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96-611: 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

192-757: 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 ,

288-660: A December 1994 directive, the 14th Independent Air Defence Army was reorganized as the 6th Independent Air Defence Corps ( ru:6-й_отдельный_корпус_ПВО ) with the 16th Guards, 20th, and 94th Mukden Air Defence Divisions). In 1998, the force groupings and headquarters of the PVO that had remained within Russia were merged with the Russian Air Force becoming part of the Moscow District of Air and Air Defence Forces , and

384-529: A Directorate of the Chief of Anti-Missile and Anti-Space Defence ( Управление командующего войсками противоракетной и противокосмической ( УКВ ПРО и ПКО )), under Lieutenant-General of Artillery Yuri Votintsev, was formed within the Air Defence Forces. In February 1971 the 1st Division for Warning Against Missile Attack (1st Division WAMA, 1-я Дивизия предупреждения о ракетном нападении ( 1-я дПРН ))

480-483: 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

576-509: 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. Modernization plans and programs carried out since the 2010s are being continued into 2021 as

672-776: A Soviet Air Force Su-15 fired on it. Soviet government officials finally admitted their mistake much to the anger of the South Korean and the United States governments. It even resulted in the forced and sudden resignation of the then Armed Forces Chief of the General Staff, Marshal Nikolai Ogarkov , in the following year by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (leader of

768-458: A couple of dozen fighter aircraft with synchronized guns. In the interim, praporshchik Victor Kulebakin was installing cam deflectors on another Morane-Saulnier's crankshaft. Testing in July 1917 showed that the deflectors did indeed pop out from under the aircraft's cowling to deflect any bullets that threatened the propeller. Although the modification was simple enough it could be fabricated in

864-592: 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 . 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

960-460: A few aviators were armed with carbines. Initially, Russia used aircraft only for reconnaissance and coordination of artillery fire. Later, several aeroplanes were armed with steel flechettes to attack ground targets (columns of enemy infantry and cavalry, campsites, etc.). Later, aeroplanes were armed with air-dropped bombs . On 8 September 1914, the Russian pilot Pyotr Nesterov performed

1056-506: 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

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1152-573: A major political organization of defence and industrial center was the defence of Moscow. It was carried out by the 1st Air Defence Corps and the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps PVO . As part of these formations at the beginning of German air raids had more than 600 fighters; more than 1,000 guns of small and medium calibers; 350 machine guns; 124 fixed anti-aircraft barrage balloons; 612 stations and 600 anti-aircraft searchlights. The presence of such large forces and their skilful management foiled enemy attempts to inflict massive air strikes. Only 2.6 percent of

1248-500: 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,

1344-502: A number of such aircraft shot down while operating around the Soviet borders, including MiG-17s downing a US reconnaissance Lockheed C-130 Hercules over Armenia, with 17 casualties in 1958. The PVO gained an important victory on May 1, 1960, when a S-75 Dvina missile downed Gary Powers 's U-2 , causing the short U-2 crisis of 1960 . (See Strategic Air Command#Strategic Reconnaissance ) The PVO had its own chain of command, schools, radar and sound director sites. On March 30, 1967,

1440-469: A part of Russia's State Armament Program for 2018–2027. 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

1536-584: 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 . 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,

1632-632: 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. On 23 - 24 June 2023

1728-752: A series of Mikoyan-and-Gurevich Design Bureau jet fighters. In April 1950, the regiment received its first Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s . In May 1954, the PVO Strany was raised to a status equal to the other service branches of the Soviet Armed Forces, receiving its first commander-in-chief: Marshal of the Soviet Union Leonid Govorov . The PVO's principal role was to shoot down United States Strategic Air Command bombers if they penetrated Soviet airspace. Secondary target were U.S. air reconnaissance aircraft. There were

1824-677: A service branch of the Russian Armed Forces after 1991 until it was merged into the Air Force in 1998. Unlike Western air defence forces, V-PVO was a branch of the military unto itself, separate from the Soviet Air Force (VVS) and Air Defence Troops of Ground Forces. During the Soviet period it was generally ranked third in importance of the Soviet services, behind the Strategic Rocket Forces and

1920-525: A total of 140 officer commissioning schools, drawn from a Krasnaya Zvezda list of 17 January 1980. That total included 15 Air Defence Forces schools (four Fighter Aviation, five radio-electronics, and six Anti-Aircraft Rocket). On 1 September 1983 the PVO shot down Korean Air Flight 007 after the civilian airliner had crossed into restricted Soviet airspace and was mistaken for a spy plane. Previously Korean Air Flight 902 had once crossed into Murmansk airspace, and had to make an emergency landing when

2016-561: A unit's workshops, it was not widely used. Soviet Air Defence Forces The Soviet Air Defence Forces ( Russian : войска ПВО , voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony , voyska PVO , V-PVO , lit. Anti-Air Defence Troops ; and formerly protivovozdushnaya oborona strany , PVO strany , lit. Anti-Air Defence of the Country ) was the air defence branch of the Soviet Armed Forces . Formed in 1941, it continued being

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2112-466: A way of allowing a machine gun to fire safely through the spinning propeller of an aeroplane. The Russian High Command was tardy in realizing the necessity for arming its aircraft throughout 1914 and 1915, leaving frustrated aviators using such impromptu armaments as pistols, rifles, trolled anchors and cables, and other makeshifts. Part of the delay was caused by a paucity of light automatic weapons that an aircraft could lift. However, it became apparent that

2208-785: Is directed from. 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

2304-750: 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

2400-738: The Chevalier's National Order of the Legion of Honour , 2 aviators were awarded the Military Cross , 2 aviators were awarded the Order of the White Eagle and many others were awarded medals. 26 aviators became flying aces of Russian Empire. The most successful Russian flying ace and fighter pilot was Alexander Kazakov , who shot down 20 enemy aeroplanes. However, the war was not going well for Russia and following significant setbacks on

2496-854: 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

2592-950: The Eastern front , and the economic collapse in the rear, military aircraft production fell far behind Russia's rival Germany. After the February Revolution of 1917 the Imperial Russian Air Service was reformed. Following the October Revolution of 1917 , the Russian Air Service was dissolved. 219 pilots who fought in Red Army during Russian Civil War were awarded Order of the Red Banner (16 of them were awarded twice). Almost all of them were former pilots of IRAS. At

2688-715: The Imperial Russian Army used several aerostats for reconnaissance and coordination of artillery fire. The Aeronautical company ( Отдельная воздухоплавательная рота , Otdel'naya vozdukhoplavatel'naya rota ) was under the command of Colonel A.M. Kovanko. In 1904 Nikolai Zhukovsky established the world's first Aerodynamic Institute (Russian: Аэродинамический институт , romanized:  Aerodinamicheskiy institut ) in Kuchino near Moscow . One aeronautical battalion ( учебный Восточно-Сибирский воздухоплавательный батальон ) with 4 aerostats took part in

2784-799: The Leningrad and Baku Air Defence Armies were later raised. These were the first operational formations of the Air Defence Forces. In June 1943, the Office of the Commander of Air Defence Forces of the country was disbanded. Following the reorganization in April 1944 that created the Western and Eastern Air Defence Fronts , and caused the division of the Transcaucasian Air Defence Area, which this year have been reorganized as

2880-545: 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

2976-731: The Red Air Fleet in 1918, which later became part of the Soviet Air Forces (VVS). 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

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3072-562: 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

3168-690: The Russo-Japanese War . In 1908, the Russian Aeroclub (Russian: Всероссийский Аэроклуб , romanized:  Vserossiyskiy Aeroklub , lit.   'All-Russian Aeroclub') was established. In 1910, the Imperial Russian Army sent several officers to France for training as pilots. Later in the same year the Imperial Russian Army purchased a number of French and British aeroplanes and began training its first military pilots. Also in 1910, one biplane

3264-670: 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 ,

3360-735: 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. 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 ,

3456-504: 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

3552-546: 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

3648-553: 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

3744-508: 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

3840-584: The 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, and 14th Armies of VVS and PVO. The Day of Air Defence Forces ( Den' Voysk PVO ) was initially established in 1975, to be celebrated on April 11. In 1980 this was changed to the second Sunday of April. It is still celebrated in the Russian Federation even after the 1998 merger of the Air Defence Forces with the Air Force. The unofficial motto of the PVO is 'Сами не летаем – другим не дадим'('Sami ne letaem – drugim ne dadim'), which can be translated as "Don't fly – don't let others" / "If we can't fly – we won't let anyone else either". The post

3936-448: The Air Force. During the 1980s, the PVO interceptor units were re-equipped with the Mikoyan MiG-31 and Sukhoi Su-27P , while missile units received new electronic countermeasures systems and the S-300 surface-to-air missile system . The modernization of the PVO prioritized units in the High North and the Far East due to the threat from American spyplane missions and United States Pacific Fleet carrier aircraft. Shelton lists

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4032-497: The American War Department dated August 24, 1916 stated that, "The great majority of Russian machines are very dangerous to fly, due to the lack of proper over-hauling and having been tinkered with by inexperienced men. Lack of spare parts induced the Russians to fit magnetos and sparking systems to motors for which they were not built, and this makes the wear and tear excessive all around." The Imperial Russian Air Service, in common with other World War I air services, struggled to find

4128-505: The Baltic states and the Leningrad Oblast (a trial run for the larger re-organisation in 1980 covering the whole country). All fighter units in the PVO were transferred to the VVS, the PVO only retaining the anti-aircraft missile units and radar units – the 6th Independent Air Defence Army was disbanded, and the 15th Air Army became the Air Forces of the Baltic Military District . By 1981, the now Voyska PVO had been stripped of many command and control and training assets, which were moved to

4224-429: The Baltics and Central Asia. However, in 1960 it appears that most of the PVO regions/areas were reorganised into seven separate armies of the Air Defence Forces – the 2nd , 4th , 6th , 8th , 10th , 11th , 14th , and 19th Air Defence Army . In 1963 the 30th independent Air Defence Corps in Tashkent became the 12th Independent Air Defence Army . In 1977, the Air Forces and Air Defence Forces were re-organised in

4320-421: The Bulgarian Army which was composed of 10 civil volunteers (4 pilots and 6 technicians) and commanded by S. Schetinin In 1913 Igor Sikorsky built the first four-engine biplane , the Russky Vityaz , and his famous bomber aircraft , the Ilya Muromets . The same year Dmitry Grigorovich built several "M-type" flying boats for the Imperial Russian Navy . In 1914 Polish aviator Jan Nagórski conducted

4416-431: 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

4512-412: The Czarist government relied heavily on imported engines and airframes from France and Britain. Russia's aircraft production slightly outpaced her Austrian opponent, who stayed in the war one year longer, produced about 5,000 aircraft and 4,000 engines between 1914 and 1918. Of course, the output of Russia and Austria-Hungary pale in comparison to the 20,000 aircraft and 38,000 engines produced by Italy and

4608-466: 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

4704-578: 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 . Headquarters: Moscow Headquarters Moscow Imperial Russian Air Service The Imperial Russian Air Service ( Russian (pre-reform) : Императорскій военно-воздушный флотъ , romanized :  Imperatorskiy voyenno-vozdushnyy flot" , lit.   'Emperor's Military Air Fleet')

4800-447: The Ground Forces. Preparations for creation of the air defence forces started in 1932, and by the beginning of Operation Barbarossa , June 1941, there were 13 PVO zones within the military districts . At the outbreak of war, air defence forces were in the midst of rearmament. Anti-aircraft artillery teams had few of the latest 37 mm automatic and 85 mm guns. Moreover, the troops were deficient in Yak-1s and MiG-3s; 46 percent of

4896-520: The Imperial Russian Air Service became a separate branch of the army directly under the command of the Stavka (commander-in-chief's HQ). In 1916 the size and force of naval aviation was increased, the Black Sea Fleet had two seaplane carriers (" Император Николай I " and " Император Александр I ") and fourteen M-9 seaplanes During World War I, 269 Russian aviators were awarded the St. George military decorations ( St George Sword , Order of St. George or Cross of St. George ), 5 aviators were awarded

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4992-490: The North, the South and the Transcaucasian Air Defence Fronts, air defence forces in the vicinity of Moscow were renamed the Moscow Air Defence Army . In the Far East in March 1945, three air defence armies were established: Maritime, Amur and Baikal. During the Second World War, the Air Defence Forces provided defensive cover to defense industry complexes and vital communication elements, and successfully minimized aerial damage to Soviet industrial and transportation capacity. In

5088-442: The PVO. During the war PVO formations were organised as Air Defence Fronts and Air Defence Armies. PVO Fronts normally covered airspace over several ground Army Fronts ; these should not be confused with each other. The Air Defence Fronts ( Russian : Фронты ПВО ) had the following service history: All the possible air components were divided (as of 1945, before the 1949 reforms of the Soviet Armed Forces ) into: The PVO Strany

5184-404: The Russian Empire issued an order to arm aeroplanes with 7.62mm Madsen light machine guns and 7.71mm Lewis light machine guns In March 1915 naval aviation was established. The Imperial Russian Navy received two vessels and six seaplanes (one armed steamship " Император Николай I " which was converted into a seaplane carrier for five M-5 seaplanes and one cruiser " Алмаз " which

5280-508: The Soviet Union) Konstantin Chernenko . Mathias Rust 's flight to Moscow in May 1987 caused a massive shakeup within the PVO. It seems that after the KAL 007 shootdown of 1983, no one was willing to give an order to bring Rust's tiny Cessna 172 down, and modernization programmes within the PVO had led to the installation of radar and communications systems at the state border that could not effectively pass tracking data to systems closer to Moscow. PVO Commander-in-Chief Marshal A. I. Koldunov

5376-421: 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

5472-448: 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,

5568-459: 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

5664-401: The ability to aim both gun and aircraft simultaneously was a great advantage in aerial combat. In late 1915, Naval Lieutenant Victor Dybovsky of the 20th KAO invented a system of cam plates mounted on an engine's crankshaft that would prevent a machine gun from holing an aeroplane's propeller. Static tests at the Lux Aircraft Works proved its feasibility by November 1915; towards the end of

5760-509: The beginning of the war the basic Russian unit was the Otryad (or Squadron). Originally, these consisted of only six aircraft, but this was soon increased to ten, with two machines held in reserve. These Otryads were put together into Groups of three or four and, like their German counterparts on the Western Front, moved to strategic points on the Front where and when they were needed. Even larger groups of aircraft called Istrebitelnyi Divisyon (fighter wings) were attached to each Field Army. As

5856-640: 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

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5952-406: 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. In 2009 the structure of the VVS was completely changed to a command-air base structure from

6048-433: The course of the war, the PVO destroyed 7,313 German aircraft, of which 4,168 and 3,145 were targeted by the IA antiaircraft artillery, machine guns and barrage balloons. More than 80,000 soldiers, sergeants, officers and generals of the Country Air Defence Forces were awarded state orders and medals, and 92 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and one was twice awarded the Gold Star Medal in service with

6144-440: 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

6240-446: 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,

6336-437: 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

6432-425: The first aerial ramming aircraft attack in the history of aviation Later, Lt. Vyacheslav Tkachov became the very first Russian pilot who shot down an enemy aircraft with a handgun. He attacked a German "Albatros" and shot the enemy pilot. In December 1914 a squadron of 10 Ilya Muromets bombers was formed and used against the German and Austro-Hungarian armies. 17 January 1915 – The Ministry of War of

6528-484: The first ever flights in the Arctic looking for the lost expedition of polar explorer Georgy Sedov . At the beginning of World War I , Russia's air service had the largest air fleet in the Entente, followed by France (263 aeroplanes against 156 respectively and 14 airships ). After the war began, aviators were rearmed with 7.63mm Mauser C96 , because German semi-automatic pistols were more effective weapons than standard 7.62mm Nagant revolvers. At least

6624-454: 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

6720-461: The fleet were obsolete aircraft. Increased rates of production were initiated to provide the troops with new equipment. In July 1941, the National Defence Committee took several measures to strengthen the forces guarding Moscow and Leningrad, Yaroslavl and Gorky industrial areas, and strategic bridges across the Volga. To this end, the formation of parts of the IA, IN, anti-aircraft machine gun and searchlight units were accelerated. A classic example of

6816-466: 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

6912-487: 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 : Russian Air Force flights often use a callsign beginning with RFF: For example RFF1234. Helicopter regiments providing support to

7008-556: The former Imperial Russian Air Service was reformed into the subsequent Soviet Air Forces . The origins of Russian aviation go back to theoretical projects of the 1880s by pioneer Russian scientists such as Nikolai Kibalchich and Alexander Mozhaysky . During the 1890s aviation innovation was further advanced by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky . In 1902–1903 during military maneuvers in the Kiev Military District ,

7104-530: 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

7200-459: The impact of the loss was reduced by the relocation of some units back to Russia. The Russian Air Defence Forces ultimately inherited about 65% of final Soviet PVO assets. In December 1994, the 4th Independent Air Defence Army at Ekaterinberg in the Urals was transformed into the 5th Independent Air Defence Corps, which in 1998 became the 5th Air and Air Defence Forces Army . In accordance with

7296-578: The latter encounter. However, production of the interrupter gear was never carried out. Instead, Dybovsky was posted to England to inspect aircraft being constructed by the Royal Flying Corps . While in Britain he worked on a true synchronization gear with the British inventor Scarff; this became the "Scarff-Dibovski" system used by the British. Thus it was that by April 1917, Russian had only

7392-505: The month, Morane-Saulnier G serial no. MS567 was forwarded to the 30th KAO for field testing. Poruchik Mikhail Shadsky flew test flights on both 9 and 29 December; cold thickened the machine gun's lubricant both times, preventing it from firing. When testing restarted in April 1916, Shadsky had more success. During April and May, he engaged the enemy about ten times. He shot down Austro-Hungarian aircraft on May 23 and 24 1916, but crashed to his death and his machine's destruction after

7488-599: The more than 45,000 aircraft produced in Germany. In addition to construction problems the Imperial Russian Air Service faced great difficulties in keeping the aircraft they did have in the air. Because it was so difficult to get new machines in a timely manner and because the Russians faced a shortage of aircraft for such a large front, the Russian high command kept out of date aircraft flying as long as possible. Thus, Russian pilots flew obsolete machines in combat throughout

7584-546: The post of the Commander of the Air Defence Forces was created and Major General Mikhail Gromadin ( ru:Громадин, Михаил Степанович ) was appointed. In January 1942, to improve the interaction of forces and air defence systems, the fighter aircraft and crews manning them were ordered to be subordinated to the Air Defence Command. In April 1942, the Moscow Air Defence Front was founded, and

7680-696: 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

7776-427: 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,

7872-496: 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

7968-515: 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

8064-486: The total number of Axis aircraft flew in the outskirts of Moscow as a result of their efforts. Air defence forces defending Moscow destroyed 738 enemy aircraft. Assaults by the 6th Fighter Aviation Corps inflicted heavy blows, destroying 567 enemy aircraft on the ground. The Air Defence Forces destroyed 1,305 aircraft and in combat with the armies of Nazi Germany and its allies, alongside the Air Force, destroyed 450 tanks and 5,000 military vehicles. On November 9, 1941,

8160-439: The war in the face of much better enemy aircraft. The fact that so many obsolescent machines remained in service produced Otryads that were an eclectic mix of aircraft; some front line, others nearly so, and some that should not have been flying. With so many different engines and airframes from French, British and Russian factories, trying to keep the machines flying was a constant challenge for Imperial ground crews. One report from

8256-463: The war progressed, aviation detachments were grouped into larger units: In spite of Russia's need for airframes and engines, only about 5,600 aeroplanes were built in Russia before October 1917. Much of this was due to the fact that Russian industry could not keep pace with demand. Imperial Russia did not possess the manufacturing capacity to produce engines and airframes in the numbers needed. Thus,

8352-544: 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

8448-662: Was an air force founded in 1912 for Imperial Russia . The Air Service operated for five years and only saw combat in World War I before being reorganized and renamed in 1917 following the Russian Revolution . With the onset of the Russian Civil War , some former IRAS pilots joined Alexander Kolchak on the White Russian side, but the White movement never created an official air force. Most of what remained of

8544-722: Was built in Saint Petersburg which was intended to be used by the Army as a reconnaissance aircraft , but the aircraft lost in a competition against the French Farman III in 1911, and never entered service On 12 August 1912 the Imperial Russian Air Service, formerly part of the Engineer Corps , became a separate branch of the army. During the First Balkan War there was a Russian air unit in

8640-740: Was formed with HQ in Solnechnegorsk, the 57th Separate Radiotechnical Nod in Olenegorsk, Murmansk Oblast and the 129th Separate Radiotechnical Nod in Skrunda, Latvian SSR. Organisationally, there were two main PVO districts for most of the USSR's postwar history, the Moscow Air Defence District (formed 1950) and Baku (formed 1954). The rest of the country was initially divided into PVO regions covering Belarus, Ukraine,

8736-442: Was only among the first to be removed from his position. Over 150 officers, mostly from the PVO, were tried in court and removed from their posts. A large-scale changeover of senior officers of the force more generally followed as well. When the Soviet Union dissolved , the air fleet of the PVO included roughly 2,200 fighters and interceptors. The personnel and equipment of many units were left in newly independent republics, although

8832-509: Was rebuilt with a place for one seaplane). The naval aviation section was not merged into the IRAS and became a part of Black Sea Fleet On 31 March 1915 the Russian pilot Alexander Kazakov successfully performed the second ramming attack, using a Morane-Saulnier G as his piloted projectile. Summer 1915 – petrol bombs (glass bottles containing a flammable mixture of gasoline and mazut ) were used by pilots to attack ground targets In 1915

8928-473: Was separated from the other Soviet Armed Forces services in 1949. In June 1949, the 15th Guards Fighter Aviation Division and 180th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO , among its regiments, were transferred to the PVO Strany, becoming part of the 20th Fighter Air Defence Army at Oryol . There, the regiment became one of the first equipped with the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 , the first of

9024-482: 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

9120-529: Was then disestablished with the merger of the PVO and VVS in 1998. The PVO structure during the Cold War and in Russia until 1998 consisted of three specialized branches: the Radiotechnical Troops (радиотехнические войска), Surface-to-Air Missile Troops (зенитно-ракетные войска), and Fighter Aviation (истребительная авиация; istrebitel'naya aviatsiya; IA-PVO ). Armies, corps, and divisions of

9216-487: 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

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