Special Purpose Command

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Moscow District of the Air Force and Air Defence Force
Special Purpose Command

Active c.1945-present
Country Soviet Union, Russia
Branch Soviet Air Force, Russian Air Force
Size World War II: several air divisions
Today: ~ 10-15 air regiments
Garrison/HQ Moscow

The Special Purpose Command (Komandovaniye Spetsialnogo Naznacheniya) is an important part of the Russian Air Force, being the strongest group among the tactical aviation and anti-aircraft missiles: its zone of responsibility amounts to 1,3 million km², taking in 40 million people, as well as the country's capital, Moscow.

As a result of the air force reforms implemented on June 1, 1998, the Moscow District of the PVO and the 16th Air Army of VVS became a single entity, the Moscow District of the Air Force and Air Defense. According to Interfax, 5 January 2002, in the summer of 2002 the former Moscow District of the VVS and PVO was split into the reactivated 16th Air Army, a tactical force, and the Special Purpose Command of the Central Air Defence Zone, an air defense force.

Pyotr Butowski, writing in 2004, seems to indicate that the Special Purpose Command (he makes no mention of the ‘of the Central Air Defence Zone’) is merely essentially a redesignation of the former Moscow District. The rearrangement of the Moscow District of the VVS and PVO into the Special Purpose Command is apparently connected with plans in the long term for the military-space defense of the central industrial region.

The current commanding officer of the KSpN is Colonel-General Yuri Solovyov.

Contents

[edit] 16th Air Army

The 16th Air Army (16 Vozdushnaya Armiya) is the most important unit of the Special Purpose Command. Initially formed during the Second World War as a part of the Soviet Air Force, it is now the tactical air force component of the Moscow Military District, headquartered at Kubinka.

The army was formed on August 10th, 1942 at Stalingrad and included the 228th and 291st assault Aviation Divisions and two separate aviation regiments. It took part in Operation Uranus as part of the Don Front in November-December 1942. It was involved in the Battle of Kursk, and was part of the First Belorussian Front for the liberation of Belarus, the Lublin-Brest_Offensive, and the assault on Berlin. For a long period after the war, the army was stationed with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, headquartered at Zossen-Wünsdorf. In 1949, it was renamed the 24th Air Army, but was reformed as the 16th in 1968. In its last years in Germany, it consisted of:

  • Headquarters, Zossen-Wünsdorf
    • 11 Independent Reconnaissance 'Vitsbsk Red Banner Order of Kutuzov' Aviation Regiment (Welzow, later withdrawn to North Caucasus and joined 4th Air Army)[1]
    • 226 Independent Mixed Aviation Regiment (Sperenburg, later relocated to Kubinka, see below)
    • 357 Independent Shturmovaya Aviation Regiment (Brandis, Germany)(Ground attack, Su-25)
    • 368 Independent Shturmovaya Aviation Regiment (Tutow, later withdrawn to North Caucasus and joined 4th Air Army)
  • 15th Reconnaissance Aviation Division
  • 6th Fighter Aviation Division
  • 16th Fighter Aviation Division
  • 126th Fighter Aviation Division
  • 105th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division
  • 125th Fighter Aviation Division

The 16th Air Army ceremonially said farewell to Germany at the Sperenburg Open Day on 27 May 1994.[2] However the last aircraft from the 226th Separate Mixed Aviation Regiment did not leave Sperenburg until 6 September 1994. A visiting Il-76MD was the last aircraft movement three days later.

On 1 June 1998, the 16th Air Army was disbanded and its units incorporated into the Moscow District of VVS and PVO, in accordance with the amalgamation of the Air Forces and the Russian Air Defence Forces.[3] This was quickly reversed and on 25 November 1998, the 16th Composite Air Corps was re-raised.

Savasleyka is another airbase within the Moscow Military District's boundaries, but it's exact operational status is currently unclear, as the formerly resident unit, the 54th Fighter Aviation Regiment, was not listed as operational in the most widely available recent survey of Russian airpower, which was done by Air Forces Monthly in August and September 2007. Russian internet sources now say it has been reorganised as the 3958th Air Base.[4]

The 16th Air Army will soon receive two regiments of the advanced Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers in the near future.[5] 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."[5]

[edit] Current Structure

  • 1st Corps of PVO (surface to air missiles only);
    • two air defence divisions, including the 584 SAM Regiment (Лыткино, Поварово) with the S-400[7]
  • 226th Independent Composite Air Regiment - Kubinka - operating Mi-8, An-12, An-24, An-26;
  • Army Aviation components
    • 45th Independent Helicopter Regiment (Oreshkovo (Vorotinsk) near Kaluga) Mi-24
    • 440th Independent Helicopter Regiment for battle control- Vyazma Airport - 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);

[edit] References

  1. ^ Separate units list is translated from http://www.genstab.ru/gsvg_16.htm, translation of base names from Orbat.com, Archive - Warsw Pact in 1989
  2. ^ Chris Lofting & Kieron Pilbeam, 'Sperenburg,' Air Forces Monthly, February 1995, p.41. However AFM's report that the 16 VA was disbanded that day seems to be incorrect.
  3. ^ Pyotr Butowski, International Air Power Review, No.13, 2004
  4. ^ http://www8.brinkster.com/vad777/russia/air/va/16va_mvo.htm
  5. ^ a b Russia to equip two air regiments with Su-34 strike planes soon
  6. ^ Structure drawn from Air Forces Monthly, July 2007 issue, p.82.
  7. ^ An earlier report at www8.brinkster.com had said the 9th PVO Division's 606th Guards Air Defence Missile Regiment at Elektrostal had the S-400, though this now has been changed.

[edit] Sources

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