Russian Space Forces: description, structure and composition

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The Russian Air Force begins its history on August 12, 1912 - then, by order of the General Staff, they created the staff of the aeronautical unit. And already when the First World War was going on (1914-1918), aviation became a necessary means of aerial reconnaissance and fire support for ground forces from the air. It can be said with full confidence that the Russian military space forces have a rather rich and extensive history.

Bitter Lessons

The pre-war period and the first year (1942) of the Patriotic War showed by a bitter example how tragic the absence of a central command of the Air Force units can be for the country's defense.

It was at this time that the country's Air Force was fragmented. Moreover, in such a way that both the commanders of military districts, and the commanders, and commanders of army corps could control the air forces.

As a result of the lack of centralized leadership over the country's air forces, the GermanNazi Luftwaffe troops, which, by the way, were directly subordinate to the German Minister of Aviation, Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, had already inflicted heavy damage on the Soviet Air Force.

The result was bitter for the Soviet army. 72% of the Air Force from the border districts was destroyed. Having gained air supremacy, the Luftwaffe ensured the offensive on the fronts of the Wehrmacht ground forces.

Such hard lessons of the first period of the war served as the basis for the introduction of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (1942), the concentrated control of the Air Force. The air armies were re-formed on the basis of the air forces of the military districts.

All these measures led to the fact that by the summer of 1943, Soviet aviation had acquired a dominant position in the air.

New era

At the moment, the Russian Air Force is experiencing a new time in its development. We can say that we all live in an era of change, when the Russian army is rapidly being updated. The Military Space Forces officially began to operate on August 1, 2015 as a completely new uniform of the Russian Armed Forces.

The military space forces in 2010 alone recorded more than thirty launches of foreign ballistic missiles by the forces of warning systems.

In the same 2010, about 110 spacecraft could be included in the structure of the Russian Aerospace Forces. And 80% were both military and dual-purpose spacecraft.

In the plans of the leadership of the Aerospace Forces, also for several years, updating the key elements of the entire orbitalgroupings. This will increase the productivity of the entire space system. Thus, the Military Space Forces of the Russian Federation were able to solve various tasks.

Destruction of military aviation in the USSR

But, given the modern experience in the leadership of the Aerospace Forces, we must remember that in the 1960s, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Nikita Khrushchev, in fact, destroyed bomber aircraft.

The basis for such a defeat was the myth that missiles can completely replace the existence of aviation as a kind of military service.

The result of this initiative was that a significant fleet of aircraft, consisting of fighters, attack aircraft, bombers, was simply sent for scrap, despite the fact that they were fully operational and able to carry out combat duty.

Problems that VKS can solve

Modern Russian Space Forces are able to solve a variety of tasks:

• protection from striking by means of the enemy's airborne forces and repelling aggression;
• strike against enemy targets and troops, both conventional and with nuclear weapons;
• air escort during hostilities by other types of troops;
• ensuring the destruction of not only ballistic missiles of a potential enemy, but also their warheads;
• detection and warning of a missile attack by senior management during the launch of ballistic missiles.

VKS constantly monitor space objects and identify threats to Russian interests, both in space and from space. Carry out space launchesdevices into orbits, while controlling both military and dual-use satellites. Maintain satellite systems and satellite launch and control facilities in constant readiness.

Air Force Recovery Efforts

Today's Air Force, like the pre-war forties, went through the same stage of front-line aviation management decentralization. In 1980, the USSR Ministry of Defense issued a directive, according to which, instead of air armies, they began to form an air force under military districts. And the process went so far that in order to solve strategic tasks, a special permit was required to attract the Air Force of one of the military districts!

It took a full eight years, while there was a stubborn struggle to restore the principle of centralized control of the Russian Air Force. Which, in turn, significantly increased maneuverability during the transfer of Air Force units from one direction to another for operational purposes.

The structure of the Russian Aerospace Forces at the moment looks in such a way that aviation, air defense forces, missile defense, as well as space forces are united under a single command. Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev became commander-in-chief. As a result, a new type of troops emerged - the Aerospace Forces.

Revival of the Air Force

If we talk about the modern Russian Air Force, this is a completely different level of aviation. To begin with, it should be noted that already by presidential decree (dated August 16, 1997), the Air Defense and Air Force troops were reorganized and merged into the Militaryair force. This decision helped to increase the efficiency of the use of aviation and air defense forces and improved interaction with the Ground Forces and the Navy.

Also, the modern Russian Air Force has mainly become missile-carrying, since mounted air-to-air missiles with a target engagement range of up to tens of kilometers have become the main weapon of fighter aircraft.

But the Russian Space Forces in the new composition are capable of hitting air targets, using only anti-aircraft missile defense systems at an approach of up to 150 km and at altitudes of up to 40 km.

History of the VKS flag

The flag of the Aerospace Forces, although small, has its own history. On the first version of the flag was the inscription "Military Space Force".

But already in May 2004, a new flag was established by order of the RF Ministry of Defense. The VKS symbol remained, but the inscription disappeared.

The flag of the new Space Forces was restored by order of the RF Ministry of Defense dated May 30, 2004

The emblem of the Space Forces is depicted on a blue cloth (with an aspect ratio of 2:3). It displays a stylized image of the globe, divided into stripes in the colors of the state flag of the Russian Federation. And in the very center of the cloth is placed the emblem of the Space Forces in the form of a stylized rocket.

And when the Aerospace Forces were created already in 2015, uniting aviation, air defense forces, missile defense forces and the capabilities of the space forces, the flag of the Russian Space Forces did not change.

Structure of the Russian Space Forces

Technically, the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Armed Forces are pouring into themselves three types of troops:

• Air Force;
• air defense and missile defense forces;
• Space Forces.

From this point of view, the creation of the Aerospace Forces is an important, but the first step in creating a combat-ready branch of the Russian Armed Forces.

Much more needs to be done to ensure that the most important strategic facilities, both military and industrial, are under reliable cover from attack, both from the air and from space.

Airplane Fleet

The total strength of the VKS aircraft consists of the availability of new aircraft and the modernization of the existing fleet.

Aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces will have up to 2430-2500 aircraft and helicopters in their fleet by 2020.

Here we can mention a small list of aircraft already in the fleet of aircraft and promising:

• Yak-141 - VTOL fighter;
• Tu-160 "White Swan";
• Berkut fighter Su-47 (S-37);
• PAK FA T-50:
• Su-37 Terminator;
• MiG-35;
• Su-34;
• Tu-95MS "Bear";
• Su-25 Grach;
• An-124 Ruslan.

Along with the renewal of the fleet of military vehicles of the Aerospace Forces, the infrastructure in the places of deployment is also being actively created. Also of no small importance in terms of increasing combat readiness is the timely maintenance and repair of military equipment.

Space threats and videoconferencing

According to the Minister of Defense S. Shoigu, the Aerospace Forces will protect Russia fromspace threat. To do this, the created view of the aircraft combines:

• aviation;
• troops and units of air defense and missile defense;
• Space Forces;
• means of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The Minister of Defense explained the need for such a reform by the fact that in the new realities of hostilities, the emphasis is increasingly shifting to the space sphere. And it is no longer possible to do without the involvement of the Space Forces in hostilities in modern conditions, but they cannot exist by themselves either.

But it was specifically noted that the existing system for command and control of aviation and air defense forces is not subject to change.

General leadership will continue to be carried out by the General Staff, and direct leadership, as before, by the High Command of the Aerospace Forces.

Alternative look

But there are those who disagree. According to the President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Dr. V. Sc. K. Sivkova, The Russian Space Forces were created without taking into account the specifics of the work of the Air Force and Aerospace Defense troops. They are so different that transferring control over them to one hand is fundamentally inappropriate.

If they are united, then it is more logical to do this by combining the space command and the command of the missile defense system. According to the doctor of military sciences, they both solve one common task - the fight against objects that pose a threat from the space sphere.

The use of the full capabilities of space systems by all major military powers is regarded as an important security factor. Modern armed conflicts begin with aerospace reconnaissance and surveillance.

The US military is actively implementingthe concept of "total strike" and "total missile defense". At the same time, they provide in their doctrine for the rapid defeat of enemy forces anywhere in the world. At the same time, damage from a retaliatory strike is minimized.

The main bet is placed on the prevailing dominance both in airspace and in space. To do this, as soon as hostilities began, massive aerospace operations are carried out with the destruction of vital enemy facilities.

Aerospace forces will replace the Air Force in Russia. For this, such reforms are being carried out in the country.

But according to the Minister of Defense, the new Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation will allow to concentrate all means in one hand, which will allow the formation of a military-technical policy for the further development of the troops responsible for security in the aerospace sphere.

All this is done to ensure that all citizens of Russia are always sure that they will be under the protection of the army and the Aerospace Forces.