Russian Air Force

• 1. Imperial Origins And Soviet Evolution

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  The Russian Air Force officially established itself on the 12th of August 1912 as part of the Imperial Russian Air Service. This date marks one of the earliest military aviation units globally, though early development slowed due to World War I constraints. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, the service reorganized under the Soviet regime and evolved into the Red Air Fleet in 1918. The Red Air Fleet later became part of the Soviet Air Forces, known as VVS, which existed from 1918 until 1991. After the war, the Soviet Air Force focused on modernizing its fleet by developing jet fighters like the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15. That aircraft became famous during the Korean War. Throughout the Cold War, long-range bombers such as the Tu-95 and advanced fighters including the MiG-21 and Su-27 became iconic symbols of Soviet air power.

• 2. Post-Soviet Turmoil And Restructuring

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  In 1993 and 1994 Deynekin announced that a Frontal Aviation Command would be established in Moscow under General-lieutenant Nikolay Antoshkin. A Reserves and Cadres Training Command was also planned for Samara under Colonel-General Leonid Stepanyuk. But little more was heard of these commands after their initial announcement. During the 1990s financial stringency made its mark on the VVS as well. Pilots and other personnel sometimes could not get wages for months. Four MiG-31 pilots at Yelizovo in the Far East went on hunger strike in 1996 to demand back pay which was several months overdue. The problem was only resolved by diverting unit money intended for other tasks. In 1998 altogether 580 units and formations were disbanded while 134 were reorganized. Over 600 units received new jurisdiction during that year. The number of servicemen reduced to about 185,000 from the former combined number of 318,000. One hundred twenty-three thousand five hundred positions were abolished including almost 1,000 colonel positions.

• 3. Modernization Efforts And Strategic Patrols

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  In December 2003 aviation assets of the Russian Ground Forces transferred to the VVS following a shooting down of a Mi-26 helicopter in Chechnya on the 19th of August 2002. That incident claimed 19 lives. The former Army Aviation had been intended for direct support of Ground Forces through tactical air support and reconnaissance missions. During the 2000s the Air Force continued to suffer from lack of resources for pilot training. Pilots achieved approximately 10% of flight hours compared to United States Air Force standards in the 1990s. The 2007 edition of International Institute for Strategic Studies Military Balance listed pilots flying only 20, 25 hours per year. In 2007 the VVS resumed Soviet-era practice of deploying strategic bomber aircraft on long-range patrols. This ended a 15-year unilateral suspension due to fuel costs and economic difficulties after collapse of Soviet Union. Patrols towards North Pole Atlantic and Pacific Ocean reinstated bringing planes often close to NATO territory. One instance involved flying over Irish Sea between United Kingdom and Ireland. By August 2010 Commander-in-Chief Alexander Zelin reported average flight hours reached 80 hours annually for tactical aviation.

• 4. Operational History In Syria And Caucasus

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  On the 30th of September 2015 VVS launched military intervention in Syria within Homs region. On the 24th of November 2015 during bombing mission Turkish Air Force F-16 shot down Russian Sukhoi Su-24. Turkey claimed aircraft violated its airspace. In March 2020 indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets by VVS described as amounting to war crime by United Nations Human Rights Council report. On the 9th of November 2020 Russian Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter shot down mistakenly by Azerbaijani Armed Forces during Nagorno-Karabakh war killing two crew members and injuring one more. Days later after signing ceasefire agreement Russian peacekeepers deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh with aviation to patrol borders. During early periods of Russia annexation of Crimea in February 2014 assets of VVS Southern Military District activated and flown to peninsula supporting rest operations. As of 2012 VVS operated total 61 air bases including 26 equipped with tactical aircraft. Fourteen bases specifically equipped with fighter aircraft. Pilots from Kursk air base achieved average 150 hours over 2012 training year while transport aviation averaged 170 hours.

• 5. Combat Performance During Ukraine Invasion

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  On the 24th of February 2022 VVS deployed support for invasion of Ukraine reportedly fielding about 300 combat aircraft within range. On the 25th of February 2022 Ukrainian forces destroyed several aircraft setting Russian airbase on fire at Millerovo air base attack. By the 1st of April 2022 VVS failed achieve air supremacy despite carrying out at least 1403 airstrikes since beginning of invasion. Failure attributed to lack of SEAD operations likely due to insufficient flying hours for pilots plus absence of dedicated SEAD units. Ukrainian use of MANPADS compounded weaknesses alongside NATO sharing early warning information. According to Ukrainian MoD as of the 16th of March 2022 VVS suffered at least 77 aircraft losses though only 12 verified by independent sources at time. In first six months campaign Russia air war largely failure. American intelligence analyst said less than 40% of 2,154 missiles fired hit targets such as Zatoka bridge which sustained over eight attacks before disabled. VVS flew over 20,000 sorties in war fewer than 3,000 entering Ukrainian airspace possibly due to fear of sustained air defense. Some reports state Russian pilots using civilian GPS units taped dashboards during flights.

• 6. Aircraft Procurement And Future Programs

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  According to Russian Defense Ministry share modern armament reached about 35 percent during 2014 figure raised to 66 percent late 2016 and 72 percent late 2017. FlightGlobal estimated about 3,947 aircraft inventory in 2015 including both serviceable unserviceable storage or reserve aircraft. As of 2014 VVS operated eight bomber squadrons with four operating Tu-22M3/MR three Tu-95MS one Tu-160. Thirty-seven fighter squadrons included eight MiG-29 eleven MiG-31 ten Su-27 plus others. Twenty-seven attack squadrons operated Su-24M Su-25 Su-34 variants. In 2023 Russian Air Force received more than 100 new repaired aircraft plus 150 helicopters. Future programs include Sukhoi Su-75 jet fighter first flight expected early 2026 according to Russian state media. Ilyushin Il-276 cargo jet currently under development partnership with India. Beriev A-100 AWACS two prototypes planned replacement for A-50. Tupolev PAK DA stealth strategic bomber first flight expected mid-2020s. Mikoyan MiG-41 interceptor remains study phase replacing MiG-31 after 2025.