How many military aircraft does Russia have? Military equipment and weapons of the Air Force

| Types of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation | Aerospace Forces (VKS). Air Force

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

Aerospace Forces (VKS)

Air Force

From the history of creation

Aviation took its first steps without a sufficient scientific base, only thanks to enthusiasts. However, in late XIX- early 20th century Theoretical and experimental research appeared in this area. The leading role in the development of aviation belongs to the Russian scientists N. E. Zhukovsky and S. A. Chaplygin. The first successful flight of the aircraft was carried out on December 17, 1903 by American mechanics brothers W. and O. Wright.

Subsequently, various types of aircraft were created in Russia and some other countries. Their speed then reached 90-120 km/h. The use of aviation during the First World War determined the significance of the aircraft as a new weapon, caused the division of aviation into fighter, bomber and reconnaissance.

In the warring countries, during the war years, the fleet of aircraft expanded and their characteristics improved. The speed of the fighters reached 200-220 km/h, and the ceiling increased from 2 to 7 km. From the mid-20s. XX century Duralumin began to be widely used in aircraft construction. In the 30s in the design of aircraft they switched from a biplane to a monoplane, which made it possible to increase the speed of fighters to 560-580 km/h.

The Second World War became a powerful impetus for the development of aviation. World War. After it, jet aviation and helicopter manufacturing began to develop rapidly. Supersonic aircraft appeared in the Air Force. In the 80s Much attention was paid to the creation of short takeoff and landing aircraft, high payload capacity, and improvement of helicopters. Currently, some countries are working to create and improve orbital and aerospace aircraft.

Organizational structure of the Air Force

• Air Force Command
• Aviation (types of aviation - bomber, attack, fighter, air defense, reconnaissance, transport and special);
• Anti-aircraft missile forces
• Radio technical troops
• Special troops
• units and institutions of the rear

Air Force - the most mobile and maneuverable branch of the Armed Forces, designed to protect the bodies of higher state and military command, strategic nuclear forces, troop groups, important administrative and industrial centers and regions of the country from reconnaissance and air strikes, attacks on aviation, land and naval groups the enemy, its administrative-political, industrial-economic centers in order to disorganize state and military administration, disrupt the work of the rear and transport, as well as conduct aerial reconnaissance and air transport. They can perform these tasks under any weather conditions, at any time of day or year.

The main tasks of the Air Force in modern conditions are:
• revealing the beginning of an enemy air attack;
• notifying the main headquarters of the Armed Forces, headquarters of military districts, fleets, and civil defense authorities about the beginning of an enemy air attack;
• gaining and maintaining air supremacy;
• covering troops and rear facilities from aerial reconnaissance, air and space strikes;
• air support for the Ground and Navy forces;
• defeat of enemy military-economic potential facilities;
• violation of military and government controlled enemy;
• defeat of enemy nuclear missile, anti-aircraft and aviation groups and their reserves, as well as air and sea landings;
• defeat of enemy naval groups at sea, ocean, naval bases, ports and bases;
• the release of military equipment and the landing of troops;
• air transportation of troops and military equipment;
• conducting strategic, operational and tactical air reconnaissance;
• control over the use of airspace in the border strip.

The Air Force includes the following types of troops (Fig. 1):
• aviation (types of aviation - bomber, attack, fighter, air defense, reconnaissance, transport and special);
• anti-aircraft missile forces;
• radio technical troops;
• special troops;
• units and institutions of the rear.

The aviation units are armed with airplanes, seaplanes and helicopters. The basis of the Air Force's combat power is supersonic all-weather aircraft equipped with a variety of bomber, missile and small arms weapons.

The anti-aircraft missile and radio technical troops are armed with various anti-aircraft missile systems, short-range air defense systems, radar stations and other means of armed warfare.

In peacetime, the Air Force performs security tasks state border Russian airspace is notified of flights of foreign reconnaissance vehicles in the border zone.

Bomber aircraft has long-range (strategic) and front-line (tactical) bombers in service various types. It is designed to defeat troop groups, destroy important military, energy facilities and communications centers primarily in the strategic and operational depths of enemy defenses. The bomber can carry bombs of various calibers, both conventional and nuclear, as well as air-to-surface guided missiles.

Attack aircraft designed for air support of troops, destruction of manpower and objects primarily at the front line, in the tactical and immediate operational depth of the enemy, as well as command of the fight against enemy aircraft in the air.
One of the main requirements for an attack aircraft is high accuracy in hitting ground targets. Weapons: large-caliber guns, bombs, rockets.

Fighter aircraft air defense is the main maneuverable force of the air defense system and is designed to cover the most important directions and objects from enemy air attack. She is capable of destroying the enemy at maximum ranges from defended objects.
The air defense aviation is armed with air defense fighter aircraft, combat helicopters, special and transport aircraft and helicopters.

Reconnaissance aircraft designed for conducting aerial reconnaissance of the enemy, terrain and weather, and can destroy hidden enemy objects.
Reconnaissance flights can also be carried out by bomber, fighter-bomber, attack and fighter aircraft. For this purpose, they are specially equipped with photographic equipment for day and night photography at various scales, radio and radar stations with high resolution, heat direction finders, sound recording and television equipment, magnetometers.
Reconnaissance aviation is divided into tactical, operational and strategic reconnaissance aviation.

Transport aviation designed for the transportation of troops, military equipment, weapons, ammunition, fuel, food, airborne landings, evacuation of the wounded, sick, etc.

Special aviation designed for long-range radar detection and guidance, refueling aircraft in the air, conducting electronic warfare, radiation, chemical and biological protection, control and communications, meteorological and technical support, rescuing crews in distress, evacuating the wounded and sick.

Anti-aircraft missile forces but are intended to protect the country’s most important facilities and troop groups from enemy air strikes.
They constitute the main firepower of the air defense system and are armed with anti-aircraft guns. missile systems and anti-aircraft missile systems for various purposes, possessing great firepower and high accuracy in destroying enemy air attack weapons.

Radio technical troops- the main source of information about the air enemy and are intended for conducting radar reconnaissance, monitoring the flights of their aircraft and compliance by aircraft of all departments with the rules for the use of airspace.
They give out information about the beginning of an air attack, combat information for anti-aircraft missile forces and air defense aviation, as well as information for managing formations, units and air defense units.
Radio technical troops are armed with radar stations and radar systems, capable at any time of the year and day, regardless of meteorological conditions and interference, detect not only air, but also surface targets.

Communication units and subdivisions designed for deployment and operation of communication systems in order to ensure command and control of troops in all types of combat activities.

Electronic warfare units and units designed to interfere with airborne radars, bomb sights, communications and radio navigation of enemy air attack systems.

Units and subdivisions of communications and radio engineering support designed to provide control of aviation units and subunits, aircraft navigation, takeoff and landing of aircraft and helicopters.

Units and subdivisions engineering troops, as well as parts and units of radiation, chemical and biological protection are designed to perform the most complex tasks of engineering and chemical support, respectively.

The Russian Air Force is second only to the US Air Force in terms of fleet size.

As of 2010, the number of personnel in the Russian Air Force is about 148,000. The Air Force operates more than 4,000 pieces of military equipment, as well as 833 in storage.

After the reform, the air regiments were consolidated into air bases, with a total of 60 air bases.

Tactical aviation consists of the following squadrons:

• 38 fighter aircraft)
• 14 bomber aircraft,
• 14 assault ae,
• 9 reconnaissance aircraft,
• training and testing - 13 ae.

Location of tactical aviation air bases:

• KOR - 2 AB
• GVZ - 1 AB
• ZVO - 6 AB
• YuVO - 5 AB
• CVO - 4 AB
• VVO - 7 AB

At the end of 2003, Lieutenant General Viktor Nikolaevich Sokerin, having resigned from the post of Commander of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Baltic Fleet, described the situation in the Air Force at that time: “The Armed Forces are experiencing an uncontrollable collapse of their combat aviation.” “...The aviation regiments are staffed by officers who, over the course of five years of training, had only a few hours of training flight time, mostly with an instructor. Only 3 percent of 1st and 2nd class pilots are under 36 years of age, and only 1 percent of 1st class navigators of the Baltic Fleet Air Force are under 40 years of age. 60 percent of crew commanders are over 35 years old, half of them are over 40 years old.”

At the end of 2006, the average flight time in the Russian Air Force was 40 hours. The flight time depends on the type of aircraft. In military transport aviation it was 60 hours, while in fighter and front-line aviation it was 20-25 hours. For comparison, for the same year this figure in the USA was 189, France 180, Romania 120 hours. In 2007, as a result of improving the supply of aviation fuel and intensifying combat training, the average annual flight time increased: in Long-Range Aviation it amounted to 80-100 hours, in Air Defense Aviation - approximately 55 hours. Young pilots often have more than 100 hours of flight time.

In addition to the Air Force, there are military aviation in other types and branches of the military Armed Forces Russia: Navy, Strategic Missile Forces. Air defense aviation and aviation ground forces are part of the Air Force. Aviation Missile Forces strategic purpose by April 1, 2011 it will be transferred to the Russian Air Force.

The plan to reduce the number of bases provides for a reduction to 33 air bases, and the decommissioning of about 1000 aircraft, up to 2000 aircraft.

The exact quantitative and qualitative composition of the Russian Air Force is classified information. The data below is collected from open sources and may contain significant inaccuracies.

Sources

MiG-31 - heavy high-speed interceptor

MiG-29 - light multi-role fighter

Su-35BM - heavy multi-role fighter of the 4++ generation

Tu-22M3 - medium missile-carrying bomber

Tu-160 - heavy strategic bomber-missile carrier and Su-27 - fighter-interceptor

Il-78 - air tanker and a pair of Su-24 - front-line bombers

Ka-50 - attack helicopter

Rearmament

In 2010, the Russian aviation industry supplied the Russian Ministry of Defense with 21 aircraft and 57 helicopters.

In 2011, the Russian Ministry of Defense will receive at least 28 aircraft and more than 100 helicopters from industry. Also this year, the modernization of the Su-25 attack aircraft fleet to the SM standard will continue.

As of May 2011, 8 production Ka-52 helicopters entered service. The plant can assemble up to 2 Ka-52s per month

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, in 2011, 35 aircraft, 109 helicopters and 21 anti-aircraft guns will be purchased. missile system.

As of early 2011, 8 of 38 fighter aviation squadrons were re-equipped with new and modernized aircraft; attack aircraft - 3 out of 14 air units; bomber aviation - 2 out of 14 air forces. In the same year, one bomber aircraft at the Baltimore air base near Voronezh will be re-equipped with the Su-34.

It has become known that the Russian Ministry of Defense has ordered 100 Ka-60 helicopters with a start date for deliveries in 2015.

It became known that at the MAKS-2011 air show, it is planned to sign a contract for the supply of an additional batch of Yak-130 in the amount of 60 aircraft. A contract for the modernization of the MiG-31 into the MiG-31BM variant in the amount of 30 aircraft. A contract for the supply of MiG-29K in the amount of 24 aircraft for the Russian Navy Aviation.

Number of aircraft received by the Air Force during last years as part of the rearmament program:

Concluded contracts for the supply of aircraft for the Russian Air Force and Navy:

Unmanned aerial vehicles

The Russian Air Force has two UAV regiments, a research squadron and a Center combat use UAV in Yegoryevsk. At the same time, the development of UAVs in Russia lags significantly behind similar programs in NATO countries. In 2010, the Russian Defense Ministry ordered 3 types of reconnaissance unmanned aircraft from Israel for the needs of its army. The total number of devices is estimated at 63 units. It is planned to open a joint venture with Israel to produce UAVs in Russia.

Types of purchased UAVs:

• IAI Bird-Eye 400
• IAI I-View
• IAI Searcher 2

The following domestic UAVs are known to be in service:

• ZALA 421-08
• Bee-1T
• Fescue
• Tu-243

Educational establishments

Educational institutions that train specialists for the Russian Air Force:

• Air Force Academy named after prof. N. E. Zhukovsky and Yu. A. Gagarin
• Marshal Military Academy of Aerospace Defense Soviet Union G. K. Zhukova
• Krasnodar branch of VUNTS Air Force "VVA"

• Military aviation engineering university Voronezh

It is well known throughout the world that Russian army- one of the most powerful on our planet. And she is considered as such by right. The air force is part of the Russian Armed Forces and is one of the key units of our army. Therefore, it is necessary to talk about the Air Force in more detail.

A little history

History in the modern sense begins in 1998. It was then that the Air Force we know today was formed. And they were formed as a result of the merger of the so-called troops and the Air Force. True, even now they no longer exist as such. Since last year, 2015, there has been the Aerospace Forces (VKS). By combining space and air forces, it was possible to consolidate potential and resources, as well as concentrate command in one hand - due to which the effectiveness of the forces increased. In any case, this is exactly how the need to form the VKS was justified.

These troops perform many tasks. They repel aggression in the air and space spheres, protect the land, people, country and important objects from attacks coming from the same place, and provide air support for the combat operations of other Russian military units.

Structure

The Russian Federation (after all, many people are more accustomed to calling them in the old way than VKS) includes many divisions. This is aviation, as well as radio engineering and anti-aircraft in the first place. These are the branches of the Air Force. The structure also includes special troops. These include intelligence, as well as communications of automated control systems and radio engineering support. Without this, the Russian Air Force cannot exist.

Special troops also include meteorological, topogeodetic, engineering, NBC protection, aeronautical, and also engineering. But this is not yet full list. It is also complemented by support, search and rescue, and meteorological services. But, in addition to the above, there are divisions the main task which is to protect military command and control bodies.

Other structure features

It should be noted that the structure that distinguishes the Air Force of the Russian Federation also has divisions. The first is long-range aviation (YES). The second is military transport (VTA). The third is operational tactical (OTA) and, finally, the fourth is army (AA). But that's not all. Units can include special, transport, reconnaissance, fighter aircraft, as well as attack and bomber aircraft. And each has its own tasks, which the Air Force obliges them to carry out.

The composition still has a certain foundation on which the entire structure rests. Naturally, these are air bases and brigades belonging to the Aerospace Defense Forces.

The situation in the 21st century

Every person who understands this topic at least a little knows perfectly well that in the 90s the air force of the Russian Federation was actively degrading. And all due to the fact that the number of troops and their level of training was very small. Plus, the technology was not particularly new, and there were not enough airfields. In addition, the structure was not funded, and therefore there were practically no flights. But in the 2000s the situation began to improve. To be more precise, everything began to progress in 2009. It was then that the fruitful and capital works concerning the repair and modernization of the entire fleet Russian Air Force.

Perhaps the impetus for this was the statement of the commander-in-chief of the troops, A. N. Zelin. In 2008, he said that the aerospace defense of our state was in a catastrophic state. Therefore, the purchase of equipment and improvement of the entire system as a whole began.

Symbolism

The Air Force flag is very bright and noticeable. This is a cloth blue color, in the center of which there is an image of two silver propellers. They seem to intersect with each other. An anti-aircraft gun is also depicted with them. And the background is made up of silvery wings. In general, it’s quite original and symbolic. Golden rays seem to emanate from the center of the cloth (there are 14 of them). By the way, their location is strictly regulated - this is not a chaotic choice. If you turn on your fantasy and imagination, it begins to seem as if this emblem is in the middle of the sun, blocking it - that’s why the rays.

And if you look into history, you can understand that this is so. Because in Soviet time the flag was a blue banner with a golden sun, in the middle of which was a red star with a hammer and sickle in the center. And just below are silver wings that seem to be attached to a black propeller ring.

It is worth noting that the Federation, together with the US Air Force, planned to conduct joint anti-terrorism exercises in 2008. This should have happened on Far East. The scenario was planned as follows: terrorists hijack a plane at the airport, and troops prevent the consequences. The Russian side had to bring into action four fighters, search rescue services and an early warning aircraft. The US Air Force required the participation of a civilian airliner and fighter aircraft. Plus the notorious plane. However, shortly before the planned event, literally a week, it was announced that it had been decided to celebrate the exercise. Many believe that the reason was the strained relations between NATO and Russia.

The importance of air power in modern warfare is enormous, and the conflicts of recent decades clearly confirm this. Russian Air Force by number aircraft second only to the American Air Force. Russian military aviation has a long and glorious history; until recently, the Russian Air Force was a separate branch of the military; in August last year, the Russian Air Force became part of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation.

Russia is undoubtedly a great aviation power. Except glorious history, our country can boast of a significant technological reserve, which allows us to independently produce military aircraft of any type.

Today, Russian military aviation is going through a difficult period of its development: its structure is changing, new aircraft are entering service, and a generational change is taking place. However, events last months in Syria showed that the Russian Air Force can successfully carry out its combat missions in any conditions.

History of the Russian Air Force

The history of Russian military aviation began more than a century ago. In 1904, an aerodynamic institute was created in Kuchino, and one of the creators of aerodynamics, Zhukovsky, became its director. Within its walls, scientific and theoretical work was carried out aimed at improving aviation technology.

During the same period, the Russian designer Grigorovich worked on the creation of the world's first seaplanes. The first flight schools were opened in the country.

In 1910, the Imperial Air Force was organized, which existed until 1917.

Russian aviation took an active part in the First World War, although the domestic industry of that time lagged significantly behind other countries participating in this conflict. Most of the combat aircraft flown by Russian pilots of that time were manufactured at foreign factories.

But still, domestic designers also had interesting discoveries. The first multi-engine bomber, the Ilya Muromets, was created in Russia (1915).

The Russian air force was divided into air squads, which included 6-7 aircraft. The detachments were united into air groups. The army and navy had their own aviation.

At the beginning of the war, aircraft were used for reconnaissance or adjusting artillery fire, but very quickly they began to be used for bombing the enemy. Soon fighters appeared and air battles began.

Russian pilot Nesterov made the first aerial ram, and a little earlier he performed the famous “dead loop”.

The Imperial Air Force was disbanded after the Bolsheviks came to power. Many pilots took part in civil war on different sides of the conflict.

In 1918 new government created its own air force, which took part in the civil war. After its completion, the country's leadership paid great attention to the development of military aviation. This allowed the USSR in the 30s, after large-scale industrialization, to return to the club of the world's leading aviation powers.

New aircraft factories were built, design bureaus were created, and flight schools were opened. A whole galaxy of talented aircraft designers appeared in the country: Polyakov, Tupolev, Ilyushin, Petlyakov, Lavochnikov and others.

In the pre-war period, the armed forces received a large number of new models of aviation equipment, which were not inferior to foreign analogues: MiG-3, Yak-1, LaGG-3 fighters, TB-3 long-range bomber.

By the beginning of the war, Soviet industry had produced more than 20 thousand military aircraft of various modifications. In the summer of 1941, USSR factories produced 50 combat vehicles per day, three months later the production of equipment doubled (up to 100 vehicles).

The war for the USSR Air Force began with a series of crushing defeats - a huge number of aircraft were destroyed at border airfields and in air battles. For almost two years, German aviation had air supremacy. Soviet pilots did not have the proper experience, their tactics were outdated, like most of the Soviet aviation equipment.

The situation began to change only in 1943, when the USSR industry mastered the production of modern combat vehicles, and the Germans had to best forces sent to defend Germany from Allied air raids.

By the end of the war, the quantitative superiority of the USSR Air Force became overwhelming. During the war, more than 27 thousand Soviet pilots died.

On July 16, 1997, by Decree of the President of Russia, the the new kind troops - the Air Force of the Russian Federation. Part new structure Air defense troops and air force entered. In 1998, the necessary structural changes were completed, the Main Headquarters of the Russian Air Force was formed, and a new commander-in-chief appeared.

Military aviation Russia participated in all conflicts in the North Caucasus, in the Georgian war of 2008, in 2019, Russian Aerospace Forces were introduced into Syria, where they are currently located.

Around the middle of the last decade, active modernization of the Russian air force began.

Old aircraft are being modernized and units are receiving new technology, new air bases are being built and old ones are being restored. The fifth generation fighter T-50 is being developed and is in its final stages.

The pay of military personnel has been significantly increased, today pilots have the opportunity to spend enough time in the air and hone their skills, and exercises have become regular.

In 2008, the reform of the air force began. The structure of the Air Force was divided into commands, air bases and brigades. Commands were created according to territorial principle and replaced the air defense and air force armies.

Structure of the air force of the Russian Air Force

Today, the Russian Air Force is part of the military space forces, the decree on the creation of which was published in August 2019. The leadership of the Russian Aerospace Forces is carried out General base RF Armed Forces, and the direct command is the Main Command of the Aerospace Forces. The commander-in-chief of the Russian military space forces is Colonel General Sergei Surovikin.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force is Lieutenant General Yudin, he holds the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

In addition to the air force, the Aerospace Forces include space forces, air defense and missile defense units.

The Russian Air Force includes long-range, military transport and army aviation. In addition, the Air Force includes anti-aircraft, missile and radio technical troops. The Russian Air Force also has its own special troops, which many perform important functions: provide reconnaissance and communications, engage in electronic warfare, rescue operations and defense against weapons mass destruction. The Air Force also includes meteorological and medical services, engineering units, support units and logistics services.

The basis of the structure of the Russian air force are brigades, air bases and commands of the Russian Air Force.

Four commands are located in St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Khabarovsk and Novosibirsk. In addition, the Russian Air Force includes a separate command that manages long-range and military transport aviation.

As mentioned above, the Russian Air Force is second only to the US Air Force in size. In 2010, the strength of the Russian air force was 148 thousand people, about 3.6 thousand different pieces of aircraft were in operation, and about 1 thousand more were in storage.

After the 2008 reform, air regiments turned into air bases; in 2010, there were 60-70 such bases.

The Russian Air Force is assigned the following tasks:

• repelling enemy aggression in the air and outer space;
• protection from air strikes of military and government control points, administrative and industrial centers, and other important infrastructure facilities of the state;
• defeating enemy troops using various types of ammunition, including nuclear;
• conducting intelligence operations;
• direct support for other branches and branches of the Russian Armed Forces.

Military aviation of the Russian Air Force

The Russian Air Force includes strategic and long-range aviation, military transport and army aviation, which, in turn, is divided into fighter, attack, bomber, and reconnaissance.

Strategic and long-range aviation is part of the Russian nuclear triad and is capable of carrying different kinds nuclear weapons.

. These machines were designed and built back in the Soviet Union. The impetus for the creation of this aircraft was the development by the Americans of the B-1 strategist. Today, the Russian Air Force has 16 Tu-160 aircraft in service. These military aircraft can be armed with cruise missiles and free-fall bombs. Whether Russian industry will be able to establish serial production of these machines is an open question.

. This is a turboprop aircraft that made its first flight during Stalin’s lifetime. This car has undergone deep modernization, it can be armed with cruise missiles and free-falling bombs with both conventional and nuclear warheads. Currently, the number of operating machines is about 30.

. This machine is called a long-range supersonic missile-carrying bomber. Tu-22M was developed in the late 60s of the last century. The aircraft has variable wing geometry. Can carry cruise missiles and bombs with a nuclear warhead. The total number of combat-ready vehicles is about 50, another 100 are in storage.

The fighter aviation of the Russian Air Force is currently represented by the Su-27, MiG-29, Su-30, Su-35, MiG-31, Su-34 (fighter-bomber) aircraft.

. This machine is the result of a deep modernization of the Su-27; it can be classified as generation 4++. The fighter has increased maneuverability and is equipped with advanced electronic equipment. Commencement of operation of the Su-35 - 2014. The total number of aircraft is 48 aircraft.

. The famous attack aircraft, created back in the mid-70s of the last century. One of the best aircraft in its class in the world, the Su-25 has participated in dozens of conflicts. Today there are about 200 Rooks in service, with another 100 in storage. This aircraft is being modernized and will be completed in 2020.

. A front-line bomber with variable wing geometry, designed to overcome enemy air defenses at low altitude and supersonic speed. The Su-24 is an obsolete aircraft; it is planned to be written off by 2020. 111 units remain in service.

. The newest fighter-bomber. There are currently 75 such aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force.

Transport aviation of the Russian Air Force is represented by several hundred various aircraft, the vast majority developed in the USSR: An-22, An-124 “Ruslan”, Il-86, An-26, An-72, An-140, An-148 and other models.

TO training aviation include: Yak-130, Czech aircraft L-39 Albatros and Tu-134UBL.