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Air Force Aviation

According to its mission and tasks the Air Force’s Aviation (AiF Av) is divided into the Long-Range, Military Transport, Tactical and Army Aviations, which are composed of bomber, attack, fighter, reconnaissance, transport and special aircraft.

Organisationally the Air Force’s Aviation consists of air bases, which are part of the Air Force’s associations, as well as of other units and organisations directly under the Air Force’s Commander-in-Chief.

The Long-Range Aviation (LRA) is a means of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and is designed to implement strategic (operational-strategic) and operational tasks in the seats of war (strategic areas).

The LRA’s formations and units are armed with strategic and long-range bombers, air refuelling tankers and reconnaissance planes. Acting mainly in the strategic depth, the LRA’s formations and units have the following main objectives: destruction of air bases (airfields), systems of land-based missiles, aircraft carriers and other surface ships, objects of the enemy’s reserves, military-industrial facilities, administrative-and-political centres, power and hydro facilities, naval bases and ports, control centres of the armed forces’ formations and operational air defence control centres in a seat of war, objects of ground communications, airborne detachments and convoys; air mining. A part of the LRA’s forces may be involved to fulfil airborne reconnaissance and special tasks.

The Long-Range Aviation is a component of the Strategic Nuclear Forces.

Formations and units of the LRA are based with consideration for its operational-and-strategic mission and objectives from Novgorod in the west to Anadyr and Ussuriysk in the east, from Tiksi in the north to Blagoveshchensk in the south of our country.

The basis of the aircraft fleet is composed of strategic missile carriers Tu-160 and Tu-95MS, long-distance missile-bombers Tu-22M3, air refuelling tankers Il-78 and reconnaissance aircraft TU-22MR.

The main aircraft armament is as follows: aircraft long distance cruise missiles and operational-tactical missiles both using nuclear and conventional weapons as well as aviation bombs of various purposes and calibres.

Practical demonstration of the spatial parametres of combat capabilities of the Long-Range Aviation’s Command comes true as flights of aircraft Tu-95MS and Tu-160 for air patrolling near the island of Iceland and above the waters of the Norwegian Sea, to the North Pole and the area of the Aleutians, along the eastern coast of South America.

Regardless of the organizational structure, within which the long-range aviation exists and will exist, combat strength, characteristics of available aircraft and means of  destruction, both nuclear and non-nuclear deterrence of probable opponents is to be read as the main task of the Long-Range Aviation in the scale of the Air Force. In case of the war’s outbreak the LRA will perform tasks of reducing the enemy’s military-economic potential, defeating its important military facilities, upsetting its state and military control.

The analysis of modern views on the mission of the LRA, the tasks assigned to it, the predicted conditions for their implementation show that at the present and future time the Long-Range Aviation is continuing to remain the main striking force of the Air Force.

The main directions of development of the Long-Range Aviation are following:

• maintaining and increasing of the operational capacity to implement the tasks assigned within the Strategic Deterrent Forces and Conventional Forces on the basis of upgrading Tu-160, Tu- 95MS and Tu-22MZ bombers with extension of their service;

• creating of a perspective aviation system of the Long-Range Aviation (LRA’s PAS).

The Military Transport Aviation (MTA) is a means of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and is designed for solving strategic (operational-strategic), operational and operational-tactical tasks in seats of war (strategic directions).

Formations and units of the MTA are armed with military transport aircraft Il-76MD, An-26, An-22, An-124, An-12PP, transport helicopters Mi-8MTV. The main tasks of formations and units of the MTA are following: airlift delivery of units (subunits) of the Airborne Forces from the operational (tactical) air assaults; delivery of armaments, ammunition and materials to troops operating behind enemy lines; supporting of aviation formations and units’ manoeuvres; transportation of troops, weapons, ammunition and materiel; evacuation of the wounded and sick, participation in peacekeeping operations. The MTA includes air bases, units and subdivisions of the Special Troops.

A part of the MTA forces may be involved for performing special tasks.

The main directions of development of the Military Transport Aviation are following:

• maintaining and build-up of the capacities for supporting deployment of the Armed Forces in various seats of war;

• airlift delivery, transporting troops and materiel by air through procurement of new aircraft Il-76MD-90A and AN-70, Il-112V and modernisation of Il-76 MD and AN-124.

The Operational-Tactical Aviation (OTA) is designed to implement operational (operational-tactical) and tactical tasks within operations (combat actions) of troops (forces) at seats of war (strategic directions).

The Army Aviation (AA) is intended to implement operational-tactical and tactical tasks in the course of army operations (combat actions).

The Bomber Aviation (BA), being armed with strategic, long- and short-range bombers, is the main striking weapon of the Air Force and is designed to defeat alignments of troops, aviation, naval forces of the enemy, to destroy its critical military, military-industrial, energy facilities, communications hubs, to conduct airborne reconnaissance and mine laying from the air mainly in strategic and operational depths.

The Attack Aviation (AtA), being armed with attack aircraft, is a means of air support of troops (forces) and is designed to defeat the troops, ground (sea) facilities, and aircraft (helicopters) of the enemy in base airfields (sites), to conduct airborne reconnaissance and mine laying from the air mainly at the forefront, in tactical and operational-tactical depths.

The Fighter Aviation (FA), being armed with fighter aircraft, is designed to destroy aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the air and ground (sea) enemy objects.

The Reconnaissance Aviation (RA), being armed with reconnaissance aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, is designed for airborne reconnaissance of enemy objects, terrain, weather, air and terrestrial radiation and chemical environment.

The Transport Aviation (TA), being armed with transport aircraft, is designed for airlift delivery, transporting troops, armaments, military and special equipment and other materiel by air, ensuring manoeuvre and combat actions of troops (forces), fulfilling special tasks.

Formations, units, subdivisions of bomber, attack, fighter, reconnaissance and transport aviation can be also used to fulfil other tasks.

The Special Aviation (SA), being armed with planes and helicopters, is designed to perform special tasks. Units and subdivisions of the Special Aviation are under direct or operational control of the Commander of the Air Force’s Association and are involved in: conducting radar reconnaissance and aircraft targeting to the air and ground (sea) objects; making radio interference and aerosol screens; searching and rescuing flight crews and passengers; refuelling in the air; evacuation of the wounded and sick; securing control and signal communications; conducting airborne radiological, chemical, biological, engineer reconnaissance and fulfilling other tasks.