Russian Air Force

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Armed Forces of the Russian Federation>Russian Military

Components Russian Air Force Russian Army Russian Navy Strategic Rocket Forces Ranks of the Russian Military Air Force ranks and insignia Army ranks and insignia Navy ranks and insignia History of the Russian Military Military History of Russia History of Russian military ranks

Insignia of Russian Air Force

Air Forces of Russia
Imperial Russia Air Force (1909 to 1917) Soviet Union Red Air Force (1918 to 1991) Naval Aviation (1918 to 1991) Air Defense (1948 to 1991) Strategic Rocket Forces (1959 to 1991) Russian Federation Air Force (1991 to present) Naval Aviation (1991 to present) Strategic Rocket Forces (1991 to present)

The Russian Air Force or VVS (transliterated from Russian: Военно-воздушные силы (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily)) is the air force of the Russian Federation, , the official designation of the former Soviet Air Force. The Russian Navy has its own air force, the Aviatsiya Voenno Morskogo Flota ('Naval Aviation'), or AV-MF, as does the Russian Army.

History

Imperial Russia

The Air Force of the Imperial Russia is mostly known for the world first use of heavy 4-engine bombers Ilya Muromets created by Igor Sikorsky.

Post-Bolshevik revolution

After the creation of the Soviet state many efforts were made in order to modernize and expand aircraft production. Domestic aircraft production increased significantly in the early years of the 1930s and towards the end of the decade the Soviet Air Force was able to introduce I-15 and I-16 fighters and SB-2, SB-2 BIS and DB-3 bombers.

World War Two

At the outbreak of World War II, the Russian military was not yet at a level of readiness suitable for winning a war: Stalin had said in 1931 that Russian industry was "50 to 100 years behind" ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} the Western powers. By the end of the war, Russian aircraft production outstripped that of Germany- Russian aircraft production is estimated to have risen to an impressive 4,700 aicraft at this time.

Cold War

During the Cold War, the Soviet Air Force was rearmed, strengthened and modern air doctrines were introduced. At its peak in the 1980s, it could deploy approximately 10,000 aicraft, and by the beginning of the 1990s the Soviet Union had an air force that in terms of quantity fulfilled superpower standards.

Breakup of the Soviet Union

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the December of 1991, the aircraft and personnel of the Soviet VVS were divided among the newly independent states. Russia received the majority of these forces - approximately 40% of the aircraft and 65% of the manpower - and the VVS was reorganised into three new sections, the 'Long Range Aviation, Military Transport Aviation and Tactical/Air Defence Armies'' sections.

The VVS participated in the First Chechen War (1994-1996) and the Second Chechen War (1999-2002). These campaigns also presented significant difficulties for the VVS including the terrain, lack of significant fixed targets and insurgents armed with Stinger missiles and Strela-2M surface-to-air missiles.

In 1998 the RFAF was merged with the Voyska PVO (Air Defence Force). In 2003 the aviation assets of the Army - mostly helicopters - were transferred to the VVS.

The RFAF continues to suffer from a lack of resources both for procurement and modernisation and for pilot training. In the 1990s Russian pilots achieved approximately 10% of the flight hours of US Air Force.

Current state

Arms race

Two programs were initiated, one of which was proposed to directly confront America's future F-22 Raptor/YF-23 development. This future fighter was designated as 'MFI' and designed as a heavy multirole aircraft, with air-supremacy utmost in the minds of the designers.

In response to the American X-32/F-35 project, 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.

Russia would later change the designation of the LFI project to LFS, making it a multirole aircraft, primarily emphasising 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 figher-aircraft.

The only two aircraft that were in competition for the MFI was MiG's 1.42/1.44 and Sukhoi's S-37/Su-47, while for the LFS, prior to its cancellation, several concepts were displayed, including the MiG I-2000 and Vityaz 2000.

The development of MFI was slowing at the end of the 1990s, so Russia initiated a tender for a future aircraft, the 'PAK FA', which Sukhoi won in 2002.

Current Inventory

Operational Fighters

• Su-33 Flanker (Su-27K) 52 (Navy)
• Su-27 Flanker air superiority fighter 452 (150 Frontal Air Force; 200 Air Defence)

Are being modernized to reach Su-27SM level.

Operational Attack Aircraft

• Su-24M Fencer 497 (367 Frontal Air Force; 130 Navy)

Planned modernization to reach Su-24M2 level.

Long Range Bombers

• Tu-22M* Backfire 265 (100 Frontal Air Force; 165 Navy)

Strategic Bombers

• Tu-95/142 Bear 88 (Strategic Force, Navy)
• Tu-160 Blackjack 15 (Strategic Force)

Reconnaissance/ECM/ELNIT

• Su-24MR/MP Fencer 100 (80 Frontal Air Force; 20 Navy)
• MiG-25RB Foxbat 80 (80 Frontal Air Force)

AWACS

• A-50 Mainstay ~15

Transport

• Il-76 Candid 300
• An-72 Coaler 20
• An-124 Condor 25

Refueling Tankers

• Il-78 Midas (Il-76 based)

Prototypes/Experimental

• Su-37 Terminator
• Su-47 Firkin (AKA S-37, Berkut is developer's name)
• MiG Project 1.44 Flatpack (MiG-1-42, MiG-39)
• Su-25UTG (carrier based version, still in use on admiral Kuznetsov)
• Su-39 Frogfoot (Su-25TM, optimized as tank-killer)

External links

• [REDSTARS] News, analyses and reports about the Russian Defense and Military Aviation.
• [VVS Order of Battle] courtesy of Scramble.nl
• [Photos Russian Air Force]
• [Listing of Soviet Air Bases]

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