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Aviation
Air Force Aviation (Av Air Force) according to its purpose and tasks being solved, it is subdivided into long-range, military transport, operational-tactical and army aviation, which include: bomber, assault, fighter, reconnaissance, transport and special aviation.
Organizationally, the Air Force aviation consists of air bases that are part of the Air Force formations, as well as other units and organizations directly subordinate to the Air Force Commander-in-Chief.
Long-range aviation (YES) is a tool of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and is designed to solve strategic (operational-strategic) and operational tasks in theaters of military operations (strategic directions).
The armament of DA formations and units consists of strategic and long-range bombers, tanker aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft. Acting mainly in the strategic depth, DA formations and units perform the following main tasks: destruction of air bases (airfields), ground-based missile complexes, aircraft carriers and other surface ships, objects from the enemy's reserves, military-industrial facilities, administrative and political centers, energy facilities and hydrotechnical structures, naval bases and ports, command posts of the combined forces of the armed forces and operational control centers of air defense in the theater of operations, objects of land communications, airborne troops and convoys; mining from the air. Part of the DA forces can be involved in aerial reconnaissance and special missions.
Long-range aviation is a component of the strategic nuclear forces.
DA formations and units are based taking into account its operational and strategic designation and tasks from Novgorod in the west of the country to Anadyr and Ussuriisk in the east, from Tiksi in the north and to Blagoveshchensk in the south of the country.
The core of the aircraft fleet is made up of Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers, Tu-22M3 long-range missile-bombers, Il-78 tanker aircraft and Tu-22MR reconnaissance aircraft.
The main armament of the aircraft: long-range aircraft cruise missiles and operational-tactical missiles in nuclear and conventional weapons, as well as aircraft bombs of various purposes and caliber.
A practical demonstration of the spatial indicators of the combat capabilities of the DA command are air patrol flights of Tu-95MS and Tu-160 aircraft to the area of Iceland and the water area of the Norwegian Sea; to the North Pole and to the Aleutian Islands region; along the east coast of South America.
Regardless of the organizational structure in which long-range aviation exists and will exist, the combat strength, the characteristics of the aircraft and weapons in service, the main task of long-range aviation on the scale of the Air Force should be considered both nuclear and non-nuclear deterrence of potential adversaries. In the event of the outbreak of war, the DA will carry out tasks to reduce the military-economic potential of the enemy, defeat important military facilities, and disrupt state and military control.
Analysis of modern views on the purpose of the DA, the tasks assigned to it, the predicted conditions for their implementation show that at present and in the future, long-range aviation continues to be the main striking force of the Air Force.
The main directions of development of long-range aviation:
- maintaining and building up operational capabilities to fulfill the assigned tasks as part of the strategic deterrent and general-purpose forces through the modernization of Tu-160, Tu-95MS, Tu-22MZ bombers with an extension of their service life;
- creation of a promising long-range aviation complex (PAK DA).
Military transport aviation (VTA) is a tool of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and is designed to solve strategic (operational-strategic), operational and operational-tactical tasks in theaters of military operations (strategic directions).
Military transport aircraft Il-76MD, An-26, An-22, An-124, An-12PP, transport helicopters Mi-8MTV are in service with the military transport units and formations. The main tasks of military aviation formations and units are: airborne landing of units (subunits) of the Airborne Forces from the operational (operational-tactical) airborne assault forces; delivery of weapons, ammunition and materiel to troops operating behind enemy lines; ensuring the maneuver of aviation formations and units; transportation of troops, weapons, ammunition and materiel; evacuation of the wounded and sick, participation in peacekeeping operations. Includes air bases, units and subunits of special forces.
Part of the BTA forces may be involved in special missions.
The main directions of the development of military transport aviation: maintaining and building up capabilities to ensure the deployment of the Armed Forces in various theaters of operations, the landing of airborne assault forces, the transport of troops and materiel by air through the purchase of new Il-76MD-90A and An-70, Il-112V aircraft and modernization of the Il-76 MD and An-124 aircraft.
Operational-tactical aviation is intended for solving operational (operational-tactical) and tactical tasks in operations (combat actions) of groupings of troops (forces) in theaters of operations (strategic directions).
Army Aviation (AA) is designed to solve operational-tactical and tactical tasks during army operations (combat operations).
Bomber aviation (BA) armed with strategic, long-range and operational-tactical bombers, it is the main strike weapon of the Air Force and is designed to defeat groupings of troops, aviation, naval forces of the enemy, destroy its important military, military-industrial, energy facilities, communication centers, conduct air reconnaissance and mining from the air, mainly in strategic and operational depth.
Assault aviation (SHA) being armed with attack aircraft, it is a means of air support for troops (forces) and is designed to defeat troops, ground (sea) objects, as well as enemy aircraft (helicopters) at basing airfields (sites), conducting aerial reconnaissance and mining from the air, mainly at the forefront, in the tactical and operational-tactical depth.
Fighter aircraft (IA) armed with fighter aircraft, it is designed to destroy aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the air and ground (sea) enemy targets.
Reconnaissance aviation (RzA) armed with reconnaissance aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, it is designed to conduct aerial reconnaissance of objects, the enemy, terrain, weather, air and ground radiation and chemical conditions.
Transport aviation (TRA) armed with transport aircraft, it is intended for airborne assault landing, transportation of troops, weapons, military and special equipment and other materiel by air, ensuring maneuver and combat actions of troops (forces), and performing special missions.
Formations, units, subunits of bomber, assault, fighter, reconnaissance and transport aviation can also be involved in solving other tasks.
Special Aviation (SpA) armed with airplanes and helicopters, it is designed to perform special tasks. Units and subunits of special aviation are under the direct or operational subordination of the commander of the air force formation and are involved in: conducting radar reconnaissance and guiding aviation to air and ground (sea) targets; setting up radio-electronic interference and aerosol curtains; search and rescue of flight crews and passengers; refueling aircraft with fuel in the air; evacuation of the wounded and sick; providing control and communication; conducting aerial radiation, chemical, biological, engineering reconnaissance and performing other tasks.
Strategic bombers with long-range cruise missiles are capable of not only delivering crushing blows to specified targets anywhere in the world, but also determination to apply your weapon. 
Long-range aviation- one of the most important components of the Russian strike forces nuclear deterrence.
By its status, scale and nature of the tasks performed, it is a means for solving strategic objectives.
Long-range aviation is armed with strategic missile carriers Tu-160, Tu-95MS, long-range bombers Tu-22M3, refueling aircraft Il-78 (M), special aircraft An-30B, transport aircraft An-12, An-26, helicopters Mi- 8 and Mi-26. 
In the course of fulfilling the state defense order, the aviation units of long-range aviation received modernized aircraft of all modifications and aircraft engines.
Recently, long-range aviation flights have been resumed under the strategic containment plan. Strategic bombers Tu-160 landed at airfields in the Caribbean (Venezuela, Nicaragua), thanks to the use of tanker aircraft from airfields in North Africa (Egypt) and Southeast Asia (Vietnam). Long-range aircraft also reached the Mediterranean and South China Seas. 
For the first time, Il-78 aircraft of the aviation regiment of tanker aircraft 
long-range aviation commands landed at the Cairo airfield (Egypt), and the crews of the Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers performed flights according to the strategic containment plan along the coasts of Norway, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal with refueling in the air.
The long-range aviation crews' flight plan is 100% fulfilled, the average flight time is 130 hours.
The main tasks in the current year are the implementation of flights under the strategic containment plan to remote geographic areas for the full range of strategic bombers, including with air refueling, as well as participation in strategic command and staff exercises.
Syria. The destruction of terrorist bases is one of the tasks that the Russian Aerospace Forces successfully completed.
One of the priority directions of the State Defense Order is the receipt of modernized aircraft Tu-160, Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3 from industrial enterprises. All vehicles that have undergone modernization will receive new complexes and systems, which will significantly increase their combat potential.
Vacuum gift from "White Swan":
why are the Americans so afraid of the Tu-160
Strategic missile carriers Tu-160M will become the basis for non-strategic deterrence of a potential enemy from aggression against Russia. Last year, the Air Force received the first such aircraft. 
And by 2020 Tu-160M the Russian army will have at least 10. Unlike their predecessors, they will be able to use not only nuclear, but also conventional high-precision weapons of increased power.
Supersonic strategic bombers Tu-160 entered service with long-range aviation in 1987. For its graceful forms, the heavy bomber-bomber received a beautiful name. "White Swan", and in NATO countries - Blackjack. A feature of the aircraft was a variable sweep wing, which allows for ultra-long-range flights in an economical mode of engine operation - almost 14,000 km without refueling in the air. The maximum take-off weight is 275 tons. The maximum speed is 2230 km / h. Cruising - 917 km / h. Combat load - 45 tons.
Strategic bombers: the domestic Tu-160 and the American B-B1 were created almost at the same time and were designed to solve similar problems. The capabilities of the aircraft were compared by military expert Mikhail Timoshenko. He recalled that initially both bombers were created to deliver cruise missiles with nuclear warheads to enemy territory. The expert noted that in many respects the domestic aircraft was ahead of the overseas.
“Tu-160 surpasses B-B1 in maximum speed. For our bomber it is 2300 km per hour, for the American one it is 1328. The combat radius of the Tu-160 is 6000 km, for the B-1B it is 5500. Our vehicle with 45 tons of combat load can descend to the target, at supersonic speed, at a distance of 6000 kilometers, and then return, a foreign plane will not be able to do this - it has a range of 5500 km, ”Timoshenko explained. 
According to the expert, the Tu-160 bypassed the "competitor" in terms of combat load - 45 tons versus 34 in internal edema. “Some say that the B-1B can still have external suspension, but then we must forget about its maximum range. It will drop significantly if additional weapons appear on the external nodes, ”the expert explained. Aircraft differ significantly in their armament.
“The Americans have cluster and guided bombs on board. They can also carry cruise missiles, but their range is significantly shorter than that of the weapons that the Tu-160 has. 
Kh-55 missiles fly at a distance of up to 3 thousand kilometers, and more advanced domestic missile models - up to 5 thousand, ”the expert emphasized. 
A foreign aircraft is more designed to work on unprotected targets and to overcome enemy missile defense at low altitude. Domestic Tu-160s are designed to attack the enemy with cruise missiles at long distances. The expert especially emphasized that a 200 kilogram nuclear charge (which is how much each of the 12 Tu-160 cruise missiles carries) will be quite enough to destroy highly protected targets, for example, enemy bunkers. In their place, only a funnel with a diameter of 300 meters and a depth of 50 will remain.
Size matters
Unlike nuclear missiles, strategic bombers are a more flexible persuasion tool. Taking off from the Engels airfield near Saratov, our "White Swans" can easily fly to the coast of the USA, Great Britain, suddenly find themselves in the Indian Ocean or off the coast of Australia. For them, the so-called "jump" airfields were specially made - intermediate bases where the crew can rest, technical services will replenish fuel supplies, and carry out maintenance of the vehicles. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu agreed that our bombers will be able to "fly in for a smoke break" in the countries of Latin America: Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba. 
Moreover, in the "womb" of the bomber can now lie not only X-55 long-range strategic nuclear cruise missiles, but also the latest X-101, as well as super-powerful vacuum bombs.
The Americans were the first to present such a bomb in 2003, showing the GBU-43 / B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) ammunition. For its destructive power, this 11-ton TNT-equivalent bomb was 
pompously called the "Mother of all bombs" by the Americans. The bomb was developed by Boeing designer Albert Wimorts. Its length is 10 m, diameter -1 m. Of its mass 8.5 tons are explosives. This is a thermobaric bomb. In such a projectile, propylene or ethylene oxide is used as a fuel, having a boiling point of about 11 degrees. During the detonation of the charge, an aerosol cloud is formed, which reacts with oxygen, resulting in an explosion. 30 vacuum bombs are capable of destroying all life within a radius of more than two thousand meters.
In 2003, the US Air Force conducted two tests of the GBU-43 / B bomb at a proving ground in Florida. During Operation Enduring Freedom, one copy of the GBU-43 / B was sent to Iraq, but it remained unused - by the time it was delivered, active hostilities had ended. The GBU-43 / B, with all its advantages, has a significant drawback - its main carrier is not a combat aircraft, but the military transport C-130 Hercules, which dumps a bomb on a target through a loading ramp - that is, it can be used only if the enemy does not have air defense or completely suppressed. Therefore, the Russian version of the bomb surpasses the American counterpart not only in terms of combat characteristics, but also in that it can be used from the world's best strategic bombers Tu-160M.
Father of all bombs
The Russian response to the "mother of all bombs" followed in 2007. Then a film was shown on central television showing the Tu-160 supersonic strategic bomber taking off from the airfield. Here the doors of his bomb bay open, and something like a barrel slips out. On a small white parachute, the bomb rushes to the ground. Next is an explosion. Then its consequences: the ruins of a high-rise building (most likely some kind of industrial building), the earth burned to the state of the lunar surface, fragments of military equipment and stones. 
“The test results of the created ammunition showed that in terms of its effectiveness and capabilities it is commensurate with a nuclear weapon,” Aleksandr Rukshin, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, commented on the situation at the time. - At the same time, and I would like to emphasize this, the action of this ammunition absolutely does not pollute the environment in comparison with a nuclear weapon. The new warhead will provide us with the opportunity to ensure the security of the state and at the same time to resist international terrorism in any situation and in any region. "
“The new vacuum aerial bomb made it possible to replace a number of previously created low-yield nuclear weapons (tactical nuclear weapons with a capacity of no more than 5 kilotons, which can be used on the battlefield),” the Deputy Chief of the General Staff said at the time. 
According to some reports, the Russian response, nicknamed by analogy with the American bomb "Father of all bombs", weighs more than 7 tons, and the explosion power reaches 44 tons in TNT equivalent. With a smaller mass of explosive, as noted by the military, than in the American bomb 7.1 versus 8.2 tons, respectively, the Russian ammunition is four times more powerful. Moreover, the temperature at the epicenter of the explosion is twice as high. The total affected area, according to some sources, exceeds the American counterpart by 20 times.
Stripper
Airborne volumetric detonating bombs (ODAB) operate on the basis of the so-called volumetric explosion. They are created by the Moscow State Scientific and Production Enterprise "Basalt". They are designed to engage targets located in the folds of the terrain or in open field fortifications, as well as to make passages in minefields. For example, the Americans in Vietnam "cleared" areas in the jungle for helicopter landing. The Soviet army in Afghanistan bombed the Tora-Bora caves and other underground fortifications of the dushmans. In the USSR and Russia, until recently, the ODAB-1500 volumetric detonating bomb and the FAB-9000 high-explosive bomb were considered the most powerful aviation ammunition. This is a large-caliber high-explosive projectile, which is designed to operate against large land and sea targets. 
In the nose of the bomb is a complex electromechanical device designed for a combat platoon and explosive spraying. After resetting the device, after a set time, the spraying of the chemical agent begins. The resulting aerosol is converted into a gas-air mixture, which is then detonated by a fuse. ODAB creates a shock wave with an excess pressure of about 3000 kPa (30 kgf / cm), in fact, forming a vacuum environment completely devoid of air at the epicenter of the explosion. This pressure drop literally tears apart everything from the inside: people, military equipment, fortifications and defensive structures of the enemy. Bombs can be used in any weather conditions from altitudes of 200-1000 m at speeds of 500-1100 km / h.
Space-detonating bombs are classified by the UN as "inhumane means of warfare causing undue suffering to the people." However, despite this wording, they are not prohibited and generally do not fall under any international treaty.
“The use of such weapons is not regulated by any international treaties,” Vadim Kozyulin, professor of the Academy of Military Sciences, confirmed to the ZVEZDA TV channel, therefore it is a very dangerous means of warfare. - According to its characteristics, it is comparable to nuclear, but does not carry pollution of the surrounding area. So it can be applied at any suitable moment. "
What do our “partners” think about this?
Russia's new cruise missiles pose a "very big challenge" for US defenses, as they allow long-range aircraft to engage North American targets without leaving Russian airspace, Admiral William Gortney, head of the North American Air and Space Defense Command (NORAD), said Wednesday.
According to him, Russian long-range aircraft are qualitatively better than Soviet ones, and intercepting Russian missiles is much more difficult than intercepting Soviet strategic bombers.
“Cruise missiles are very effective, very difficult to defend against, and a very big challenge for NORAD,” said Admiral Gortney, a former combat pilot on US aircraft carriers. Gortney spoke at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC.
“The challenge we face is Russian long-range aviation and the threat of Russian cruise missiles from submarines and (other) submarine and surface platforms. This is a challenge because NORAD has been involved in defense for 57 years. It was assumed that Soviet or Russian long-range aviation enters our combat space, and we have to deal with them there, ”the NORAD commander explained.
“But Russia is fielding qualitatively better forces than the size-based Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. They have a different doctrine, ”the admiral added.
“They are deploying guided missiles that are very accurate and have a very long range to such an extent that their long-range aircraft can now stay in Russian airspace and use conventional nuclear warheads against targets and critical infrastructure in Canada, the United States and the Northwest Pacific coast (USA and Canada), ”he added.
“It makes us catch arrows instead of trying to shoot the archers,” concluded Gortney.
Andrey Karaulov:
USA is horrified by our "doomsday weapon" IL-80
Olga Shablinskaya, AIF.ru:
Andrey Viktorovich, in a recent interview with "AiF" you talked about the revival of defense enterprises ... This caused controversy among readers: they say, there is a crisis in the country, we ourselves are "naked ...", but we are building missiles!
Andrey Karaulov:
Liberals will tell you that Putin makes expensive toys that cannot be sold anywhere in the world, and these toys will ruin our country. But we have the Il-80 - this is the “doomsday weapon”, this is what the Americans called it ... The control is carried out in this way: three people - the president, the defense minister and the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces - simultaneously pressing buttons, launch the country's nuclear missiles. One president will not launch a nuclear missile, one defense minister will not, and even the president and defense minister together will not launch nuclear missiles, unless there is a third - the chief of the General Staff. And if suddenly during the bombing the Supreme Commander-in-Chief died, if suddenly during the same bombing the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff were killed, then what? That is, they killed everyone ...
What then?
And then a huge Il-80 aircraft rises into the air, and from this aircraft to all mines where our nuclear missiles are located - Rubezh, Topol, Satan, Yars, Bulava, a command is sent to launch, to retaliate against the villain who struck our country ...
Can you imagine? Some kind of apocalypse, they killed everyone - and suddenly ... a command comes to all nuclear missiles ... And what will happen, I ask you, if suddenly the Il-80 was also shot down? Well, they killed the president, killed the minister of defense, killed the chief of the General Staff, and suddenly they also shoot down the plane, what will happen then ?! Then in general Hitchcock is resting! A new rocket takes off into the air and flies along a broken trajectory (by the way, like the Rubezh rocket - the greatest creation of Academician Solomonov). And with this rocket, already from space, is a command to all our nuclear installations for a retaliatory strike. And all this is the development of scientists of the Russian Federation. When I heard about all this, I thought: they’re just crazy. And they say to me: “Karaulov, you are just a fool. Putin has revived everything a long time ago. " Before Putin, before Solomon's missiles, our missiles were cut out mercilessly under the START-1 and START-2 agreements. There was a project to leave almost two missile divisions, and put all the rest under the knife, under the knife, under the knife.
You say that the Il-80 is the most terrible weapon that the Americans are afraid of. But after all, they themselves are conducting military development ...
The United States has a law: if the enemy's weapons inflict unacceptable damage on the American continent, the Third World War is impossible. The United States is the only country that can start a world war, the only country that has used nuclear weapons - remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There is no more power that can start just a world war. But today we are ahead of America in military production for decades ahead.
Today we are again producing powerful missiles, starting with the Topol and ending with the old Satan, Bulava with a sea launch ...
Returned rogue launch missile production. Imagine a regular train, the wagons are a little larger than the usual freight cars, but ... the lids of the car move apart, and the beautiful Barguzin rocket takes off. We had four such complexes. Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev destroyed them all, put everything under the knife, including a special plant in Perm, which was sold at the price of a two-room apartment in Yasenevo.
Each rocket is hand-assembled. Everyone can understand: if the IL-80 automatically sends a command to start to all missile launchers of the country, what kind of technologies are these! And we did not buy all this from the Americans, just as we did not buy composite materials, this is all our production, our developments. The production of "IL-80" is more than 600 factories and design bureaus in the chain, and these are huge labor collectives, and there are good salaries, the average age of a worker at the head enterprise of our rocket plant is 38.9 years (in America - more than 50) ... At the same time, six people per place at the plant, how to get to the institute ... Imagine what kind of specialists there are!
Today the whole world understands: it is in Russia that technologies of the XXI century are born, in Russia! The best minds in India, the best minds in China, and the best minds in the United States understand this.
Are you sure of the latter?
I want to remind you of the greatest event that passed the attention of the Russian Federation. In the midst of the sanctions, who became an active (not an honorary, but an active!) Member of the American Academy of Sciences, and was elected unanimously? Who? In New York, who received the mantle of honor? President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Evgenievich Fortov. This is the recognition by the best minds of our today's merits.
It is impossible to sell the Il-80, and the technologies it consists of is just a waste. That will enrich each of us. Behind your back and my back, under the heading "top secret", those technologies are being born that will not only feed our country in the future, no, some of these technologies will fly into the world markets already in 2016. Because every defense technology has a second purpose - civil, it has always been that way. The tractor and the tank were built side by side, the workshops were side by side.
So in the XXI century, there is nothing without us. It's just that Putin, unlike you and me, knows tens of thousands of times more about his country. He knows all our defense plants, in particular, the chemical industry and the oil, and other industries ...
The previous position of General Kobylash was the head of the 4th State Center for the Training of Aviation Personnel and Military Tests of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in Lipetsk. Sergey Kobylash has been in charge of the "forge of personnel" for military pilots since 2015.
The new commander of Long-Range Aviation was born on April 1, 1965 in Odessa. Graduated from the Yeisk Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots named after Komarov, the Gagarin Air Force Academy and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Kobylash worked his way up from a pilot to the Chief of Aviation of the Air Force, mastered a number of aircraft, including the Su-30SM, Su-34 and An-26. Participant of the first and second Chechen wars, the war in South Ossetia in 2008. He has the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, awarded the Order of Courage, the Order for Military Merit, the Medal for Courage and other departmental medals. It is noted that Sergei Kobylash is a sniper pilot. The total flight time exceeds 1.5 thousand hours.
Let us recall that the previous commander of the Long-Range Aviation, Lieutenant General Anatoly Zhikharev, left the post due to reaching the retirement age.
According to data from the official website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, strategic and long-range bombers, tanker aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft are in service with the formations and units of Long-Range Aviation. Acting mainly in strategic depths, they perform the following main tasks: destruction of air bases (airfields), ground-based missile complexes, aircraft carriers and other surface ships, objects from the composition of enemy reserves, military-industrial facilities, administrative and political centers, energy facilities and hydrotechnical structures, naval bases and ports, command posts of the combined forces of the armed forces and operational control centers of air defense in the theater of operations, objects of land communications, airborne troops and convoys; mining from the air. Part of the Long-Range Aviation forces can be involved in aerial reconnaissance and special missions.
Long-range aviation is a component of the Strategic Nuclear Forces. Formations and units of Long-Range Aviation are based from Novgorod in the west of the country to Anadyr and Ussuriisk in the east, from Tiksi in the north and to Blagoveshchensk in the south of the country. The core of the aircraft fleet is made up of Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers, Tu-22M3 long-range missile-bombers, Il-78 tanker aircraft and Tu-22MR reconnaissance aircraft. The main armament of the aircraft: long-range aircraft cruise missiles and operational-tactical missiles in nuclear and conventional weapons, as well as aircraft bombs of various purposes and caliber.
A practical demonstration of the spatial indicators of the combat capabilities of the Long-Range Aviation Command are air patrol flights of Tu-95MS and Tu-160 aircraft in the area of Iceland and the water area of the Norwegian Sea; to the North Pole and to the Aleutian Islands region; along the east coast of South America.
Regardless of the organizational structure in which long-range aviation exists and will continue to exist, the combat strength, the characteristics of the aircraft and weapons in service, the main task of long-range aviation on the scale of the Aerospace Forces should be considered both nuclear and non-nuclear deterrence of potential adversaries. In the event of the outbreak of war, Long-Range Aviation will carry out tasks to reduce the military-economic potential of the enemy, defeat important military facilities, and disrupt state and military control.
Alexey Zakvasin
On December 23, Russia celebrates Long Range Aviation Day, which is one of the components of the nuclear triad. The Russian Aerospace Forces include attack aircraft Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3 and Tu-160. Air cruisers can hit large land targets and enemy ships, including non-nuclear weapons. At present, the long-range aviation of the Russian Federation is at the stage of modernization. By 2023, Russia should receive 50 Tu-160M2. In the future, the VKS will enter service with the new generation PAK DA vehicles. The role and significance of long-range aviation in the structure of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - in the material RT.
- Bombers Tu-22M3 Russian Aerospace Forces
- RIA News
December 23 is considered the birthday of long-range aviation (DA) of Russia, since on that day in 1914, Nicholas II signed a decree on the creation of a squadron of aircraft "Ilya Muromets" - the world's first compound of heavy four-engine bombers.
DA began to acquire its modern form during the Cold War. The 1950-1970s were a period of rapid development of Soviet long-range aviation.
The first original strategic jet bomber of the USSR was the Tu-16 "Badger", which made its first flight on April 27, 1952. Six months later, the turboprop Tu-95 "Bear" took off into the sky. In 1969, the USSR acquired the Tu-22 supersonic bomber (NATO codification - Blinder).
The pinnacle of the development of Soviet design thought was (according to NATO codification - Blackjack), which has been in operation since 1987. Currently, the Aerospace Forces are armed with deeply modernized versions of Soviet vehicles: Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3 and Tu-160 (including Tu-160M1). In addition, the DA includes Tu-22MR reconnaissance aircraft and Il-78 tankers.
The data on the number of long-range aircraft possessed by the Russian Aerospace Forces differ greatly. According to domestic media, the Russian air fleet has 30 Tu-95s, 12 Tu-22M3s and 16 Tu-160s. That is a total of 58 cars.
According to the calculations of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the DA of Russia includes 62 Tu-22M3, 50 T-95MS, 11 Tu-160, five Tu-160M1 and one Tu-22MR (139 vehicles in total). The Aerospace Forces deployed four Tu-22M3 squadrons, three Tu-95MS squadrons and one Tu-160 squadron.
Alexei Leonkov, commercial director of Arsenal Otechestvo magazine, told RT that IISS analysts are most likely taking into account the aircraft currently in storage. According to him, the most realistic figure is cited by Russian sources, and it does not exceed 60-65 vehicles.
Out of reach
Long-range aviation of Russia is an air component of the Strategic Nuclear Forces (SNF) of the Russian Federation. All DA aircraft in service with the RF Armed Forces are capable of delivering strikes with both nuclear and non-nuclear weapons. The tasks of the DA include the destruction of strategically important objects deep behind enemy lines. In addition, domestic aircraft can hit large surface targets.
On December 22, 2017, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that over the past five years, long-range aviation has performed 178 flights as part of an air patrol. Since the fall of 2015, the Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3 and Tu-160 have been actively used for. Long-range aviation tested both single and group combat missions.
In the operation in the Arab Republic, the White Swans received their baptism of fire. In particular, the Tu-160 was successfully used by the X-101 and X-55 ultra-long-range cruise missiles. Both missiles have their own nuclear versions - X-102 and X-555, respectively.
“Tu-22M3 operates at tactical depth. The radius of its combat action is slightly lower than the Tu-95 and Tu-160. The aircraft has demonstrated its effectiveness in the defeat of well-fortified enemy targets in Afghanistan and Syria. Tu-22M3 is also called the "aircraft carrier killer". This vehicle can successfully destroy large surface forces, ”Leonkov said.
- Long-range Tu-22M3 bomber inflicts an air strike on terrorist targets in Deir ez-Zor province in Syria
- RIA News
According to the expert, one should not write off the oldest bomber DA Tu-95MS, which is the only turboprop aircraft in the world capable of speeds over 900 km / h. The upgraded version of the Tu-95 can use the Kh-101/102 strategic air-to-ground cruise missile, the range of which reaches 6-9 thousand km.
Tu-160 has no analogues in the world. The bomber is capable of overcoming enemy air defenses, developing a supersonic speed of 2500 km / h. "White Swan", if necessary, rises to a height of 22 thousand meters, thus being out of the reach of enemy fighters.
“The Tu-160 is a truly incredible machine. It is almost impossible to intercept it. An anti-aircraft missile and the most modern fighter will not be able to follow our plane. For example, the Tu-160 can keep supersonic speed on afterburner for 45 minutes, and the potential "hunter" for it F / A-18 - 10 minutes, "Leonkov said.
Stealth bet
In 2015, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation made a decision to build 50 Tu-160M2 vehicles by 2023. Experts believe that from this moment began the most important stage in the modern history of the Russian Federation in the modernization of long-range aviation. In mid-November 2017, the first Tu-160 in nine years was assembled, named "Vitaly Kopylov".
On December 22, in an interview with Krasnaya Zvezda, the commander of long-range aviation, Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash, said that the combat effectiveness of the Tu-160M2 would be two and a half times higher than its Soviet predecessor.
- Tu-160 bomber-missile carrier
- RIA News
"Economical engines with wider resource capabilities will increase the flight range, which, together with the declared power-to-weight ratio, will keep the Tu-160 strategic missile carrier a leading position among strategic strike systems," Kobylash explained.
The Tu-160M2 will be equipped with improved airborne electronics and weapons control systems. On the modernized White Swan, the concept of a “glass cockpit” (replacement of mechanical indicators with displays) and an “open board” (a simplified scheme for integrating equipment components from different manufacturers) should be implemented.
First of all, the Tu-160M2 are intended to replace the Tu-95MS, which are expected to be removed from service in 2025. "White Swans" will form the backbone of the air component of the Russian strategic nuclear forces before the massive arrival of the PAK DA (Advanced Long-Range Aviation Complex), which is designed to become a universal combat vehicle.
PAK DA will be manufactured according to the "flying wing" design. It was originally planned that the promising aircraft would be supersonic. However, in 2016, the media reported that the Ministry of Defense stopped at the subsonic version. The main requirements of the PAK DA are to be equipped with all types of strike weapons, including hypersonic ones, and low visibility.
- Computer image of the possible appearance of PAK YES
- Jozef gatial
The bomber will use the latest technology to reduce radar signature. It is known that radio-absorbing materials will be used in the construction of the aircraft. In this case, all weapons must be placed inside the case. The first PAK DA flight is expected in 2025.
“PAK DA has decided to sacrifice high speeds in favor of improved stealth performance. If it is possible to strike targets from a long distance, high speed from a bomber is not required, but the ability to unnoticed by the enemy to reach the missile launch distance is needed, "Vadim Kozyulin, professor of the Academy of Military Sciences, explained the situation in an interview with RT.
According to the expert, in the future, all long-range bombers will be included in the general intelligence and information field of inter-troop interaction. Taking into account the development of delivery systems and destruction of the aviation component of the strategic nuclear forces, the country's celestial nuclear shield can be considered a reliable deterrent factor for potential external aggressors, Kozyulin summed up.
The modern Air Force of the Russian Federation is traditionally the most mobile and maneuverable branch of the Armed Forces. The equipment and other means in service with the Air Force are primarily intended to repel aggression in the aerospace sphere and to protect the administrative and industrial-economic centers of the country, groupings of troops and important objects from enemy strikes; to support the actions of the Ground Forces and the Navy; delivering strikes against enemy groupings in the sky, on land and at sea, as well as on its administrative-political and military-economic centers.
The existing Air Force, in terms of its organizational and staff structure, dates back to 2008, when the country began to form a new look for the Russian Armed Forces. Then the Air Force and Air Defense Commands were formed, subordinate to the newly created operational-strategic commands: Western, Southern, Central and Eastern. The Air Force High Command was assigned the tasks of planning and organizing combat training, the long-term development of the Air Force, as well as training the commanding staff of command and control bodies. In 2009-2010, the transition to a two-tier air force control system was carried out, as a result of which the number of formations was reduced from 8 to 6, and the air defense formations were reorganized into 11 aerospace defense brigades. The air regiments were brought together into air bases with a total number of about 70, including 25 tactical (front) aviation bases, of which 14 are purely fighter ones.
In 2014, the reform of the Air Force structure continued: air defense forces and assets were concentrated in air defense divisions, and the formation of aviation divisions and regiments began in aviation. An air force and air defense army is being created as part of the joint strategic command "North".
The most fundamental transformation is expected in 2015: the creation of a new type - the Aerospace Forces based on the integration of the forces and means of the Air Force (aviation and air defense) and the Aerospace Defense Forces (space forces, air defense and missile defense).
Simultaneously with the reorganization, an active renewal of the aircraft fleet is taking place. Airplanes and helicopters of previous generations were replaced by their new modifications, as well as promising machines with broader combat capabilities and flight performance characteristics. The current development work was continued and new development work began on promising aviation complexes. The active development of unmanned aircraft began.
The modern air fleet of the Russian Air Force is second only to the US Air Force in size. True, its exact quantitative composition has not been officially published, but on the basis of open sources, quite adequate calculations can be made. As for the renewal of the aircraft fleet, according to the representative of the press service and information of the Russian Ministry of Defense on the Air Force I. Klimov, the Russian Air Force will receive more than 150 new aircraft and helicopters in 2015 alone in accordance with the state defense order. These include the latest aircraft Su-30 SM, Su-30 M2, MiG-29 SMT, Su-34, Su-35 S, Yak-130, Il-76 MD-90 A, as well as Ka-52, Mi ‑28 N, Mi ‑ 8 AMTSh / MTV ‑ 5–1, Mi ‑ 8 MTPR, Mi ‑ 35 M, Mi ‑ 26, Ka ‑ 226 and Ansat-U. It is also known from the words of the former commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel-General A. Zelin, that in November 2010 the total number of the Air Force personnel was about 170 thousand people (including 40 thousand officers).
All aviation of the Russian Air Force, as a branch of the military, is subdivided into:
- Long-range (strategic) aviation,
- Operational-tactical (front-line) aviation,
- Military transport aviation,
- Army aviation.
In addition, the Air Force includes such types of troops as anti-aircraft missile troops, radio-technical troops, special forces, as well as units and institutions of the rear (all of them will not be considered in this material).
In turn, aviation by birth is divided into:
- bomber aviation,
- ground attack aircraft,
- fighter aircraft,
- reconnaissance aircraft,
- transport aviation,
- special aviation.
Further, we consider all types of aircraft in the Air Force of the Russian Federation, as well as promising machines. The first part of the article covers long-range (strategic) and operational-tactical (front-line) aviation, the second part - military transport, reconnaissance, special and army aviation.
Long-range (strategic) aviation
Long-range aviation is a means of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Russia and is designed to solve strategic, operational-strategic and operational tasks in theaters of military operations (strategic directions). Long-range aviation is also part of the triad of strategic nuclear forces.
The main tasks performed in peacetime are containment (including nuclear) of potential adversaries; in the event of the outbreak of war - the maximum reduction in the military-economic potential of the enemy by destroying his important military facilities and disrupting state and military control.
The main promising areas for the development of long-range aviation are maintaining and building up operational capabilities to fulfill the assigned tasks as part of the strategic deterrent and general-purpose forces through modernization of aircraft with an extension of their service life, the purchase of new aircraft (Tu-160 M), as well as the creation of a promising long-range aviation complex PAK-DA.
The main armament of long-range aircraft are guided missiles, both nuclear and conventional:
- X-55 SM long-range strategic cruise missiles;
- X-15 C aeroballistic hypersonic missiles;
- X-22 operational-tactical cruise missiles.
As well as free-fall bombs of various calibers, including nuclear weapons, one-time cluster bombs, sea mines.
In the future, it is planned to introduce into the armament of long-range aviation aircraft the new-generation X-555 and X-101 high-precision cruise missiles with a significantly increased range and accuracy.
The basis of the modern aircraft fleet of long-range aviation of the Russian Air Force is made up of missile-carrying bombers:
- strategic missile carriers Tu-160–16 units. By 2020, it is possible to supply about 50 modernized Tu-160 M2 vehicles.
- strategic missile carriers Tu-95 MS - 38 units, and about 60 more in storage. Since 2013, these aircraft have been modernized to the level of Tu-95 MSM in order to extend their service life.
- long-range missile-carrying bombers Tu-22 M3 - about 40 units, and 109 more in reserve. Since 2012, 30 aircraft have been modernized to the level of Tu-22 M3 M.
The long-range aviation also includes Il-78 tanker aircraft and Tu-22 MR reconnaissance aircraft.
Tu-160
Work on a new multi-mode strategic intercontinental bomber began in the USSR in 1967. Having tried a variety of layout options, the designers eventually came to the design of an integral low-wing with a variable sweep wing with four engines installed in pairs in nacelles under the fuselage.
In 1984, the Tu-160 was put into serial production at the Kazan Aviation Plant. At the time of the collapse of the USSR, 35 aircraft were produced (of which 8 prototypes), by 1994, KAPO transferred six more Tu-160 bombers to the Russian Air Force, which were stationed near Engels in the Saratov region. In 2009, 3 new aircraft were built and put into operation, by 2015 their number is 16 units.
In 2002, the Ministry of Defense signed an agreement with KAPO for the modernization of the Tu-160 in order to gradually repair and modernize all bombers of this type in service. According to the latest data, by 2020, the Russian Air Force will be armed with 10 Tu-160 M aircraft. conventional bomb armament. In view of the need to replenish the long-range aircraft fleet in April 2015, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu instructed to consider the issue of resuming production of the Tu-160 M. In May of the same year, Supreme Commander-in-Chief V.V. Putin formally ordered to resume production of the improved Tu-160 M2.
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Main characteristics of Tu-160 |
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4 people |
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Wingspan |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
4 × TRDDF NK-32 |
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Maximum thrust |
4 × 18,000 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
4 × 25,000 kgf |
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2230 km / h (M = 1.87) |
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Cruising speed |
917 km / h (M = 0.77) |
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Maximum range without refueling |
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Range with a combat load |
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Combat radius |
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Flight duration |
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Practical ceiling |
about 22000 m |
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Rate of climb |
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Takeoff / run length |
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Armament: |
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Strategic cruise missiles X-55 SM / X-101 |
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X-15 C tactical aeroballistic missiles |
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Free-fall aerial bombs of caliber up to 4000 kg, cluster bombs, mines. |
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Tu-95MS
The creation of the aircraft was started by the design bureau headed by Andrey Tupolev in the distant 1950s. At the end of 1951, the developed project was approved, and then the layout, built by that time, was approved and approved. The construction of the first two aircraft began at the Moscow Aviation Plant No. 156, and in the fall of 1952 the prototype made its first flight.
In 1956, the aircraft, which received the official designation Tu-95, began to arrive in long-range aviation units. Later, various modifications were developed, including carriers of anti-ship missiles.
In the late 1970s, a completely new modification of the bomber was created, which received the designation Tu-95 MS. The new aircraft was put into serial production in 1981 at the Kuibyshev aircraft plant, which lasted until 1992 (about 100 aircraft were produced).
Now, the 37th Air Force of Strategic Aviation has been formed as part of the Air Force of the Russian Federation, consisting of two divisions, which includes two regiments on Tu-95 MS-16 (Amur and Saratov regions) - 38 aircraft in total. About 60 more units are in storage.
Due to the obsolescence of technology, in 2013, the modernization of aircraft in service began to the level of Tu-95 MSM, the service life of which will last until 2025. They will be equipped with new electronics, an aiming and navigation system, a satellite navigation system, and will be able to carry new X-101 strategic cruise missiles.
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Main characteristics of Tu-95MS |
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7 persons |
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Wingspan: |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
4 × TVD NK-12 MP |
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Power |
4 × 15,000 liters. with. |
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Maximum speed at altitude |
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Cruising speed |
about 700 km / h |
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Maximum range |
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Practical range |
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Combat radius |
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Practical ceiling |
about 11000 m |
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Takeoff / run length |
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Armament: |
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Built-in Strategic cruise missiles X-55 SM / X-101-6 or 16 Free-fall aerial bombs of caliber up to 9000 kg, cluster bombs, mines. |
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Tu-22M3
The Tu-22 M3 long-range supersonic bomber-bomber with variable wing geometry is designed to conduct combat operations in operational zones of land and naval theaters of operations day and night in simple and difficult weather conditions. It is capable of striking sea targets with X-22 cruise missiles, X-15 supersonic aeroballistic missiles against ground targets, as well as aimed bombing. In the west, it was named "Backfire".
In total, 268 Tu-22 M3 bombers were built at the Kazan Aviation Production Association until 1993.
Currently, there are about 40 Tu-22 M3 units in service, and another 109 are in reserve. It is planned by 2020 to modernize about 30 vehicles at KAPO to the level of Tu-22 M3 M (the modification was put into service in 2014). They will be equipped with new electronics, expand the range of weapons by introducing the latest high-precision ammunition, and extend the service life up to 40 years.
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Main characteristics of Tu-22M3 |
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4 people |
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Wingspan: At minimum sweep angle At maximum sweep angle |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
2 × TRDDF NK-25 |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 14,500 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
2 × 25,000 kgf |
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Maximum speed at altitude |
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Cruising speed |
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Range of flight |
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Combat radius with a load of 12 t |
1500 ... 2400 km |
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Practical ceiling |
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Takeoff / run length |
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Armament: |
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Built-in 23-mm defensive mount with GSh-23 cannons |
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X-22 anti-ship cruise missiles |
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Tactical aeroballistic missiles X-15 S. |
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Promising developments
PAK YES
In 2008, R&D funding was opened in Russia to create a promising long-range aviation complex PAK DA. The program provides for the development of a fifth-generation long-range bomber to replace the aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force. The fact that the Russian Air Force formulated the tactical and technical requirements for the PAK DA program and began preparations for the participation of design bureaus in the development competition was announced back in 2007. According to the statement of the general director of OJSC "Tupolev" I. Shevchuk, the contract under the PAK DA program was won by the Tupolev Design Bureau. In 2011, it was reported that a preliminary design was developed for the integration complex of the avionics of a promising complex, and the command of long-range aviation of the Russian Air Force issued a tactical and technical assignment for the creation of a promising bomber. It was announced plans to build 100 vehicles, which are expected to enter service by 2027.
Most likely, the weapons will be used promising hypersonic missiles, long-range cruise missiles of the Kh-101 type, high-precision short-range missiles and corrected aerial bombs, as well as free-fall bombs. It was stated that some of the missile samples have already been developed by the Tactical Missile Armament Corporation. It is possible that the aircraft will also be used as an air carrier for an operational-strategic reconnaissance and strike complex. It is possible that for self-defense, in addition to the electronic warfare system, the bomber will be armed with air-to-air missiles.
Operational-tactical (front-line) aviation
Operational-tactical (front-line) aviation is designed to solve operational, operational-tactical and tactical tasks in operations (combat operations) of groupings of troops (forces) in theaters of operations (strategic directions).
Bomber aviation, which is part of front-line aviation, is the main strike weapon of the Air Force, mainly in the operational and operational-tactical depth.
Assault aviation is intended primarily for air support of troops, destruction of manpower and objects, mainly at the front line, in the tactical and immediate operational depths of the enemy. In addition, it can also fight enemy aircraft in the air.
The main promising directions for the development of bombers and attack aircraft of operational-tactical aviation are maintaining and building up capabilities within the framework of solving operational, operational-tactical and tactical tasks during military operations in theater of operations through the supply of new (Su-34) and modernization of existing (Su-25 SM ) aircraft.
Frontline aviation bombers and attack aircraft are armed with air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles, unguided missiles of various types, aircraft bombs, including guided bombs, cluster bombs, and aircraft cannons.
Fighter aviation is represented by multipurpose and front-line fighters, as well as fighter-interceptors. Its purpose is to destroy enemy aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles of the enemy in the air, as well as land and sea targets.
The task of air defense fighter aviation is to cover the most important areas and individual objects from enemy air attacks by destroying its aircraft at maximum ranges using interceptors. The air defense aviation also includes combat helicopters, special and transport aircraft and helicopters.
The main promising directions for the development of fighter aviation are maintaining and building up the capabilities to fulfill the assigned tasks through the modernization of existing aircraft, the purchase of new aircraft (Su-30, Su-35), as well as the creation of the promising PAK-FA aviation complex, which has been tested since 2010. years and, possibly, a promising long-range interceptor.
The main weapons of fighter aircraft are air-to-air and air-to-surface guided missiles of various ranges, as well as free-fall and corrected aerial bombs, unguided missiles, cluster bombs, and aircraft cannons. The development of promising missile weapons is underway.
The modern aircraft fleet of ground attack and front-line bomber aviation includes the following types of aircraft:
- Su-25–200 attack aircraft, including Su-25UB, about 100 more are in storage. Despite the fact that these aircraft were put into service back in the USSR, their combat potential, taking into account modernization, remains quite high. By 2020, it is planned to upgrade about 80 attack aircraft to the level of the Su-25 SM.
- front-line bombers Su-24 M - 21 units. These Soviet-made aircraft are already outdated and are actively being disabled. In 2020, it is planned to dispose of all the Su-24 M.
- Su-34–69 fighter-bombers. The newest multipurpose aircraft, which are replacing the outdated Su-24 M bombers in the units. The total number of ordered Su-34s is 124 units, which will enter service in the near future.
Su-25
The Su-25 is an armored subsonic attack aircraft designed to provide direct support to ground forces over the battlefield. It is capable of destroying point and area targets on the ground day and night under any weather conditions. We can say that this is the best aircraft of its class in the world, tested in real combat operations. In the army, the Su-25 received the unofficial nickname "Rook", in the west - the designation "Frogfoot".
Serial production was carried out at aircraft factories in Tbilisi and Ulan-Ude (for the entire time, 1320 aircraft of all modifications were produced, including for export).
The vehicles were produced in various modifications, including the combat trainer Su-25UB and the carrier-based Su-25UTD for the Navy. Currently, the Russian Air Force has about 200 Su-25 aircraft of various modifications, which are in service with 6 combat and several training air regiments. About 100 more units of old cars are in storage.
In 2009, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the resumption of purchases of Su-25 attack aircraft for the Air Force. At the same time, a program was adopted to modernize 80 aircraft to the level of the Su-25 SM. They are equipped with the latest electronics, including a sighting system, multifunctional indicators, new electronic warfare equipment, and the "Spear" suspended radar. A new Su-25UBM aircraft was adopted as a combat training aircraft, which will have equipment similar to the Su-25 SM.
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Main characteristics of the Su-25 |
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1 person |
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Wingspan |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
2 × turbojet engine R ‑ 95SH |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 4100 kgf |
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Maximum speed |
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Cruising speed |
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Practical range with combat load |
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Ferry range |
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Practical ceiling |
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Rate of climb |
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Takeoff / run length |
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Armament: |
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Built-in 30-mm double-barreled cannon GSh-30-2 (250 patr.) External sling Guided missiles "air-to-surface" - X-25 ML, X-25 MLP, S-25 L, X-29 L Air bombs, cassettes - FAB-500, RBK-500, FAB-250, RBK-250, FAB-100, KMGU-2 containers Shooting cannon containers - SPPU-22-1 (23-mm GSh-23 cannon) |
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Su-24M
The Su-24 M front-line bomber with a variable sweep wing is designed to deliver missile and bomb strikes in the operational and operational-tactical depth of the enemy day and night in simple and difficult weather conditions, including at low altitudes, with targeted destruction of ground and surface targets, guided and unguided ammunition. In the west received the designation "Fencer"
Serial production was carried out at NAPO named after Chkalov in Novosibirsk (with the participation of KNAAPO) until 1993, about 1200 machines of various modifications were built, including for export.
At the turn of the century, due to the obsolescence of aviation technology in Russia, a program was launched to modernize front-line bombers to the level of the Su-24 M2. In 2007, the first two Su-24 M2s were transferred to the Lipetsk Combat Use Center. The delivery of the remaining aircraft to the Russian Air Force was completed in 2009.
At present, the Russian Air Force has 21 Su-24 M aircraft of several modifications, but as the newest Su-34s enter combat units, the Su-24s are removed from service and disposed of (103 aircraft were disposed of by 2015). By 2020, they should be completely withdrawn from the Air Force.
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Main characteristics of the Su-24M |
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2 persons |
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Wingspan At maximum sweep angle At minimum sweep angle |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
2 × TRDDF AL ‑ 21 F ‑ 3 |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 7800 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
2 × 11200 kgf |
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Maximum speed at altitude |
1700 km / h (M = 1.35) |
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Maximum speed at 200 m |
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Ferry range |
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Combat radius |
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Practical ceiling |
about 11500 m |
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Takeoff / run length |
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Armament: |
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Built-in 23-mm 6-barreled cannon GSh-6-23 (500 patr.) On external sling: Guided air-to-air missiles - R-60 Guided air-to-surface missiles - Kh-25 ML / MR, Kh-23, Kh-29 L / T, Kh-59, S-25 L, Kh-58 Unguided missiles - 57 ‑ mm S ‑ 5, 80 ‑ mm S ‑ 8, 122 ‑ mm S ‑ 13, 240 ‑ mm S ‑ 24, 266 ‑ mm S ‑ 25 Air bombs, cassettes - FAB-1500, KAB-1500 L / TK, KAB-500 L / KR, ZB-500, FAB-500, RBK-500, FAB-250, RBK-250, OFAB-100, KMGU-2 containers Shooting cannon containers - SPPU-6 (23-mm gun GSh-6-23) |
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Su-34
The Su-34 multifunctional fighter-bomber is the newest aircraft of this class in the Russian Air Force and belongs to the “4+” generation of aircraft. At the same time, it is positioned as a front-line bomber, since it must replace the outdated Su-24 M aircraft in the troops. It is intended for delivering high-precision missile and bomb strikes, including the use of nuclear weapons, against ground (surface) targets at any time of the day in any weather conditions. ... In the west it is designated "Fullback".
By mid-2015, 69 Su-34 aircraft (including 8 prototypes) out of 124 ordered were delivered to combat units.
In the future, the Russian Air Force plans to deliver about 150-200 new aircraft and by 2020 completely replace the outdated Su-24 with them. Thus, now the Su-34 is the main strike aircraft of our Air Force, capable of using the entire range of high-precision air-to-surface weapons.
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Main characteristics of the Su-34 |
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2 persons |
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Wingspan |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
2 × TRDDF AL ‑ 31 F ‑ M1 |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 8250 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
2 × 13500 kgf |
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Maximum speed at altitude |
1900 km / h (M = 1.8) |
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Maximum speed at the ground |
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Ferry range |
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Combat radius |
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Practical ceiling |
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Armament: |
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Built-in - 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon External sling - all types of modern guided air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, unguided missiles, aerial bombs, cluster bombs |
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The modern aircraft fleet of fighter aircraft consists of the following types of aircraft:
- front-line fighters MiG-29 of various modifications - 184 units. In addition to the MiG-29 S, MiG-29 M and MiG-29UB modifications, the latest versions of the MiG-29 SMT and MiG-29UBT (28 and 6 units as of 2013) were adopted. At the same time, the aircraft of the old construction are not planned to be modernized. On the basis of the MiG-29, a promising multipurpose fighter MiG-35 was created, but the signing of a contract for its production was postponed in favor of the MiG-29 SMT.
- front-line fighters Su-27 of various modifications - 360 units, including 52 Su-27UB. Since 2010, re-equipment has been under way for new modifications of the Su-27 SM and Su-27 SM3, of which 82 units have been delivered.
- front-line fighters Su-35 S - 34 units. According to the contract, it is planned to complete the delivery of a series of 48 aircraft of this type by 2015.
- multipurpose fighters Su-30 of various modifications - 51 units, including 16 Su-30 M2 and 32 Su-30 SM. At the same time, the delivery of the second series of the Su-30 SM is currently underway; by 2016, 30 units are to be delivered.
- MiG-31 interceptor fighters of several modifications - 252 units. It is known that since 2014, the MiG-31 BS aircraft have been upgraded to the level of the MiG-31 BSM, another 60 MiG-31 B aircraft are planned to be upgraded to the MiG-31 BM by 2020.
MiG-29
The MiG-29, a light front-line fighter of the fourth generation, was developed back in the USSR and has been in series production since 1983. In fact, he was one of the best fighters of its class in the world and, having a very successful design, was repeatedly modernized and, in the form of the latest modifications as part of the Russian Air Force, entered the 21st century as a multipurpose one. Originally intended for air superiority at tactical depth. In the west it is known as "Fulcrum".
By the time of the collapse of the USSR, about 1400 cars of various variants were produced at factories in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. Now the MiG-29 in different versions is in service with the armies of more than two dozen countries of the near and far abroad, where it managed to take part in local wars and armed conflicts.
Now in service with the Russian Air Force are 184 MiG-29 fighters of the following modifications:
- MiG-29 S - had an increased combat load in comparison with the MiG-29, was equipped with new weapons;
- MiG-29 M - multipurpose fighter of the “4+” generation, had an increased range and combat load, was equipped with new weapons;
- MiG-29UB - double combat training version without radar;
- The MiG-29 SMT is the latest modernized version with the ability to use high-precision air-to-surface weapons, increased flight range, the latest electronics (first flight in 1997, adopted in 2004, 28 units delivered by 2013), weapons are placed on six underwing and one ventral external sling units, there is a built-in 30-mm cannon;
- MiG-29UBT - combat training version of the MiG-29 SMT (6 units delivered).
For the most part, all the old MiG-29 aircraft were physically outdated and it was decided not to repair or modernize them, but to purchase new equipment instead - the MiG-29 SMT (in 2014 a contract was signed for the supply of 16 aircraft) and the MiG-29UBT, and also promising MiG-35 fighters.
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Main characteristics of the MiG-29 SMT |
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1 person |
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Wingspan |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
2 × TRDDF RD-33 |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 5040 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
2 × 8300 kgf |
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Maximum speed at the ground |
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Cruising speed |
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Practical range |
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Practical range with PTB |
2800 ... 3500 km |
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Practical ceiling |
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Armament: |
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On external sling: Guided air-to-surface missiles - Kh ‑ 29 L / T, Kh ‑ 31 A / P, Kh ‑ 35 Containers KMGU-2 |
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MiG-35
The new Russian 4 ++ generation MiG-35 multipurpose fighter is a deep modernization of the MiG-29 M series aircraft developed by the MiG Design Bureau. By design, it is maximally unified with aircraft of early release, but at the same time it has an increased combat load and flight range, reduced radar signature, is equipped with a radar with an active phased antenna array, the latest electronics, an electronic warfare system, has an open architecture of avionics, the ability to refuel in the air. The two-seater modification has the designation MiG-35 D.
The MiG-35 is designed to gain air superiority and intercept enemy air attack weapons, deliver precision weapons strikes against ground (surface) targets without entering the air defense zone day and night in any weather conditions, and conduct aerial reconnaissance using airborne weapons.
The issue of equipping the Russian Air Force with MiG-35 aircraft remains open until a contract with the Ministry of Defense is signed.
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Main characteristics of the MiG-35 |
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1 - 2 people |
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Wingspan |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
2 × TRDDF RD-33 MK / MKV |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 5400 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
2 × 9000 kgf |
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Maximum speed at high altitude |
2400 km / h (M = 2.25) |
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Maximum speed at the ground |
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Cruising speed |
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Practical range |
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Practical range with PTB |
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Combat radius |
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Flight duration |
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Practical ceiling |
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Rate of climb |
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Armament: |
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Built-in - 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon (150 rounds) On external sling: Guided air-to-air missiles - R ‑ 73, R ‑ 27 R / T, R ‑ 27ET / ER, R ‑ 77 Guided air-to-surface missiles - Kh ‑ 25 ML / MR, Kh ‑ 29 L / T, Kh ‑ 31 A / P, Kh ‑ 35 Unguided missiles - 80 ‑ mm S ‑ 8, 122 ‑ mm S ‑ 13, 240 ‑ mm S ‑ 24 Air bombs, cassettes - FAB-500, KAB-500 L / KR, ZB-500, FAB-250, RBK-250, OFAB-100 |
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Su-27
The Su-27 front-line fighter is a fourth-generation aircraft developed in the USSR at the Sukhoi Design Bureau in the early 1980s. Intended for air superiority and was at one time one of the best fighters in its class. The latest modifications of the Su-27 continue to be in service with the Russian Air Force, in addition, as a result of the deep modernization of the Su-27, new models of the 4+ generation fighters have been developed. Along with the fourth-generation light front-line fighter, the MiG-29 was one of the world's best aircraft of its class. According to the western classification, it is called "Flanker".
Currently, the Air Force combat units include 226 Su-27 and 52 Su-27UB fighters of the old production. Since 2010, rearmament has begun on an upgraded version of the Su-27 SM (first flight in 2002). Now 70 of these machines have been delivered to the troops. In addition, fighters of the Su ‑ 27 CM3 modification (12 units produced) are supplied, which differ from the previous version in the AL ‑ 31 F ‑ M1 engines (thrust at afterburner 13500 kgf), a reinforced airframe structure and additional weapons suspension points.
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Main characteristics of the Su-27 SM |
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1 person |
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Wingspan |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
2 × TRDDF AL-31F |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 7600 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
2 × 12500 kgf |
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Maximum speed at high altitude |
2500 km / h (M = 2.35) |
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Maximum speed at the ground |
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Practical range |
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Practical ceiling |
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Rate of climb |
more than 330 m / s |
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Takeoff / run length |
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Armament: |
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Built-in - 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon (150 rounds) Guided air-to-surface missiles - Kh ‑ 29 L / T, Kh ‑ 31 A / P, Kh ‑ 59 Air bombs, cassettes - FAB-500, KAB-500 L / KR, ZB-500, FAB-250, RBK-250, OFAB-100 |
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Su-30
The Su-30 heavy two-seat multipurpose fighter of the 4+ generation was created at the Sukhoi Design Bureau on the basis of the Su-27UB combat trainer by way of deep modernization. The main purpose is to control group combat actions of fighters in solving the tasks of conquering air superiority, supporting combat operations of other types of aviation, covering ground forces and objects, destroying airborne assault forces in the air, as well as conducting aerial reconnaissance and destroying ground (surface) targets. The Su-30 features a long range and duration of flights and effective control of a group of fighters. The western designation of the aircraft is "Flanker-C".
The Russian Air Force currently includes 3 Su-30, 16 Su-30 M2 (all manufactured by KNAAPO) and 32 Su-30 SM (manufactured by the Irkut plant). The last two modifications are delivered in accordance with contracts from 2012, when two batches of 30 Su-30 SM units (until 2016) and 16 Su-30 M2 units were ordered.
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Main characteristics of the Su-30 SM |
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2 persons |
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Wingspan |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Takeoff weight limit |
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Engines |
2 × TRDDF AL-31FP |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 7700 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
2 × 12500 kgf |
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Maximum speed at high altitude |
2125 km / h (M = 2) |
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Maximum speed at the ground |
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Flight range without refueling at the ground |
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Flight range without refueling at altitude |
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Combat radius |
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Flight duration without refueling |
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Practical ceiling |
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Rate of climb |
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Takeoff / run length |
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Armament: |
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Built-in - 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon (150 rounds) External sling: Guided air-to-air missiles - R ‑ 73, R ‑ 27 R / T, R ‑ 27ET / ER, R ‑ 77 Guided air-to-surface missiles - Kh ‑ 29 L / T, Kh ‑ 31 A / P, Kh ‑ 59 M Unguided rockets - 80 ‑ mm S ‑ 8, 122 ‑ mm S ‑ 13 Air bombs, cassettes - FAB-500, KAB-500 L / KR, FAB-250, RBK-250, KMGU |
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Su-35
The Su-35 multipurpose super-maneuverable fighter belongs to the “4 ++” generation and is equipped with engines with thrust vector control. Developed at the Sukhoi Design Bureau, this aircraft is very close in its characteristics to fifth-generation fighters. The Su-35 is designed to gain air superiority and intercept enemy air attack weapons, deliver precision weapons strikes against ground (surface) targets without entering the air defense zone day and night in any weather
conditions, as well as conducting aerial reconnaissance using airborne means. In the west it has the designation "Flanker-E +".
In 2009, a contract was signed to supply the Russian Air Force with 48 of the latest production Su-35C fighters in the period 2012–2015, of which 34 units are already in the army. It is planned to conclude another contract for the supply of these aircraft in 2015–2020.
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Main characteristics of the Su-35 |
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1 person |
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Wingspan |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
2 × TRDDF with OVT AL-41F1S |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 8800 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
2 × 14500 kgf |
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Maximum speed at high altitude |
2500 km / h (M = 2.25) |
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Maximum speed at the ground |
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Flight range near the ground |
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Flight range at altitude |
3600 ... 4500 km |
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Practical ceiling |
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Rate of climb |
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Takeoff / run length |
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Armament: |
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Built-in - 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon (150 rounds) On external sling: Guided air-to-air missiles - R ‑ 73, R ‑ 27 R / T, R ‑ 27ET / ER, R ‑ 77 Guided air-to-surface missiles - Kh ‑ 29 T / L, Kh ‑ 31 A / P, Kh ‑ 59 M, promising long-range missiles Unguided missiles - 80 ‑ mm S ‑ 8, 122 ‑ mm S ‑ 13, 266 ‑ mm S ‑ 25 Air bombs, cassettes - KAB-500 L / KR, FAB-500, FAB-250, RBK-250, KMGU |
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MiG-31
The two-seat supersonic all-weather long-range fighter-interceptor MiG-31 was developed in the USSR at the Mikoyan Design Bureau in the 1970s. At the time, it was the first fourth generation aircraft. It was intended to intercept and destroy air targets at all altitudes - from extremely low to the highest, day and night, in any weather conditions, in a difficult jamming environment. In fact, the main task of the MiG-31 was to intercept cruise missiles in the entire range of altitudes and speeds, as well as low-flying satellites. The fastest combat aircraft. The modern MiG-31 BM has an on-board radar with unique characteristics that are not yet available to other foreign aircraft. According to Western classification, it has the designation "Foxhound".
The MiG-31 interceptor fighters (252 units) currently in service with the Russian Air Force have several modifications:
- MiG-31 B - serial modification with an air refueling system (adopted for service in 1990)
- MiG-31 BS - a variant of the base MiG-31, upgraded to the level of the MiG-31 B, but without a refueling rod in the air.
- The MiG-31 BM is a modernized version with the Zaslon-M radar (developed in 1998), with a range increased to 320 km, equipped with the latest electronic systems, including satellite navigation, and capable of using guided air-to-surface missiles. By 2020, it is planned to upgrade 60 MiG-31 B to the level of the MiG-31 BM. The second stage of state tests of the aircraft was completed in 2012.
- The MiG-31 BSM is a modernized version of the MiG-31 BS with the Zaslon-M radar and the corresponding electronics. The modernization of combat aircraft has been underway since 2014.
Thus, the Russian Air Force will have 60 MiG-31 BM and 30-40 MiG-31 BSM aircraft in service, and approximately 150 old-production aircraft will be decommissioned. It is possible that in the future there will be a new interceptor known under the code name MiG-41.
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Main characteristics of the MiG-31 BM |
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2 persons |
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Wingspan |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
2 × TRDDF D-30 F6 |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 9500 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
2 × 15500 kgf |
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Maximum speed at high altitude |
3000 km / h (M = 2.82) |
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Maximum speed at the ground |
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Subsonic cruising speed |
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Cruising speed supersonic |
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Practical range |
1450 ... 3000 km |
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Flight range at high altitude with one refueling |
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Combat radius |
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Practical ceiling |
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Rate of climb |
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Takeoff / run length |
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Armament: |
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Built in: 23-mm 6-barreled gun GSh-23-6 (260 patr.) On external sling: Guided air-to-air missiles - R ‑ 60 M, R ‑ 73, R ‑ 77, R ‑ 40, R ‑ 33 S, R ‑ 37 Guided air-to-surface missiles - Kh ‑ 25 MPU, Kh ‑ 29 T / L, Kh ‑ 31 A / P, Kh ‑ 59 M Air bombs, cassettes - KAB-500 L / KR, FAB-500, FAB-250, RBK-250 |
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Promising developments
PAK-FA
The promising front-line aviation complex - PAK FA - includes a fifth-generation multipurpose fighter being developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau under the designation T-50. In terms of the totality of characteristics, it will have to surpass all foreign counterparts and in the near future, after being put into service, will become the main aircraft of the fighter frontal aviation of the Russian Air Force.
The PAK FA is designed to gain air supremacy and intercept enemy air attack weapons in all altitude ranges, as well as deliver high-precision weapons strikes against ground (surface) targets without entering the air defense zone day and night in any weather conditions, can be used for aerial reconnaissance using onboard facilities. The aircraft fully meets all the requirements for fifth generation fighters: stealth, supersonic cruising speed, high maneuverability with high G-forces, advanced electronics, and versatility.
According to plans, the serial production of the T-50 aircraft for the Russian Air Force should begin in 2016, and by 2020 the first aviation units equipped with it will appear in Russia. It is also known that production for export is also possible. In particular, an export modification is being created together with India, which has received the designation FGFA (Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft).
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Main characteristics (presumptive) PAK-FA |
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1 person |
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Wingspan |
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Wing area |
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Empty weight |
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Normal takeoff weight |
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Maximum takeoff weight |
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Engines |
2 × TRDDF with UVT AL-41F1 |
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Maximum thrust |
2 × 8800 kgf |
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Afterburner thrust |
2 × 15000 kgf |
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Maximum speed at high altitude |
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Cruising speed |
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Practical range at subsonic speed |
2700 ... 4300 km |
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Practical range with PTB |
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Practical range at supersonic speed |
1200 ... 2000 km |
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Flight duration |
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Practical ceiling |
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Rate of climb |
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Armament: |
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Built-in - 30 mm cannon 9 A1-4071 K (260 pat.) Internal suspension - all types of modern and advanced guided missiles "air-to-air" and "air-to-surface", aerial bombs, cluster bombs |
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PAK-DP (MiG-41)
Some sources report that at present, the MiG Design Bureau, together with the Sokol Design Bureau (Nizhny Novgorod), are developing a long-range high-speed interceptor fighter with the code name “a promising long-range intercept aircraft complex” - PAK DP, also known as the MiG-41. It was stated that the development was started in 2013 on the basis of the MiG-31 fighter by order of the chief of staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Perhaps they mean a deep modernization of the MiG-31, the study of which was carried out earlier, but was not implemented. It was also reported that a promising interceptor is planned to be developed as part of the weapons program until 2020 and put into service until 2028.
In 2014, information appeared in the media that the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force V. Bondarev said that now only research work is underway, and from 2017 it is planned to begin development work on the creation of a promising long-range intercept aviation complex.
(continued in the next issue)
Summary table of the quantitative composition of aircraft
Air Force of the Russian Federation (2014–2015) *
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Aircraft type |
Quantity |
Planned |
Planned |
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Bomber aviation as part of long-range aviation |
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Strategic missile carriers Tu-160 |
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Strategic missile carriers Tu-95MS |
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Long missile bombers Tu-22M3 |
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Bomber and assault aviation as part of front-line aviation |
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Su-25 attack aircraft |
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Front-line bombers Su-24M |
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Su-34 fighter-bombers |
124 (total) |
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Fighter aircraft as part of front-line aviation |
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Front-line fighters MiG-29, MiG-29SMT |
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Front-line fighters Su-27, Su-27SM |
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Front-line fighters Su-35S |
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Multipurpose fighters Su-30, Su-30SM |
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Fighter-interceptors MiG-31, MiG-31BSM |
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Advanced aviation complex of front-line aviation - PAK FA |
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Military transport aviation |
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Transport aircraft An-22 |
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Transport aircraft An-124 and An-124-100 |
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Transport aircraft Il-76M, Il-76MDM, Il-76MD-90A |
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Transport aircraft An-12 |
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Transport aircraft An-72 |
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Transport aircraft An-26, An-24 |
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Transport and passenger aircraft Il-18, Tu-134, Il-62, Tu-154, An-148, An-140 |
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Il-112V promising military transport aircraft |
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Il-214 promising military transport aircraft |
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Army aviation helicopters |
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Multipurpose helicopters Mi-8M, Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-8AMT, Mi-8MTV |
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Transport and combat helicopters Mi-24V, Mi-24P, Mi-35 |
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Attack helicopters Mi-28N |
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Attack helicopters Ka-50 |
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Attack helicopters Ka-52 |
146 (total) |
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Transport helicopters Mi-26, Mi-26M |
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Advanced multipurpose helicopter Mi-38 |
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Reconnaissance and special aviation |
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Aircraft AWACS A-50, A-50U |
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Aircraft RER and electronic warfare Il-20M |
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Reconnaissance aircraft An-30 |
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Reconnaissance aircraft Tu-214R |
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Reconnaissance aircraft Tu-214ON |
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IL-80 air command posts |
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Refueling aircraft Il-78, Il-78M |
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Advanced aircraft AWACS A-100 |
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Promising aircraft RER and electronic warfare A-90 |
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Il-96-400TZ tanker aircraft |
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Unmanned aerial vehicles (transferred to the Ground Forces) |
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"Bee-1T" |
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