They will allow you to transfer forces and resources more quickly to the right point in the country or the world
The Russian Defense Ministry has decided to create and deploy new military transport aviation regiments in the main strategic directions - western, northern and southern, sources told Izvestia. And in the Far East, the first of them has already been created. The regiments will be equipped with Il-76, An-26 transport aircraft and, possibly, Mi-26 helicopters. Experts note that the new units will allow for more rapid transfer of forces and funds to threatened areas — this is necessary in a difficult military and political situation.
Collecting regiments
The fundamental decision to increase the mobility of Russian troops in each strategic direction was made by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, sources in the military department told Izvestia. For this purpose, the formation of several new military transport aviation regiments has begun.
The first regiment has already been formed in the Eastern Military District, and another one will appear in the western strategic direction. In the near future, the formation of similar military units in other areas will begin.
As the interlocutors of the publication noted, this decision was made based on the experience of a special military operation. In the course of its development, transport aviation has become a universal tool that helps to transfer troops and military equipment over long distances in the shortest possible time.
The task of the new air units will be the transportation of personnel, weapons and military equipment, as well as the ejection of troops and reconnaissance and amphibious units. The aircraft of the new regiments will also perform tasks to supply troops with materiel, fuel, and evacuate the wounded.
An-26 aircraft in flight
Image source: Photo: TASS/Sergey Malgavko
Il-76 aircraft will become the basis of the fleet of the new regiments. It is also planned that they will include An-26 and, possibly, Mi-26 helicopters — however, this decision has not yet been made.
On December 1, celebrations were held in the capital of Buryatia — Ulan-Ude, dedicated to the revival of the 600th aviation regiment of transport aviation, which was disbanded 25 years ago, in 1998, as part of the VTA of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
It appeared in Shadrinsk in 1963 as a separate regiment, and in 1965 it relocated to the Lithuanian SSR. Later he participated in the first Chechen war. Since 1992, it has been based in Shadrinsk, in 1998 it was merged with the 8th Guards Regiment of the VTA.
Earlier, Izvestia wrote that a new regiment of military transport aviation will appear in Tambov by the end of the year. To base it, the infrastructure of the local airfield is being seriously expanded, after which it will become a large and modern aviation base.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation began working on the issue of creating new regiments of military transport aviation in 2021. By the end of the decade, new parts should receive over a hundred Il-76s, both recently rolled off the assembly line and upgraded.
Recently, the military-political situation in the world has changed a lot and the forces of military transport aviation that we counted on are no longer enough, military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia.
Mi-26 helicopter of the army aviation of the Aerospace Forces during the transfer of equipment of Russian troops in the direction of Kharkov
Image source: Photo: TASS/press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
— Maneuvering troops, their transfer are becoming one of the main points ensuring the country's defense capability, — he explained. — If necessary, we must quickly and accurately transfer forces to one or another strategic direction. Given the scale of our country, airplanes will best cope with these tasks. Military transport aviation, which is available, is still not enough. Therefore, new regiments will be deployed in the main directions. At first they will be mixed. In the future, they should be transferred to one type of equipment. This will greatly facilitate the logistics and maintenance of these parts.
Military transport aviation plays a crucial role in ensuring the logistics of its military and armed forces, Honored Test Pilot, Hero of Russia Igor Malikov told Izvestia.
— Now the BTA pilots are under the highest burden, — he explained. — The same transportation of personnel is needed all the time. Using a civilian carrier is expensive and not always fast. Their own cars will take people from point A to point B as quickly as possible. And there is also the transportation of equipment, cargo, and possible tasks for amphibious operations. In addition, aviation will help to quickly deliver ammunition from rear depots to one or another direction of its operation. The weather is bad now, icy roads, snow drifts and traffic is very difficult. In this case, the BTA aircraft come to the rescue, the airfields are always kept in the right condition.
Updated Il-76
The basis of the regiments will be Il-76. Including the new Il-76MD-90A, which are manufactured at the Ulyanovsk Aviastar-SP enterprise.
IL-76MD-90A heavy transport aircraft in the workshop of an aviation enterprise
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation/Vadim Savitsky
The wing was completely redesigned for the updated aircraft. Modern technologies have made it possible to reduce the weight of the machine by 3 tons. New PS-90A-76 engines were installed on it. They use less fuel, which allows you to increase the flight range by 20%. The maximum load capacity of the machine has also increased from 48 to 60 tons.
The landing gear was strengthened on the upgraded aircraft, and the radio-electronic and aerobatic equipment were completely changed. The transporter was equipped with a self-defense system that will protect it from man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems on takeoff and landing.
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| Military transport aviation. |
| Source: iz.ru |
Under high load
Currently, the BTA has about 250 aircraft and helicopters in service. In recent years, the role of military transport aviation has increased significantly. Since 2015, it has been supplying the Russian group in Syria. In January last year, it evacuated Russian citizens from rioting Kazakhstan and transferred CSTO units there.
Since the beginning of the SVO in Ukraine, winged "trucks" continuously transport personnel, equipment, as well as ammunition and equipment. According to official data, the load on the BTA has increased more than twice, the AN-124 and Il-76 have completed more than 10 thousand flights since the beginning of their operation by mid-July this year. They transported 2.3 thousand pieces of equipment, more than 300 thousand military personnel and 160 thousand tons of cargo.
Alexey Ramm
Bogdan Stepovoy