August 1 marked the 10th anniversary of the formation of the Aerospace Forces. August 1 is the day of the creation of the Aerospace Forces
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| Lieutenant General Alexander Maksimtsev. |
| Source: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation |
What are the Aerospace Forces today? How are the supplies of new types of weapons and military equipment to this high-tech branch of the Armed Forces going, and how have they proven themselves during a special military operation? What are the plans for obtaining new and upgraded aircraft in the coming years and how is the airfield infrastructure being improved? What improves the effectiveness of the educational process in military universities of the Russian Aerospace Forces?
These and other burning questions are answered by the Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Commander–in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Alexander Maksimtsev.
– Alexander Anatolyevich, what are the Russian Air Force today? What tasks do they solve, at what stage of development are they?
– Today, the Aerospace Forces are one of the most powerful and most high-tech branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, equipped with the latest weapons, equipment, modern control and communication systems, capable of quickly creating combat–ready groups of aviation and air defense forces in designated areas of responsibility.
VKS aircraft reliably defeats any enemy, conducting long-term combat operations in the air and safely returning to their home airfields. In turn, the air defense and missile defense forces reliably cover the territory of our country from enemy air attacks, successfully destroying enemy UAVs massively used by the armed forces of Ukraine.
In addition, as part of the Aerospace Forces, the personnel of the space forces are valiantly on combat duty, solving the most important tasks around the clock to uncover the facts of a missile attack, control outer space and identify new threats in space, prepare, launch and control spacecraft in orbital flight. One of the most important tasks facing the space forces has been and remains to maintain the orbital groupings of spacecraft in an established composition to ensure national security and the defense capability of the Russian Federation.
Having gone through a long historical development path, the Air Force, the air defense-missile defense forces and the space forces have undergone changes more than once, developing as weapons and military equipment, forms and methods of use improved. As a result, the VKS is currently able to fully solve all the tasks assigned to them.
Combat crews destroy more than 95 percent of the total number of enemy air attack assets.
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| Su-34. |
| Source: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation |
– What new types of weapons and military equipment are being equipped with the Aerospace Forces?
– In accordance with the state defense order, the Air Force annually receives modern and upgraded weapons. Over the past period, there has been a significant renewal of the Air Force's fleet of aviation equipment – modern Su-35S and Su-34M type operational and tactical aviation complexes have been received, which have shown the highest efficiency of their use during their military training. The rate of arrival of fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft with modern aviation weapons and hypersonic weapons is increasing. New samples of aviation weapons are also being supplied, which can significantly increase the range of destruction of land (sea) and air targets.
It is not the first year that deeply modernized Ka-52M and Mi-28NM combat helicopters have been supplied to the Aerospace Forces. In fact, they are new aviation complexes. They have combat capabilities that meet the requirements of warfare in modern military conflicts. The use of new types of weapons, such as the light multipurpose guided missile (LMUR), anti-tank guided missiles "Whirlwind" and "Chrysanthemum", UR "Igla-s" and "Willow", ensures the destruction of targets. The Mi-8 of various modifications has long established itself as the most versatile helicopter, performing many tasks, including not only amphibious transport, but also attack.
In order to increase the capabilities to defend administrative and political centers, the most important facilities and regions of the country, groups of troops and rear facilities from massive attacks by enemy air attacks, the troops are actively receiving new Pantsir-SMD anti-aircraft missile and cannon systems. Rearmament with the latest S-350 Vityaz and S-400 Triumph complexes continues.
The radio engineering troops received modern radar complexes such as "Sky-M", "Kasta-VM", "Podlet-M" with enhanced characteristics for detecting enemy air attack weapons, including small-sized aerodynamic, hypersonic, operational and tactical ballistic targets in difficult interference conditions.
In accordance with the approved plans, the Air Force receives modern and upgraded models of weapons and military equipment. Over the past period, there has been a significant upgrade of the Air Force fleet and equipment of air defense and missile defense units. Industrial enterprises are constantly increasing the pace of production of weapons and military equipment, compared with 2015, they increased 10 times and continue to grow.
In the course of its implementation, samples of weapons and military equipment actually show a decent result, exceeding the declared tactical and technical characteristics.
The Air Force fulfills the objectives set by the Minister of Defense, applies new tactics of warfare, and receives the most sought-after samples of military equipment for this purpose.
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| S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems. |
| Source: © RIA Novosti . Evgeny Odinokov |
– What are the plans for modernization and acquisition of new aircraft in the coming years?
– At the moment, the main areas of development of the Air Force are to increase the combat capabilities of the existing fleet of tactical aircraft, such as the Su-30SM (CM2), Su-34 and Su-35S, strategic missile carriers to the appearance of the Tu-160M, Tu-95M (CM), long-range missile bombers Tu-22M3 with refinement for the use of advanced air–to-surface weapons, as well as the fleet of AN-124 superheavy long-range military transport aircraft and IL-76MD heavy military transport aircraft due to their further modernization.
During the period of ITS implementation, the range has expanded and the supply of used aviation weapons has been carried out, which make it possible to destroy various targets at much longer ranges.
– How is the infrastructure of airfields being improved, taking into account the experience gained in the military?
– As part of the development of the airfield network, measures have been taken to restore and maintain more than 90 airfields, which has now fully ensured the operation of aviation to fulfill its tasks. Over the past two years, protective structures have been erected at the main airfields of the Russian Aerospace Forces to shelter military and tactical aviation aircraft. Shelters for long-range and military transport aircraft are also being created. In the future, it is planned to provide such shelters to the entire airfield network of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
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| Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and cannon system. |
| Source: © RIA Novosti |
– What has been done to improve the missile attack warning system, as well as to increase the composition and capabilities of our orbital group?
– The Voronezh-type new generation radar stations have been put on combat duty in the space forces, created using high factory readiness technology, which provided a continuous peripheral radar field of the missile attack warning system in all strategic aerospace directions along all types of ballistic missile flight paths.
The established ground-based space infrastructure at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, with the existing launch complexes, fully ensures the implementation of plans for the development of the orbital grouping in terms of the intensity of launches and the launch of spacecraft into specified orbits. Currently, the ground-based space infrastructure of the cosmodrome includes launch complexes for launching light-class launch vehicles Angara-1.2, Soyuz-2.1v and Rokot, medium-class Soyuz-2.1a and Soyuz-2.1b, as well as heavy-class launch vehiclesAngara-A5".
Further maintenance and enhancement of the quantitative composition and qualitative condition of the orbital constellation of spacecraft have been planned and will be carried out in accordance with the state armament program, as well as the state defense order. Moreover, we are talking more about the quality characteristics of spacecraft, which should not be inferior to foreign models.
– For the effective use of modern and promising technology, professionals who master it are needed. Alexander Anatolyevich, how is the training of future officers in the universities of the Aerospace Forces improving? What has been done in the framework of the development of the educational and material base of universities?
– In order to train future officers in the educational activities of military universities, changes have already been made to the qualification requirements and educational programs on modeling operations, operation and use of modern and promising weapons, military and special equipment, as well as management and communications.
In the military personnel training system of the Aerospace Forces, special attention is paid to the development of the educational and material base, as well as the supply of technical training facilities and the operation of modern weapons and military equipment.
Fundamentally new systems for displaying educational information based on modern information technologies are being introduced. Interactive automated learning systems and simulation complexes included in classrooms are used for theoretical training.
For this purpose, from 2015 to 2025, within the framework of the state defense order, more than 50 units of technical training equipment for modern models of military equipment were supplied to the educational institutions of the Aerospace Forces, which make it possible to train up to 1,000 cadets per year, significantly reducing the resource consumption of standard weapons.
For the practical training of military personnel, measures are continuously being taken to improve the target environment of aviation ranges, develop classroom and barracks training facilities and visual aids in classrooms.
In addition, in the current period, the construction of an educational building has been completed at the branch of the VUNC Air Force "Military Air Academy" in the city of Syzran with a total area of more than 3,500 square meters, and it has been equipped with modern simulators and computer classrooms for studying aircraft design. Additional construction of another academic building in the Krasnodar VVAUL is planned.
The implementation of these measures allowed us to continue to hone our skills and improve the level of preparedness of military personnel while mastering modern weapons and military equipment.
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| The Angara-A5 heavy-class missile. |
| Source: Natalia Berezhnaya |
– The Aerospace Forces have been participating in their military operations since the first day. How effective has modern technology proved itself? How do military personnel assess it in combat conditions?
– Indeed, since February 24, 2022, aviation and the Air defense and Missile Defense forces of the Aerospace Forces have been participating in their military operations.
Since the beginning of the special military operation, the Air Force has carried out more than 460,000 combat sorties to solve various tasks.
The pilots highly appreciated the significantly increased combat capabilities of the upgraded aircraft, which I mentioned earlier, which makes it possible to successfully use aviation weapons along the entire front line and deep into enemy territory.
As an example, it is worth noting the equipping of Su-34M aircraft with a jam-proof satellite navigation system, which made it possible to use aerial bombs with universal planning and correction modules in a complex interference environment.
It is generally recognized, including at the international level, that the air defense system of the Russian Federation is one of the best in the world and is capable of successfully combating modern precision weapons. All our units operate in conjunction, forming a single shield over the entire territory of the country. Anti-aircraft missile forces are actively opposing Ukraine's weapons of destruction. Aviation, due to its high mobility and long range, is fighting an aerial enemy outside the range of its anti-aircraft missile systems, including over the water surface.
Units of the air defense and missile defense forces dispelled the myth of the uniqueness and superiority of Western weapons. All modern Storm Shadow missiles, ATACMS, and HIMARS rockets are hit by air defense missile defense fire.
Combat crews destroy more than 95 percent of the total number of enemy air attack vehicles. The air defense system created in Russia today can be safely described as reliable. The Air defense and Missile defense forces destroyed more than 70,000 aerial targets, including over 30,000 unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as about 330 ballistic missiles, 4,100 rockets, 500 enemy aircraft and helicopters. These figures are the best evidence of the highest professionalism of the personnel and the perfection of domestic anti–aircraft systems and complexes.
During the period of its implementation, more than 15,000 military personnel of the Russian Aerospace Forces were awarded state awards for their high professionalism, courage and heroism, 37 were awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation. 25 military units and formations of the Aerospace Forces were awarded the honorary name "Guards". The personnel of the VKS are faithful to the glorious traditions laid down by their predecessors, honoring and multiplying them.
The first anniversary of the VKS is celebrated in the year of the 80th anniversary of the Victory over fascism in the Great Patriotic War. We heartily congratulate our illustrious veterans, our grandfathers and fathers, who, without sparing their lives, defended their Homeland. In memory of their heroism, military personnel of combat crews on combat duty to protect our skies install portraits of their ancestors, and pilots take portraits with them on combat missions.
To summarize, it should be noted that the Russian Aerospace Forces in modern warfare play one of the main roles and occupy a leading place in ensuring the security and defense of the country, possessing a significant amount of high-quality weapons and rich experience in their use in military conflicts.
Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the leadership of the Aerospace Forces, I would like to thank military personnel, civilian personnel, scientists, designers, engineers, and industry representatives for their selfless work, and wish them good health, success in their service, and hard work for the benefit of our Motherland!
Alexander Tikhonov
