(in the abbreviation VKS) are a new branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, since they were formed in 2015. It will soon be a year since they began to fulfill their tasks. After all, on August 1 of that year, a presidential decree was issued on the entry into force of the Aerospace Forces.
History
The Aerospace Forces is a structure formed as a result of the unification of the air and space forces of our country, therefore the history of their emergence consists of several different stages. It is worth first talking about the space units.
It all started in the middle of the last century. The first parts that dealt with control and launch appeared in Russia back in 1955. Then, in 1957, the so-called Command and Measurement Complex was created, designed to control spacecraft. And in 1961, as everyone is well aware, the world's first manned spacecraft Vostok was launched. Then the TsUKOS, that is, the Central Directorate of Space Facilities, organized and managed this activity. In 1992, the VKS took up this. But not air space forces, but the military. But the abbreviation was the same as it is now.
air force
They have existed since 1912. Their structure includes not only aviation, but also radio engineering, anti-aircraft missile, aeronautical and many other troops.
In the 1930s, the Air Force developed very rapidly. Russian aviation was directly involved in Soviet-Finnish war held in 1939. Then more than a hundred thousand sorties were carried out. Losses amounted to 627 aircraft. Most of them were shot down, some were lost during catastrophes or accidents. Many received such damage, because of which it was simply not possible to return the machines to service. 14 percent are missing.
Creation of the videoconferencing
As it was already possible to understand, both cosmic and air force associated with the same environment, and therefore the reasons for their association are quite clear. Sergei Shoigu, who is the Minister of Defense of our country, also spoke about this. He argued that if the aerospace forces were organized, it would be possible to improve the overall defense system of the state. First, the responsibility for the formation of both military and technical policy will be concentrated in one hand. Secondly, by combining several structures together, it will be possible to significantly increase their effectiveness. And, thanks to all of the above, the aerospace forces will develop more dynamically. So the premises are quite clear and logically justified.
It is interesting that less than two months have passed since the creation of the Aerospace Forces, as the troops of the new structure have already been sent to Syria to conduct a military operation. It was on the last day of September 2015. The operation involved not only attack aircraft and bombers, but also strategic aircraft.
Tasks
Russia is carrying out very important activities. One of the main tasks is to detect ballistic missile launches and an attack planned by the enemy. The aerospace forces of Russia should notify the highest levels of command about this.
They can also hit the warheads of enemy ballistic missiles if he intends to attack an important government facility and provide protection to command posts.
More peaceful tasks include launching aircraft and satellites into orbit. The structures of the Aerospace Forces are also obliged to ensure that Russia is not threatened by a threat emanating from air and outer space.
Another task is carried out the new kind armed forces. The aerospace structures are obliged to maintain all the equipment in full readiness, so that at any time in the event of a threat, it can be launched and used in action.
Command
The aerospace forces of the Russian Federation have a very branched structure and a considerable range of tasks that they are required to perform. This could already be understood based on all of the above. And the leadership team, respectively, is also large. Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces - Colonel-General Nikolaevich. It will be discussed in more detail a little later.
The main headquarters is commanded by the first deputy of Viktor Nikolaevich - Lieutenant General Kurachenko Pavel Pavlovich. The same title is Dronov Sergey Vladimirovich. He is the second deputy commander-in-chief of the VKS. As a matter of fact, the entire command staff that the aerospace forces of the Russian Federation have is lieutenant generals, there are no other ranks. The composition that has not yet been listed also includes Yudin A.V., Humenny V.V. and Golovko A.V.
Head of structure
So, now it is worth telling in more detail about Viktor Nikolaevich Bondarev. He is the chief commander of the Aerospace Forces. Born in 1959, December 7, in the Voronezh region. Since 2012, he has been the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force. After the creation of the aerospace forces was put into practice, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin appointed the colonel general as head of the new structure. On March 16 of this year, the President of the Russian Federation presented V. N. Bondarev with the Battle Banner of the Aerospace Forces.
It is worth noting that in 2000 Viktor Nikolaevich was awarded the title of Hero Russian Federation. Bondarev is also a participant in the first and second Chechen wars. He flew over 400 sorties. It must also be said that Bondarev is an honored military pilot of Russia and is qualified as a sniper pilot.
What is the future
It can be stated with certainty that the structure of the HQS will continue to develop in the Russian Federation. Now there are several specialized educational institutions where you can get the appropriate specialty. They are located in Voronezh, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Yaroslavl and Tver. In 2017, it is planned to open a presidential school (in the capital of Russia). Surely will be created educational establishments this direction and in other places of our state.
And, of course, training units are located in different Russian cities, where conscripts are sent to serve in the army, from there they are transferred to combat units. Previously, all units belonged to the Air Force, but after 2015 they, of course, were renamed.
By the way, the Aerospace Forces is a branch of the military in which recruits will not only have to train a lot and engage in physical activity, in these parts you still need to carry out mental activity. After all, everything is connected with aircraft and other devices. Therefore, once in the VKS, the recruit must be prepared for the fact that he will have to learn a lot of very important and necessary material.
Pavel KURACHENKO,
Member of the Presidium of the Nondepartmental Expert Council on Aerospace Issues, Lieutenant General, Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces.
Based on the materials of the report "Aerospace Forces - Russia's New Shield"
Russia and the world
The results of the analysis of the military-political situation in the world show that Western states, led by the United States, are returning in their political ambitions to the times cold war. Russia was chosen as the primary target, since it represents, on the one hand, a potential organizational core of resistance to the plans of the West, and, on the other hand, a resource base for any non-Western coalition.
Russia is the only global power capable and ready to counteract militarily and ideologically. To weaken it, to enclose it, to deprive it of geostrategic maneuver, information warfare measures, economic sanctions, and a demonstration of military superiority are used. The most dangerous period for Russia will come at the turn of 2020-2025, when the technological re-equipment of developed countries and China will begin, and the United States and other Western countries will emerge from the depression of 2008-2018 and make a new technological leap.
The pattern that "the course and outcome of hostilities is largely determined by successful operations in the air and outer space" determines the real state of affairs in this area. This is convincingly evidenced by the experience of military conflicts in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries.
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The role of air defense systems in armed struggle
The active actions or inaction of the national air defense systems (air defense) of the state and strike forces determined the course and outcome of the armed struggle. This was the case in Vietnam, where the active and effective actions of the national air defense forces forced the aggressor to abandon the war. On the other hand, the inaction or weakness of national air defense systems led to the collapse of a number of states. So it was in Iraq, Libya, Yugoslavia.
The problem of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation in the aerospace sphere is becoming more relevant than ever. In the interests of its solution, from August 1, 2015, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, a new branch of the Armed Forces, the Aerospace Forces (VKS), began to fulfill its tasks. It is both a sword and a shield of Russia in the aerospace sphere.
The combat strength of the Aerospace Forces includes: the High Command of the Aerospace Forces, the command of long-range aviation, the command of military transport aviation, four formations of the Air Force and Air Defense of military districts, an air defense and missile defense formation and an association of the Aerospace Forces, as well as a state test spaceport.
There are three types of troops in the Russian Aerospace Forces: the Air Force, the Air and Missile Defense Forces, and the Space Forces. In addition, the VKS includes special troops: military units and electronic warfare units; communications, radio engineering and automated systems management; engineering and meteorological.
The decision to create the Aerospace Forces was preceded by a lengthy discussion in the open press, the participants of which were many of the members of the WEC of the East Kazakhstan region. The considerations expressed during it, as well as the positions set forth in various documents, were carefully studied by members of the group of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which was entrusted with the development of proposals for the creation of a new type of Armed Forces. The final conclusions are formed on the basis of a creative synthesis of various views and accumulated experience in the construction and use of forces acting in the aerospace sphere. At the same time, the experience of both our own and the advanced powers was taken into account.
Aviation, missile and space means of armed struggle now form the basis of not only the air forces of the leading states of the world. They are also an integral component of modern navies and ground forces. This has led to the fact that the coverage of the air (and in recent decades - the aerospace) sphere has become an indispensable attribute of modern combined arms combat. The struggle for air supremacy has firmly entered the category of the highest priority tasks of armed confrontation.
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The main tasks of the Aerospace Forces are:
Maintaining the potential of troops (forces) at a level that ensures, in cooperation with other branches and branches of the Armed Forces, a guaranteed solution to the tasks of strategic deterrence;
Conducting reconnaissance of the aerospace situation and opening the beginning of the attack;
Repelling aggression in the aerospace sphere and protecting industrial and economic regions, important facilities of the country and groupings of troops from space and air strikes;
Defeat objects and troops of the enemy;
Provision of spacecraft launches and their control in orbital flight.
Strategic deterrence
Considering the participation of the RF aerospace defense system in strategic deterrence, it should be noted that the primary and relatively low-cost response to the aggravation of the threat of a “disarming” strike, due to the development of the US strategic potential, may be to increase the role of a retaliatory strike by the RF Strategic Nuclear Forces (SNF). The task of the aerospace defense under these conditions is to improve the warning capabilities within the framework of the emerging air and space attack reconnaissance and warning system (SARIA).
Its solution is possible due to the separation of the SRPVKN, the inclusion in its composition of elements of space, air, land and sea-based, functioning on various physical principles. Such a construction of the PWVKN will ensure that the requirements for the time of issuance and the reliability of warning information are met. The composition of reconnaissance assets by echelons should be determined taking into account the nature possible actions Enemy AOS, climatic and geophysical features in a specific strategic aerospace direction.
For all the importance of increasing the effectiveness of a retaliatory strike, it must be taken into account that strategic stability will be as reliable as possible if it is able to inflict unacceptable damage on the aggressor in a retaliatory strike, that is, in the most difficult circumstances for the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation. This ability is ensured by the high survivability of strategic nuclear forces. The participation of the Aerospace Defense in the implementation of such survivability is reduced to the fire cover of strategic nuclear forces. As a priority, we propose to consider the objects of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN). The primary nature of their cover is due to the fact that these troops contain the main potential of strategic nuclear forces and the entire potential of a retaliatory strike.
An analysis of the development of possible scenarios of a military confrontation with the participation of the Russian Federation, based on taking into account factors of a military-political, military-technical and military-geographical nature, allows us to draw the following conclusions.
In wars of various scales using only conventional weapons, armed confrontation in the aerospace sphere will play a decisive role, especially in initial period war.
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The tasks of the aerospace defense in such wars will be:
Continuous reconnaissance of aerospace, issuance of reconnaissance information and warning information about the operational deployment of forces and means of aerospace attack, the beginning of the attack, the operational formation and actions of the SVKN groupings;
Covering the most important objects of the Armed Forces, strategic reserves from attacks by the enemy's airborne control systems in their places of deployment, concentration, during the advancement, deployment and in their operations, fleet forces at base points and at sea within the range of forces and means of the aerospace defense, key economic and infrastructure facilities in the conflict area.
Effective Solution informational and power tasks will help prevent the enemy from gaining and maintaining air superiority with the forces and means of the aerospace defense.
With regard to the Russian Federation, it should be noted the factors that create favorable conditions for the use of groups of air and space forces of foreign states and determine the preference for an aerospace invasion compared to a land one.
These factors include:
The presence of large groupings of the SVKN of foreign states near the borders of the Russian Federation;
The proximity of the Russian Federation to the centers of instability and increased conflict, the presence of such centers within the borders of the CIS and the Russian Federation itself;
The large length of the borders, the area of \u200b\u200bthe territory, which complicates the possibility of concentrating air defense forces (VKO) in threatened directions;
The presence of an enclave (Kaliningrad region), as well as remote and hard-to-reach areas (Primorye, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Chukotka);
Presence of objects of strategic nuclear forces, nuclear power plants, chemical enterprises and other potentially hazardous facilities;
Lack of sufficient information background in the most important areas.
Together, these and other factors create favorable conditions for the use of SVKN groupings by potential adversaries, determine the preference for an aerospace invasion over a land one, and at the same time make it difficult to solve the tasks of the country's aerospace defense.
Under certain conditions, the goal of aggression can be achieved without a land invasion. If the ultimate goal of aggression is to seize part of the territory of the Russian Federation and establish control over it natural resources, then the air (aerospace) phase of armed confrontation will be aimed at creating favorable conditions for a land (sea) invasion.
The effective solution of information and power tasks by the forces and means of the aerospace defense will help prevent the enemy from quickly gaining and maintaining unconditional superiority in the air.
The effective solution of information and power tasks by the forces and means of the aerospace defense will help prevent the enemy from quickly gaining and maintaining unconditional superiority in the air
Problems and ways to solve them
The experience of wars in the 20th and early 21st centuries convincingly testifies that without modern aerospace defense, the war will certainly be lost. However, the same experience also shows that with passive defense one cannot in principle count on a favorable outcome for the defender, no matter how effective the defense may be.
Consideration, and even more so planning as alternatives only shock or only defensive actions in the course of armed confrontation is permissible only in a purely theoretical sense. The advantages of combining defensive and offensive actions have long been proven by the practice of past wars, including the experience of the Great Patriotic War.
Only in the case of the complex use by the defending side of both defensive and striking means in repelling aggression, armed confrontation acquires the main classical features of war. Otherwise, most often something similar to a punitive operation takes place. This is exactly what the actions of the US Air Force and Navy against Libya (1986), the actions of the multinational forces against Iraq (1991), the actions of NATO countries against Yugoslavia (1999) look like. The outcome of all the military conflicts listed above is known. The absence of the ability of one of the parties to deliver strikes against the enemy unequivocally ensures the victory of the other side, no matter how strong the air defense the victim of aggression possesses. The only question is time.
An effective solution to the problems of armed confrontation in the aerospace sphere is impossible without the presence of modern system control, which ensures the integrated use of the shock and defensive components. To date, a command and control system for troops (forces) of the aerospace defense has been created and is being improved. Unfortunately, the impact component control system lags behind modern requirements. The solution of this problem will make it possible to create an integrated strike-defense system that solves the problem of conducting armed struggle in the aerospace sphere.
The main directions of the construction and development of the VCS in terms of VKO are:
Creation of advanced air defense missile defense systems and their integration into single system management of aerospace defense;
Re-equipment of troops on promising models of military equipment and military equipment of the East Kazakhstan region;
Improving the reconnaissance and information systems of the PRN (missile attack warning) and the KKP, as well as their integration into a single system of reconnaissance and warning of an aerospace attack;
Increasing the strength and quality characteristics of the domestic orbital constellation.
Speaking about the currently most important problem of building up groupings of troops (forces) in strategic directions, it should be noted that its solution should go along three main directions:
Creation of completely new groupings of troops (forces) equipped with modern weapons and military equipment;
Increasing the quantitative and qualitative composition of existing groupings of troops (forces);
Ensuring the strategic mobility of aviation and air defense forces.
In general, the implementation of the planned activities by 2021 will allow the East Kazakhstan region of the Russian Federation to fulfill its tasks.
The capabilities of the SRPVKN will provide timely warning of an aerospace attack in order to ensure a decision is made on response actions, including the use of strategic nuclear forces.
Missile defense capabilities will increase significantly.
Guaranteed anti-aircraft missile cover will be provided for the most important military and government facilities, primarily strategic nuclear forces and top management management of the state and the armed forces.
The implementation of the planned plans for the construction of the aerospace defense of the Russian Federation is impossible without a clear, high-quality and, most importantly, well-coordinated work of all military command and control bodies, research organizations and enterprises of the military-industrial complex. A large role in this process is also assigned to the WEC on the problems of aerospace defense.
Work on the creation of the aerospace defense of the Russian Federation should be carried out with a general focus, providing for the creation and development of information and fire weapons with the obligatory interface through a unified system of combat control and communications.
Russian sword shield
The aerospace forces will protect Russia from a sudden enemy attack and create conditions for inflicting unacceptable damage on him in a retaliatory strike.
A new type of troops - Aerospace Forces (VKS) - was created in a timely manner and fully complies with the current military-political situation in the world.
The events in Ukraine and Syria have shown that the United States and its allies have chosen the Russian Federation as a primary target, which is the organizing core of resistance to the plans of the West and a powerful resource base. The VKS troops were created taking into account different views and accumulated experience (including foreign) in the construction and use of forces operating in the aerospace sphere.
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First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Pavel Kurachenko, believes that "Russia today is the only global force that is capable and ready to counteract ... the military and political plans" of the West. He stated this at the scientific and technical conference "Aerospace as a sphere of protection of the planet Earth." According to him, "information warfare measures, economic sanctions and demonstration of military superiority" are used to achieve the goals.
However, understanding general situation, opponents continue to doubt the advisability of creating a videoconferencing system. In their opinion, the previously existing structures successfully solved their tasks and ensured the security of the country. Periodically, in one form or another, the question arises: what required the creation of a new type of troops?
Reasons for the creation of the videoconferencing
The collapse of Russia using various, including military means, is the main and long-standing goal of the West. It is clear to everyone that the use of nuclear weapons would be a disaster both for the victim of aggression and for the aggressor himself. Therefore, today and in the future, in the armed struggle against Russia, first of all, existing and promising conventional means of aerospace attack will be used, and gaining dominance in the aerospace sphere by them will become the main task with the outbreak of hostilities.
The United States and its NATO allies consider the AFCS as the main means, and air and space as the main "field" of confrontation with the Russian Federation. This is an indisputable conclusion from an analysis of trends in the development of means of armed struggle, methods of their use, as well as the results of wars and military conflicts in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries.
Reasons for the creation of the videoconferencing
The first and main reason for the creation of the Aerospace Forces is the unswerving desire of the United States to achieve military superiority over Russia in the aerospace sphere. It is precisely for this that the concept of a lightning-fast global strike using hypersonic weapons was developed, the main provisions of which are being gradually implemented today.
US hypersonic cruise missile successfully tested
The US Air Force successfully tested the X-51A Waverider hypersonic cruise missile, reports Space.com.
Tests of a rocket capable of reaching speeds five times the speed of sound took place on May 1 over the Pacific Ocean. The X-51A Waverider was launched from a B-52H Stratofortress from Edwards Air Force Base in California. The hypersonic missile was launched at an altitude of 15.2 thousand meters and rose to 18.2 thousand meters. The flight time of the rocket was 370 seconds. During them, the X-51A Waverider reached a speed of Mach 5.1 (6.1 thousand kilometers per hour) and covered a distance of 426 kilometers. After that, the hypersonic missile destroyed itself.
The main focus is "on gaining dominance in the air and space, conducting massive aerospace operations at the very beginning of the war with strikes against strategic and vital targets throughout the depths of the country," he said. Deputy Defense Ministry Arkady Bakhin.
At the same time, "the degree of threats themselves to Russia in the aerospace sphere will steadily increase."
Viktor Baranets, a military observer for the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, also supports his opinion. He believes that "America continues to militarize space and is stepping up its efforts here," despite the fact that today we have "one group responsible for airspace, and others for space."
Another important reason for the creation of the Aerospace Forces is the steady implementation of US plans to deploy American missile defense elements in Europe directly at the borders of Russia. President of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences Konstantin Sivkov believes that today a European region is actually being created as part of the US global missile defense system.
Diagram of the missile defense system in Europe
The third reason, closely intertwined with the above, is the buildup of NATO forces in Europe and the growth of a direct military threat to Russia. This is the transfer of American military equipment and its deployment on a rotational basis in the Baltic States, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and other European countries, the creation of bloc rapid reaction forces, forcing alliance partners to increase their defense budget, etc. etc.
Thus, the creation of the Aerospace Forces is an adequate response to the complex of military-political threats to Russia from the United States and NATO. This is implemented by integrating all forces and means to effectively repel an aerospace attack by a potential enemy. Taking into account the existing threats, the Aerospace Forces are called upon to solve the problems of deterring and neutralizing American plans in the aerospace sphere.
Based on the experience of past years, it can be argued that the actions of national air defense systems determine the course and outcome of armed struggle. Thus, the strong air defense of Vietnam, whose military and economic potential was noticeably inferior to the aggressor, became main reason US refusal to continue the war. And, on the contrary, the weakness of the air defense systems of Iraq, Libya and Yugoslavia led to their defeat, and the latter disappeared altogether as a state.
In addition, other factors contribute to the use of SVKN groupings and the enemy’s aerospace attack on Russia. According to Kurachenko, this is the presence of large groups of foreign AFKN near the borders of the Russian Federation and its proximity to the centers of instability; large length of borders and area of the country; the presence of an enclave - the Kaliningrad region, the remoteness and inaccessibility of Primorye, Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Chukotka; the presence of potentially dangerous for the population - in case of their destruction - objects. These and other factors determine the preference for an aerospace attack over ground combat operations. These same factors simultaneously complicate the solution of aerospace defense tasks.
It is difficult to disagree with the fact that over time the desire of the West to "build" Russia is only growing, and the means for this, primarily military, are being improved. In the interests of preserving the country, our actions must be directed to strengthening the army and navy in every possible way. As Emperor Alexander once said III Peacemaker(1845-1894), "we have only two true allies, our army and navy." The current situation is quite consistent with these prophetic words.
Structure and tasks of the HQS
General Command of the Aerospace Forces
Air Force
space troops
Air Defense and Missile Defense Forces
On August 1, 2015, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Aerospace Forces began to carry out their tasks. Aerospace Forces include defensive and offensive components, which, according to Kurachenko, "is both a sword and a shield of Russia in the aerospace sphere."
According to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, the combat strength of the Aerospace Forces includes three types of troops - the Air Force, the Air Defense and Missile Defense Forces, as well as the Space Forces. In addition, the Aerospace Forces includes units and subunits of electronic warfare, communications, radio engineering, automated control, engineering, metrological, etc. They are united into a single type of troops by appropriate command and control structures.
Video conferencing systems are designed to solve the following main tasks.
The first and foremost of these is to ensure effective cover for strategic nuclear forces (SNF) in cooperation with other branches and arms of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It is they who, in a retaliatory strike, must inflict unacceptable damage on the aggressor and force him to abandon further military operations. Simultaneously with this task, the Aerospace Forces solve the tasks of controlling aerospace and timely revealing the beginning of an attack; repelling an attack by the enemy's AFKN and protecting the most important objects, political and economic regions of the country and groupings of troops from his attacks; inflicting damage on enemy targets and troops; ensuring the launch of spacecraft and their control in flight.
Why shield and sword?
The effective solution by the forces and means of the Aerospace Forces of their tasks will contribute to the prevention of aggression. Otherwise, as the experience of wars of the 20th and early 21st centuries has shown, the war will be lost without a modern aerospace defense. But the same experience also shows that, using only passive defense, regardless of its effectiveness, the defenders should not count on a positive outcome of the war in principle.
The victim's lack of aggression, even in the presence of a sufficiently strong anti-aircraft defense, of the ability to strike at the enemy unequivocally leads to defeat. It is a matter of time, which confirms the tragic fate of the previously mentioned Iraq, Libya and Yugoslavia. That is why the Russian Aerospace Forces have strike aircraft capable of inflicting powerful and high-precision strikes on enemy targets.
A convincing demonstration of this was the actions of our aviation in Syria.
Thus, the Aerospace Forces of Russia is a shield for covering it from enemy attacks and a sword for delivering retaliatory strikes.
The main directions of the construction and development of the airborne forces in terms of the air defense system are: the creation of advanced air defense systems - missile defense and their integration into a single control system; re-equipment of troops with promising models of weapons and military equipment; improvement of reconnaissance and information systems for warning of a missile attack and control of outer space, as well as their integration into a single system of reconnaissance and warning of an aerospace attack; increasing the size and quality characteristics of the domestic orbital constellation, which has been carried out more efficiently in recent years.
Concerning the currently most important problem of building up groupings of troops and forces in strategic directions, it should be noted that its solution should go in three main directions: the creation of groupings equipped with modern weapons and military equipment, increasing the quantitative and qualitative composition of existing groupings, ensuring strategic mobility aviation and air defense forces.
In general, the implementation of the planned activities by 2021 will enable the aerospace defense system to fulfill its tasks. The capabilities of the reconnaissance and warning system will make it possible to provide timely warning of an aerospace attack in order to ensure a decision is made for response actions, including with the use of strategic nuclear forces. Missile defense capabilities will be substantially increased. Guaranteed anti-aircraft missile cover will be provided for the most important military and state facilities, primarily objects of strategic nuclear forces and the highest levels of government and the Armed Forces.
In conclusion, it should be noted that the implementation of the planned plans for the construction of the aerospace defense system is impossible without a clear, high-quality and well-coordinated work of all military command and control bodies, research organizations and enterprises of the military-industrial complex. A significant role in this direction and in this process is assigned to the WEC on the problems of aerospace defense.
Work on the creation of the aerospace defense system should be carried out with a general focus, providing for the creation and development of information and fire weapons with the obligatory interface with the means of the fire control system. I am convinced that the plans to create an effective aerospace defense system will be successfully implemented, which will ensure the security of our state.
It should be noted the following. Since August 1, 2015, the Aerospace Forces have participated in all activities conducted under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the Minister of Defense, in the Center-2015 exercises, joint live-fire exercises within the Combat Commonwealth-2015 air defense system. At present, our air group is successfully fulfilling its assigned tasks in Syria.
The Russian Federation is a relatively young type of troops. VKS appeared the year before last. This happened when the Air Force and Space Forces merged into a single whole as a result of the reform. The new type of troops entered into force on the first day of August 2015, in connection with the corresponding decree of the commander in chief.
Tasks of the Aerospace Forces
A new type of troops was put into operation in order to solve many problems, including:
Composition of the Aerospace Forces
The VKS consists of troops of three types:
- Air Force of the Russian Federation;
- Anti-aircraft and anti-missile troops;
- Space troops.
Nine educational institutions of the country are engaged in training specialists to replenish the officers of the Aerospace Forces. The main command of the new type of troops is based in the capital of Russia, in the Arbat area. A professional holiday for employees in the VKS is the former day of the Russian Air Force - August 12.
Colonel-General Bondarev was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, to whom Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the country, presented the battle banner of a new type of troops.
The representative of the VKS of Russia at cultural events is the vocal and choreographic ensemble of the VKS. The main cultural center of the Aerospace Forces of Russia is the Central Club of Aerospace Forces Officers, located in Moscow.
Prerequisites for the emergence of a new type of troops
The need to reform the Air Force was discussed at the end of the last decade of the 20th century. Why is there such a need? This need was dictated by the fact that by that time the service life of most of the military equipment that was in service with this type of troops had expired. The technical arsenal was significantly worn out, which undermined the combat effectiveness of the Air Force. As a result of the reforms, part of the obsolete equipment was written off, which made it possible to reduce the staff. The number of airfields that served as military bases was also reduced. Changes have taken place in the field of specialized education.
These changes were manifested in the concentration of educational institutions involved in training personnel for service in the Air Force. By the beginning of 2012, the Russian Air Force acquired a new, more compact look. The reduction in the number of personnel and units of military equipment took place against the backdrop of an increase in government spending on the maintenance of these troops. The result of the reform measures was an increase in the salaries of employees and a more intensive pace of updating military equipment. However, not all measures taken have been effective.
Second wave of reforms
After Sergei Shoigu became head of the Ministry of Defense, a new set of measures was implemented to restore the Air Force to its former power.
Among the activities carried out were:
It has great value to maintain the combat potential of the Aerospace Forces and the modernization of the aviation fleet. Until 2020, repairs should be completed, and more than half of the equipment in the arsenal of the Aerospace Forces should undergo technical improvements.
Results of transformations
The creation of the Aerospace Forces of Russia was the best solution to the problem further development aviation defense of the Russian Federation. As a result of the unification of several branches of the military and the creation of the VKS, the command of these troops was concentrated in one hand, which increased its effectiveness. There has been a tendency to increase quantitative and qualitative indicators in the development of the Aerospace Forces of the country. But that's not all. The effectiveness of the participation of aviation and space troops in the defense sector.
Baptism of fire
The first military operation of the Aerospace Forces was participation in the armed conflict in Syria. This military company was highly appreciated by the commander-in-chief. By the end of last year, the operation involved most of personnel of the Aerospace Forces. Many pilots were awarded high government awards of the Russian Federation and Syria. The actions of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria have received high marks from the world's leading analysts. In March last year, part of the military equipment was withdrawn from the deployment area due to the fact that the mission was fully completed.
The face of aviation
At many cultural events, as well as during the demonstration of the flight program of air shows, the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation are usually represented by the Swifts and Russian Knights aerobatic teams. Their masterful handling of aviation equipment is admired by many people who make up the audience for such events. These aerobatic teams also participate in campaigns to attract people to contract service, and to attract young people to serve in the ranks of the Aerospace Forces. According to surveys, many young people enter the higher aerospace educational institutions and flight schools, inspired by the example of the pilots who are part of the aerobatic teams.
Exhibition of achievements
For more than 20 years, one of the main events demonstrating the level of development of the country's aerospace complex has been the MAKS air show.
This exhibition usually hosts air shows, the audience of which can be MAKS participants during the first three days and all comers in the following days. Aerobatics demonstrated by Russian pilots during demonstration flights are clear evidence of the highest professional level representatives of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation.
The President of Russia has repeatedly stressed great importance Aerospace Forces in the field of defense of our country and in the exploration of outer space. There were many significant milestones in the history of aviation and space types of troops of our state that citizens of the country can be proud of.
