The 16th 'Red Banner' Air Army (16 воздушная Краснознаменная армия) is a formation of the Russian Air Force. Initially formed during the Second World War as a part of the Soviet Air Force, it is now the tactical air forces component of the Moscow Military District, headquartered at Kubinka. The Russian Air Force or VVS (transliterated from Russian: Военно-воздушные силы (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily)) is the air force of Russia. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы (Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily), formed the official designation of the airforce of the Soviet Union. ... The Moscow Military District is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. ... Kubinka is a town near the Russian capital, Moscow. ...

The Army was formed in August 1942 at Stalingrad. It took part in Operation Uranus as part of the Don Front in November-December 1942. It took part in the Battle of Kursk, and was part of the First Belorussian Front for the liberation of Belarus and the assault on Berlin. For a long period after the war the Army was stationed with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, headquartered at Zossen. In 1949 it was renamed the 24th Air Army, but was reformed as the 16th in 1968. In its last years in Germany it consisted of: To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The eastern front at the time of Operation Uranus. ... The 1st Belorussian Front (alternative spellings are 1st Byelorussian Front and 1st Belarusian Front) was a military subdivision (Front) of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. ... Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (1949--1988), also known as Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (1945--1949) and Western Group of Forces (1988-1990) were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. ...

• 15th Reconnaissance Aviation Division
• 6th Fighter Aviation Division
• 16th Fighter Aviation Division
• 126th Fighter Aviation Division
• 105th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division
• 125th Fighter Aviation Division

It finished its withdrawal to the Russian Federation on 27 May 1994.

On 1 June 1998 the 16th Air Army was disbanded and its units incorporated into the Moscow District of VVS and PVO, in accordance with the amalgamation of the Air Forces and the Air Defence Forces. This was quickly reversed and on 25 November 1998 the 16th Composite Air Corps was re-raised.

According to Interfax, 5 January 2002, in the summer of 2002 the former Moscow District of the VVS and PVO was split into the reactivated 16th Air Army, a tactical force, and the Special Purpose Command of the Central Air Defence Zone, an air defense force. Pyotr Butowski, writing in 2004, seems to indicate that the Special Purpose Command (he makes no mention of the ‘of the Central Air Defence Zone’) is merely essentially a redesignation of the former Moscow District.

The exact subordinate formations of the 16th Air Army are unclear because some may be under the Special Purpose Command. Aviation formations within the Moscow Military District's boundaries include:

• 105th Composite Aviation Division, Voronezh
  • 455th Bomber Aviation Regiment (Sukhoi Su-24), also at Voronezh,
  • 899th Shturmovik (Assault) Aviation Regiment (Su-25) at Buturlinovka.
• 1st Corps of PVO (surface to air missiles)
• 32nd Corps of PVO
• Army Aviation elements
  • 45th Independent Helicopter Regiment (Oreshkovo (Vorotinsk) near Kaluga) (Mi-24)
  • 440th Independent Helicopter Regiment (Vyazma)
  • 490th Independent Helicopter Regiment (Klokovo, near Tula) (Mi-24, Mi-8)
  • 865th Reserve Helicopter Base (Protasovo, near Ryazan)

Voronezh (Russian: ) is a large city in southwestern Russia, not far from Ukraine. ... Voronezh (Russian: ) is a large city in southwestern Russia, not far from Ukraine. ... Su-25 of the Russian Air Force The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a battlefield attack, close air support, and anti-tank aircraft designed by the Soviet Union. ... Vyazma (Russian: ) is a town in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk and Mozhaysk, at , . Throughout its turbulent history, the city defended western approaches to the city of Moscow. ...

External Links and Sources

• http://users.pandora.be/stalingrad/russianpart/rusooburanus.html
• http://www8.brinkster.com/vad777/sssr-89-91/vvs/fa/16-gdr.htm - Russian language order of battle from last years in Germany
• Pyotr Butowski, International Air Power Review, No.13, 2004