Las Fuerzas Aéreas Soviéticas (en ruso: Военно-воздушные силы , tr. Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (VVS), literalmente " Fuerzas Aéreas Militares ") eran una de las fuerzas aéreas de la Unión Soviética . El otro eran las Fuerzas de Defensa Aérea soviéticas . Las Fuerzas Aéreas se formaron a partir de componentes del Servicio Aéreo Imperial Ruso en 1917 y enfrentaron su mayor prueba durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial . Los grupos también participaron en la Guerra de Corea y se disolvieron junto con la propia Unión Soviética en 1991-1992. Los activos de las antiguas fuerzas aéreas soviéticas se dividieron posteriormente en varias fuerzas aéreas de las antiguas repúblicas soviéticas., incluida la nueva Fuerza Aérea de Rusia . "March of the Pilots " fue su canción.
Fuerzas aéreas soviéticas | |
---|---|
Военно-воздушные силы СССР Voyenno-vozdushnye sily SSSR | |
Fundado | 24 de mayo de 1918 |
Disuelto | 14 de febrero de 1992 |
País | RSFS de Rusia (1918-1922) Unión Soviética (1922-1991) CEI (1991-1992) |
Tamaño | 10,101 aviones (1973) 7,859 aviones (1990) |
Parte de | Fuerzas Armadas Soviéticas |
Personal principal | Moscú |
marcha | " Marcha de los Pilotos " |
Comandantes | |
Comandante en Jefe de las Fuerzas Aéreas Soviéticas | Ver lista |
Insignias | |
Medallón | |
Aeronaves voladas | |
Ataque | Su-22 , Su-24 , Su-25 , MiG-27 |
Bombardeo | Tu-16 , Tu-22 , Tu-95 , Tu-160 |
Combatiente | MiG-15 , MiG-21 , MiG-23 , MiG-25 , MiG-29 , Su-27 , MiG-31 |
Helicóptero | Mi-2 , Mi-8 , Mi-17 , Mi-14 |
Helicóptero de ataque | Mi-24 |
Transporte | Il-76 , An-12 , An-22 , An-124 |
Orígenes
El Colegio de Toda Rusia para la Dirección de las Fuerzas Aéreas del Viejo Ejército (la traducción es incierta) se formó el 20 de diciembre de 1917. Este era un cuartel general aéreo bolchevique inicialmente dirigido por Konstantin Akashev . Junto con una reorganización militar general de la posguerra, el colegio se reconstituyó como la "Flota Aérea Roja de Trabajadores y Campesinos" ( Glavvozduhflot ), establecida el 24 de mayo de 1918 y con el estatus departamental de alto nivel de "Dirección Principal". [1] [2]
Se convirtió en la Dirección de las Fuerzas Aéreas de la URSS el 28 de marzo de 1924, y luego en la Dirección de las Fuerzas Aéreas Obreras-Campesinas del Ejército Rojo el 1 de enero de 1925. Poco a poco su influencia en el diseño de aviones se hizo mayor. Desde sus primeros días, la fuerza imitó la organización de las fuerzas terrestres, especialmente en la década de 1930, momento en el que estaba formada por ejércitos aéreos , cuerpos de aviación , divisiones de aviación y regimientos de aviación (compuestos por escuadrones aéreos, vuelos y equipos de bomberos, respectivamente). . [ cita requerida ]
Después de la creación del estado soviético, se hicieron muchos esfuerzos para modernizar y expandir la producción de aviones, liderados por su carismático y enérgico comandante, el general Yakov Alksnis , una eventual víctima de la Gran Purga de Joseph Stalin . [3] La producción de aviones nacionales aumentó significativamente a principios de la década de 1930 y hacia el final de la década, la Fuerza Aérea Soviética pudo introducir los cazas Polikarpov I-15 e I-16 y los bombarderos Tupolev SB, SB-bis y DB-3 . [4] [ cita requerida ]
Fuerzas aéreas históricas de Rusia |
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Imperio ruso Flota aérea militar del emperador (1909-1917) República Socialista Federativa Soviética de Rusia Flota Aérea Roja de Trabajadores y Campesinos (1918-1991) Unión de Repúblicas Socialistas Soviéticas Fuerzas aéreas militares de la URSS (1918-1991) Aviación de la Flota Marítima Militar (1918-1991) Tropas de defensa antiaérea (1948-1991) Fuerzas de cohetes estratégicos (1959-1991) Federación Rusa Fuerzas Aéreas Militares de la Federación de Rusia (1991-presente[actualizar]) Aviación de la Flota Marítima Militar (1991-presente[actualizar]) Fuerzas de cohetes estratégicos (1991-presente[actualizar]) |
Guerra civil Española
Una de las primeras pruebas importantes para el VVS se produjo en 1936 con la Guerra Civil Española , en la que los últimos diseños de aviones soviéticos y alemanes se emplearon entre sí en un feroz combate aire-aire. Al principio, el I-16 demostró ser superior a los cazas de la Luftwaffe y logró alcanzar la superioridad aérea local dondequiera que estuvieran empleados. Sin embargo, los soviéticos se negaron a suministrar el avión en cantidades adecuadas, y sus victorias aéreas pronto se desperdiciaron debido a su uso limitado. Más tarde, los Bf 109 entregados a las fuerzas aéreas nacionalistas españolas de Franco aseguraron la superioridad aérea de los nacionalistas, una a la que nunca abandonarían. Las derrotas en España coincidieron con la llegada de la Gran Purga de Stalin de las filas del cuerpo de oficiales y altos mandos militares, que afectó gravemente a las capacidades de combate de las Fuerzas Aéreas Soviéticas en rápida expansión. Los oficiales recién ascendidos carecían de experiencia en vuelo y mando, mientras que los comandantes de mayor edad, al presenciar el destino del general Alksnis y otros, carecían de iniciativa, remitiendo con frecuencia decisiones menores a Moscú para su aprobación e insistiendo en que sus pilotos cumplieran estrictamente con procedimientos estandarizados y predecibles tanto para ataques aéreos. y defensa. [ cita requerida ]
El 19 de noviembre de 1939, el cuartel general del VVS volvió a ser titulado Dirección Principal de las Fuerzas Aéreas del Ejército Rojo bajo el cuartel general de la WPRA.
Aviación y propaganda de los años 30
Entre 1933 y 1938, el gobierno soviético planeó y financió misiones para romper numerosos récords mundiales de aviación. Los registros y logros de la aviación no solo se convirtieron en demostraciones del progreso tecnológico de la URSS, sino que también sirvieron como legitimación del sistema socialista. Con cada nuevo éxito, la prensa soviética proclamaba victorias para el socialismo, popularizando la mitología de la cultura de la aviación entre las masas. Además, los medios soviéticos idolatraron a los pilotos que batían récords, exaltándolos no solo como modelos a seguir para la sociedad soviética, sino también como símbolos de progreso hacia el futuro socialista-utópico.
Heroísmo positivo
A principios de la década de 1930 se produjo un cambio en el enfoque ideológico de la propaganda colectivista hacia el "heroísmo positivo". [5] En lugar de glorificar el colectivismo socialista como un medio de avance social, el Partido Comunista Soviético comenzó a animar a las personas que cometieron acciones heroicas que promovieron la causa del socialismo. [6] En el caso de la aviación, el gobierno comenzó a glorificar a las personas que utilizaban la tecnología de la aviación en lugar de glorificar la tecnología en sí. Pilotos como Valery Chkalov , Georgy Baydukov , Alexander Belyakov y Mikhail Gromov , así como muchos otros, fueron elevados a la categoría de héroes por sus habilidades y logros de pilotaje.
Vuelos transpolares de 1937
En mayo de 1937, Stalin encargó a los pilotos Chkalov, Baydukov y Belyakov la misión de realizar el primer vuelo transpolar de la historia
. [7] El 20 de junio de 1937, los aviadores aterrizaron su ANT-25 en Vancouver, Washington. Un mes después, Stalin ordenó la salida de una segunda tripulación para ampliar aún más los límites de la tecnología de la aviación moderna. En julio de 1937, Mikhail Gromov, junto con su tripulación Sergei Danilin y Andrei Yumashev, completaron el mismo viaje sobre el Polo Norte y continuaron hasta el sur de California , creando un nuevo récord para el vuelo sin escalas más largo. [8]La reacción del público a los vuelos transpolares fue eufórica. Los medios de comunicación llamaron a los pilotos "caballeros bolcheviques de la cultura y el progreso". [9] Los ciudadanos soviéticos celebraron el Día de la Aviación el 18 de agosto con tanto celo como celebraron el aniversario de la Revolución de Octubre . [10] La literatura que incluye poemas, cuentos y novelas surgió celebrando las hazañas de los aviadores-celebridades. [11] Largometrajes como Victory , Tales of Heroic Aviators y Valery Chkalov reforzaron las imágenes del "héroe positivo", celebrando la individualidad de los aviadores en el contexto de un gobierno socialista. [8] [12]
Temas folclóricos en la propaganda aeronáutica
La propaganda soviética , los artículos de periódicos y otras formas de medios buscaban conectar a los ciudadanos soviéticos con temas relevantes de la vida cotidiana. Para la aviación, los propagandistas de Stalin se basaron en el folclore ruso . Los ejemplos aumentaron dramáticamente después de los éxitos de los vuelos transpolares de Chkalov y Gromov en 1937. Los aviadores fueron referidos simbólicamente como sokoly (halcones), orly (águilas), [13] o bogatyry (guerreros). [14] Los periódicos contaban narrativas tradicionales rusas ( skazki ) de aviadores conquistando el tiempo y el espacio ( prostranstvo ), superando barreras y completando sus misiones en triunfo. [15] Incluso la historia de cada aviador sugiere raíces en la narrativa y las narraciones rusas antiguas: héroes virtuosos que luchan por alcanzar un objetivo final, encontrando y conquistando cualquier obstáculo en su camino. Mediante el uso de la retórica del folclore, Stalin y los propagandistas soviéticos conectaron los logros de la aviación con la herencia rusa, haciendo que la aviación pareciera más accesible para la población soviética. Además, las narrativas enfatizan el desinterés y la devoción de los aviadores por un ideal socialista superior, señalando a los líderes soviéticos como inspiradores y modelos a seguir. [15]
El paternalismo también fue un tema que los propagandistas soviéticos explotaron en la cultura de la aviación. Los medios de comunicación presentaron a Stalin como ejemplo e inspiración, una figura paterna y un modelo a seguir para los pilotos soviéticos más destacados de la época. [16] Al contar historias de reuniones entre Stalin y Chkalov, por ejemplo, los periódicos soviéticos hablaron del paternalismo de Stalin hacia el joven piloto. La metáfora paterna se completó con la adición de una figura materna: Rusia, la patria, que había engendrado a los heroicos hijos del "padre" Stalin como Chkalov. [15]
El uso de metáforas familiares no solo evocó el orgullo hereditario tradicional y el patriotismo histórico ruso, sino que impulsó la imagen de Stalin como un líder benevolente. Más importante aún, el paternalismo sirvió para promover el mensaje de subordinación individual a la autoridad. [17] A través de sus relaciones paternas con los pilotos soviéticos, Stalin desarrolló un "espíritu de deferencia y obediencia" [16] para que la sociedad soviética lo emulara.
Aviación y purgas
Los logros exitosos en la aviación soviética también se produjeron durante los peores días de la Gran Purga. Los vuelos transpolares en el verano de 1937 se produjeron tras el arresto y ejecución de un gran cuerpo de oficiales del Ejército Rojo . [18] Se ejecutó a quince de los dieciséis comandantes del ejército en total; más de las tres cuartas partes de los oficiales superiores de VVS fueron arrestados, ejecutados o relevados de sus funciones. [19] La cobertura de noticias de los arrestos fue relativamente pequeña en comparación con el tratamiento de las hazañas de la aviación, lo que desvió la atención de los arrestos. [20]
Combate temprano
Se había ganado algo de experiencia práctica en combate al participar en la Guerra Civil española y contra Japón en el Lejano Oriente. Poco antes del comienzo de la guerra con Alemania , se envió un Grupo de Voluntarios Soviéticos a China para entrenar a los pilotos de la Fuerza Aérea de la República de China para la guerra que continuaba con los japoneses. Sin embargo, estas experiencias resultaron de poca utilidad en la Guerra de Invierno contra Finlandia en 1939, donde decenas de pilotos de bombarderos y caza soviéticos sin experiencia fueron derribados por un número relativamente pequeño de pilotos de la Fuerza Aérea Finlandesa (FAF). El VVS pronto aprendió que los procedimientos establecidos de defensa aérea soviética derivados de la Guerra Civil Española, como formar círculos defensivos cuando eran atacados, no funcionaban bien contra los finlandeses, quienes emplearon tácticas de zambullida y zoom para derribar a sus oponentes soviéticos en gran número. Los efectos de la Gran Purga indudablemente jugaron un papel en la lenta reacción del VVS y su mando a las nuevas realidades del combate aéreo. La Fuerza Aérea Soviética, así como la industria aeronáutica soviética, eventualmente aprenderían de estas experiencias de combate, aunque no antes de la invasión alemana de la Unión Soviética en 1941. [ cita requerida ]
El 1 de enero de 1941, seis meses antes de la Operación Barbarroja , las Fuerzas Aéreas del Ejército Rojo Soviético tenían 363,900 efectivos en servicio, lo que representa el 8,65% de todo el personal de las fuerzas militares de la Unión Soviética. [21]
Los primeros tres Ejércitos Aéreos, designados Ejércitos Aéreos de Propósito Especial, fueron creados entre 1936 y 1938. [22] El 5 de noviembre de 1940 estos fueron reformados como Aviación de Bombardeo de Largo Alcance del Alto Mando del Ejército Rojo (hasta febrero de 1942) debido a la falta de desempeño en combate durante el conflicto con Finlandia . [23]
La Fuerza Aérea fue duramente golpeada por las purgas del Ejército Rojo en 1941 . [ cita requerida ]
Fallos de la aviación a principios de la Segunda Guerra Mundial
La aviación soviética de la década de 1930 también tuvo un impacto particular en los fracasos militares de la URSS al comienzo de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. En 1938, la Unión Soviética tenía la fuerza aérea más grande del mundo, pero el diseño aeronáutico soviético estaba claramente por detrás de los avances tecnológicos occidentales. [24] En lugar de centrarse en el desarrollo de aviones tácticos, los ingenieros soviéticos desarrollaron aviones bombarderos pesados solo buenos para largas distancias; en otras palabras, aviones que se utilizarían para vuelos récord como los de Chkalov. [25] El enfoque del gobierno soviético en acrobacias llamativas y misiones fenomenales que batieron récords agotó los recursos necesarios para la defensa soviética. Cuando la Alemania nazi atacó a la Unión Soviética en junio de 1941, rápidamente se hizo evidente que la Fuerza Aérea Soviética no estaba preparada para la guerra. [26] La mala planificación y la falta de organización dejaron a los aviones en la pista de las bases aéreas, lo que permitió a la Luftwaffe destruir 4.000 aviones soviéticos en la primera semana. [27] Las desorganizadas defensas soviéticas y los aviones tecnológicamente deficientes no eran rival para la Luftwaffe . [ cita requerida ]
Segunda Guerra Mundial
At the outbreak of World War II, the Soviet military was not yet at a level of readiness suitable for winning a war: Joseph Stalin had said in 1931 Soviet industry was "50 to 100 years behind"[28] the Western powers. By the end of the war, Soviet annual aircraft production had risen sharply, reaching 40,241 in 1944. Some 157,261 machines were produced during the Great Patriotic War, 125,655 being of combat types.[29]
One of the main reasons for the large aircraft losses in the initial period of war with Germany was not the lack of modern tactics, but the lack of experienced pilots and ground support crews, the destruction of many aircraft on the runways due to command failure to disperse them, and the rapid advance of Heer troops, forcing the Soviet pilots on the defensive during Operation Barbarossa, while being confronted with more modern German designs.[30] In the first few days of the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Luftwaffe destroyed some 2,000 Soviet aircraft, most on the ground, at a loss of only 35 (of which 15 were non-combat-related).[31]
The principal VVS aircraft during World War II were the Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik armored ground attack monoplane and the series of AS Yakovlev OKB-115 designed single-engined fighters, beginning with the Yak-1 and its successors.[30] The Il-2 became (at 36,183 built) the most produced military aircraft of all time, with the four main versions of Yak fighters (the Yak-1, −3, −7 and −9) being slightly more numerous, at a total of 36,716 among them. These two main types together accounted for about half the strength of the VVS for most of the Great Patriotic War. The Yak-1 was a modern 1940 design and had room for development, unlike the mature 1935-origin Messerschmitt Bf 109. The Yak-9 brought the VVS to parity with the Luftwaffe and eventually allowed it to gain the upper hand, until in 1944, many Luftwaffe pilots deliberately avoided combat with the last and best variant, the out-of-sequence numbered Yak-3. The other main VVS types were Lavochkin fighters (mainly the La-5), the Petlyakov Pe-2 twin engined attack-bombers, and a basic but functional and versatile medium bomber, the Ilyushin Il-4.
The 31st Bomber Aviation Regiment, equipped with Pe-2s and commanded by Colonel Fyodor Ivanovich Dobysh, was one of the first Guards bomber units in the Air Forces – the 4th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment (ru:4-й гвардейский пикирующий бомбардировочный авиационный полк).[32] The title was conferred on the regiment for its actions on the Leningrad Front in November–December 1941 during defensive operations and the Soviet counterattack near Tikhvin.
Women
Alone among World War II combatants, the Soviet Air Force initiated a program to bring women with existing flying training into combat air groups. Marina Raskova, one of very few women in the VVS prior to the war, used her influence with Stalin to form three all-female air regiments: the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment, the 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment, and the 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment (a.k.a. the Night Witches.) Women flew aircraft so heavy that sometimes two of them were required to haul back on the joystick on takeoff.[33]
Due to their achievements in battle, the latter two air force units were honored by being renamed Guards units. Beyond the three official regiments, individual Soviet women sometimes served alongside airmen in otherwise all-male groups.[34] Women pilots, navigators, gunners, mechanics, armament specialists and other female ground personnel made up more than 3,000 fighting members of the VVS. Women pilots flew 24,000 sorties. From this effort came the world's only two female fighter aces: Lydia Litvyak and Katya Budanova.
Innovation and Lend-lease
While there were scores of Red Army divisions on the ground formed from specific Soviet republics, there appears to have been very few aviation regiments formed from nationalities, among them being the 1st Latvian Night Aviation Regiment.[35]
Chief Marshal of Aviation Alexander Novikov led the VVS from 1942 to the end of the war, and was credited with introducing several innovations and weapons systems. For the last year of the war German military and civilians retreating towards Berlin were hounded by the presence of "low flying aircraft" strafing and bombing them, an activity in which even the ancient Polikarpov Po-2, a much produced flight training (uchebnyy) biplane of 1920s design, took part. However, this was but a small measure of the experience the Wehrmacht were receiving due to the sophistication and superiority of the Red Air Force. In one strategic operation alone, the Yassy-Kishinev Strategic Offensive, the 5th and 17th Air Armys and the Black Sea Fleet Naval Aviation aircraft achieved a 3.3 to 1 superiority in aircraft over Luftflotte 4 and the Royal Romanian Air Force, allowing almost complete freedom from air harassment for the ground troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts.[36]
As with many Allied countries in World War II, the Soviet Union received Western aircraft through Lend-Lease, mostly Bell P-39 Airacobras, Bell P-63 Kingcobras, Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks, Douglas A-20 Havocs, Hawker Hurricanes, and North American B-25 Mitchells. Some of these aircraft arrived in the Soviet Union in time to participate in the Battle of Moscow, and in particular with the PVO or Soviet Air Defence Forces.[37] Soviet fliers in P-39s scored the highest individual kill totals of any ever to fly a U.S. aircraft. Two air regiments were equipped with Spitfire Mk.Vbs in early 1943 but immediately experienced unrelenting losses due to friendly fire as the British aircraft looked too much like the German Bf 109.[38] Lend-Lease aircraft from the U.S. and UK accounted for nearly 12% of total Soviet air power.[39]
The greatest Soviet fighter ace of World War II was Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, who scored 62 victories from 6 July 1943 to 16 April 1945,[40] the top score for any Allied fighter pilot of World War II.
Guerra Fría
In 1945–46, the WPKA Army Air Forces became the Soviet Air Forces once again. Its capabilities increased. The force became one of the best services of the Soviet Armed Forces due to the various types of aircraft being flown and their capabilities and the strength and training of its pilots, and its air defense arm became an independent component of the armed forces in 1949, reaching full-fledged force status in 1954.[citation needed]
The 64th Fighter Aviation Corps (ru:64-й истребительный авиационный корпус) fought in the Korean War.[citation needed]
During the Cold War, the Soviet Air Force was rearmed, strengthened and modern air doctrines were introduced. At its peak in 1980, it could deploy approximately 10,000 aircraft, making it the world's largest air force of the time.[41]
In 1977 the VVS and the Soviet Air Defense Forces were re-organised in the Baltic states and the Leningrad Oblast, as a trial run for the larger re-organisation in 1980 covering the whole country.[42] All fighter units in the PVO were transferred to the VVS, the Air Defence Forces only retaining the anti-aircraft missile units and radar units. The 6th independent Air Defense Army was disbanded, and the 15th Air Army became the VVS Baltic Military District.[citation needed]
Though the experiment was then applied countrywide in 1980, it was reversed in 1986, but then most of the Air Defense Forces's command and control duties and assets became part of the Air Force, as well as several educational and training institutions.[citation needed]
According to a 1980 Time Magazine article citing analysts from RAND Corporation, allegedly Soviet non-Slavs, including Jews, Armenians, and Asians were generally barred from senior ranks and from joining elite or strategic positions in the Air Force, Strategic Rocket Forces, and the Soviet Navy because of doubts regarding the loyalty of ethnic minorities. RAND analyst S. Enders Wimbush said, "Soldiers are clearly recruited in a way that reflects the worries of society. The average Russian citizen and Soviet decision maker have questions about the allegiance of the non-Slav, especially the Central Asian."[43][44][45][46][47]
During the Cold War the VVS was divided into three main branches (equivalent to commands in Western air forces): Long Range Aviation (Dal'naya Aviatsiya – DA ), focused on long-range bombers; Frontal Aviation (Frontovaya Aviatsiya – FA), focused on battlefield air defence, close air support, and interdiction; and Military Transport Aviation (Voenno-Transportnaya Aviatsiya – VTA), which controlled all transport aircraft. The Soviet Air Defence Forces (Voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony or Voyska PVO), which focused on air defence and interceptor aircraft, was then a separate and distinct service within the Soviet military organisation.[citation needed]
Yet another independent service was the Soviet Navy's air arm, the Soviet Naval Aviation (Aviatsiya Voenno Morskogo Flota – "AV-MF"), under the Navy Headquarters.[citation needed]
The official day of VVS was the Soviet Air Fleet Day, that often featured notable air shows meant to display Soviet air power advancements through the years, held in Moscow's Tushino airfield.[citation needed]
1980s fighter programs
In the 1980s the Soviet Union acknowledged the development of the Advanced Tactical Fighter in the US and began the development of an equivalent fighter.[citation needed]
Two programs were initiated, one of which was proposed to directly confront the United States' then-projected Advanced Tactical Fighter (that was to lead to the development of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the Northrop YF-23). This future fighter was designated as Mnogofounksionalni Frontovoi Istrebitel (MFI) (Multifunctional Frontline Fighter) and designed as a heavy multirole aircraft, with air-supremacy utmost in the minds of the designers.[citation needed]
In response to the American Boeing X-32/Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) projects, Russia began the LFI program, which would develop a fighter reminiscent of the X-32/F-35 with a single engine, without the capabilities of a true multirole aircraft.[citation needed] The LFI (Lyogkiy Frontovoy Istrebitel, Light Frontline Fighter) project was intended to develop a lightweight fighter with respectable air-to-ground capabilities. Yakovlev proposed the Yak-43, an upgraded Yakolev Yak-41 with a stealthier design and more powerful engines. After neglecting the MFI competition, Sukhoi decided to submit a design for the LFI called the S-37 (unrelated to the heavyweight forward-swept wing fighter). This S-37 resembled the Gripen in that it had canard foreplanes, a delta wing and one engine. Mikoyan entered the MiG 4.12. MiG could not afford to develop both the MFI and LFI, so their LFI entry was eventually withdrawn. Developed into Mikoyan LMFS.
Russia would later change the designation of the LFI project to LFS, making it a multirole aircraft with emphasis on ground attack capability. During the 1990s the Russian military cancelled the LFS projects and continued with the MFI project, with minimal funding, believing that it was more important than the production of a light fighter aircraft. No advanced fighter successor to the Su-27 and MiG-29 family has entered service. Sukhoi won the latest PAK FA competition in 2002; the aircraft's first flight took place on 29 January 2010.[48][49]
Breakup of the Soviet Union
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1992 the aircraft and personnel of the Soviet VVS were divided among the newly independent states. Russia received the plurality of these forces, approximately 40% of the aircraft and 65% of the manpower, with these forming the basis for the new Russian Air Force.
Forces in the late 1980s
The Soviet Air Force's aviation assets were organised into four types of forces (sing. вид авиации) - Long Range Aviation, Frontal Aviation, Military Transport Aviation and Army Aviation (which would transfer to the Ground Forces in case of war). Pilot training establishments were integrated into the Air Armies of the Frontal Aviation.
Type of aviation | Aviation arm | Higher command echelons | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Long Range Aviation (дальная авиация) | a single arm | Air Armies of the Supreme Military Command Reserve (Strategic Purpose) (ВА РГК (СН)) under the Air Force Main Staff. | Included:
|
Frontal Aviation (фронтовая авиация) | Fighter aviation (истребительная авиация) |
| Provided air cover of the ground forces and escort to own aviation assets. Secondary tasks included ground attack with unguided ordnance, air reconnaissance and tactical nuclear strike. In the late 1980s its types of aircraft included the Su-27S, the MiG-29 and the MiG-23MLD. |
Bomber aviation (бомбардировочная авиация) | Main mission was penetration of enemy air defences and precision strikes against enemy targets in operational depth. Secondary tasks included close air support, aerial reconnaissance and tactical nuclear strike. In the late 1980s its air regiments flew the Su-24 and the upgraded Su-24M with a handful (no more than 20) of the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses-specialised Su-24MP variant. | ||
Fighter-bomber aviation (истребительно-бомбардировочная авиация) | Main mission was penetration of enemy air defences and precision strikes against enemy targets in tactical depth. Secondary tasks included close air support, aerial reconnaissance and tactical nuclear strike. In the late 1980s its air regiments flew the MiG-27 and (in limited numbers) the Su-17M. | ||
Ground attack aviation (штурмовая авиация) | Main mission was battlefield close air support and destruction of armored targets from low and extra low altitude. Its air regiments flew the Su-25. | ||
Reconnaissance aviation (разведывательная авиация) | The reconnaissance aviation included two types of units:
| ||
Transport aviation (транспортная авиация) | The Military Transport Aviation provided strategic airlift and airborne dropping capabilities to the Soviet military. The transport aviation provided tactical airlift capabilities, liaison and medevac assets. It included Composite Air Regiments and Composite air Squadrons flying mostly An-26 aircraft and Mi-8 helicopters. | ||
Special Aviation (специальная авиация) | Main units in this category included electronic warfare and intelligence aircraft, based on modified airliners, EW and ELINT helicopters and aerial command posts, based mostly on the Mi-8 and UAV reconnaissance squadrons. | ||
Military transport aviation (Военно-транспортная авиация) | a single arm | Military Transport Aviation HQ under the Air Force Main Staff. | |
Army aviation (армейская авиация) | a single arm | Attached to the Air Armies in peace time. To transfer to the Ground Forces in case of war. At the end of 1990 right before the collapse of the USSR the Army Aviation was transferred to the Ground Forces and became one of their branches. |
Higher command echelons of the Air Forces
Operationaly subordinated to the Main Staff of the Air Forces | |||
---|---|---|---|
HQ | Notes | ||
Units directly subordinated to the Main Staff of the Air Forces (Части центрального подчинения Главного штаба ВВС) | See Directly subordinated to the AF Main Staff section below. | Moscow, RSFSR | |
Military Transport Aviation Command (Командование военнотранспортной авиации) | Moscow, RSFSR | Belonged to the Military Transport Aviation. | |
Aviation of the Reserve of the Supreme Military Command (Авиация Резерва Главного Командования) | 30th Smolenskaya Red Banner Air Army of Strategic Purpose (30-я Смоленская краснознаменная воздушная армия стратегического назначения) | Irkutsk, RSFSR | Belonged to the Long Range Aviation. |
37th Air Army of Strategic Purpose (37-я воздушная армия стратегического назначения) | Moscow, RSFSR | Belonged to the Long Range Aviation. | |
46th Air Army of Strategic Purpose (46-я воздушная армия стратегического назначения) | Smolensk, RSFSR | Belonged to the Long Range Aviation. | |
4th Air Army of Operational Purpose (4-я воздушная армия оперативного назначения) | Legnica, Polish People's Republic | Belonged to the Frontal Aviation. Under Air Forces HQ in peace time. To transfer to Supreme Command of the Western Strategic Direction control in wartime. | |
24th Air Army of Operational Purpose (24-я воздушная армия оперативного назначения)[50] | Vinnitsa, Ukrainian SSR | Belonged to the Frontal Aviation. Under Air Forces HQ in peace time. To transfer to Supreme Command of the South-Western Strategic Direction control in wartime. Based in the Kiev Military District in peace time, which lead to the KMD's own 17th Red Banner Air Army (17-я краснознаменная воздушная армия) being made up of training units in peace time. | |
Operationally subordinated to the Military Districts and the Groups of Forces | |||
High Command of the Forces of the Western Strategic Direction (Главное командование войск Западного направления) - HQ in Legnica, Polish People's Republic | |||
directly subordinated | (transferred from Air Force HQ in wartime): 4th Air Army of Operational Purpose (4-я воздушная армия оперативного назначения) | Legnica, Polish People's Republic | |
Western Group of Forces (Западная группа войск) | 16th Red Banner Air Army | Wünsdorf (suburb of Zossen), German Democratic Republic | The Western Group of Forces is the new designation of the recently renamed Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, based in the German Democratic Republic. |
Central Group of Forces (Центральная группа войск) | No Air Army. (131st Mixed Air Division) | Milovice, Czechoslovak People's Republic | Central Group of Forces were based in the Czechoslovak People's Republic. |
Northern Group of Forces (Северная группа войск) | No Air Army. (4th AIr Army of Operational Purpose was based in the Northern Group of Forces's AOR.) | Northern Group of Forces were based in the Polish People's Republic. | |
Belarussian Military District(Белорусский военный округ) | 26th Red Banner Air Army (26-я краснознаменная воздушная армия) | Minsk, Belarus SSR | On 15 June 1992, by decree No. 05 of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus, the 26th Air Army headquarters became the command of the Air Forces of the Republic of Belarus. |
Carpathian Military District (Прикарпатский военный округ) | 14th Red Banner Air Army | Lviv, Ukrainian SSR | |
(Naval forces operationally attached): Twice awarded the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (Дважды Краснознамённый Балтийский флот) | Air Forces of the Baltic Fleet (ВВС Балтийского флота) | Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Oblast, RSFSR | Belonged to the Naval Aviation. |
(Air Defence forces operationally attached): | 2nd Separate Air Defence Army (2-я отдельная армия ПВО) | Minsk, Belarus SSR | Belonged to the Air Defence Forces. |
High Command of the Forces of the South-Western Strategic Direction (Главное командование войск Западного направления) - HQ in Chișinău, Moldavian SSR | |||
directly subordinated | (transferred from Air Force HQ in wartime): 24th Air Army of Operational Purpose (24-я воздушная армия оперативного назначения) | Vinnitsa, Ukrainian SSR | |
Southern Group of Forces (Южная группа войск) | 36th Red Banner Air Army | Debrecen, Hungarian People's Republic | The Southern Group of Forces were based in the Hungarian People's Republic. |
Kiev Military District (Киевский военный округ) | 17th Red Banner Air Army | Kiev, Ukrainian SSR | Consisted of Air Force higher schools. |
Odessa Military District (Одесский военный округ) | 5th Red Banner Air Army | Odessa, Ukrainian SSR | |
(Naval forces operationally attached): Red Banner Black Sea Fleet | Air Forces of the Black Sea Fleet (ВВС Черноморского флота) | Sevastopol, Ukrainian SSR | Belonged to the Naval Aviation. |
High Command of the Forces of the Southern Strategic Direction (Главное командование войск Западного направления) - HQ in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR | |||
North Caucasus Military District (Северо-Кавказский военный округ) | Air Forces of the North Caucasus Military District (ВВС Северо-Кавказского военного округа) | ||
Transcaucasus Military District (Закавказский военный округ) | 34th Air Army | Tbilisi, Georgian SSR | |
Turkestan Military District (Туркестанский военный округ) | 73rd Air Army | Alma Ata, Kazakh SSR | Until June 1, 1989 the TMD's air army was the 49th Air Army (HQ in Tashkent, Uzbekistan SSR). The 73rd Air Army controlled the Air Force assets of the Central Asian Military District. On June 1, 1989 the CAMD was disbanded and integrated back into the TMD. The two air armies were therefore also integrated, with the new command retaining the designation of the 73rd. |
High Command of the Forces of the Far East (Главное командование войск Дальнего Востока) - HQ in Ulan-Ude, RSFSR | |||
Far Eastern Military District (Дальневосточный военный округ) | 1st Red Banner Air Army (1-я краснознаменная воздушная армия) | Khabarovsk, RSFSR | |
Transbaikal Military District (Забайкальский военный округ) | 23rd Red Banner Air Army | Chita, RSFSR | |
(Naval forces operationally attached): Red Banner Pacific Fleet | Air Forces of the Pacific Fleet (ВВС Тихоокеанского флота) | Vladivostok, RSFSR | Belonged to the Naval Aviation. |
internal military districts | |||
Moscow Military District (Московский военный округ) | Air Forces of the Moscow Military District (ВВС Московского военного округа) | Formerly the 78th Air Army. | |
Leningrad Military District (Ленинградский военный округ) | 76th Red Banner Air Army | Leningrad, RSFSR | |
Baltic Military District (Прибалтийский военный округ) | 15th Air Army | Riga, Latvian SSR | |
Volga-Ural Military District (Приволжско-Уральский военный округ) | Air Forces of the Volga-Ural Military District (ВВС Приволжско-Уральского военного округа) | Sverdlovsk (present-day Yekaterinburg), RSFSR | The Volga Military District and the Ural Military District were merged on September 1, 1989 into the Volga-Ural Military District. Due to their remoteness from the front lines in a possible armed conflict, the two military district were tasked with mainly with training (including pilot training for the Air Forces). For that reason the newly unified military district held 1st place by total aircraft quantity of all the military districts and groups of forces (1735 units), but this changed to 16th place if only combat aircraft were taken into consideration.[51] |
Siberian Military District (Сибирский военный округ) | Air Forces of the SIberian District (ВВС Сибирского военного округа) | Due to its remoteness from the front lines in a possible armed conflict, the SMD were tasked with mainly with training (including pilot training for the Air Forces). For that reason the military district held the median 9th place by total aircraft quantity of all the military districts and groups of forces, but this changed to dead-last 19th place if only combat aircraft were taken into consideration.[51] | |
In addition, the 34th Mixed Aviation Corps (ru:34-й смешанный авиационный корпус), later re-designated to the Air Forces of the 40th Army, supported the 40th Army in Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War. Its HQ was in Kabul, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, co-located with the HQ of the 40th Army itself.
Directly subordinated to the AF Main Staff
Several formations and flying units were directly subordinated to the Air Forces Main Staff (Главный штаб ВВС).[52] They provided air transport for high-ranking government and military officials, flight testing or support to other research and development fields.
Units directly subordinated to the Main Staff (Структуры центрального (Главкомату ВВС) подчинения):
- 21st Separate Aviation Squadron of Flying Laboratories (21-я отдельная авиационная эскадрилья летающих лабораторий (21-я оаэлл)) - Kubinka - An-12, An-26, Mi-8
- 27th Separate Helicopter Squadron (27-я отдельная вертолетная эскадрилья (27-я овэ)) - Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan SSR - Mi-8 (provided liaison flight support to the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Center)
- 101st Separate Test [Support] Aviation Squadron (101-я отдельная испытательная авиационная эскадрилья (101-я оиаэ), 287th according to some sources) - Nukus, Uzbekistan SSR - An-26, Mi-8 (provided support to the 8th Chemical Defence Station (Восьмая станция химической защиты) test range on the Ustyurt Plateau)
- 220th Separate Test [Support] Aviation Squadron of Specific Purpose (220-я отдельная испытательная авиационная эскадрилья особого назначения (220-я оиаэ он) - Aralsk, Kazakhstan SSR - An-72, An-26, Mi-26, Mi-8, An-2 (provided airborne telemetric surveillance support to the Kapustin Yar missile test range. The airfield also provided liaison flights to the top-secret "Barkhan" bacteriological warfare test range on Vozrozhdeniya Island)
- unidentified Separate Aviation Squadron (отдельная авиационная эскадрилья (оаэ)) - Klin - Tu-134, An-12, An-26, An-24, Mi-8 (Klin air base was also considered the 'household' airfield of the Air Defence Forces aviation and a mixed air regiment was based there with the mission to provide liaison flights to the Air Defence Forces Main Staff and flight skills refreshment for the high ranking pilot officers)
- Separate Transport Aviation Squadron (отдельная транспортная авиационная эскадрилья (отаэ)) - Privolzhskiy (near Astrakhan) - Il-18, An-26, Mi-8 (provided liaison flights to the 116th Combat Application Training Center of the Air Defence Aviation (116-й Центр боевого применения авиации ПВО))
- 2nd State Central Test Range (2-й Государственный центральный испытательный полигон (2 ГЦИП)) (designation in some sources given as the 2-й Государственный центральный научно-исследовательский испытательный полигон (2 ГЦНИИП)) - Semipalatinsk
- Separate Transport Aviation Squadron (отдельная транспортная авиационная эскадрилья (отаэ)) - ZATO Kurchatov-21 (also listed sometimes as the Semipalatinsk-21) - An-30RR, An-24RR, Mi-8/9 (RR - Radiation Reconnaissance)
- Separate Transport Aviation Squadron (отдельная транспортная авиационная эскадрилья (отаэ)) - Semipalatinsk (Zhanasemei airfield) - An-30, An-24RR
- 5th Central Scientific Research Institute (5-й Центральный научно-исследовательский институт (5 ЦНИИ) (designation in some sources given as the 5-й Центральный научно-исследовательский испытательный институт (5 ЦНИИ) - Voronezh
- Separate Composite Aviation Squadron (отдельная смешанная авиационная эскадрилья (осаэ)) - Voronezh Airport - Il-20, Mi-8 (EW)
- 8th Aviation Division of Specific Purpose (8-я авиационная дивизия особого назначения (8-я ад он)) - Chkalovsky
- 353th Aviation Regiment of Specific Purpose (353-й авиационный полк особого назначения (353-й ап он)) - Chkalovsky - Il-62, Tu-154, Tu-134, Il-18, Il-76, An-72
- 354th Aviation Regiment of Specific Purpose (354-й авиационный полк особого назначения (354-й ап он)) - Chkalovsky - Il-76, Il-22, An-12, An-26, An-24
- (355th Aviation Regiment of Specific Purpose (355-й авиационный полк особого назначения (355-й ап он)) - Chkalovsky - disbanded in 1989 and absorbed into the 353rd Aviation Regiment along with its Tu-134 and Tu- 154 aircraft)
- Separate Composite Aviation Squadron (отдельная смешанная авиационная эскадрилья (осаэ)) - Chkalovsky - Il-80 (4 aircraft), Il-76RT (2 aircraft) (attached to the 8th ADSP for air traffic control, ground support and maintenance, but reporting directly to the Ministry of Defence. The Il-80 was the airborne command center variant of the Il-86 and the Soviet counterpart to the E-4. The four Il-80 received command task force of officers detailed from the Ministry of Defence when on airborne duty. The two Il-76RT were relay aircraft (RT - 'retranslator') and had no command task force on board. They provided Ultra high frequency link between the Soviet nuclear triad and the command centers and were equipped with drag antennae array, which could extend to a total length of 6 kilometers. The Navy's SSBNs and the Air Force's Long Range Aviation normally used alternative communications channels, so the main task for the Il-76RTs remained to provide a link to the Strategic Rocket Forces. The command and control system was designated "Chain Link" ("Звено") and included the Il-80s, the Il-76RTs, the underground silo-based 'Perimetr' and the railway-based 'Gorn' command alert missiles.)
- High Command of the Forces of the Southern Strategic Direction (Главное командование войск Южного направления (ГК ЮН)) - Baku, Azerbaijan SSR
- 300th Separate Composite Aviation Squadron (300-я отдельная смешанная авиационная эскадрилья (300-я осаэ)) - Kala - Tu-154, Tu-134, Il-22, An-26, An-24, Mi-6, Mi-8/9, Ka-27PS, An-2, Mi-2
- High Command of the Forces of the South-Western Strategic Direction (Главное командование войск Юго-Западного направления (ГК ЮЗН)) - Kishinev, Moldavian SSR
- 153rd Separate Composite Aviation Squadron (300-я отдельная смешанная авиационная эскадрилья (153-я осаэ)) - Kishinev - Tu-134, Il-22, An-72, An-26, An-24, Mi-8/9
- Warsaw Pact Organisation (Организация варшавского договора (ОВД))
- 25th Separate Composite Aviation Squadron (25-я отдельная смешанная авиационная эскадрилья (25-я осаэ)) - Legnica and Krzywa, Polish People's Republic - Tu-134, Il-22, An-12, An-72, An-26, Mi-8
- 100th Separate Helicopter Flight (100-й отдельный вертолётный отряд (100-й ово)) - Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic - Mi-8PPA/SMV/MTPI (supporting the Soviet military advisors embedded in the Syrian military)
- 929th State Flight Test Center named after V. P. Chkalov of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR (929-й Государственный лётно-испытательный центр им. В. П. Чкалова Министерства обороны СССР (929 ГЛИЦ МО СССР)) - Akhtubinsk (testing of each type of military aircraft destined for the Air Force, Air Defence Forces, Naval Aviation and export)
- 75th Separate Composite Aviation Regiment (75-й отделный смешанный авиационный полк (75-й осап)) - Akhtubinsk - Ан-12, Ан-26, Ан-24, Ан-72, Ту-154, Ми-8
- 333rd Separate Composite Aviation Regiment (333-й отделный смешанный авиационный полк (333-й осап)) - Akhtubinsk - Tu-16, MiG-21
- Air Force Test Pilots Training Center (Центр подготовки лётчиков-испытателей ВВС) - Akhtubinsk - MiG-21, L-39, Yak-40, An-26, Mi-8
- Separate Composite Aviation Regiment of Specific Purpose (отдельный смешанный авиационный полк особого назначения (осап он)) Северный (Кировское) - Су-27, МиГ-29, Ка-25, Ка-27, Ми-14, Ка-29, Ан-12, Ан-72, Ил-38, Ту-142, MI-6, Mi-8, Як-38 (flight testing of naval aviation)
- 368th Separate Composite Aviation Squadron (368-я отдельная смешанная авиационная эскадрилья (368-я осаэ)) - Nalchik Airport - An-12, Mi-8 (mountain testing)
- 47th Separate Composite Aviation Squadron (47-я отдельная смешанная авиационная эскадрилья (47-я осаэ)) - Вольск - An-26, Mi-8
- Separate Composite Aviation Squadron (отдельная транспортная авиационная эскадрилья (отаэ)) - Чкаловский - Il-76, An-12, An-72, An-26
- Separate Helicopter Squadron (отдельная вертолётная эскадрилья (овэ)) - Чкаловский - Mi-26, Mi-6, Mi-8
- Separate Aviation Flight (отдельный авиационный отряд (оао)) - Чкаловский - Ил-20, Ил-22 (possibly two separate air flights based at Chkalovsky, one flying Il-20 and another one flying Il-22)
- Nizhny Tagil Metal Proving Institute (Нижнетагильский институт испытания металлов (НТИИМ))
- Flight Test Base (Лётно-испытательная база (ЛИБ)) - Salka airfireld, Nizhny Tagil - Tu-16, Su-24, Su-25, MiG-21, An-12, An-24 (testing of aviation armaments)
Military Transport Aviation
The Soviet Military Transport Aviation had the following structure in the end of the 1980s:[53]
Military Transport Aviation Command (Командование военнотранспортной авиации), Moscow, RSFSR
- 18th Guards Taganrogskaya, awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Suvorov and the Order of Kutuzov Military Transport Aviation Division (18-я гвардейская Таганрогская Краснознаменная орденов Суворова и Кутузова военно-транспортная авиационная дивизия), Šiauliai, Lithuanian SSR
- 128th Guards Leningradskiy, awarded the Order of the Red Banner Military Transport Aviation Regiment (128-й гвардейский Ленинградский Краснознаменный военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Panevėžys, Lithuanian SSR - Ilyushin Il-76M
- 196th Guards Minskiy Military Transport Aviation Regiment (196-й гвардейский Минский военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Tartu, Estonian SSR - Ilyushin Il-76M
- 600th Military Transport Aviation Regiment (600-й военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Kėdainiai, Lithuanian SSR - Ilyushin Il-76
- 117th Berlinskiy, awarded the Order of Kutuzov Aviation Regiment for Radio-electronic warfare (117-й Берлинский ордена Кутузова авиационный полк РЭБ), Šiauliai, Lithuanian SSR - Antonov An-12PP/PPS
- 6th Guards Zaporozhskaya, awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Military Transport Aviation Division (6-я гвардейская Запорожская Краснознаменная ордена Богдана Хмельницкого военно-транспортная авиационная дивизия), Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian SSR[54]
- 37th Military Transport Aviation Regiment (37-й военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Artsyz, Ukrainian SSR - Ilyushin Il-76
- 338th Military Transport Aviation Regiment (338-й Рижский военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian SSR - Ilyushin Il-76
- 363rd Cherkaskiy, awarded the Order of Suvorov and the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Military Transport Aviation Regiment (363-й Черкасский орденов Суворова и Богдана Хмельницкого военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian SSR - Ilyushin Il-76
- 7th Military Transport Aviation Division (7-я военно-транспортная авиационная дивизия) Melitopol, Ukrainian SSR
- 25th Moskovskiy Military Transport Aviation Regiment (25-й гвардейский Московский военно-транспортный авиационный полк) - Ilyushin Il-76
- 175th Military Transport Aviation Regiment (175-й военно-транспортный авиационный полк) - Ilyushin Il-76
- 369th Military Transport Aviation Regiment (369-й военно-транспортный авиационный полк) - Ilyushin Il-76
- 3rd Guards Smolenskaya, awarded the Order of Suvorov and the Order of Kutuzov Military Transport Aviation Division (3-я гвардейская Смоленская орденов Суворова и Кутузова военно-транспортная авиационная дивизия), Vitebsk, Belarussian SSR
- 110th Military Transport Aviation Regiment (110-й военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Krechevitsy (near Novgorod), RSFSR - Ilyushin Il-76
- 334th Berlin Red Banner Military Transport Aviation Regiment (334-й Берлинский Краснознаменный военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Pskov, RSFSR - Ilyushin Il-76
- 339th Awarded the Order of Suvorov Military Transport Aviation Regiment (339-й ордена Суворова военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Vitebsk, Belarussian SSR - Ilyushin Il-76
- 12th Mginskaya Red Banner Military Transport Aviation Division (12-я Мгинская Краснознаменная военно-транспортная авиационная дивизия), Tver, RSFSR
- 566th Solnechnogorskiy, awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Kutuzov Military Transport Aviation Regiment (566-й Солнечногорский Краснознаменный ордена Кутузова военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Seshta (near Bryansk), RSFSR - Antonov An-124
- 978th Military Transport Aviation Regiment (978-й военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Seshta (near Bryansk), RSFSR - Antonov An-124 (2 squadrons), Ilyushin Il-76 (1 squadron)
- 8th Military Transport Aviation Regiment (8-й военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Tver, RSFSR - Antonov An-22
- 81st Military Transport Aviation Regiment (81-й военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Ivanovo - Severny - Antonov An-22
- separate Military Transport Aviation regiments:
- 192nd Guards Kerchenskiy Red Banner Military Transport Aviation Regiment (192-й гвардейский Керченский Краснознаменный военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Ukkurey, Chita Oblast, RSFSR - Ilyushin Il-76MD
- 708th Military Transport Aviation Regiment (708-й военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, RSFSR - Ilyushin Il-76MD
- 930th Komsomolskiy Transylvanskiy Red Banner Military Transport Aviation Regiment (930-й Комсомольский Трансильванский Краснознаменный военно-транспортный авиационный полк), Zavitinsk, Amur Oblast, RSFSR - Antonov An-12
- 194th Guards Bryanskiy Red Banner Military Transport Aviation Regiment named after N. F. Gastello (194-й гвардейский Брянский Краснознаменный военно-транспортный авиационный полк им.Н.Ф.Гастелло), Fergana, Uzbek SSR - Antonov An-12
- training establishments
- 610th Center for Combat Training and Conversion of Flight Personnel of the Military Transport Aviation (610-й центр боевого применения и переучивания летного состава ВТА), Ivanovo - Severny - Ilyushin Il-76 (2 training and 1 test and evaluation squadrons)
- wartime mobilization assets
- the State-owned flag carrier Aeroflot was wartime mobilization reserve to the Military Transport Aviation, with some Il-76 aircraft of the civilian air company as much as retaining the aft self-defence gun turrets (Aeroflot Il-76MD)
- airlift assets outside the Military Transport Aviation
- 8th Aviation Division of Special Purpose (8 авиационная дивизия ОСНАЗ), Moscow - Chkalovskiy Air Base, RSFSR - transport and command aviation unit for the USSR's high officials
- 70th Transport Regiment of Special Purpose (70-й транспортный полк ОСНАЗ), Moscow - Chkalovskiy Air Base, RSFSR - Ilyushin Il-62, Il-86, Il-76
- 353rd Transport Regiment of Special Purpose (353-й транспортный полк ОСНАЗ), Moscow - Chkalovskiy Air Base, RSFSR - Antonov An-12, An-26, An-24
- 354th Transport Regiment of Special Purpose (354-й транспортный полк ОСНАЗ), Moscow - Chkalovskiy Air Base, RSFSR - Tupolev Tu-134, Tu-154
- Separate Aviation Squadron for Command and Retranslation (отдельная авиационная эскадрилья управления и ретрансляции), Moscow - Chkalovskiy Air Base, RSFSR - Ilyushin Il-80, Il-82
- Each Strategic Direction Command and each Military District also had a Separate Composite Aviation Regiment (отдельный смешанный авиационный полк (осап)), which included An-24, An-26 (possibly An-12) transport aircraft, Mi-8 (possibly) Mi-2 helicopters and a Tu-134 as the commander of the strategic direction or the military district's personal transport aircraft.
- 8th Aviation Division of Special Purpose (8 авиационная дивизия ОСНАЗ), Moscow - Chkalovskiy Air Base, RSFSR - transport and command aviation unit for the USSR's high officials
Soviet Air Defence Forces
Independent air defense component of the Soviet Armed Forces under Headquarters, Voyska PVO (Soviet Air Defence Forces).
- 2nd Air Defence Army (Soviet Air Defence Forces) (part)
- 4th Independent Air Defence Army
- 6th Independent Air Defence Army (Soviet Air Defence Forces)
- 8th Independent Air Defence Army (Soviet Air Defence Force)
- 10th Independent Air Defence Army (Soviet Air Defence Forces)
- 11th Independent Air Defence Army (Far East Military District)
- 12th Independent Air Defence Army (Soviet Air Defence Forces)
- 14th Independent Air Defence Army (Soviet Air Defence Forces)
- 19th Air Defence Army
Training schools of the VVS and PVO
A Krasnaya Zvezda military schools list of 17 January 1980 included 24 Air Forces schools.[55] Nine Higher Aviation Schools of Pilots were reported (including the Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots at Borisoglebsk), two navigator schools (including the Chelyabinsk Higher Military Aviation School of Navigators/50th Anniversary of the Komsomols), the Khar'kov Higher Military Aviation Command School of Signals, five three-year technical secondary schools, six Air Force engineering schools (including the Kiev Higher Military Aviation Engineering School), and the Kurgan Higher Military-Political Aviation School.
In 1988, schools included:[56]
- 5th Central Course for Preparation and Improvement of Aviation Personnel, Frunze, Chui Oblast, Kyrgyz SSR (HQ VVS)
- 796th Red Banner Center for Preparation of Officers for Fighter and Fighter-Bomber Aviation, Totskoye, Orenburg Oblast (HQ VVS)
- Armavir Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots PVO (Air Forces of the North Caucasus Military District)
- Balashov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Air Forces of the Volga-Ural Military District)
- Barnaul Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Air Forces of the Siberian Military District)
- Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Borisoglebsk, VVS NCMD)
- Chelyabinsk Higher Military Aviation School of Navigators
- Kacha Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Volgograd, HQ VVS)(ru:Качинское высшее военное авиационное училище лётчиков)
- Kansk Military Aviation School of Air Rifle-Radio Operators VVS (Kansk, VVS Siberian Military District)
- Krasnodar Higher United Flight-Technical School (Krasnodar, VVS NCMD; ru:Краснодарское высшее военное авиационное училище лётчиков)
- Orenburg Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Orenburg, VVS Volga-Ural Military District)
- Saratov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Saratov, VVS Volga-Urals Military District; helicopter training)
- Stavropol Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots and Navigators PVO (Stavropol, VVS North Caucasus Military District)
- Syzran Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots
- Tambov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Tambov, Tambov Oblast, Air Forces of the Moscow Military District)
- Ufa Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Ufa)
- Yeysk Higher Military Aviation School (Yeysk, ru:Ейский высший военный авиационный институт)
- 17th Air Army (Kiev Military District, primarily a training force)
- Chernigov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Chernigov, VVS Kiev Military District)
- Kharkov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Kharkov-Chuguyev, VVS Kiev Military District)
- Voroshilovgrad Higher Military Aviation School of Navigators (Lugansk)
There is also a list of Soviet Air Force bases listing the various air bases of the force.
Comandantes en jefe
Inventario de la Fuerza Aérea Soviética en 1990
- 175 strategic bombers [57]
- 160 Tupolev Tu-95
- 15 Tupolev Tu-160
- 390 medium bombers[57]
- 80 Tupolev Tu-16
- 120 Tupolev Tu-22
- 190 Tupolev Tu-22M
- 1,825 fighters
- 50 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
- 595 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
- 90 Sukhoi Su-27
- 540 Mikoyan MiG-29
- 2,510 attack aircraft[58]
- 535 Sukhoi Su-17
- 830 Sukhoi Su-24
- 340 Sukhoi Su-25
- 905 Mikoyan MiG-27
- 74 tankers
- 14 Ilyushin Il-78
- 40 Myasishchev M-4 'Molot'
- 20 Tupolev Tu-16
- 835 Reconnaissance and ECM aircraft
- 50 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
- 160 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25
- 135 Sukhoi Su-17
- 150 Sukhoi Su-24
- 170 Yakovlev Yak-28
- 120 Tupolev Tu-16
- 20 Tupolev Tu-22M
- 30 Ilyushin Il-22
- 577 transport aircraft
- 12 Antonov An-124
- 55 Antonov An-22
- 125 Antonov An-12
- 385 Ilyushin Il-76
- 2,935 civilian and other transport aircraft, usually Aeroflot aircraft which were easily converted
Ver también
- List of Russian aviators
- List of Russian aerospace engineers
- Soviet air shows
Referencias
- ^ Главное управление Военно-Воздушных сил Красной Армии [GUVVS] (in Russian), RU: RKKA, archived from the original on 29 May 2008, retrieved 31 May 2008.
- ^ "The Command Structure of the Soviet Air Forces, 1918–1941". On Air power. 2008. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ Higham, Robin, and Greenwood, John T., Russian Aviation and Air Power in the Twentieth Century, Routledge Press (1998), ISBN 978-0-7146-4784-5, pp. 40–46.
- ^ www.warintheskies.com, Mike Colclough. "Soviet Air Force (VVS)". www.warintheskies.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ Palmer, Scott (2006). Dictatorship of the Air: Aviation Culture and the Fate of Modern Russia. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 220.
- ^ Palmer, Dictatorship of the Air, 220.
- ^ In 1935, attempts at navigating a transpolar route ended in failure. Palmer, Dictatorship of the Air, p.223.
- ^ a b Palmer, Dictatorship of the Air, p.230.
- ^ As quoted in Bailes, Kendall (January 1976). "Technology and Legitimacy: Soviet Aviation and Stalinism in the 1930s". Technology and Culture. 17 (1): 63. doi:10.2307/3103253. JSTOR 3103253.
- ^ Bergman, Jay (January 1998). "Valerii Chkalov: Soviet Pilot as New Soviet Man". Journal of Contemporary History. 33 (1): 136. doi:10.1177/003200949803300108. S2CID 157937639.
- ^ Palmer, Dictatorship of the Air, 230
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Sheila (1999). Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 73.
- ^ Palmer, Scott (2005). "Icarus, East: The Symbolic Contexts of Russian Flight". The Slavic and East European Journal. 49 (1): 38. doi:10.2307/20058219. JSTOR 20058219.
- ^ Palmer, Icarus, east, p.38
- ^ a b c Palmer, Icarus, east, p.39
- ^ a b Bergman, p.149
- ^ Palmer, Icarus, east, 39
- ^ Bailes, pp.63–4
- ^ Palmer, Dictatorship of the Air, p.248
- ^ Bailes, p.64
- ^ Hardesty, Von (1991) [1982]. "Where Was Our Air Force?". Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941–1945. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. p. 55. ISBN 0-87474-510-1.
- ^ 2nd Air Army was created on 15 March 1937 in the Far East, and somewhat later 3rd Air Army was created in the North Caucasus Military District
- ^ "Kharin", All Aces, RU.
- ^ Bailes, p. 73
- ^ Bailes, p. 69 quotes an article from Red Air Force General Alksnis: "The constructor who creates and equips the plane must be oriented not toward phenomenally gifted flyers but towards rank-and-file pilots."
- ^ Bailes, p. 55
- ^ Whiting, Kenneth (1986). Soviet Air Power (revised ed.). Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. p. 125.
- ^ "Why did Stalin rise to power?". Socialist Worker Online. 1 August 2003. Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ Hardesty, Von (1991) [1982]. "Barbarossa to Berlin: A Summing Up". Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941–1945. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. p. 225. ISBN 0-87474-510-1.
- ^ a b Buckley, John (1999). Air Power in the Age of Total War. Indiana University Press. pp. 134, 143. ISBN 0-253-33557-4.
- ^ Ratley III, Maj. Lonnie O (March–April 1983), "A Lesson of History: The Luftwaffe and Barbarossa", Air University Review, Maxwell US Air force base: Air & space power, archived from the original on 25 September 2014, retrieved 18 December 2015
- ^ Michael Holm, 4th Guards Novgorodskiy Bomber Aviation Regiment Archived 18 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 2011
- ^ Reagan, Geoffrey. Military Anecdotes (1992) p. 56, Guinness Publishing ISBN 0-85112-519-0
- ^ Hardesty, Von (1991) [1982]. "At Full Stride". Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941–1945. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. p. 193. ISBN 0-87474-510-1.
- ^ "1st Latvian Night Aviation Regiment (legkobombardirovochny rezhitsky)" (in Russian). AllAces.ru. Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ Wagner, Ray (ed.), and Leland Fetzer (trans.). The Soviet Air Force in World War II: The Official History. Melbourne: Wren Publishing, 1973, p.301. ISBN 0-85885-194-6.
- ^ Hill, Alexander (2007). "British Lend Lease Aid and the Soviet War Effort, June 1941 – June 1942". The Journal of Military History. 71 (3): 773–808. doi:10.1353/jmh.2007.0206. JSTOR 30052890. S2CID 159715267.
- ^ Hardesty, Von (1991) [1982]. Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941–1945. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. p. 135. ISBN 0-87474-510-1.
- ^ Red Phoenix, p. 253 (Appendixes)
- ^ "Aviation History: Interview with World War II Soviet Ace Ivan Kozhedub". HistoryNet. 12 June 2006. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ Hames, David R. "Russian Aviation Regiments 1941–". UK: Samolet. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008.
- ^ Holm, Michael, 1st Guards Fighter Aviation Division, DK: WW2, archived from the original on 18 March 2012, retrieved August 2011 Check date values in:
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(help). - ^ "The U.S.S.R.: Moscow's Military Machine". Time. 23 June 1980. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ Zaloga, Steve; Volstad, Ron (1987), Inside the Soviet army today, p. 9.
- ^ Odom, William E (2000), The Collapse of the Soviet Military, Yale University Press, pp. 45–46 notes that 97% of the officer corps was Russian, Ukrainian or Belorussian.
- ^ Moynahan, Brian (1989), Claws of the Bear: The History of the Red Army from the Revolution to the Present, p. 337.
- ^ Wimbush, S. Enders; Alexiev, Alex (1982), The ethnic factor in the Soviet Armed Forces, RAND, p. vii.
- ^ "First flight of fifth-generation fighter successful" (in Russian). RU: Lenta. 2011. Archived from the original on 8 February 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ "Sukhoi Company launches flight tests of PAK FA advanced tactical frontline fighter". Sukhoi News. Sukhoi Company (JSC). 29 January 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ Steven J. Zaloga, "Armed Forces in Ukraine", Jane's Intelligence Review, March 1992, p.135.
- ^ a b Drozdov, Sergey. "Была такая авиация... Эхо былой воздушной мощи (There Was Such an Aviation... Echo of Air Power Past); Авиация и космонавтика (Aviation and Spaceflight magazine), March 2016 issue".
- ^ Drozdov, Sergey. "Была такая авиация... Эхо былой воздушной мощи [There Once Was Such Aviation... Echo of Air Power Past]". Авиация и космонавтика [Aviation and Spaceflight]. March 2016: 9–10.
- ^ "vvs". web.archive.org. 20 November 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Feskov et al. 2004, p. 146.
- ^ Christina F. Shelton, "The Soviet Military Education System for Commissioning and Training Officers"[permanent dead link], a bibliographical description and a link to the document in PDF format, Appendix.
- ^ Holm, Michael, Flying Schools and Training Centres, DK: WW2, archived from the original on 18 March 2012, retrieved August 2011 Check date values in:
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(help). - ^ a b "Russia: Long-range aviation". GlobalSecurity.org. 2010. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
- ^ "Russia: Air forces inventory". GlobalSecurity.org. 2010. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
Bibliografía
- Andersson, Lennart. Soviet Aircraft and Aviation, 1917–1941. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1994. ISBN 1-55750-770-8.
- Bailes, Kendall (January 1976). "Technology and Legitimacy: Soviet Aviation and Stalinism in the 1930s". Technology and Culture 17 (1): 55–81.
- Bergman, Jay (January 1998). "Valerii Chkalov: Soviet Pilot as New Soviet Man". Journal of Contemporary History 33 (1): 136.
- Boyd, Alexander. The Soviet Air Force Since 1918. New York: Stein and Day, 1977. With section of black-and-white photographic plates, charts. maps and diagrams, together with index. First published in The Soviet Air Force by Macdonald and Janes (UK) in 1977.
- Cooper, Tom (July–August 2002). "'Floggers" in Action: Early MiG-23s in Operational Service". Air Enthusiast. No. 100. pp. 56–67. ISSN 0143-5450.
- Guest, Carl-Fredrick. "Talkback". Air Enthusiast, No. 18, April – July 1982. pp. 78–79. ISSN 0143-5450.
- Kotelnikov, V.; Kulikov, V. & Cony, C. (November 2001). "Les avions français en URSS, 1921–1941" [French Aircraft in the USSR, 1921–1941]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (104): 37–56. ISSN 1243-8650.
- Kotelnikov, V.; Kulikov, V. & Cony, C. (December 2001). "Les avions français en URSS, 1921–1941". Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (105): 50–56. ISSN 1243-8650.
- Loza, D. F. Attack of the Airacobras: Soviet Aces, American P-39s, and the Air War Against Germany. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2001. ISBN 0-7006-1140-1.
- Mason, Richard Anthony, and John William Ransom Taylor. Aircraft, strategy, and operations of the Soviet Air Force. London: Jane's, 1986.
- 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.
- Palmer, Scott (2005). "Icarus, East: The Symbolic Contexts of Russian Flight". The Slavic and East European Journal 49 (1): 38.
- Pennington, Reina. (2002) Wings, Women, and War: Soviet Airwomen in World War II Combat. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2002. ISBN 0-7006-1145-2.
- Von Hardesty; Ilya Grinberg (2012). Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II (2nd ed.). University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1828-6.
- Wagner, Ray (ed.), Fetzer, Leland, (trans.), The Soviet Air Force in World War II: The Official History, Wren Publishing, Melbourne, 1973 ISBN 0-85885-194-6
- Whiting, Kenneth (1986). Soviet Air Power (Revised Ed). Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.
- "Советские Войска ПВО в последние годы Союза ССР. Часть 1" by A.G. Lenskiy and M.M. Tsybin, Saint Petersburg 2013, 164 pages
- "Все истребительные авиаполки Сталина" by V. Anokhin and M Bykhov, Moscow 2014, 944 pages
enlaces externos
- Dictatorship of the Air Website and blog devoted to Soviet/Russian aviation history
- Globalsecurity.org on Russian air arms, useful for structure of Soviet Air Force