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

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. 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. ... Russian Navy Jack Russian Navy Ensign The Naval Cathedral in St Petersburg is the main church of the Russian Navy. ... The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces, traditionally referred to as the Army, are the protection of the state border, combat on dry land, the security of occupied territories, and the crushing defeat of the enemy and his troops. ...

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. The Ilya Muromets (Илья Муромец in Russian) was the first mass produced bomber aircraft in the world, a massive four-engined biplane that could penetrate deep into the enemy territory and drop a significant load of bombs. ... Igor Sikorsky Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (Russian: ; Ukrainian: Ігор Іванович Сікорський) (25 May 1889 – 26 October 1972) was a pioneer of aviation who designed the first four-engine airplane and the first successful helicopter of the most common configuration (single main rotor tail rotor). ...

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. This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ...

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" ^{[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. Combatants Allies: Soviet Union United Kingdom United States and others Axis Powers: Germany Japan Italy and others Commanders Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ...

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. The Cold War (Russian: Холодная война Kholodnaya Voina) was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their military alliance partners. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from 2000 and 2001. ...

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. Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Combatants Russian Federation Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Commanders Pavel Grachev Aslan Maskhadov Strength Peaking at 45,000 3,000 regulars, thousands of irregulars The First Chechen War (Russian: первая чеченская война) occurred when Russian forces attempted to stop the southern republic of Chechnya from seceding in a two year period lasting from 1994... Combatants Russia Chechen separatists Casualties Unknown (minimum of 4,705 KIA by 2002) Unknown (minimum of 5,000 killed) Chechnya within Russia Chechnya and Caucasus region The Second Chechen War is part of an ongoing conflict between the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (Chechnya) and Russia over the degree of autonomy... Two soldiers preparing to fire a shoulder-mounted Stinger missile launcher A Stinger System: Launcher, Missile and Battery The FIM-92 Stinger is a man portable infra-red homing surface-to-air missile developed in the United States and used by all the US armed services, with whom it entered... A soldier posing with a Strela launcher The 9K32 Strela-2 (Russian 9К32 стрела-2 - arrow, NATO reporting name SA-7 Grail) is a man-portable, shoulder-fired, low-altitude surface-to-air missile (SAM) system similar to the US Army REDEYE, with a high explosive warhead and passive infrared... A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ...

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. This article is about the year. ... The United States Air Force (or USAF) is the aerospace branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ...

Current state

The RFAF has been forced to abandon ambitious plans of advanced tactical fighter in favour of upgrades to current aircraft. While suggestions that the only way forward for the RFAF is to cut aircraft numbers to around 300 (a similar size as the Royal Air Force) are extreme, it is likely that modernisation of the force will involve at least some dramatic cuts in aircraft and bases. Abbreviation (from Latin brevis short) is strictly a shortening, but more particularly, an abbreviation is a letter or group of letters, taken from a word or words, and employed to represent them for the sake of brevity. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

In the 1980s the Soviet Union acknowledged the development of the ATF in the USA and began the development of an equivalent fighter in order to maintain its position as a superpower. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The F-22 Raptor is a stealth fighter aircraft built by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ...

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. The F-22 Raptor is a stealth fighter aircraft built by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... YF-23 Black Widow II The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 Black Widow II – named after the P-61 Black Widow – was a prototype fighter aircraft designed for the United States Air Force. ...

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. Boeing X-32 with competitor, the Lockheed X-35 (right) Boeing X-32 JSF concept AEDC In 1990 the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) launched the Common Affordable Lightweight Fighter project (CALF). ... The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is a military fighter aircraft designed by the United States and the United Kingdom. ...

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. This article is about the year. ...

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 MiG logo Mikoyan, formerly Mikoyan-Gurevich (Russian: ), is a Russian military aircraft design bureau, primarily of fighter aircraft. ... The Mikoyan Project 1. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

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. This article is about the year. ... Sukhoi (Сухой) is a major Russian military fighter aircraft manufacturer. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Current Inventory

Operational Fighters

1,295 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.

• MiG-29 Fulcrum 455 (345 Frontal Air Force; 110 Navy)

Planned modernization to reach the MiG-29SMT level.

• MiG-31 Foxhound 325 (25 Frontal Air Force; 300 Air Defence)
• Su-35 Super Flanker 11 (Frontal Air Force)

The Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO reporting name Flanker) is a Russian fighter aircraft designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau (SDB). ... The Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO reporting name Flanker) is a Russian fighter aircraft designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau (SDB). ... The Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is a Russian fighter aircraft used in the air superiority role. ... Mikoyan MiG-31 Foxhound The Mikoyan MiG-31 (NATO reporting name Foxhound) is a high-speed interceptor developed to replace the MiG-25. ... The Sukhoi Su-35 is a Russian fighter aircraft. ...

Operational Attack Aircraft

767 Operational Attack Aircraft

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

Planned modernization to reach Su-24M2 level.

• Su-25 Frogfoot 262 (192 Frontal Air Force; 70 Navy)

Planned modernization to reach the Su-25SM level.

• Su-34 Fullback 8 (Frontal Air Force)

Su-24 Fencer of the Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name Fencer) was the Soviet Unions most advanced all-weather interdiction and attack aircraft in the 1970s and 1980s. ... 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. ... ...

Long Range Bombers

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

The Tupolev Tu-22M (NATO reporting name Backfire) is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic bomber developed by the Soviet Union. ...

Strategic Bombers

103 Strategic Bombers

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

The Tupolev Tu-95 (NATO reporting name Bear) is the most successful Tupolev strategic bomber and missile carrier from the times of the Soviet Union. ... Tupolev Tu-160 The Tupolev Tu-160 (NATO reporting name Blackjack) is a supersonic, swing-wing heavy bomber designed in the Soviet Union. ...

Reconnaissance/ECM/ELNIT

180 Reconnaissance/ECM/ELNIT

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

Su-24 Fencer of the Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name Fencer) was the Soviet Unions most advanced all-weather interdiction and attack aircraft in the 1970s and 1980s. ... MiG 25 Foxbat The MiG-25 (NATO reporting name Foxbat) is a high-speed interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft produced by the Soviet Unions Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau. ...

AWACS

• A-50 Mainstay ~15

The Beriev A-50 Russian: (Shmel, bumble-bee) (NATO reporting name: Mainstay) is a Russian airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport. ...

Transport

345 Transport Planes

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

An Il-76 serving Aeroflot The Ilyushin Il-76, NATO codename Candid, is a 4-engined heavy transport aircraft in widespread use in eastern Europe and Africa. ... An-72 aircraft Designed as a strategic military freighter, the Antonov An-72 was intended as a replacement for the An_26, but variants have found success as commercial freighters. ... The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (NATO reporting name: Condor) is the largest aircraft ever mass produced, and was, until the advent of the An-225 Mryia, the largest aircraft in production. ...

Refueling Tankers

• Il-78 Midas (Il-76 based)

The Ilyushin Il-78 (NATO reporting name Midas) is a four-engined inflight refuelling tanker based on the Il-76. ...

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)

Categories: Military stubs | Soviet and Russian fighter aircraft 1990-1999 ... Su-47 Berkut The Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut (Russian: Су-47 Беркут - golden eagle), designated S-32 and/or S-37 during initial development, is an experimental supersonic jet fighter developed by the Sukhoi Corporation. ... The Mikoyan Project 1. ... 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. ... Su-25 The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a battlefield attack, close air support, and anti-tank aircraft designed by the Soviet Union. ...

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