВПК.name. 8 October 2018.
85. "PHOTO REPORT: MOBILE SECTOR RADAR COMPLEX MS RLC AT THE ARMY-2018 FORUM »". Bastion-opk.ru. 27 April 2020. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
86. alert5 (28 November 2018). "Nebo-UM enters service in Voronezh, Russia – Alert 5". Alert5.com. Retrieved 14 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
87. "Latest radar station goes on combat alert in Russia's south – Military & Defense". TASS. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
88. "On Russia's border to Norway comes a new radar | The Independent Barents Observer". Thebarentsobserver.com. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
89. "Russian 3rd Rezonans-N radar to be ready by June". 14 April 2021.
90. ^ "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 11 марта 2010 года № 293 "О военной форме одежды, знаках различия военнослужащих и ведомственных знаках отличия"". rg.ru (in Russian). Российской газеты. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
91. "24.05.2016 "Авиакор" передал очередной самолет Ан-140 Министерству обороны РФ". aviacor.ru. 24 May 2016. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
92. "Тихоокеанский флот получил новый транспортно-пассажирский самолет". flot.com. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
93. ^ "Российский самолет радиолокационного дозора А-100 совершил первый полет". TASS. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
94. "Минобороны до конца 2019 года закупит 35 учебно-тренировочных самолетов производства УЗГА". TASS. 25 December 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
95. "Серийный Ил-76МД-90А, изготовленный в АО "Авиастар-СП", успешно совершил первый полёт". aviastar-sp.ru. 15 December 2015. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
96. ^ "Минобороны переоценило транспортные самолеты". Коммерсантъ. Kommersant. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
97. ^ "Минобороны имеет твердый контракт на 35 учебно-тренировочных самолетов производства УЗГА". armstrade.org. 25 December 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
98. ^ "Поставки боевых самолетов в Вооруженные Силы России в 2020 году". 20 January 2021.
99. "ВКС России получили первые в 2021 году фронтовые бомбардировщики Су-34". 8 December 2021.
100. Readability (14 December 2021). "ВКС России получили первые в 2021 году истребители Су-35С – bmpd — LiveJournal". Bmpd.livejournal.com. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
101. "В Новосибирске замечены два новых истребителя Су-57". avia.pro. 28 May 2022.
102. "Первый серийный истребитель Су-57 поступил в авиаполк Южного военного округа".
103. "Russian Army receives S-400, S-350 anti-aircraft missile systems — top brass – Military & Defense". TASS. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
104. "Минобороны передан второй самолет – пункт управления Ту-214 ПУ-СБУС". TASS. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
105. "Поставки самолётов в Вооружённые Силы России в 2021 году. Часть 1". Soldat.ru. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
106. "Итоги 2012 года в картинках: ВВС — часть 1 (самолёты)". sdelanounas.ru. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
107. "Итоги 2012 года в картинках: гражданская авиация". sdelanounas.ru. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
108. "Итоги 2013 года в картинках: гражданская авиация". sdelanounas.ru. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
109. "Поставки военных самолетов Министерству обороны России в 2014 году". bmpd.livejournal.com. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
110. "Поставки боевых самолетов в Вооруженные Силы России в 2016 году". bmpd.livejournal.com. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
111. "Поставки боевых самолетов в Вооруженные Силы России в 2017 году". bmpd.livejournal.com. 5 January 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
112. "Поставки боевых самолетов в Вооруженные Силы России в 2018 году". bmpd.livejournal.com. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
113. "В Саратовскую учебную авиабазу поступила партия новых вертолетов Ансат-У". Russian Defense Ministry. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
114. "World Air Forces 2020". Flightglobal Insight. 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
115. "146 вертолетов Ка-52 поступят в войска до 2020 года". Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
116. "В 2017 году Минобороны получит 12 боевых вертолетов Ка-52 "Аллигатор"". interfax.ru. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
117. "Завершена приемка большого транспортного вертолета Ми-26Т для авиасоединения ВВО в Хабаровском крае". Russian Defense Ministry. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
118. ^ ""Вертолеты России" передали военным четыре новых Ми-35М и два "Ночных охотника"". TASS. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
119. "Минобороны получило семь новых боевых вертолетов". ria.ru. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
120. "ВКС России получили два новейших боевых вертолета Ми-28НМ". regnum.ru. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
121. "Army aviation brigade in Urals gets four Mi-24P attack helicopters". TASS. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
122. "Итоги 2012 года в картинках: ВВС — часть 2 (вертолёты)". sdelanounas.ru. 2 February 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
123. "Производство вертолетов на КВЗ, КумАПП и ААК "Прогресс" в 2012 году". bmpd.livejournal.com. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
124. "Итоги работы "Роствертола" в 2013 году". bmpd.livejournal.com. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
125. "Итоги деятельности ОАО "Роствертол" в 2014 году". bmpd.livejournal.com. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
126. "Новейший топливозаправщик Ил-78М-90А совершил первый полет". TASS. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
127. "Russian Defense Ministry Signs Contract To Get 10 Modern Tanker Planes - Deputy Minister". UrduPoint.
128. "Russia to Build World's Biggest and Fastest Air Freighter". ruaviation.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
129. "Russia Wants to Replace its Giant An-124 Airlifters with Updated Decades-Old Design". 30 December 2018. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
130. "Новейший российский вертолет совершил первый перелет на остров Русский". russianhelicopters.aero. 6 September 2018. Archived from the original on 9 November 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
131. "Russia's MiG aircraft corporation working on fifth-generation fighter jet". TASS. 17 August 2018. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
132. "Состоялся первый полет нового вертолета Ми-38 с российскими двигателями ТВ7–117В". Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
133. "Источник: системы БПЛА "Охотник" испытывают на Су-57". TASS. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
134. "Russia completes work on conceptual design of next-generation strategic bomber". TASS. 22 August 2018. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
135. Nikolov, Boyko (21 February 2024). "Putin joins Kazan to unveil four deeply upgraded Tu-160M bombers". Bulgarian Military Industry Review. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
136. "Интерфакс-Агентство Военных Новостей". www.militarynews.ru. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
137. "Испытания учебно-тренировочного самолета Як-152 завершатся в июле". РИА Новости. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
138. "Минобороны заказало 150 легких тренировочных самолетов Як-152". ria.ru. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.

References

• Higham, Robin (editor). Russian Aviation and Air Power in the Twentieth Century. Routledge, 1998. ISBN 0-7146-4784-5
• Palmer, Scott W. Dictatorship of the Air: Aviation Culture and the Fate of Modern Russia. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-521-85957-3

Further reading

Further sources include:

• "Warfare.be" Воздушно-Космические Силы. WARFARE.BE (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
• Piotr Butowsky. Force Report: Russian Air Force, Air Forces Monthly, August 2007 issue
• Pyotr Butowski, Air Power Analysis: Russian Federation, Part 2, International Air Power Review, Airtime Publishing, No.13, Summer 2004 (also Part 1 in a previous issue)
• The extensive list of sources at
• Yefim Gordon, Dmitriy Komissarov, Russian Air Power, 2009 and 2011
• Kommersant-Vlast, State of Russia's Air Forces 2008 No.33 (786) 25 August 2008 (in Russian)
• Что такое современная армия России [What is the modern army of Russia]. Vlast (in Russian). 7 (610). Kommersant. 21 February 2005. Archived from the original on 14 November 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
• Aleksandr Stukalin, Mikail Lukin, 'Vys Rossiyskaya Armiya', Kommersant-Vlast, Moscow, Russia, (14 May 2002)

External links

• Russian Air Force Official site (English)
• Kommersant-Vlast, State of Russia's Air Forces 2008 No.33 (786) 25 August 2008 (in Russian)
• VVS Order of Battle (scramble.nl)
• Photos Russian Air Force
• Russian Military Aviation
• "Russian Revival" – Russia's technological strategy for post-2010 airpower

v t e Annual Moscow military parade on Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War (1941–45)
By year	1945 1965 1985 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Participating units and prominent parts of the parade	Victory Banner Flag of Russia National anthem of Russia Ribbon of Saint George Red Square Military Band Service Moscow Military Music College Preobrazhensky Regiment Russian Ground Forces Russian Navy Russian Aerospace Forces (Russian Air Force, Russian Space Forces and Russian Aerospace Defence Forces) Russian Airborne Forces Russian Naval Aviation Russian Naval Infantry GRAU Missile Forces of Strategic Importance Russian Railway Troops Federal Security Service Border Service Kremlin Regiment National Guard of Russia National Guard Forces Command Ministry of Internal Affairs Police of Russia Ministry of Emergency Situations Investigative Committee of Russia Young Army Suvorov Military School Nakhimov Naval School Aerobatic teams Russian Knights Strizhi Crimean Wings Russian Falcons Berkuts
Related	1992 Moscow peace parade Victory Day (9 May) Eastern Front Great Patriotic War Pobedobesie Z (military symbol) Victory Banner (Soviet Union)
Part of	Victory Day Parades

• Russian Air Force
• Military of Russia
• Russian military aviation