Russian Air Force

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Военно-воздушные cилы России
Voyenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii
Russian Air Force


Russian Air Forces' great emblem and flag
Active August 12, 1912 - present
Country Russian Federation (earlier - Soviet Union and Russian Empire)
Role Defeating Enemy units , Reconnaissance, Defence of Major Military Facilities and units, Ground Forces and Navy support, transportation
Anniversaries August 12
Commanders
Current
commander		 Vladimir Mikhaylov
Air Forces of Russia

Imperial Russia

Air Force (1909 to 1917)

Soviet Union

Red Air Force (1918 to 1991)

Naval Aviation (1918 to 1991)

Air Defense (1948 to 1991)

Strategic Rocket Forces (1959 to 1991)

Russian Federation

Air Force (1991 to present)

Naval Aviation (1991 to present)

Strategic Rocket Forces (1991 to present)

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 General of the Army Vladimir Mikhaylov. (The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voenno Morskogo Flota ("Naval Aviation"), or AV-MF.) See Imperial Russian Air Force for the pre-1917 period and Soviet Air Force for the Post-Bolshevik Revolution period.

Contents

[edit] History

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the December of 1991, the aircraft and personnel of the Soviet VVS were divided among the newly independent states. Russia received the majority of these forces—approximately 40% of the aircraft and 65% of the manpower—and the VVS was reorganised into three new parts, the Long Range Aviation, Military Transport Aviation and Tactical/Air Defence Armies.

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.

[edit] Current state

The VVS has been forced to abandon ambitious plans for advanced tactical fighters in favour of upgrades to current aircraft. While suggestions that the only way forward for the VVS is to cut aircraft numbers to around 300 (a similar size as the Royal Air Force) are extreme, steady reductions in numbers of front-line aviation regiments are taking place. 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.[1]


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.

The VVS continues to suffer from a lack of resources both for procurement and modernisation and for pilot training. In the 1990s Russian pilots achieved approximately 10% of the flight hours of US Air Force. Currently the 2006 edition of the IISS Military Balance lists 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.

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. It is scheduled to have its first flight in 2007[2], and enter service with the Russian Air Force sometime between 2012 and 2015.

[edit] Structure

Insignia of Russian Air Force
Enlarge
Insignia of Russian Air Force

Tactical air/air defence armies of the VVS now comprise: [3]

There are two Air Armies of the Supreme High Command:

  • 37th Air Army (strategic bombers)
    • 22nd Guards 'Donbass' Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, Engels-Saratov
  • 61st Air Army (former Military Transport Aviation)

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

[edit] Current Inventory

3,200 aircraft in service

[edit] Combat Aircraft

Operational Fighters - 2,300

  • Su-27 'Flanker-B' - 452 (150 Frontal Air Force; 200 Air Defence), are being modernized to reach Su-27SM level.
  • MiG-29 'Fulcrum' - 445 (Frontal Air Force), planned modernization to reach the MiG-29SMT level.

[edit] Operational Attack Aircraft

Operational Fighter Ground Attack Aircraft - 677 (in Air Force, not counting Navy aircraft)

  • Su-24M 'Fencer-D' 458 (400 Frontal Air Force; 58 Navy), planned modernization to reach Su-24M2 level.
  • Su-25 'Frogfoot' - 285 (275 Frontal Air Force; 10 Navy), planned modernization to reach the Su-25SM level.

[edit] Long Range Bombers

[edit] Strategic Bombers

103 Strategic Bombers

[edit] Reconnaissance/ECM/ELINT

180 Reconnaissance/ECM/ELINT Aircraft

[edit] AWACS

[edit] Transport

222-260 Transport Aircraft

  • An-124 'Condor' - 25 (566th Military Transport Aviation Regiment, Sescha) (IISS estimates only 12 aircraft in service)

[edit] Refueling Tankers

[edit] Gallery of images

MiG-29 'Fulcrum-A'

MiG-31 'Foxhound-A'

Su-27 'Flanker-B'

Su-24M 'Fencer-D'

Tu-95MS 'Bear-H'

Tu-160 'Blackjack'

Il-76T 'Candid-A'

An-124 'Condor'

[edit] Ranks and insignia

Main article: Air Force ranks and insignia of the Russian Federation

[edit] See also

List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS

[edit] External links and references

  1. ^ Valeriy Kolosov, Military Reform: Minus One Hundred Thousand, Kommersant, 11 October 2004, cited in Scott & Scott, Russian Military Directory 2004
  2. ^ http://mosnews.com/feature/2006/06/22/fifthgenfighters.shtml Genealogy of Fifth Generation Fighters - Article from Mosnews.com
  3. ^ http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/9059/RussianArmedForces.html
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