3.2. Organization
During the CFE negotiations the Soviet Union reported that it had the total of 6,611
aircraft on the area west of the Urals. After the ratification of the treaty, the Air
Force was supposed to keep 3,450 combat aircraft, 300 of them medium bombers, and the Air
Defence Force would keep 1,550 combat aircraft. The figures included 440 double-seat
aircraft in the Air Force and 60 in the Air Defence Force. In practice the quotas meant
that between them the Air Force and the Air Defence Force had over a thousand airplanes
extra, distributed pretty evenly. These were to be dismantled, moved to museums, or used
as maintenance training material or training targets. Just before the Soviet Union
collapsed, the Air Force had a plan to dismantle 290 aircraft, classify 208 airplanes as
unarmed trainers, use 160 aircraft as targets and 15 as training material and to select 36
as museum exhibits (19).
The economic situation of Russia changed the plans by dropping the numbers of aircraft
well below the quotas. In 1993 the Air Force command announced that it would dismantle
approximately 2,000 aircraft and leave only the modern aircraft to service use. Additional
reduction of about a third of the total fleet was made in 1994. Small new orders were
primarily meant to keep the aircraft industry alive (19).
The distribution of Russian air force potential was in 1997 as follows (16):
Air Force
Long-Range Aviation
103 strategic bombers
- 24 Tu-95 M/K "Bear-B/G"
- 28 Tu-95 MS6 "Bear H"
- 37 Tu-95 MS16 "Bear H"
- 12 Tu-160 "Blackjack" (6 in Engels Airbase in the delta of Volga River and 6
in Zhukovsky Test Flight Center)
Frontal Aviation
- 182 tactical bombers
- 30 Tu-16 "Badger"
- 52 Tu-22 "Blinder"
- 100 Tu-22M "Backfire"
- 941 fighters
- 400 MiG-23 "Flogger"
- 21 MiG-25 "Foxbat"
- 345 MiG-29 "Fulcrum"
- 25 MiG-31 "Foxhound"
- 150 Su-27 "Flanker"
- 1072 attack aircraft
- 253 MiG-27 "Flogger"
- 260 Su-17/22 "Fitter"
- 367 Su-24 "Fencer"
- 192 Su-25 "Frogfoot"
- 761 reconnaissance and ECM aircraft
- 70 Tu-16 "Badger"
- 30 Tu-22 "Blinder"
- 80 MiG-25 "Foxbat"
- 80 Su-24 "Fencer"
- 60 Su-17 "Fitter"
- 40 Jak-28 "Brewer"
- 20 Il-22 "Coot"
- 125 An-12 "Cup"
- 250 An-26 "Curl"
- 6 Tu-134 "Crusty"
- 40 flight refueling tankers
- 20 Tu-16 "Badger"
- 20 Il-78 "Midas"
Transport Aviation
1457 transport aircraft
- 300 An-2 "Colt"
- 350 An-12 "Cup"
- 40 An-22 "Cock"
- 100 An-24 "Coke"
- 50 An-32 "Cline"
- 20 An-72 "Coaler"
- 26 An-124 "Condor"
- 1 An-225 "Cossack"
- 375 Il-76 "Candid"
- 20 Tu-134/154 "Careless"
- 25 Jak-40 "Codling"
- 150 L-410VP "Turbojet"
Air Defense Force
866 fighters
- 235 MiG-23 "Flogger"
- 131 MiG-25 "Foxbat"
- 200 Su-27 "Flanker"
- 300 MiG-31 "Foxhound"
- 16 AWACS aircraft
- 16 A-50 "Mainstay"
Navy
271 bombers
- 66 Tu-16 "Badger"
- 40 Tu-22 "Blinder"
- 165 Tu-22M "Backfire"
212 fighters
- 110 MiG-29 "Fulcrum"
- 52 Su-33 "Flanker"
- 50 Su-27 "Flanker"
- 215 attack aircraft
- 35 Su-17 "Fitter"
- 110 Su-24 "Fencer"
- 70 Su-25 "Frogfoot"
6 Tu-16 "Badger" flight refueling tankers
98 reconnaissance and ECM aircraft
- 24 Tu-16 "Badger"
- 24 Tu-95 "Bear"
- 20 Tu-22 "Blinder"
- 20 Su-24 "Fencer"
- 3 Il-20 "Coot"
- 7 An-12 "Cub"
388 anti-submarine aircraft and helicopters
- 58 Tu-142 "Bear-F"
- 36 Il-38 "May"
- 55 Be-12 "Mail"
- 88 Ka-25 "Hormone-A"
- 88 Ka-27 "Helix-A"
- 63 Mi-14 "Haze-A"
- 155 transport aircraft
- 25 Ka-25 "Hormone"
- 25 Ka-29 "Helix"
- 10 Mi-6 "Hook"
- 70 Mi-8 "Hip"
- 25 Mi-14 "Haze"
Different sources give very different figures for the aircraft. Some of the older
aircraft are in storage, so that the readiness percentage for certain types of aircraft is
pretty low. In spite of the exact figures given above, there is still reason to consider
them as referring to an approximate amount. When speaking about older equipment, even the
approximate amounts may change considerably over relatively short periods of time.
The personnel structure in the aviation organization has changed considerably as the
call-ups have failed. For instance in the year 1989 69 % of the air force staff and 60 %
of the air defense force personnel were conscripts. Today in both organizations the ratio
between the regulars and conscripts is two to one (19).
The Air Force reorganization plan was divided into three stages (18):
-Situation and resource analysis of the Air Force of the year 1992
-Beginning in 1993 reception and redeployment of Air Force units and equipment
returning from abroad and strengthening of the new organization in mid-1990s
-Introduction and equipping of the new organization in 1995-2000
In order to guarantee efficient command and use of air force potential, the Air Force
created a plan to incorporate all air organizations into the united air force. The air
force in question would consist of Long-Range Aviation, naval long-range units, Frontline
Aviation aircraft and support helicopters, and Transport Aviation's strategic and tactical
transport equipment (6).
In an interview in August 1996, the CIC of the Russian Air Force, ColGen Pyotr Deinekin
answered the question about the Air Force reorganization as follows (20):
"Only one conclusion can be drawn from both history and Air Force's own
experience. The air force command is either decentralized or centralized. In the former,
the air force units are subjected to military district commanders. In the latter they are
under direct air force command and they are deployed as the needs of military districts or
frontline operations require.
The first year after the great patriotic war in 1941-1945 against Nazi-Germany showed
that the principle to subject the air force units to military district commanders was
totally wrong. In May 1943 some improvements were made, and within a year 13 air armies
were created. This made it possible to concentrate an intense air force to the point of
main effort.
After the war, improvements were made in the air force command and they were put to
test in exercises. But in 1980, the Ministry of Defense gave an order that changed the air
armies to military district air forces, subjected directly to the military district
commanders. The concepts of Frontline Aviation, Long-Range Aviation and Transport Aviation
ceased to exist.
What about it then? Nothing good came of it. On the contrary, it became more
complicated to lead operative and operative-strategic combined arms, automatic command
systems as well as base and technical maintenance. It became also more difficult to take
advantage of precision navigation systems, to introduce new flying systems and precision
weapons and to train personnel. That is why the Air Force made in 1992-93 a proposal to
establish Long-Range Aviation, Transport Aviation, Frontal Aviation and Reserve and
Training Air Force.
Not everybody in the command of the armed forces agree on this issue, but experiences
from around the world and the Chechnya war show that we are right. For instance, the
massive use of allied air power in the Gulf War meant that it could achieve its objectives
rapidly. After 37 days of allied air strikes the enemy was virtually crushed and its
morale broken. After that it took only hundred hours for the ground forces to bring the
operation to a victorious end.
The need to form an air force group in the Chechnya war showed that the time has come
to renew the air force organization."
Among the elements of the new organization, the Long-Range Aviation and the Transport
Aviation represented traditional organizational units already from the Soviet era. United
Frontal aviation, and Reserve and Training Air Force, on the other hand, represented a new
striving towards greater efficiency in both command and use of the air forces.
The structure of the new organization was as follows (19,64):
Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force and Air Force Headquarters, Moscow
First deputy
Deputy and chief of staff - Command post and its chief
Headquarters
Operative directorate
Central research institute
Combat training directorate
Flight control directorate
Directorate of flight technical maintenance
Flying safety service
Chief of personnel
Command of military schools
Zhukovsky Engineer Academy
Gagarin Air Force Academy
General services
Purchasing officer
Chief test pilot
Long-Range Aviation, Moscow
79th Heavy Guard Bomber Regiment, Tu-95 MS Bear H, Ukrainka
121st Heavy Guard Bomber Regiment, Tu-95 MS Bear H, Mozdok
200th Heavy Guard Bomber Regiment, Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-134 UBLCrusty, Engels
1230th Flight Refueling Regiment, Il-78 Midas, Engels
840th Heavy Bomber Regiment, Tu-22M Backfire, Solcy
Heavy Bomber Regiment, Tu-22 M Backfire, Belaya
Heavy Bomber Training Regiment, Tu-95 U Bear T and L-39 C, Ryazan
43rd Combat and Type Training Center, Tu-22 M Backfire and L-29, Ryazan
Frontal Aviation
Principle of organization based on 5 air armies, each with usually three air force
divisions. Each division comprises three regiments with three squadrons each. Depending on
the types of aircraft and the tasks, the number of aircraft per division varies between 90
and 120.The following formations belonged to the 4th Air Army (Rostov-na-Donu) and the
76th Air Army (St. Petersburg), subject to CFE Treaty reporting regulations:
1st Attack Training Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger, MiG-27 Flogger and Su-24 Fencer,
Lebyazhiye and Mikhailovka
14th Fighter Regiment, MiG-29 Fulcrum, Zerdevka
67th Bomber Regiment, Su-24 Fencer, Siversky
73rd Figter Regiment, MiG-29 Fulcrum, Shajkovka
98th Separate Reconnaissance Regiment, MiG-25 Foxbat and Su-17 Fitter, Montsegorsk
143rd Bomber Regiment, Su-24 Fencer, Morozovsk
160th Fighter Training Regiment, MiG-21 Fishbed and MiG-29 Fulcrum, Borisoglebsk
168th Bomber Regiment, Su-24 Fencer, Marinovka
159th Fighter Regiment, Su-27 Flanker, Besovets
164th Separate Guard Reconnaissance Regiment, MiG-25 Foxbat and Su-24 Fencer, Satalovo
186th Attack Training Regiment, Su-25 Frogfoot, Buturlinovka
274th Assault Regiment, Su-17 Fitter, Migalovo
281st Fighter Training Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger, Totskoye
343rd Fighter Training Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger and MiG-29 Fulcrum, Sennoy
722nd Bomber Regiment, Su-24 Fencer, Smuravyevo
871st Fighter Regiment, Su-27 Flanker, Smolensk
963rd Attack Training Regiment, Su-17 Fitter, Taganrog
968th Fighter Regiment, MiG-29 Fulcrum
237th Guard Air Show Center, MiG-29 Fulcrum, Su-17 Fitter, Su-24 Fencer, Su-25 Frogfoot
and Su-27 Flanker, Kubinka
4255th Reserve Aircraft Depot, Tambov
6236th Aircraft Handling Plant, Taganrog
In 1993 there were 31 operative air force regiments in North Caucasus, Trans-Baikal,
Ural, Siberia and far eastern regions. They had, among others, 14 attack regiments, 4
fighter regiments and 3 reconnaissance regiments. There were also 17 training regiments.
The numbers have fallen significantly during the past years causing at the same time
difficult economical problems for the local officials. One example is Zolotaya Dolina air
base and regiment in the Russian Far East. (86)
Transport Aviation
3 air force divisions, each of which had three regiments with 30 aircraft. The
Transport Aviation also included several separate regiments and squadrons. The total
number of regiments was estimated to be 15.
Reserve and Training Air Force
Armavir Air Force Academy
627th Training Regiment, L-39, Tihoretsk
713rd Training Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger and Mi-8 Hip, Armavir
761st Training Regiment, MiG-21 Fishbed and MiG-23 Flogger, Maykop
Belashov Air Force Academy, Mi-8 Hip, Belashov
Katcha Air Force Academy, Volgograd
704th Training Regiment, L-39, Kotelnikovo
Krasnodar Flight and Technical School
706th Training Regiment, L-39, Volgograd
797 Training Regiment, MiG-21 Fishbed, MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker, Kuskovskaya
802nd Training Regiment, Su-22 Fitter, Su-24 Fencer, Su-25 Frogfoot and Mi-8 Hip,
Krasnodar
960th Training Regiment, L-39, Primorsko-Akhtarsk
Stavropol Air Force Academy for Pilots and Navigators
163rd Training Regiment, Mi-8 Hip, Stavropol
218th Training Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger, Stavropol
762nd Training Regiment, L-39, Holodnogorsk
Tambov Air Force Academy
127th Training Regiment, L-39, Ryazhsk
Yeisk Air Force Academy
106th Training Regiment, L-39, Zernograd
801st Training Regiment, L-39, Bataysk
959th Training Regiment, L-39, Yeisk
Dmitriyevka (?) Flying School
904th Training Regiment, L-29, Dmitriyevka
1080th Flying Training Center, Mi-8 Hip, Borisoglebsk
Directly under Air Force HQ command operated the following:
4th Combat Training Center, Lipetsk
455th Research and Training Regiment, MiG-25 Foxbat, Su-17 Fitter and Su-24 Fencer,
Voronezh
760th Flying Training and Research Regiment, MiG-29 Fulcrum, Su-17 Fitter, Su-25
Frogfoot, Su-27 Flanker and Mi-8 Hip, Lipetsk
1046th Training Center, MiG-25 Foxbat, Su-17 Fitter and Su-24 Fencer, Satalovo
The air force administration was reduced by eliminating four regional directorates,
and, for instance, the number of generals was cut from 300 to 170. Several posts earlier
held by officers were now made civilian positions. The number of headquarters has been
reduced. For instance the Air Force HQ took over the tasks of the Frontal Aviation HQ and
the Reserve and Training Air Force HQ was attached to the air force HQ of the Volga area.
The air force command discovered that integration of the Russian Air Defense into the
Russian Air Force was a difficult and time-consuming process. The air force fighter
interception got new obligations, since the collapse of the Soviet Union broke up and
moved the boundaries of the Russian Air Defense's air-to-air missile zones. The branches
in question tried to improve their cooperation in spite of the traditional differences in
structures and operation methods. Unification of the two facilitated a more centralized
control and command systems and made the operations more effective by eliminating
overlapping in airbase systems, flight technical services and general maintenance (19).
The Russian Defense Committee took a stand to the same direction. According to the
committee, the command system could be rationalized and operations costs brought down by
merging the Russian Air Defense into the Russian Air Force (21).
In other words, the independence of the Air Defense Force had been at stake for quite
some time. Still, the organizational structures had remained untouched until late
nineties. The command of the Russian Air Defense attempted to secure its positions by
proposing a new name for the organization: the air and space defense force. The entity
bearing the new name would have been established in three stages. The organization was to
be trimmed down by the year 2000, reorganized and trained in 2000-2005 and rearmed after
the year 2005 (22). However, the decision was made to unify the Air Defense Force into the
Russian Air Force in 1998 (52).
The following formations belonged that time to independent air armies (4th in
Yekaterinburg, 6th in St. Petersburg, 10th in Arkhangelsk, and 19th in Tbilisi, Georgia),
subject to CFE Treaty regulations:
54th Fighter Regiment, Su-27 Flanker, Savostleyka
72nd Fighter Regiment, MiG-31 Foxhound, Amderma
83rd Fighter Regiment, MiG-25 Forbat, Rostov-na-Donu
116th Combat Training Center, MiG-23 Flogger, MiG-29 Fulcrum and Mi-8 Hip, Astrakhan
148th Combat and Type Training Center, Mi-8 Hip, Savostleyka
153rd Fighter Regiment, MiG-31 Foxhound, Morsansk
174th Fighter Regiment, MiG-25 Foxbat and MiG-31 Foxhound, Montsegorsk
209th Fighter Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger and Su-27 Flanker, Astrakhan
235th Separate Squadron, Mi-8 Kapustin Jar
265th Fighter Regiment, Su-27 Flanker, Poduzhemye
359th Separate Transport Squadron, Mi-26 Halo and Mi-8 Hip, Rostov-na-Donu
415th Fighter Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger, Tunoschna
431st Fighter Regiment, Su-27 Flanker, Afrikanda
436th Separate Transport Regiment, Mi-8 Hip, Stupino
445th Fighter Regiment, MiG-25 Foxbat, Kotlas
472nd Fighter Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger, Kursk
518th Fighter Regiment, MiG-31 Foxhound, Talagi
524th Fighter Regiment, MiG-25 Foxbat, Letneozerskiy
562nd Fighter Regiment, Su-27 Flanker, Krymskaya
611th Fighter Regiment, Su-27 Flanker, Dorotschovo
641st Fighter Regiment, Su-27 Flanker, Rogatschovo
681st Fighter Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger, Danilovo
683rd Fighter Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger, Bobrovka
689th Fighter Regiment, Su-27 Flanker, Nivenskoye
764th Fighter Regiment, MiG-25 Foxbat, Bolshoye Savino
786th Fighter Regiment, MiG-25 Foxbat and MiG-31 Foxhound, Pravdinsk
941st Fighter Regiment, Su-27 Flanker, Kilpajärvi
4884th Reserve Aircraft Depot, Bobrovka
Air Control Regiment, A-50 Mainstay, Pechora
Combined, the Russian Air Force and the Russian Air Defense employed in 1997
approximately 318 000 people (103).
From the aircraft numbers 16 - 17 % were tactical bombers, 10 - 11 % attack airplanes
and 37 - 38 % fighters. (83)
Quite expectedly, the Navy has opposed the attachment of its aviation units to the Air
Force. The reasons given include the fear that the amount of exercises with naval units
would drop and mistrust of the air force's naval operation capability. However, the most
convincing argument for keeping the naval aircraft in its original organization is
probably the fact that transfer to the Air force would also bring the aircraft under the
limitations of the CFE Treaty (6).
The Naval Aviation has been organized in the following manner:
Naval Aviation Headquarters, Moscow
5501st Depot, Tu-16 Badger, Ostrov
Black Sea Fleet Air Force, Sevastopol, Ukraine
5th Maritime reconnaissance Regiment, Tu-16 Badger and Tu-22 M Backfire, Veseloye,
Ukraine
43rd Separate Attack Regiment, Su-17 Fitter and Tu-16 Badger, Gvardeyskoye, Ukraine
Baltic Sea Fleet Air Force, Safonovo
4th Naval Bomber Regiment, Su-24 Fencer, Tchernyatshovsk
88th Separate Naval Bomber Regiment, MiG-23 Flogger and MiG-27 Flogger, Olenia
574th Maritime reconnaissance Regiment, Tu-16 Badger and Tu-22 M Backfire, Lakhta
846th Naval Operations Regiment, Su-24 and Su-24 MR Fencer, Tchalov
924th Maritime reconnaissance Regiment, Tu-22 M Backfire, Olenia
Separate Naval Operations Regiment, An-12 Cup, An-24 Coke, An-26 Curl and Be-12 Mail,
Kaliningrad-Tshrabrovo
Arctic Fleet Air Force, Kola Peninsula
297th Naval Attack Regiment, Su-25 and Su-25 UTG, Severomorsk
987th Maritime reconnaissance Regiment, Tu-22 M Backfire, Severomorsk
Naval Operations Regiment, Tu-22 M Backfire, Tu-142M Bear F and Tu-142MR Bear J,
Olenogorsk
Helicopter Regiment, Mi-14 Haze, Katcshalovka
Maritime reconnaissance Regiment, Il-38 May, Kilpajärvi
Maritime reconnaissance Regiment, Be-12 Mail, Ostrov-Kildin
Transport Squadron, An-12 Cup, Severomorsk
Aircraft Carrier Section, Su-33 Flanker D, Ka-27 Helix A/D and Ka-29 Helix B
Pacific Fleet Air Force
Naval Bomber Regiment, Tu-22 M Backfire, Alekseyevka
Naval Bomber Regiment, Tu-22 M Backfire, Artem
Naval Operations Regiment, Tu-95 MR Bear E and Tu-142 M Bear F, Petropavlovsk
Naval Operations Regiment, Tu-142 M Bear F and Tu-142 MR Bear J, Provideniya
Naval Operations Regiment, Tu-22 M Backfire and Tu-142 M Bear F, Sovyetskaya
Maritime reconnaissance Regiment, Il-38 May, Korsakov
The aircraft carrier section is operating from the carrier Admiral of the Fleet
Kuznetsov. Helicopters are used on Kara, Kirov, Kresta I, Kresta II and Slava class
missile ships, Sverdlov class cruisers, Kanin, Kaschin Sovremennyi and Udaloy class
destroyers, Krivak III class frigates and Ivan Rogov class landing craft.
The Russian Air Force has launched the necessary measures aiming at creating unified
formations following the model of the US Air Force Air Combat Command. These would be
built into air army units, which would comprise the most important units of aircraft types
needed in air operations, such as strategic bombers, air supremacy fighters and attack
aircraft. They would support both regional and mobile forces (6,19). The goal is to build
two strike formations with an extensive basis to handle two almost simultaneous, big
regional conflicts. One of the power units would answer for defense of the western area
and the other of the vast eastern regions. As the most important support aircraft have
been mentioned Tu-95 Bear, Il-78 Midas flight refueling tankers, A-50 Mainstay AWACS and
Il-86 and Il-62 airborne command posts (23).
The first fundamental changes to the organization plans of the Air Force Commander,
Pyotr Deinekin, came already in 1998. Deinekin retired on 14.12.97 and one reason for
Jeltsin`s decision not to continue Deinekin`s appointment was said to be the two ( one was
An-124 ) air crashes just before that time. The real reason, however, was obviously his
renewal program, which was opposed by both Air Defense veterans and the Headquarters. The
veterans of the Air Defense Force appealed the media and also directly Boris Jeltsin, and
in the same time the Chief of the Headquarters Anatoli Kvasnin was pushing hard the
traditional organization principle which again put the Air Force out of the operational
reponsibility. Into this crossfire joined also many leftist-opposition politicians lead by
general Rohlin and so "the number of crisis in which Deinekin was involved exceeded
the critical limit".
Certain indications of the new direction was already given by the decision to establish
the new united Air Force Headquarters in the Air Defense Force premises near Zarja in
Balasihan district outside Moscow, and by the decisions which stopped the actions
concerning the presidential decree about the transfers in the Air Defense Force. ( 67)
The official day of Deinekin`s relieve was 20.1.98 when Colonel General Anatoli
Kornukov was appointed as the Commander of the Air Force. He came from the Air Defense
Force and his latest appointment was the Commander of the Moscow Air Defense District. He
had also served 15 years in the Air Force, and while being in the commander position in
the Far East air defense organization had given the order to shoot down the Korean Air
Line`s jumbo jet which had gone astray.
Kornukov stated that the force reductions as the result of the unification of the two
air branches would concentrate especially on the maintenance and logistic units and
administration. Many parallel depots and staffs with oversized personnel and minimal tasks
would go. The new air army would be called as air and air defense army, and the new
commander`s headquarters would contain about the same number of people from the both
branches.
Nothing would be removed from the air defense organization and every unit, just like
before, would contain three types of arms. The air force fighter units would be
transferred to air defense divisions and army corps. These would be commanded and
controlled by the air defense command and control centres. The Moscow Air Defense District
which long time was in a brink of reorganization was re-stablished by the efforts of
Kornukov and the mayor of Moscow Juri Luzkov. (68, 69)
The Moscow Air Defense District which long time was in a brink of reorganization was
re-stablished by the efforts of Kornukov and the mayor of Moscow Juri Luzkov. (68, 69)
On 1st of January 1999 the Air Force and the Air Defense Force were united into one
branch, the Air Force. To the organization belong air force and air defense force air
armies, air force and air defense force Moscow district, Supreme Commander`s strategic and
transport air army, consisting of all strategic air units, and separate air force and air
defense force air army corps. (83)
The commander posts of Frontal Aviation, Long-Range Aviation, Transport Aviation and
Reserve and Training Aviation are removed. (83)
During 1998 altogether 580 units and formations were disbanded, 134 reorganized, and
over 600 given a new jurisdiction. The redistribution of forces affected 95 % of aircraft,
98 % of helicopters, 93 % of anti-aircraft missile comlexes, 95 % of the equipment of
radiotechnical troops, 100 % of anti-aircraft missiles and over 60 % of aviation armament.
More than 600 000 tons of material changed location and 3500 aircraft changed airfields.
Military Transport Aviation planes took more than 40 000 families to new residence areas.
The number of servicemen in the Air Force was reduced to about 185 000 from the former
combined number of 318 000. 123 500 positions were abolished, including almost 1000
colonel positions. Over 41 000 contract servicemen, including 20 500 officers and over
9000 warrant officers, retired. The resignation of 3000 other servicemen included 46
generals of which 15 colonel generals.
The short-lived operational commands were abolished. Two air force armies, 37th
Strategic Air Force Army (long-range aviation) and 61st Air Force Army (military transport
aviation), were established directly under the Supreme Command. The 61st Air Force Army
comprises two military transport divisions, each with four aviation regiments, and the
610th Training Center. The main aircraft are the 270 Il-76 transport planes. (144)
The former frontal aviation and anti-aircraft forces were organized as Air Force Armies
and Anti-Aircraft Defense Armies under the military district commanders. There are four
such armies with headquarters in St.Petersburg (Leningrad Military District),
Rostov-on-Don (Caucasus Military District), Khabarovsk (Far East Military District), and
Chita (Siberian Military District). Two military districts have separate Air Force Corps
and Anti-Aircraft Corps each. The Siberian and Trans Baikal Military Districts will be
unified during 1999 and one Air Force Army with three divisions will be established for it
then.
For example, the air component of the Leningrad Military District includes one heavy
bomber regiment with 20 Tu-22M Blinders, one bomber division with 80 Su-24 Fencers, one
reconnaisance regiment with 25 MiG-25 Foxbats and 10 Su-24 Fencers, one fighter division
with 35 Su-27 Flankers and 60 MiG-29 Fulcrums, one electronic countermeasure squadron with
20 Mi-8 helicopters and seven fighter regiments with a total of 100 MiG-31 Foxhounds and
90 Su-27 Flankers. (119) Upd 27 March '99
The Moscow Air Force and Anti-Aircraft Defense District has a mixed Air Force Corps
made of anti-aircraft defense district and the former 16th Air Force Army. It includes a
combined division, two fighter regiments and a transport aviation regiment. 16th combined
Air Force Corps is operationally under the Moscow Military District Commander.
The number of anti-aircraft missile regiments is 37 and there are 25 fighter regiments.
Upd 14 Feb '99
The new structure for the military education includes one academy (Gagarin), two
universities (based on the Anti-Aircraft Force Academy and Zhukovsky institute), and seven
institutes which used to be military schools. There were earlier 17 such establishments in
the Air Force and about the same number in the Anti-Aircraft Defense Forces. (103, 104)
Now the numbers of attack (heavy bombers, bombers and attack aircraft) units, fighter
units and anti aircraft units are about the same. There is a goal to increase the attack
potential by 10- 20 % by adding bombers and attack planes and modifying fighters to the
ground attack role. The Air Force Commander has announced an objective of 75 flight
regiments, of which 45 % would be modern, in 2 - 3 years time. (116, 120) Upd
27 March '99
All in all, the short period of Deinekin`s streamlined and international type of
organization is over and the current system is very much the same what the Soviet Union
had in the thirties. Upd 10 Feb '99
The plan to create the position of the Chief of Staff of the Strategic Deterrent Forces
has taken sharp criticism. Alexander Lebed has written: "Currently, the composition
of the front line aviation group is such that it would not be able to fulfill its tasks
without the help of strategic bombers. So, how could heavy bombers` formations possibly be
subordinate to the Chief of Staff of the SDF if it has nothing to do with fulfilling the
aforementioned task? In the current situation, the efficiency and range of the tasks
fulfilled by front line aviation would decrease by approximately one-third." (126) Upd
30 May '99
The NATO success in Kosovo has had its effects on the new organization. According to
Yuri Bondarev, Second-in-Command of the Air Force, the Ural Anti Aircraft Forces Army will
be re-established (131). It has now also been pointed out that the areas of responsibility
of radiotechnical troops, that is 10th, 45th, 5th, 170th and 6th brigades and 51st
Regiment, have been enlargened by the reductions of the units (132). Upd
6 Nov '99
According to the presidential decree of 1997 by Januari 1 of 2003 the number of
branches of the service should be brought down to three: the Air Force, the Ground Forces
and the Navy. It means that the Strategic Missile Forces will be subordinated to the
Air Force. (142)
In 2004 the Russian Air Force personnel stood
at 184,500. It comprised Long Range Aviation, Military Transport
Aviation and seven Tactical / Air Defense Armies ( 49 air regiments).
The latter`s role included air defense, interdiction, reconnaisance
and tactical air support. All 1,700 helicopters which had been
formerly part of Army Aviation were now part of the Air Force. In
addition, Naval Aviation (35,000 personnel) still had four Fleet Air
Forces consisting of 217 combat aircraft and 102 armed helicopters.
Long Range Aviation, the 37th Air Army, had
eight heavy bomber regiments (four strategic and four non-strategic)
plus a heavy bomber training centre. LRA had 15 Tu-160s, 63 Tu-95s
and 117 Tu-22 M/MRs, together with 20 Il-78 / Il-
78 M
tankers. Eight Tu-22M-3s and 30 Tu-134s carried out conversion
training.
Military Transport Aviation, the 61st Air
Army, had some 318 aircraft, made up of Il-76 Ms / MDs / MFs, An-12s
and An-124 transports.
Tactical Aviation had some 606 fighter /
ground attack Su-24s and Su-25s, 908 MiG-25, MiG-29, Su-27 and
MiG-31 fighters, 214 reconnaisance MiG-25s and Su-24s, 20 A-50 /
A-50U for airborne early warning and 60 electronic countermeasures
Mi-8s.
The Air Force had five flying training
schools with some 980 aircraft, made up of the front line types as
well as Aero L-39s. (161) 
22 Jan 2005
Russian Air Force, Chapter 3