E W INSIDE RUSSIA’S AIR ARMS

RUSSIAN
PRESENTS

AIRPOWER ARMY, NAVY

AND AIR FORCE
AVIATION

SPOTLIGHTS ON
• A-50 AWACS
• MiG-29 FULCRUM
20

• MiG-31 FOXBAT
978-1-913295-58-5

9 781913 295585

• Mil-24 HIND
• Su-57 FELON
ISBNAIRPOWER

• Tu-95 BEAR
RUSSIAN

BOMBERS•FIGHTERS•TRAINERS•HELICOPTERS
AFI.indd 1 01/07/2020 16:41:34
 Foreword
Russian
Airpower 2021
M
ODERN RUSSIA is one of the world’s
aviation powerhouses comprising
highly-skilled design bureaus,
manufacturers, and production
facilities. Well-known companies, the likes of
Kamov, Mikoyan-Gurevich, Mil, Sukhoi, Tupolev,
and Yakolev continue to design and produce
capable, lethal aircraft and helicopters for Russia’s
armed forces, all at the disposal of its president
and commander-in-chief, Vladimir Putin.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia
drastically cut military spending, restructuring
the economy and leaving millions unemployed.
Dissolution of the Soviet Union spanned
the years 1988 through 1991. The process
involved internal disintegration of the states,
President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned, and
ended when the leaders of Russia (President
Boris Yeltsin), Ukraine (President Leonid
Kravchuk) and Belarus (Chairman Stanislav
Shushkevich) signed the Belovezha Accords on
December 8, 1991. This recognised each nation’s
independence and created the Commonwealth
of Independent States; an official declaration
the Soviet Union no longer existed. Thirteen
days later, the remaining republics signed
the Alma-Ata Declaration and joined the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
Dissolution of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
Sily (Air Force) and the Protivovozdushnoy
Oborony, Voyska (Air Defence Forces)
followed through May 1992. Approximately
40% of the former Soviet fleet of aircraft
and helicopters was transferred to the new
Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily Rossii (Russian
Air Force) established on May 7, 1992. The
remaining 60% of aircraft were shared between
the air arms of the new independent states.
Established on December 1, 2011,
the Voyska Vozdushno-Kosmicheskoy
Oborony (Aerospace Defence Forces)
replaced the Russian Space Forces.
On August 1, 2015, the Russian Air Force and the
Russian Aerospace Defence Forces were merged
to form the current Vozdushno-Koshicheskiye
Sily (Russian Aerospace Forces, alternately
referred to as the Russian Air and Space Forces).
Long gone are dozens, in some cases hundreds,
of MiG-23 Flogger fighters, M-4 Bison strategic
bombers, Tu-16 Badger medium bombers,
Su-17 Fitter and MiG-27 Flogger-D fighter-
bombers, MiG-25 Foxbat, and Yak-28 Brewer
reconnaissance and electronic warfare jets.
They have been replaced, almost entirely by
variants from the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker family;
Su-30 Flanker-C, the carrier-capable Su-33
Flanker-D, the Su-34 Fullback fighter-bomber,
the blisteringly capable Su-35 Flanker-E,
and the new-generation Su-57 Felon.
Sukhoi’s range of fighters has
the western world worried.
In the hands of experienced Russian Air Force
pilots, Su-30SM Flanker-H and Su-35 Flanker-E
fighters represent highly credible opponents
to their American and European peers.
But coverage of Russian Airpower in this
publication goes way beyond Sukhoi fighters,
to include strategic bombers, types used
for specialised missions, transport, trainers
and Army and Naval Aviation forces.
The days of unserviceable and rusting fleets
of aircraft and helicopters of the post-Soviet
era are gone, so too the complacency shown
by NATO and the European Union to Russia
during the intervening decades. Who built the
bases and deployed the forces right on Russia’s
borders, and how will those actions help?
Today, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin,
Russian airpower is a force to be reckoned with
by NATO, the European Union, and the world at
large, and deserving of the ultimate respect.
Mark Ayton – Editor
www.key.aero 3
Contents

Russian Airpower: Army,

Navy and Air Force

Contents
06 An Introduction to 38 Heavy Airlift Force 60 A Russian Revolution
Russian Airpower Russia’s air transport branch established new After a period when underfunding led to a
Alexander Mladenov provides an outline of front-line units in 2017 and has new additions to demoralised service, Russia’s military flight
Russian Airpower in 2021. its fleet. training system is undergoing radical change.

10 Russia’s Sharpest Claws 48 Air Transportation in the 70 Flight-Test Centre

Since organisational reform in 2015, the Russian
Air and Space Force’s tactical sub-branches
have grown in strength and capability, thanks to
accelerated fleet recapitalisation and intensified
training.
22 Airborne Controllers
We detail the aircraft assigned to Russia’s
Airborne Early Warning and Control Combat
Employment Aviation Group.
24 Russia’s Strategic
Bomber Force
It’s the force most feared in the West. We
examine the current state, operations, and
inventory of Russia’s long-range bomber fleet.
36 Aerial Refuelling Tankers
Alexander Mladenov provides an overview of the
small fleet of aerial refuelling tankers operated by
the Russian Air Force.
Military Districts
We outline the organisation and transport aircraft
types assigned to Russia’s military districts.
52 VIP Air Transportation
Alexander Mladenov details the small, varied
fleet of Russian Air Force aircraft tasked with
transportation of the great and the good.
54 Intelligence Gatherers
They are at the forefront of modern warfare.
We detail Russia’s electronic, signals and
communication intelligence aircraft.
56 Jammers
Alexander Mladenov outlines the Ilyushin Il-22PP
electronic warfare aircraft.
58 Command Posts
Like the United States Air Force, the Russian
Air Force operates command post aircraft. We
examine the types and capabilities of their fleet.
Akhtubinsk in Russia’s Astrakhan Oblast region
is home to the Russian Air Force flight test
organisation. We look at their operation.
74 Helicopter Pilot Training
Dependent on large numbers of fuel-thirsty,
maintenance-intensive, and relatively heavy
helicopters, Alexander Mladenov explains
Russia’s rotary-wing pilot training system.
78 Army Aviation
Russia’s Army Aviation branch has seen
significant restructure in recent years. We look at
how those structural and fleet developments are
being implemented.
90 Naval Aviation
Since the early 2010s, the Russian Naval Aviation
service has slowly increased its capabilities. We
look at the current state of the marine service
arm.

4 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER

United Aircraft Corporation
Ministry of Defence for the Russian Federation
Alexander Mladenov
Editor: Mark Ayton
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Alexander Mladenov
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www.key.aero 5
An overview
Alexander Mladenov
An Introduction to R
The faces may have changed in the former Eastern Bloc and there may have been a hangover, but Russia is once
R
USSIAN AIRPOWER is represented
mainly by the air branches of the
Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS),
with the Russian Naval Air Arm
(AVMF) taking on a raft of the specialised
missions related to naval warfare and air
defence/strike missions in coastal regions.
The VKS was created on August 1, 2015 by
merging two existing services – the Air Force
(VVS) and the Space Troops (KV) under one
command. The air power component within
the VKS is known as the VVS (Air Force). Its
main defensive tasks are repelling aggression
in the air and space domain and defending
6 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
from air and space strikes against the control
and command facilities of the government and
the military. That includes the administrative-
political centres, the industry-economical areas,
the most important industrial facilities, and
the national infrastructure in Russia. The list
of the VKS offensive tasks includes mounting
strikes against the enemy facilities and forces
with both conventional and nuclear weapons
and provision of aviation support to the other
armed forces branches and services.
The VKS creation was part of a wider process
to streamline Russia’s military, and has meant
that many past reforms put in place by the
ag
previous defence minister, Anatoly Serdyukov,
are being abandoned. The reform came at
a time when tensions between the West and
Russia continued to rise, from the 2014 Crimea
crisis, to today’s alarmingly high levels, similar
to those experienced during the Cold War. It is
no exaggeration to conclude that Russia and
the West are squaring up in a new confrontation
that could be dubbed the ‘New Cold War.’
The initial radical transformation and
downsizing of Russian airpower, which began
in late 2009, has been tacitly admitted within
Russia’s MoD as a high-profile failure. As a
result, the new defence minister, army General
o Russian Airpower
nce again a real world power. Alexander Mladenov provides an overview of the nation’s airpower in 2021.
Sergey Shoigu, who entered office in November
2012 and is one of Russian President Vladimir
Putin’s closest aides, promptly reversed the
direction of changes, returning the country’s
military machine to the Soviet-era basics.
In late 2013, under his initiative, the VKS
began to gradually revert its branches to their
pre-2009 regimental/divisional/Air Army
structure inherited from the Cold War-era, as it
was considered more much more manageable
and appropriate. The VKS expansion drive
launched in 2014 saw the establishment of new
fighter, strike, and army aviation regiments,
and the basing footprint increased, thanks
to the use of new airfields. The fleet renewal
of the tactical jet and army aviation branches
proceeded at a fast pace but proved a slow
undertaking for the transport branch. In turn,
the long-range bomber branch remained
reliant on upgrades of its existing fleet,
with new-build aircraft not expected to be
taken on strength before the early 2020s.
Between 2005 and 2010 the VKS reported
a substantial increase in the surface strike
capabilities of its frontal aviation arm, thanks
to the large deliveries of new-build frontal
bombers and multi-role tactical fighters, capable
of deploying guided air-to-surface munitions.
The long-range bomber fleet also received an
expanded arsenal of air-launched cruise missiles
for the Blackjack and Bear-H, both conventional
and nuclear-armed, and a proportion of the
Backfire-C bombers were made capable
of delivering iron bombs with accuracy.
In addition, from 2014 onwards, the VKS
began forming new fast-jet, army aviation and
transport units, boosting overall operational
capability. As a result, the fast-jet branches, flying
technologically advanced multi-role fighters,
dedicated attack aircraft and tactical/strategic
bombers have trained hard to fight a peer
adversary, including practising nuclear delivery
www.key.aero 7
An overview
missions. The same is true for the army aviation
and transport branches, with the training
emphasis placed on large-scale operations
against technologically-advanced foes.
Colonel General Sergey Surovikin is the VKS
commander-in-chief, while the VVS commanding
officer/VKS deputy commander-in-chief, is
Lieutenant General Sergey Dronov. The VKS’
air component includes the following main
aviation branches: Long-Range, equipped
with strategic and theatre bombers, directly
subordinated to the Russian Armed Forces
Supreme Commander, President Vladimir Putin;
Operative-Tactical (also known as Frontal Aviation
[FA]), incorporating fighter, attack, bomber
8 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
and tactical reconnaissance sub-branches for
theatre operations, as well as the Army Aviation);
and Military-Transport. There is also a Special
Mission branch, with most of its units reporting
directly to the VKS CinC or the commanders of
different commands. The roles of this branch
include airborne early warning, guidance of
strike and fighter aircraft against surface and air
targets, electronic jamming and smoke screens,
search and rescue, air refuelling, medical and
casualty evacuation, and command and control.
Territorially, Russian tactical airpower is
divided into five commands, comprising four
military districts (Western, Eastern, Central
and Southern) and the Strategic Joint Strategic
Alexander Mladenov
Command North. Each of these structures is
provided with one air and air defence army,
incorporating FA and Army Aviation (AA) units. In
turn, the Long-Range Aviation Command, and the
Military Transport Command (with the rank of air
armies) report directly to the VKS commander-
in-chief, while the former is also an integral
component of Russia’s strategic deterrence force.
The day-to-day training activity, flight
safety, combat readiness checks and logistic
support of VKS air units are among the
responsibilities of its HQ’s Aviation Directorate.
The upheaval experienced by Russian
airpower began to be seen in the early 2010s,
when the country’s stabilised economy and
rising oil prices began allowing Vladimir Putin
the opportunity to invest more in beefing-up
the country’s military. The sharply intensified
aircrew training opportunities in the VKS
and AVMF in the early- and mid-2010s were
possible due to three reasons: the massive
increase in fuel supplies, substantially improved
fleet availability rates (due to deliveries of
new-build, upgraded and overhauled aircraft
and increased spare parts supply), and a
morale-boosting sharp increase in wages and
bonuses, especially those paid to aircrews.
The chief reason for the increased funding
is that the various aviation branches of the
VKS and AVMF have increasingly been called
upon to support Russia’s foreign political and
military initiatives. Among the most visible
examples of these is the Russian military
operation in Syria that began in 2015 and
is still in progress – mostly involving the FA
branch. Another highly visible initiative are
global patrol operations, flown by the nuclear-
capable strategic and theatre bombers of the
Long-Range Aviation Command on a regular
basis since 2008, often in close proximity to the
United States and Canada and in international
airspace over the Baltic and Black Seas.
In turn, the AVMF’s primary peacetime
operational mission is to perform high-profile
demonstrations and provide support to Russia’s
high-visibility foreign political actions and
initiatives, particularly those taking place in
the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. In this regard,
high political significance has been given
to regular patrol missions over the frozen
Arctic region, including the North Pole.
Established in 2016, the Joint Strategic
Command North under overall control of
the Russian Navy is a brand-new structure
responsible for control of all armed forces
branches stationed in the north-western
corner of Russia and the adjacent areas
of the Arctic under Russian control.
As such it has a sizeable aviation
component, inherited from the VKS.
www.key.aero 9
Frontal Aviation

Russia’s
Sharpest
ClawsSince organisational reform in 2015, the Russian Air and Space Force’s tactical
sub-branches have grown in strength and capability. It’s largely thanks to
accelerated fleet recapitalisation and intensified training.

10 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 F
OLLOWING THE radical reforms put
in place in 2009 by former Russian
defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov,
Russia’s Air and Space Force’s (RuASF’s)
Frontal Aviation (FA) reached its nadir. The new
command structure imposed by Serdyukov’s
team was designed to make the branch a more
flexible and potent force with a simplified
command-and-control chain. It turned out to
be too inflexible and problematic for adoption in
day-to-day operations of the newly created Air
Base system that replaced the tried and tested
division/regimental system. Consequently, the
series of structural reforms undertaken between
2009 and 2012 was judged to be a huge mistake,
having had an adverse impact on combat potential
and morale because of the abrupt and savage
cuts in the number of units, servicemen and
aircraft. The counter-reform effort undertaken
in 2014 by the team of the new defence minister
army General Sergey Shoigu saw the revival of the
regimental organisation within the FA, together
with the establishment of new front-line units.
New Organisation
The Su-25SM3 is a new In an effort to complete its return to the
addition to the FA’s organisational structure the FA used prior
frontline strength, with
first deliveries reported to December 2009, the territorial Air and Air
in 2018. The upgraded Defence Armies (A&ADAs) were re-established
Frogfoot is an armoured in August 2015 to replace the existing Air
attack aircraft for and Air Defence Commands formed in 2010.
low-level operations These strategic-level structures of the RuASF
equipped with better
targeting and self- exercise control over FA units, as well as army
protection equipment. aviation and ground-based air defence units
Alexander Mladenov stationed in each military district (MD). FA
units are now grouped in composite aviation
divisions, consisting of fighter, attack, composite
(squadrons flying several different types) and
bomber regiments, while the independent
reconnaissance squadrons report directly to
the HQ of the A&ADA in their respective MDs.
Day-to-day training activity, flight safety,
combat readiness checks and logistical support
are handled by the RuASF HQ’s Aviation
Directorate, while the four A&ADAs come
under the direct operational control of their
respective MDs. There are four MDs in Russia,
all established in 2010: Western, Central, Eastern
and Southern. They act as regional joint armed
forces command-and-control structures,
exercising control over all land, naval and air
assets permanently stationed on their territory.
The Southern MD controls the 4th A&ADA,
which has the largest FA fleet, packing the most
powerful offensive capability. It controls no fewer
than 250 combat jets in 18 squadrons grouped
in six regiments and one air base; more than
75% of the aircraft are new or upgraded types.
The Western MD, which also boasts a significant
offensive capability, controls the 6th A&ADA, with
ten squadrons flying combat jets grouped in four
regiments and one independent reconnaissance
squadron. Its total fleet numbers 150 aircraft,
80% of which are new or upgraded types.
The Eastern MD controls the 11th A&ADA,
which also has a high proportion of new-
generation combat jets. Its FA assets comprise
15 squadrons, grouped in six regiments plus
one independent reconnaissance squadron.
Its total fleet comprises no fewer than 220
www.key.aero 11
Frontal Aviation

aircraft, including 80% of new or upgraded

types with significant strike capabilities.
Finally, the Central MD controls the operations
of the 14th A&ADA, which has the smallest fleet
of combat jets, with eight squadrons in three
regiments and one air base. It controls about
110 aircraft, the majority of which are assigned
to four squadrons of upgraded long-range
fighter-interceptors. The recapitalisation of
its bomber force with two squadrons of new-
generation aircraft was completed in 2019.

Syrian Campaign: Operational

Proving Ground
Russia’s political leadership has used the
Syrian campaign – and in particular, the FA’s
role in it – as a propaganda tool in its desire
to be counted amongst the world’s great
powers. As part of that campaign, the branch
has had its long-range offensive capabilities
significantly increased in recent years.
This late-production Su-34 Fullback is operated by the 968th IISAP, an instructor-research regiment
The Syrian campaign has provided a good assigned to the Lipetsk-based combat training centre formally known as the 4th State Aviation
opportunity to sharpen the warfighting skills Personnel Training and Field Trials Centre. Alexander Mladenov
of most, if not all, FA combat-ready aircrews,
who deploy to the war for rotations lasting two
months. As of January 2018, there were, for
example, Su-24M and Su-34 aircrews with four
tours in Syria under their belts, having amassed
400-plus combat sorties. The campaign is also
described as a great proving ground to test
every new air-to-surface guided munition in FA’s
arsenal under real-world combat conditions.
By October 2020, FA fielded 51 front-line
squadrons in addition to seven operational
conversion and combat training squadrons.
The pilots of the two squadron-sized display
teams flying combat jets are also required
to maintain combat-ready status. The total
FA active fleet numbers about 830 combat
jets, comprising around 30 MiG-29/UBs, 50
MiG-29SMT/UBTs, eight MiG-35S, MiG-35UBs,
100-plus MiG-31BMs, 10-plus MiG-31Ks, 20-plus
Su-27P, Su-27S, Su-27UBs, about 80 Su-27SM/
SM3s, 19 Su-30M2s, 81 Su-30SMs, 88 Su-35Ss,
120-plus Su-34s, 30-plus Su-24Ms and 40
Su-24MRs, about 80 Su-25SMs and 70 Su-25, The Su-34 Fullback is the backbone of the FA’s tactical strike force, capable of delivering long-range
Su-25BM and Su-25UBs. The average age of strikes on well-defended targets with a wide range of guided munitions, all of which were proven in
the FA jet fleet is now below ten years, thanks combat during the Syrian campaign. Alexander Mladenov
to deliveries of a great many new-build combat
jets since 2010, together with the retirement
or long-term storage of more than 300 aged
Fulcrums, Foxhounds, Flankers and Fencers.
The highest-priority FA procurement
programmes at present are the Su-30SM,
Su-34 and Su-35S ‘fourth-plus’ generation
combat jets. The acquisition of all three of these
new-generation Flanker derivatives has been
assigned high importance. The new Su-57 fifth-
generation tactical fighter is still in evaluation and

The Su-57 Felon is about to enter

service, with the first production
example slated for delivery to
the VKS before the end of 2020. In addition to its bomber missions, after 2020 the Su-34 is expected to be configured for a
Alexander Mladenov reconnaissance role thanks to the integration of the Sych under fuselage recce pod. Alexander Mladenov

12 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 The first Su-35S batch - ordered for the VKS in 2009 - comprised 48 examples, the last of which were received in 2016.
Deliveries from the second batch of 50 aircraft are expected to be completed in 2020. Alexander Mladenov

The Su-35S is the first FA fighter type to carry the new R-77-1 active-radar The MiG-31BM Foxhound is the only specialised air defence type in the FA
beyond visual range air-to-air missile. In the future, the Su-35S will also be inventory, used to cover vast areas of Russian territory without ground-
armed with the R-37, a heavy and long-range BVR missile. Alexander Mladenov based air defence infrastructure in the extreme northern and far eastern
regions of Russia. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

testing, with deliveries of production-standard
aircraft expected to begin by mid-2021.
Growing Up
The emphasis for FA growth at the beginning of
the Shoigu counter-reform is associated with the
establishment of two new fast-jet regiments on
the Crimean Peninsula in December 2014. Each
regiment comprises two squadrons assigned to
the Southern MD. A fighter regiment, the 38th
IAP, was stationed at Belbek near Sevastopol
and equipped with an eclectic mixture of old and
new Flanker versions, such as non-upgraded
Su-27Ps and Su-27UBs, upgraded Su-27SMs
and newly built Su-30M2s. The other unit,
the 37th SAP stationed at Gvardeyskoye, is a
composite strike regiment. One of its squadrons
is equipped with a dozen upgraded Su-24M/
SVP-24 frontal bombers, while the other has
a fleet of a dozen upgraded Su-25SM attack
aircraft and a handful of Su-25UB two-seaters.
In 2015, the existing independent
reconnaissance squadron stationed at
Marinovka airfield near Volgograd, again in
the Southern MD, was transformed into a
composite aviation regiment, the 11th SAP.
It controls one reconnaissance squadron
equipped with Su-24MRs and one bomber
squadron, equipped with upgraded Su-24M/
SVP-24 frontal bombers. A new independent
reconnaissance squadron, the 4th ORAE, was
also established in 2015 at Shatalovo airfield
near Smolensk in the Western MD, equipped
with a dozen Su-24MRs and at least two An-30
turboprop photo-reconnaissance aircraft.
Another addition to FA strength since 2014
has been the establishment of an additional
squadron in some of the regiments, which
previously had a two-squadron structure. This
was the case with the 559th BAP at Morozovsk
in the Southern MD, a frontal bomber regiment,
equipped until 2013 with two squadrons flying
the upgraded Su-24M/SVP-24. These were
subsequently transferred to the bomber
The new Su-34
order, signed by
the Ministry of Defence
of the Russian Federation in
August 2020, involves 24 aircraft
equipped with enhanced avionics
for the VKS. via Alexander Mladenov
squadrons of the newly established composite
regiments at Gvardeyskoye and Marinovka;
it traded its Fencer-Ds for 36 newly built
Su-34s, equipping three squadrons. The same
happened with the 23rd IAP, a fighter regiment
based at Dzemgi airfield in the Eastern MD,
which received two squadrons of newly built
Su-35Ss and Su-30M2s, to serve alongside
one squadron flying upgraded Su-27SMs.
It is also noteworthy that, since 2010, FA’s
strike capabilities have received a significant
boost due to the introduction of a large fleet of
new-generation bombers, complemented by
newly-built multi-role fighters endowed with
enhanced air-to-ground capabilities, thanks
to improved targeting systems and guided
munitions. These truly multi-role fighters
now fully equip 12 front-line squadrons that
previously flew first-generation MiG-29s and
Su-27s with a limited ground-attack capability,
plus three more flying upgraded or new-built
Su-27SM Flankers, also sporting enhanced
ground-attack capability. These newly acquired
weapons were used to their full extent during
the Russian campaign in Syria, where FA’s
Su-30SMs, Su-35Ss, MiG-29SMTs and Su-27SMs
were employed in strike missions on a daily
basis, in addition to their primary air-to-air role.
In 2016, however, the RuASF lost a proportion

www.key.aero 13
Frontal Aviation

The Su-30SM and Su-35S (in the foreground) are the mainstays of the FA fighter fleet. Both have multi-
role capability to deliver a wide range of precision-guided air-to-surface munitions. Andey Zinchuk

of its front-line assets formerly belonging

to the FA branch when they were handed
over to the newly-established Joint Strategic
Command North under Russian Navy control.
This brand-new structure is responsible for
control of all armed forces branches stationed
in the northwestern corner of Russia and the
adjacent Russian part of the High Arctic. The
FA assets inherited by this new strategic-level
command structure included the 98th SAP
at Monchegorsk on the Kola Peninsula and a
composite aviation regiment formerly assigned
to the 6th A&ADA in the Western MD. It controls
one squadron equipped with Su-24M bombers
and another with Su-24MR reconnaissance
aircraft in addition to two squadrons flying
upgraded MiG-31BM fighter-interceptors.
The Su-35S is a new-generation Flanker that offers high operational capability thanks to greater flight
performance combined with new-generation avionics and weapons. However, the Su-35S endured a
More and More Flankers prolonged period during which there were numerous problems. The type entered Russian Air Force
FA’s fighter sub-branch is built around a core service as a combat-ready weapon system after 2017. Alexander Mladenov
of two new Flanker derivatives, the Su-30SM
two-seat and Su-35S single-seat fighter,
complemented by a smaller number of
upgraded Su-27SMs and increasingly fewer
non-upgraded Su-27s. Currently, these equip 18
front-line squadrons and one instructor-research
squadron, plus one squadron-sized display team.
The thrust-vectoring, Su-30SM multi-role
two-seater manufactured by the Irkut
Corporation is the mainstay of the new-build
Flanker fleet, with 81 examples in RuASF
service in October 2020 out of 82 delivered.
A contract for 60 more in an enhanced
configuration, dubbed Su-30SM2s, followed
with deliveries expected from 2021 onwards.
The first two Su-30SMs were taken on
strength by the RuASF in November 2012,
and the following year 14 more aircraft were
commissioned to equip the first front-line
squadron. Currently, the list of Su-30SM- This Su-34, wearing the old-style dark grey camouflage, belongs to the 47th
BAP, a bomber regiment home-based at Voronezh-Baltimor south of Moscow in
equipped units includes two two-squadron
the Western Military District. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
regiments that previously flew ‘vanilla MiG-29s’

14 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
– the 120th IAP at Domna in the Eastern MD
and the 31st IAP at Millerovo in the Southern
MD – both of which have 24-aircraft fleets. In
addition, eight Su-30SMs were delivered in 2016
to the Russkiye Vityazy (Russian Knights) display
team, replacing its Su-27s. Then in 2017, 12
aircraft were delivered to equip one squadron of
the 14th Guards IAP, a fighter regiment stationed
at Kursk-Khalino; its second squadron traded
its MiG-29SMT/UBTs for 12 Su-30SMs in 2018. In
addition, several Su-30SMs fly with the RuASF’s
Lipetsk combat training centre and the service’s
flight test centre, the 929th GLITs at Akhtubinsk.

Su-35S: The Ultimate Single-

Seat Flanker
Yet another multi-role Flanker derivative,
also boasting thrust-vectoring engines and
much-refined aerodynamics, the Su-35S is
currently being inducted into FA service in
relatively large numbers. Boasting an expanded
weapons fit, the type was initially ordered
under a development and production contract
signed in August 2009 for 48 examples, while
the second contract, dating back to December
2015, covered 50 more, the last of which was
expected to be handed over to the RuASF in 2020.
In 2011, the RuASF accepted its first Su-35Ss
for testing and evaluation, while two more
examples were handed over to the Lipetsk
training centre for field trials and later used
in the aircrew conversion training role from
2012 onwards. The first Su-35S-equipped
Su-24M Fencer-Ds are set to continue in service with the FA branch for a few more
years, operating with two front-line squadrons and one tasked with conversion
training and instruction-research duties. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
front-line squadron from the 23rd IAP at Dzemgi Su-35SM, was placed by the Ministry of Defence
in Russia’s Far East received a batch of eight of the Russian Federation in August 2020.
machines in February 2014. By the end of the In addition to the 23rd IAP at Dzemgi, the list
year the regiment had a fleet of 24 advanced of the front-line units equipped with the type
single-seat Flankers in two squadrons. also includes the 22nd IAP at Tsentralnaya
In January 2018, the RuASF had received a Uglovaya, which operates one Su-35S-equipped
total of 68 Su-35Ss and expected ten more by squadron; both regiments are subordinated
the end of the year; 2019 saw the delivery of ten to the 11th A&ADA in the Eastern MD.
more jets and a similar number is expected by The latest operator of the type is the 159th
the end of 2020. A follow-on order for 30 more IAP, a fighter regiment stationed at Besovets
examples in an improved configuration, dubbed airfield near Petrozavodsk, subordinated to the

The Su-25SM is the mainstay of the FA’s attack

force, originally equipping six front-line
squadrons, the type was gradually superseded
by enhanced Su-25SM3s. By late 2020, the Su-
25SM3 was in operation with two squadrons.
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

This is a new Su-27SM3 fighter configured with Su-24MR Fencer-E reconnaissance aircraft are
the latest avionics standard, featuring increased used to equip four independent recce squadrons
air-to-air capability in addition to new guided – one in each of the four military districts.
air-to-surface munitions. Alexander Mladenov Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

Su-57 Approaching FA Service

The Su-57 Felon fifth-generation multi-role
stealth fighter is set to begin FA field testing
in 2021, but its massed fielding into front-line
service cannot take place in the mid-2020s.
The ambitious programme to develop and
field what was previously known as the Sukhoi
PAK-FA fifth-generation advanced tactical aviation
fighter was initiated in the late 2000s. This all-new
heavyweight fighter type, designed to replace
the Su-27, was primarily intended to gain air
superiority in highly contested airspace. It also
has a secondary strike role against well-protected
ground and sea targets, employing an array of
new-generation precision-guided munitions.
The first Su-57 prototype, dubbed T-50-1,
made its maiden flight on January 29, 2010 and
the type’s flight test campaign is currently in
full swing, involving as many as ten prototypes.
The factory test programme performed by
Sukhoi to explore the aircraft’s performance,
including envelope expansion, handling
qualities and system operability, was completed
in December 2013, while the first phase of
the much more comprehensive state testing
programme, undertaken by the RuASF was
reported to have been completed in 2017.
According to the latest hints from Russian defence
and industry officials, the flight test programme
of the definitive Su-57 version, powered by the
new NPO Saturn engine, known as Izdelye 30
(Product 30) - tested in flight for the first time on
the T-50-2 prototype on December 5, 2017 - is set
for completion in the mid-2020s. Meanwhile, the
Su-57’s interim production-standard version,
powered by the less powerful Saturn AL-41F1
engine, was ordered by the Ministry of Defence
of the Russian Federation in August 2018, with
an initial procurement of two examples, with
deliveries slated for late 2019 and early 2020. In
fact, the first of these aircraft, known as the T-50S-1
(c/n 51001), was lost during a factory testing flight on
December 24, 2019, due to a flight control system
failure. The second example from this order was
reported ready for flight testing in October 2020.
Then, somewhat unexpectedly, a large Su-57
order came in June 2019, mainly due to Russian
President Vladimir Putin’s personal intervention.
He stated in front of the Russian press that the
large Felon order became possible thanks to
the significantly reduced unit price, promised
by the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC),
the parent company of Sukhoi. According to
Russian daily newspaper Kommersant, the
order for 76 Su-57s, placed on June 27, 2019 was
valued at about $2.8 billion, with the last aircraft
from this order to be delivered by 2028.
These Su-57s, to be powered by a mixture of the
AL-41F-1 and Izdelye 30 engines, are deemed to be
sufficient for equipping three fighter regiments,
each fielding 24 aircraft in two squadrons. Four
more examples are set to be taken on strength
by the combat training center in Lipetsk, used for
conversion training and tactics development.

www.key.aero 15
Frontal Aviation

This early-production Su-35S,

is shown wearing the original
standard dark grey camouflage
scheme. Alexander Mladenov

Baseline Su-25s continue to operate with three front-line squadrons, partly
equip another, and one instructor-research squadron. Ministry of Defence of
the Russian Federation
Su-34-equipped squadrons are the FA’s primary
precision strike units. In front of this 47th BAP
Fullback are a pair of KAB-500Kr TV-guided bombs and
two KAB-500S satellite-guided bombs (on the left).
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

6th A&ADA in the Western MD. It took its first
batch of ten Su-35Ss in 2016, but four of these
were immediately sent to Hmeimim/Latakia Air
Base in Syria to take part in the Russian effort
there. Ten more newly produced examples
were taken on strength by the regiment in
2017. They were delivered in October and
December together with four second-hand
machines built in 2014 and previously operated
by the 23rd IAP. The Russkiye Vityazy display
team also took on strength four Su-35S’
in 2019 followed by four more in 2020.
Currently, the RuASF operates a fleet of 50-plus
upgraded Su-27SMs. Fifty-five first-generation
single-seat Flankers were originally upgraded
at KnAAZ (the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft
Plant) between 2003 and 2009 and two of these
were subsequently lost in flying accidents. Of the
remainder, 48 were used to equip four frontline
squadrons while five more examples were
delivered to the Flanker-equipped squadron
of the Lipetsk-based combat training centre.
The upgraded Flanker fleet was complemented
by 12 newly built first-generation aircraft, with
an enhanced mission avionics configuration
and known as Su-27SM3, taken on strength
in 2010 and 2011. These were augmented in
2014-2018 by 12 more upgraded Su-27SM3s
converted from old airframes. These Flankers,
manufactured in the late 1980s, also underwent
a life-extension programme. To be performed
in incremental steps, together with a structural
overhaul, the upgrade extends the jet’s service
lives to 40 years and 2,000 flight hours.
FA has about 40 non-upgraded Su-27P/
UB single and two-seaters still soldiering on
with one frontline squadron and partially
equipping one instructor-research squadron
of the Lipetsk combat training centre.
Yet another new-build Flanker derivative,
the two-seat Su-30M2, was first accepted by
the RuASF in 2011. It was ordered in August
2009, together with the newly built Su-27SM3s.
The initial batch numbered four newly built
examples with full combat capability, thanks to
mission avionics almost identical to those of the
Su-27SM3 single-seater. In December 2012, the
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
placed its second order for 16 more Su-30M2s
to be used mainly for continuation training and
check rides in Su-27SM and Su-35S-equipped
squadrons; all these machines were delivered
between 2013 and 2015, and by October 2020,
19 Su-30SM2s remained in active service.
Fullback Frontal Bomber
The two-seat Su-34 Fullback, another Flanker

16 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
derivative built at the NAPO plant in Novosibirsk,
is the combat aircraft procured in the largest
numbers in recent years. It forms the backbone
of the FA’s bomber sub-branch, equipping as
many as seven front-line squadrons by early
2018, at which time the total number of Su-34s
handed over to the RuASF had reached 104.
The first procurement contract for the type,
dating from 2008, comprised 32 aircraft and
was completed in 2013; a following contract was
signed in February 2011 for 92 more. The first
of these was taken on strength in December
2013 and by October 2020 all aircraft were
reported delivered to the Russian air arm.
Sixteen Fullbacks were delivered in 2017 and
12 more in 2018, with another 8 reported in 2019
and two in 2020. Ten of the Fullbacks delivered
to the Air Force in 2017 were handed over to
the 277th BAP, a bomber regiment stationed at
Khurba near Komsomolsk on Amur that received
its first new jets in June 2016, replacing upgraded
Su-24M2s. Three more pairs were delivered
to the RuASF’s 4th GTsPAPVI, a state aviation
personnel training and field testing centre
in Lipetsk in November and December 2017
and two more Su-34s followed in mid-January
2018. These Su-34s were intended to be the
first aircraft to be delivered in February 2018 to
the 2nd Guards BAP, a bomber regiment with
two Su-24M-equipped squadrons stationed at
Chelyabinsk-Shagol, subordinated to the 14th
A&ADA in the Central MD. The regiment took
16 more Fullbacks on strength in 2018 and 2019
to fully equip its two 12-aircraft squadrons.
Subsequently, the two last Fullbacks delivered
in 2020 went to the 969th IISAP and the 47th
BAP to be used as attrition replacements.
The type serves with three fully equipped FA
bomber regiments. The first of these is the
47th BAP at Voronezh-Baltimor in the Western
MD (operating two 12-aircraft squadrons),
which took its first Fullbacks on strength
in 2013. The other two regiments are the
559th BAP at Morozovsk (three squadrons
with 12 aircraft each) and the 277th BAP
at Khurba (two squadrons with 26 aircraft
between them). In addition, several Su-34s,
a combination of early and late-production

Currently, 80 of these two-seat Su-30SMs are fielded with six squadrons and
The first production-standard Su-57 for the VKS crashed on December 24, partly one air display team. The aircraft shown is seen in Syria toting live
2019 during its first functional check flight. The fighter is shown in final air-to-air armaments, four R-27 and four R-73 missiles. Ministry of Defence of
assembly at the KnAAZ plant. via Russian internet the Russian Federation

The upgraded MiG-31BM is the backbone of the VKS’ long-range

intercept capability. This Foxhound belongs to a branch of the 4th
State Aviation Personnel Training and Field Trials Centre stationed
at Savastleyka. Alexander Mladenov

www.key.aero 17
Frontal Aviation

Russian Frontal Aviation O

Unit Base Types

Centrally Subordinated Units

4th GTsPAPVI (State personnel training and aircraft field testing centre) Lipetsk

968th IISAP Lipetsk-2 MiG-29/UB, MiG-29SMT/UBT,

Four instructor-research squadrons – one bomber, one Su-27P/S/UB, Su-27SM, Su-25/
attack and two equipped with fighter aircraft. SM/UB, Su-24M/MR, Su-24M/
SVP-24, Su-24M2, Su-30PU/
SM/M2, Su-34, Su-35S

Branch of 4th GTsPAPVI Savastleyka MiG-31BM

One instructor-research fighter squadron.

237th Guards TsPAT Kubinka (Moscow) Su-30SM, Su-35S, MiG-29/UB

Air display centre with two squadron-size display
teams – Russkyie Vityazy and Strizhy

116th TsBPIA (Combat Training Centre – Fighter Aviation) Privolzhskiy (Astrakhan) MiG-29SMT/UBT, MiG-29/UB
Two fighter squadrons

6th Air and Air Defence Army, Western MD St Petersburg

4th ORAE Shatalovo (Smolensk) Su-24MR, An-30
One independent reconnaissance squadron

105th Guards Composite Aviation Division Voronezh

159th Guards IAP Besovets (Petrozavodsk) Su-35S

Two fighter squadrons

14th Guards IAP Khalino (Kursk) Su-30SM

Two fighter squadrons

790th IAP Khotilovo MiG-31BM, Su-35S

Three fighter squadrons

47th Guards SAP Baltimor (Voronezh) Su-34

Two bomber squadrons

14th Air and Air Defence Army, Central MD Yekaterinburg

21st Composite Aviation Division Yekaterinburg

712nd Guards IAP Kansk-Yuzhniy MiG-31BM

Two fighter squadrons

764th IAP Bol’shoye Savino (Perm) MiG-31BM

Two fighter squadrons

2nd Guards BAP Shagol (Chelyabinsk) Su-34, Su-24MR

Two bomber squadrons and one reconnaissance squadron

999th Air Base Kant (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) Su-25/SM/UB

One attack aircraft squadron

Notes: This FA Order of Battle has been compiled using publicly available information about the re-formed, re-established, and transformed RuASF units.
There is no official information released so far regarding the FA Order of Battle after the substantial re-forms undertaken by the Ministry of Defence of the
Russian Federation in 2014-2015.

machines, are operated by the 968th IISAP, an
instructor-research regiment assigned to the
Lipetsk-based FA combat training centre.
The State Armament Programme 2018–2027 is
expected to authorise the acquisition of between
40 and 80 additional Su-34s in a significantly
upgraded form. In fact, the first firm order for
24 slightly enhanced Su-34s, placed in August
2020, will see deliveries starting in 2021, with
a follow-on order for a significantly upgraded
derivative expected in the early 2020s.
The Su-34 bomber, equipped with the Sych
unified pod, is slated to undertake tactical
reconnaissance-gathering missions currently
performed by the ageing Su-24MR Fencer-E
fleet, with this capability set to be added to
the aircraft of the new order to be delivered
in 2021 and 2022. The new-generation pod,
carried by the Su-34 on a large under-fuselage
centre-line pylon, has been developed in three
different versions. The first of these is dedicated
to electro-optical reconnaissance, the second
comes equipped with a side-looking synthetic
aperture radar, while the third is designed
for use in the electronic intelligence role. The
development, testing and entry into service
of the Sych pod has proved to be a protracted

18 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
n Order of Battle
Unit Base Types

11th Air and Air Defence Army, Eastern MD Khabarovsk

799 ORAE Varfolomeevka Su-24MR
One independent reconnaissance squadron

303rd Guards Composite Aviation Division Khurba (Komsomolsk-on- Amur)

23rd IAP Dzemgi (Komsomolsk-on-Amur) Su-35S, Su-27SM/UB, Su-30M2

Three fighter squadrons

22nd IAP Tsentralnaya Uglovaya (Vladivostok) Su-35S, Su-27SM/UB,

Three fighter squadrons Su-30M2, MiG-31BM

277th BAP Khurba (Komsomolsk-on-Amur) Su-34

Two bomber squadrons

187th Guards ShAP Chernigovka Su-25SM/UB

Two attack squadrons

120th Guards IAP Domna (Chita) Su-30SM

Two fighter squadrons

226th ShAP Step’ Su-25/UB

Two attack squadrons

4th Air and Air Defence Army, Southern MD Rostov-on-Don

3624th Air Base Erebuni (Yerevan, Armenia) MiG-29/UB
One fighter squadron

1st Guards Composite Aviation Division Krymsk (Novorossiisk)

3rd Guards SAP Krymsk Su-27P/SM3/UB, Su-30M2

Two fighter squadrons (Novorossiisk)

31st Guards IAP Millerovo Su-30SM

Two fighter squadrons

959th BAP Morozovsk Su-34

Three bomber squadrons

368th ShAP Budennovsk Su-25SM/SM3/UB

Two attack squadrons

4th Composite Aviation Division Marinovka (Volgograd)

11th RAP Marinovka (Volgograd) Su-24M/SVP-24, Su-24MR
One bomber and one reconnaissance squadrons

960th ShAP Primorsko-Akhtarsk Su-25/SM/SM3/UB

Two attack squadrons

27th Composite Aviation Division Belbek

37th SAP Gvardeyskoye (Simferopol) Su-24M/SVP-24, Su-25/SM/UB

One bomber and one attack squadron

38th IAP Belbek (Sevastopol) Su-27P/SM/UB, Su-30M2

Two fighter squadrons

undertaking and the first deliveries to frontline
Fullback squadrons may not be until 2021-2022.
MiG-31’s Renaissance
The Foxhound is still the main long-range fighter
type used for air defence missions. By 2020
the FA operated a fleet of some 100-plus life-
extended and upgraded aircraft, ordered under
three separate contracts in 2007, 2011 and 2014.
These MiG-31s are set to remain in active service
until at least the early 2030s. The upgrade,
which includes the overhaul and life extension
of the airframe, was undertaken under two
contracts running in parallel (to supply upgraded
Foxhounds for the RuASF and the Naval Aviation
air arm). The first, dated August 2011, calls for
the delivery of 60 aircraft, with completion set for
2019. The second one was signed in November
2014 and covers 53 more Foxhounds for FA and
the naval air arm, the last of which were delivered
in 2018. The work on the aircraft covered by
the second contract is split between NAZ Sokol
(Nizhniy Novgorod Sokol State Aircraft Plant) and
514 ARZ, an overhaul plant in the city of Rzhev.
The largescale avionics update for the
enormous Foxhound to enhanced MiG-31BM
standard, initiated in the late 2000s, covers

www.key.aero 19
Frontal Aviation

updated mission avionics together with the

integration of new weapons. The upgrade
primarily focuses on significant radar
improvements providing longer-range detection
and tracking performance, combined with
enhanced jamming resistance. The Foxhound
upgrade effort covered the aircraft of FA frontline
squadrons and one operational conversion
and combat training (also known as instructor-
research) squadron. Frontline Foxhound units
generally have 12 to 14 jets assigned to them. Tsentralnaya Uglovaya-based 22nd Guards IAP was the second FA regiment to convert to the Su-35S.
Located near Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific Ocean coast it received its first aircraft in September 2015.
As of late 2020, there were some 100-plus Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
upgraded MiG-31BM/BSMs in RuASF
service, serving with seven frontline
squadrons and one operational conversion
and combat training squadron.
The MiG-31BM upgrade programme was in
full swing between 2015 and 2019. In 2017,
for example, the NAZ Sokol plant in Nizhny
Novgorod reported delivery of no fewer than 14
upgraded Foxhounds to the 22nd Guards IAP at
Tsentralnaya Uglovaya in the Eastern MD and a
similar number followed in 2018 (two more MiG-
31BMs were delivered as attrition replacements
to the Kansk-based 712 IAP). As a result, the
regiment’s single Foxhound-equipped squadron
has 22 upgraded MiG-31BMs on strength and it
also fields a handful of non-upgraded MiG-31s
with a lot of service life remaining. According to
a report in Russian daily Izvestya, dating from
January 2017, the expanded Foxhound fleet of
the 22nd Guards IAP is earmarked to be used
for the establishment of a new two-squadron
regiment to be incorporated into the structure Sharp cuts in the Su-57’s initial procurement plan of 2015 were most likely caused by the unsatisfactory
of the 11th A&ADA in the country’s far eastern flight performance of the initial prototypes, powered by the so-called ‘first-stage’ engine, known as the
Izdeliye 117. The same engine also powers initial-production Su-57s slated for delivery to the VKS in the
territories, most likely stationed at the currently coming years. Alexander Mladenov
abandoned Sokolovka/Chuguyevka airfield north
of Vladivostok, which in the past hosted a MiG-
31-equipped regiment, the 530th IAP. By October
2020, however, the much-touted expansion
of the number of the Foxhound-equipped
regiments and squadrons remained on paper.

Diminishing Fulcrum Fleet

FA’s fleet of first-generation MiG-29 Fulcrums is
rapidly dwindling. The legacy Fulcrum currently
serves with only one front-line squadron,
stationed at Erebuni in Armenia, and with the
Strizhy (Swifts) air display team; a dozen or so
examples are also used by FA combat training
centres at Lipetsk and Astrakhan. There
were also two squadrons equipped with the
enhanced MiG-29SMT and MiG-29UBT, but these
subsequently converted to the Su-30SM in 2018.
A batch of 14 newly built MiG-29SMT(R)s and
two MiG-29UBT(R)s was delivered in 2015

Abbreviations Upgraded Su-27s now equip three FA front-line squadrons. The latest variant, new-build aircraft
configured to Su-27SM3 standard, will serve for at least 20 more years. Alexander Mladenov
IAP – Fighter Aviation Regiment
BAP – Bomber Aviation Regiment
SAP – Composite Aviation Regiment
and 2016 and taken on strength by the 116th Fulcrums will most likely be used to replace
ShAP – Attack Aviation Regiment
TsBPIA, the FA’s fighter aviation sub-branch the ‘vanilla’ MiG-29s operated by the Strizhy air
ORAE – Independent Reconnaissance
combat training centre in Astrakhan. display team and the sole front-line squadron
Aviation Squadron
It remains to be seen if the new MiG-35S/UB still flying the legacy MiG-29 at Erebuni airfield
IISAP – Instructor-Research
multi-role fighter, expected to be ordered by the in Armenia (if this had not previously received
Composite Regiment
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation second-hand MiG-29SMTs). This arrangement
TsPAT – Aircraft Display Centre
in 2018, will get a meaningful front-line role with is also ill-suited to provide a handful of MiG-35Ss
TsBPIA – Combat Training
the FA branch. The first batch consisted of only for the FA combat training centres at Lipetsk and
Centre of Fighter Aviation
six aircraft that entered service in 2019 and 2020. Akhtubinsk (these units are most likely to use
GTsPAPVI - State Aviation Personnel
However, this figure is barely enough to equip the first two pre-production aircraft). During the
Training and Field Trials Centre
a single squadron and these new-generation announcement of multiple new aircraft orders

20 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER

The multi-role two-seat Su-30SM was procured to replace the MiG-29 Fulcrum in FA fighter regiments,
while the single-seat Su-35S has replaced both baseline and upgraded Su-27s. This Su-30SM is assigned
to the 14th Guards IAP based at Kursk-Khalino. Andrey Zinchuk
A Su-24M/SVP-24 seen on take-off at Hmeimim Air Base in Syria, toting a payload of two 500kg free-fall
bombs. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
Fullbacks delivered to the VKS from October 2014 onward feature a new camouflage scheme dominated
by an overall light blue tone, with a white radome and wingtips. This aircraft delivered in 2015, is
assigned to the 968th IISAP, an instructor-research composite regiment within the VKS Lipetsk combat
training centre. Alexander Mladenov
for the VKS in August 2020, there was no mention
of a MiG-35S or MiG-35UB future purchase.
Legacy Sukhoi Bomber and
Attack Fleets
Numbers of the Su-24M Fencer-D swing-wing
frontal bomber with the FA branch are
diminishing. Two squadrons are still equipped
with the type, and these Fencer-D squadrons fly
the upgraded Su-24M/SVP-24, a version of the
baseline Su-24M featuring the SVP-24 add-on
navigation/attack suite. This is an affordable
newly added avionics package purposely
designed to give highly accurate navigation
and delivery of low-cost unguided bombs,
which has proved highly effective during the
Syrian campaign. The only two remaining
Fencer-D-equipped front-line squadrons, serving
with composite aviation regiments of the 4th
A&ADA and equipped with 12 aircraft each,
are set to continue operating the swing-wing
type until the early/mid-2020s when they will
New MiG-29SMT(R)s, operated by the 185th
TsBPiBPr, will serve the VKS until at least the
mid-2040s. Andrey Zinchuk
eventually be replaced by enhanced Su-34s.
The tactical reconnaissance fleet of FA is made
up of some 40 Su-24MR Fencer-Es serving with
four recce squadrons and partially equipping one
instructor-research squadron, which are planned
to remain in active service until the early 2020s,
when the type will be replaced by the Su-34
equipped with the Sych reconnaissance pod.
The FA branch maintains an active attack
fleet of some 130 to 140 Su-25 Frogfoots
serving with eight frontline squadrons and
partially equipping one instructor-research
squadron. The fleet includes 80 machines
upgraded to Su-25SM standard and introduced
into service in early 2006. The upgrade
added an all-new navigation/attack suite
while the life-extension effort undertaken
on both upgraded and non-upgraded
Frogfoots will enable the type to remain in
active RuASF service until the early 2030s.
The Su-25’s long-term effectiveness on the
modern battlefield is being further enhanced
by the introduction of the latest SM3 upgrade,
using airframes upgraded in the past to the SM
standard. Deliveries to FA units were initially
planned for 2016, but the project hit serious
technical difficulties that resulted in delays
and by October 2020, the number of Frogfoots
upgraded to this standard was around 20. Most
if not all Su-25SMs at the earlier SM1 and SM2
modification standard, implemented between
2006 and 2014, will be upgraded to SM3 standard.
The SM3 standard brings a new software
and hardware capability to facilitate the use
of new guided ordnance and it also boasts
an enhanced, integrated self-protection
suite. This is designed to counter a wide
array of radar-guided and infrared-guided
threats encountered over the battlefield at
low level. This improved Frogfoot also has
a new communications suite with a datalink
capability for use in close air support scenarios.
The Su-25SM3 has increased night attack
capability thanks to a thermal imager added to
its newly integrated built-in targeting system.
After the series of delays caused by snags
discovered during the exhaustive testing and
evaluation programme, delivery of the first
Su-25SM3 was moved back to the end of 2017.
According to an interview with the 4th A&ADA’s
commanding officer Lieutenant General
Sevostyanov by the Russian Interfax news
agency in August 2017, a total of 16 Su-25SM3s
(apparently upgraded between 2015 and 2017)
were to be handed over by the end of that
year to Southern MD’s two attack regiments,
the 960th ShAP at Primorsko-Akhtarsk
and the 368th ShAP at Budennovsk. The
long-delayed delivery of the first Su-25SM3s
eventually happened in the first half of 2018.
www.key.aero 21
Airborne Early Warning & Control
Airborne
Controllers
The backbone of Russia’s Airborne Early Warning and Control
Combat Employment Aviation Group is still the A-50.
We take a look at the fleet and its intended replacement
T
HE AIRBORNE Early Warning and
Control (AEW&C) Combat Employment
Aviation Group, incorporated in the
organizational structure of the VKS
Military Transport Aviation Command, includes
up to a dozen upgraded A-50U and non-upgraded
A-50 Mainstay in active service at any given
time. These aircraft equip two squadrons,
stationed at Ivanovo-Severny northeast of
Moscow and the Mainstays are on standby for
missions from the home airfield, or deployed
to forward operating locations in Russia or
abroad, for prolonged periods. As many as 25
A-50s, including three prototypes, were built
at the TANTK Beriev plant in Taganrog, with the
last delivered to the Russian military in 1992.
Six Mainstays upgraded to A-50U standard
are now in service and the seventh is slated for
delivery in 2021. In addition, between three
and four non-upgraded A-50s are understood
to remain in active service. The A-50U is
regarded as a critical and highly-effective
VKS warfighting asset, utilised for battle
management and gap-filling wherever and
whenever needed, compensating for the
lack of continuous ground radar coverage
in Russia’s vast far northern and far eastern
territories and airspace over adjacent seas.
The comprehensive A-50U upgrade undertaken
in the 2000s added enhanced operational
capabilities to the 1980s-vintage radar system,
including the ability to reliably detect and track
low-flying helicopters and integration of modern
data exchange terminals to expand the systems’
ground-based user community down to division
level. Another improvement to the mission
The A-100 is the new-generation AEW&C platform of the VKS, and the first aircraft is expected to be
commissioned into regular service by 2024. TANTK Beriev
22 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
suite called for employment of new data fusion
techniques – fusing radar target data with data
derived from onboard ELINT and SIGINT systems
– to achieve more reliable target recognition.
The number of possible simultaneously radar-
tracked targets is said to have increased to 300.
There are also a significant number of non-
upgraded A-50s held in long-term storage
and ready to cycle though upgrade. Satellite
images of Ivanovo-Severny airfield in mid-2019,
showed only three A-50s or A-50Us lined-up
on the base’s active operations apron (the
others are believed to have been on deployed
operations) while nine more airframes were
seen parked in the long-term storage area.
In the foreseeable future the VKS is looking
forward to a new-generation AEW&C platform,
the Beriev A-100 ‘Premier’, which is currently
in the testing phase. Set to enter squadron There are six A-50Us in VKS service, with one
service by 2024, this sophisticated AEW&C more aircraft intended for delivery in 2021.
system will utilise a raft of 21st Century advanced Alexander Mladenov
technologies - at least for the Russian defence
electronics industry – including an active
electronically scanned radar together with new
signals collection, data processing and display
capabilities. The ‘Premier’ is endowed with
significant computing power and is designed
to detect, identify (also using non-cooperative
techniques), acquire, and track stealth air
targets and non-strategic ballistic missiles,
while retaining high capabilities of land and
sea target detection and recognition. The
A-100 detection range against bombers is
claimed to be 600km, low-flying cruise missiles
can be detected at 300km while large-size
ships can be detected at up to 400km.
The A-50U is currently the workhorse of the VKS AEW&C force and will continue to
play this important role until the second half of the 2020s. TANTK Beriev

www.key.aero 23
Long-Range Aviation

Russia’s Strategic B
Russia’s long-range bomber fleet offers a strategic capability of both
nuclear and conventional options. We take a view of the fleet

T
HE LONG-RANGE Aviation (Dal’naya In either a global or local war it will be tasked strategic bombers, armed with long-range
Aviatsia - DA) arm of Russia’s Air and to ruin the military-economic potential of conventional and nuclear-tipped air-launched
Space Force (RuASF) is the most the enemy state or coalition, striking its most cruise missiles (ALCMs). The swing-wing,
recognisable component of the country’s important military and industrial facilities jet-powered, four-engine, supersonic Tu-160
fearsome strategic nuclear deterrence capability. and infrastructure. The Backfire, Bear-H and Blackjack is primarily used for long-range
Furthermore, it is the only one endowed with Backfire-C fleets will be called upon to inflict missions where low-level or high-level
a dual nuclear/conventional strike role, as its irreparable damage through destruction of penetration of the enemy air defences may
bombers could effectively be used in localised the enemy’s important defence installations be required, while the four-engine turboprop,
armed conflicts around the world at short notice. and disruption of government and military subsonic Tu-95MS (Bear-H) is deemed
DA’s bomber crews train intensely in both command-and-control channels and facilities. more suitable for missions where ALCMs
nuclear and conventional precision missile The DA fleet is equipped with two types of are launched from stand-off distances.
strikes across a wide range of conflict scenarios
and at any point on the globe, taking-off from
their home bases in Russia or using forward
operating locations overseas. The strategic
bomber community first showed its combat
readiness and capability in the Russian war
campaign in Syria. It represented the baptism
in fire of the Tu-160 and Tu-95MS fleets, which
had never been used in combat before.

The Deterrence Mission

Explained
The DA is a powerful force at the disposal of
Russian Armed Forces Supreme Commander, Russian political leaders and military commanders tend to refer to the highly-visible and much-publicised
President Vladimir Putin, and is tasked to global patrol operations by the Tu-160 and Tu-95MS force, combined with the mass introduction of new
ALCMs, as Russia’s non-symmetrical response to the US high-profile initiative to deploy anti-ballistic
deliver results in all strategic theatres where
missile defence installations in Eastern Europe. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
the Russian military could be involved.

24 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
c Bomber Force

Plans to increase the Blackjack fleet are currently in progress, with ten newly-built examples, in vastly enhanced
configuration and known as the Tu-160M2, slated to be taken on strength by 2027, together with an upgrade
programme, apparently set to cover 17 existing examples built between 1986 and 2018. United Aircraft Corporation

The third main type in DA service, and the most

According to information exchanged
numerous, is the jet-powered, twin-engine,
under the START treaty, in 2017 Russia’s
swing-wing, supersonic Tu-22M3 (Backfire-C), nuclear-capable strategic bomber force
which is highly useful in low-intensity conflicts, comprised 25 Tu-95MS-6s, in addition
it is a long-range heavy theatre bomber for to 30 more Tu-95MS-16s and 13 Tu-160s.
nuclear or conventional strikes, with long-range Alexander Mladenov
supersonic cruise missiles for knocking out sea
and land targets in addition to free-fall bombs
and sea mines. There is also a long-range
reconnaissance version of the Backfire in
service with the DA, known as the Tu-22M3R.
The DA remains perhaps the best-funded
arm within the RuASF, receiving all it needs to
upgrade, overhaul and life-extend its aging
fleet, re-launch production of the Tu-160
and introduce new-generation ALCMs. The
arm also expects to get a new-generation
long-range bomber, developed under the
PAK-DA programme, development of which
began in 2013. The maiden flight of this
low-observable subsonic bomber is expected
to occur before 2025, with commissioning
into LRA service possibly in the early 2030s.

Long-Range Aviation
Organisation
In April 2009, the 37th Air Army of the Supreme
Command (Strategic Purpose), controlling

www.key.aero 25
Long-Range Aviation

In August 2018, a Tu-160 pair flew a patrol mission in the Arctic and Far Eastern regions for the first
time, operating from a forward base near the Far Eastern city of Anadir, in co-ordination with Tu-142
long-range anti-submarine and maritime patrol aircraft of the Russian Naval Aviation. United Aircraft
Corporation

A Tu-22M3 upgraded with the SVP-24-22 sub-system pictured dropping a 550lb (250kg) iron bomb. The
add-on sub-system enables precise navigation bombing using dumb bombs and demonstrated good
performance during the Syrian campaign. Andrey Zinchuk

Russia’s heavy bomber force, was reformed

into the Long-Range Aviation Command
(LRAC). In 2011 it also inherited the long-range
strike assets of the Russian Naval Aviation
(RNA) branch, represented by two Tu-22M3-
equipped squadrons – one of these, stationed
A Tu-95MS named ‘Dubna’ seen here resting at its home base in Engels, where the 184th TBAP is based. at Olenogorsk airfield at Kola Peninsula in
via Alexander Mladenov
northwestern Russia, and the second at
Kamenny Ruchey in the far east of the country.
The current DA structure, set up in December
2015, comprises the LRAC’s HQ in Moscow, two
heavy bomber aviation divisions, one combat
training and aircrew conversion centre, and
various auxiliary air units for liaison, training,
transport and Search and Rescue (SAR).
Headquartered at Engels in southern Russia, the
22nd TBAD is a heavy bomber aviation division
which controls three heavy bomber aviation
regiments. Two of these are stationed at Engels
and the third is at Shaykovka. In addition, the
division controls another composite aviation
regiment, the 40th SAP, stationed at Olenogorsk,
which includes one Tu-22M3-equipped
squadron and one transport/SAR squadron.
The 326th TBAD has its HQ at Ukrainka
in Russia’s far east, not far from the large
city of Blagoveshtensk, and controls three
heavy bomber regiments. Two of these
are stationed at Ukrainka and the third is at

26 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER

Belaya near Irkutsk, in eastern Siberia.
The 43rd TSBPiPLS is a combat training
and aircrew conversion centre, stationed
at Ryazan-Dyagilevo south of Moscow. The
same airfield is used to house the LRA’s sole
tanker regiment, the 203rd OGAP(SZ), while
the 27th SAP is a composite air regiment
equipped with transport, liaison and training
aircraft and stationed at Tambov.
By December 2018, the DA fielded a strategic
bomber fleet of some 17 Tu-160 Blackjacks in a
single regiment with two component squadrons,
in addition to about 60 Tu-95MS Bear-Hs in three
regiments, with a total of six squadrons. A few
more examples serve with a squadron at Ryazan-
Dyagilevo for conversion and upgrade training.
The branch also has two regiments, with
a total of six or seven squadrons, flying the
Tu-22M3 Backfire-C long-range bombers. A
total of about 115 examples are on strength,
including those held in long-term reserve,
while the active fleet is believed to number
no more than 45 aircraft, including those
used for conversion and upgrade training at
Ryazan-Dyagilevo. The Backfire-C fleet lacks an
air refuelling capability and thus has reduced
significance. Its main purpose is to deliver
heavy bomb loads during conventional conflicts
and attack well-protected naval task groups in
A total of 66 ALCM strikes were mounted by the LRA’s Tu-160s and Tu-95MS’ during the Syrian war
campaign, between November 2015 and September 2017. via Alexander Mladenov
a blue-water environment with conventional which had previously begun in 2008. Such
or nuclear-tipped supersonic missiles. extended strategic bomber operations,
In addition to the strategic and theatre bomber including sporadic patrol missions flown from
types, the DA also has a fleet of some 18 Il-78 airfields in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba,
and Il-78M Midas air tankers. The auxiliary became an integral component of service’s
fleet comprises An-12 and An-26 turboprops, increasingly realistic combat training plans.
used for transport and SAR, Tu-134UBL/ According to the Russian Defence Minister,
UBSh training, transport and liaison jets,
Mi-8 utility transport and SAR helicopters, The Tu-95MS fleet is set to receive new engines
Mi-26 heavy-lift transport helicopters and with more efficient propellers, as part of a
An-30B specialised photo survey aircraft. major upgrade effort to boost range, endurance,
and take-off performance. Alexander Mladenov
Long-range Power Projection
The highly-visible long-range patrol flights
in international airspace are deemed to be
realistic operational training which at the same
time demonstrate global ‘power projection’.
The flights began to be on conducted a
regular basis in August 2007. Six years later
these bomber patrols as a show of strength
were formally renamed ‘flights conducted
in accordance with the strategic deterrence
plan of the Russian Armed Forces’. Between
2012 and 2017, the DA reported a total of 178
long-range/long-endurance patrol sorties.
The DA’s most well-known international
action was its long-range patrol missions
down to the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico
performed in December 2018, an undertaking
www.key.aero 27
Long-Range Aviation

Sergey Shoigu, Russia needs to ensure military

presence deep into the western Atlantic and
eastern Pacific oceans, including the waters of
the Caribbean basin and the Gulf of Mexico.
The benefit from the rather expensive global
patrol and training operations – conducted
well beyond Russian borders - is that bomber
aircrews get plenty of opportunities to polish
their mission training. In 2017, the DA flying
units amassed 20,000 flight hours and each
aircrew logged on average 120 flight hours,
while the figures for 2018 called for the same
total flight time, with the aircrew average flying
time reported to have exceeded 100 hours.
According to Lieutenant General Sergey
Kobylash, DA commanding officer (CO), the
global patrols are conducted in international
airspace, in full compliance with International The Tu-22M3 Backfire-C can be used for anti-shipping missions, armed with Kh-22 and Kh-32 long-range
Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules and supersonic cruise missiles which can carry conventional or nuclear warheads and use active radar
guidance. These are tailor made for employment against large warships. Ministry of Defence of the
procedures, without violating other countries’
Russian Federation
sovereignty. The intercepts and shadowing
of the Russian bombers, undertaken by NATO
Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) fighters during point off the coast of California. In 2014, the territories since the early 2010s – some of
patrols over neutral waters in the Atlantic and DA branch also reported its first long-range which are beyond the Polar circle, such as
Pacific, are also regarded as realistic training patrols over the Mediterranean and South Vorkuta, Tiksi-3, Olenogorsk, Monchegorsk,
opportunities for the service’s aircrews. China Sea, reaching Guam, while in December and Anadir in the far eastern territories.
A certain proportion of the long-range patrol 2017 the arm further expanded the geography In 2017, the Tu-22M3 force also began flying
missions are reported to have been flown close of its patrol missions, operating out of a regular patrols in the Arctic, using the forward
to US and Canada’s east coast. According to the temporary forward base in Indonesia. operating bases at Anadir and Vorkuta. In turn,
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation in August 2018, the Tu-160 force followed suit
press releases, Blackjack and Bear-H crews Arctic Presence Expanded by launching patrols from Anadir airfield, some
have never behaved provocatively in any In addition to the long-range patrols conducted 431nm (800km) from Alaska. Using this forward
way during such flights. On one occasion in from their home bases at Engels and Ukrainka, operating location provides the bombers with
2014 the Russian Bear-H bombers continued the Bear-Hs have been using forward operating extended mission endurance for patrolling
further south down the US west coast to a locations in Russia’s extreme northern over the deep-frozen Arctic and North Pole to

This is the first Tu-95 upgraded to Tu-95MSM standard by TANTK Beriev in Taganrog. The first flight in
the new guise reportedly occurred on August 22, 2020. TANTK Beriev

28 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 New ALCMs For the Bomber Fleet
The DA has received two new ALCM types in the
recent past – the Kh-555 and the Kh-101/102 - both
developed by MKB Raduga for the Bear-H and
Blackjack fleets. The conventionally-tipped Kh-555
is a vastly improved derivative of the 1980s-vintage
nuclear-tipped Kh-55 (AS-15 Kent), the principal
strategic bomber weapon used for the nuclear
deterrence mission in the recent past. In turn, the
Kh-101/102 is a new-generation stealthy ALCM
family, much larger and heavier than the Kh-55 and
Kh-555, featuring a much longer range and better
accuracy. It has been officially touted as an ultra-
long-range strategic weapon, fielded in DA service
in two versions. The Kh-101 has a conventional
warhead while the Kh-102 is fitted with a nuclear-
tipped warhead. Powered by a retractable
turbofan engine, the missile can fly up to 4,500km
and weighs around 2,400kg while its conventional
warhead weighs 400kg. Flying at cruise speeds
up to 523kts at between 100 and 19,680ft altitude,
the Kh-101 features terrain-contour matching
(TERCOM) guidance, enhanced with INS/satellite
en-route correction (using a combined GLONASS/
GPS receiver) and TV scene matching in the
terminal phase of flight. This combined guidance
method provides a claimed circular error probable
(CEP) of between ten to 20m.
The Kh-101/102 was flight-tested for the first
time in 2004 and commissioned into service with
Blackjack and Bear-H crews received their baptism of fire during the
Russian campaign in Syria, with the first combat sorties reported on
November 17, 2015. They launched real-world combat Kh-555 ALCMs,
together with the new and longer-range Kh-101, for the first time. Alexander
Mladenov
simulate ALCM attacks against targets in North
America. According to Lt Gen Kobylash, the
Arctic is considered to hold strategic importance
for Russia and is the reason the DA has been
tasked with developing new airfields and
hardware, enabling to effectively secure the
county’s sea borders in this important sector.
Fleet Upgrades
In June 2014, Russia’s Defence Minister, Sergey
Shoigu approved a package of measures to
boost DA fleet availability rate to 80% by 2017,
but there is no firm information as to whether
this target was reached. Currently, the fleet
can be considered as being mature, with an
average aircraft age of about 30 years. In 2009,
the DA launched a series of small-scale upgrade
initiatives to enable its Bear-H and Blackjack
fleets to use new-generation ALCM types. In
addition, a proportion of the Backfire-C fleet was
the LRA in 2013. The Tu-160 can carry up to 12
missiles internally on two rotary launcher units.
The Tu-95MS, in turn, carries eight missiles on four
twin-round pylons under the wings.
The smaller and lighter Kh-555, tested for the
first time in 1999, has a range of up to 2,000km
and is fitted with a conventional warhead,
weighing about 364kg, in both penetrating and
cluster versions. Compared with the Kh-55, the
conventional derivative features a reduced radar-
cross section and a much-improved guidance
system, with TERCOM with INS/satellite en-route
correction, plus a scale-matching area correlation
system used in the terminal phase of flight. The
claimed CEP for the Kh-555 is within 20m.
A new ALCM type is currently in development at
MKB Raduga, designated Kh-50 and is a medium-
range weapon with a conventional warhead. It
uses the same guidance system as the Kh-101,
but in a smaller body with a further reduced radar
cross-section. The missile is claimed to achieve
CEP within five to 7m and it can be accommodated
in the weapons bays of Tu-22M3M, Tu-95MSM and
Tu-160M/M2 aircraft. The Tu-96MSM will be able to
carry up to 14 missiles, including six in the weapons
bay, while the Tu-160M, Tu-160M2 is limited to 12
Kh-50 accommodated in the two weapons bays,
and the Tu-22M3M will carry between five and
seven rounds. The Kh-50 is a turbofan-powered
The Tu-22M’s small-scale upgrade work under Phase 1, combined with
airframe and general systems major inspections and overhauls and, in
some cases, installation of the SVP-24-22 sub-system, were carried out in
parallel at KAZ plant in Kazan and 360 ARZ plant in Ryazan. Andrey Zinchuk
upgraded to deploy another new-generation
long-range missile and also accurately deliver
conventional free-fall bombs, with integration
of a new navigation/attack sub-system.
All three bomber types are set to undergo the
upgrades in two phases. During the first they
are receiving only minor improvements to their
navigation/attack suites – mostly in an effort
to replace obsolete avionics components and
other out of production on-board equipment.
This package, known as the interim Phase 1
upgrade, provides better long-term availability
rates and improved navigation capability.
The second and much more sophisticated
phase will cover comprehensive upgrades
of the avionics of all three bomber types,
including integration of all-new navigation/
attack, communication, and EW suites. These
are combined with comprehensive service
life extension programmes and powerplant
weapon, weighing 1,700kg, with a 378kts cruise
speed and maximum speed of 512kts. Its range is
up to 3,000km at altitudes between 50 to 5,000m.
The conventional warhead comes in two
versions – a penetrating type for striking protected
targets and a cluster type, optimised for area
target destruction. There is no information
available regarding when the new missile will be
commissioned in DA service.
During 2014 the RuASF’s then commander-in-
chief, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, had hinted
a new ALCM type was in development – and there
is little doubt he was referring to the Kh-50, still a
highly-classified project. He described it as being
capable of flying at ultra-low level and optimised
for penetration of advanced air defences thanks
to the built-in artificial intelligence of its advanced
guidance system. Equipped with a highly-sensitive
radar homing and warning receiver, the smart
missile will be able to detect and plot all radar
threats alongside its pre-programmed route.
Based on its ‘smart’ guidance system, the missile
will then decide how to avoid these threats,
following a route of best survival by turning
left or right, and varying altitude and speed. In
order to further enhance survivability when
penetrating dense air defences, it is hinted that the
Kh-50 can use a miniaturised radar jammer and
towed decoys.
improvements for the Bear-H and Blackjack
fleets and a new engine for the Backfire-C.
In December 2013, Lt Gen Anatoly Zhikharev,
the former DA CO, told the Ministry of Defence
of the Russian Federation official newspaper,
Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Flag), that the small Tu-160
fleet will continue in service for between 30
and 40 more years. This means the first of the
original Blackjacks will reach retirement age
somewhere between 2030 and 2040, while the
late-production examples could be well-placed
to serve even beyond 2050. The Tu-160s were
built between 1986 and 2018; no fewer than
nine examples were handed over after 1990,
including one in 2008 while the last one followed
suit in early 2018. In fact, the latest news from
the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
indicates the type’s service life is planned to be
incrementally extended up to 50 years. The
newly-built and enhanced Tu-160M2s, which
www.key.aero 29
Long-Range Aviation

The entire Tu-160 fleet, comprising 17 aircraft, is set for a major avionics upgrade,
with the first example beginning testing in the new configuration in February
2020. Alexander Mladenov

began being rolled out in 2019, are expected Since 2010, flight training of DA units has been notably intensified and all Tu-160 commander pilots log
to continue in service even beyond 2070. in excess of 100 flight hours a year, while the minimum figure set for the branch is 80 flight hours. via
According to Russia’s Vice-Prime Minister Alexander Mladenov
Yury Borisov - who was the deputy defence
minister responsible for the procurement
until May 2018 - all 17 Tu-160s in the RuASF
inventory today will be cycled through a
comprehensive upgrade to Tu-160M standard
during the Phase 2 upgrade, including
integration of all-new navigation/attack and
self-protection suites as well as a glass cockpit.
As many as ten Blackjacks were slated to
undergo the low-cost Phase 1 upgrade but the
programme is progressing with some delay. The
prototype aircraft, named ‘Valentin Bliznyk’,
was upgraded in 2006. The first Tu-160 with
the production-standard Phase 1 upgrade
package and named ‘Andrey Tupolev’, was
handed over to the RuASF in December 2014
after completion at Tupolev’s KAZ Gorbunov
plant in Kazan. Two more Blackjacks were then upgraded to Phase 1 – named ‘Vasiliy Reshetnikov The first pair of new engines, produced at the
and ‘Vasiliy Sen’ko’ – and re-delivered to the LRA PAO Kuznetsov plant in Samara, was reported

Abbreviations
in January 2016 and August 2017, respectively. ready for shipping to the Ministry of Defence of
In 2018, another upgraded Blackjack, ‘Pyotr the Russian Federation in early June 2018. The
Deinekin’, was taken on strength, this time first contract calls for delivery of 22 new engines,
IAP – Fighter Aviation Regiment a newly-built machine, and in January 2019 most likely for fitment to new-build Blackjacks.
BAP – Bomber Aviation Regiment ‘Ivan Yarygin’ entered flight testing following The first new production Blackjack (‘Pyotr
SAP – Composite Aviation Regiment
overhaul and a small-scale upgrade. Deinekin’) utilised an incomplete airframe
ShAP – Attack Aviation Regiment
Another improvement for the Tu-160 fleet is the originally built in the 1990s and featured the
ORAE – Independent Reconnaissance
new uprated NK-32-02 afterburning turbofan Phase 1 avionics suite, taking to the air for the
Aviation Squadron
engines. The flight testing of a Blackjack powered first time from the factory airfield of Tupolev’s
IISAP – Instructor-Research
by the new engines was originally planned for KAZ Gorbunov plant on January 25, 2018. It is
Composite Regiment
completion in late 2018 but in fact the first flight slated for a follow-on upgrade to the enhanced
TsPAT – Aircraft Display Centre
with the NK-32-02 was reported in November Tu-160M2 standard, covering all Phase 2
TsBPIA – Combat Training
2020. Compared with the original NK-32 dating improvements, including glass cockpit.
Centre of Fighter Aviation
back to the 1980s, the new derivative features a The first Tu-160, overhauled and upgraded
GTsPAPVI - State Aviation Personnel
reduced specific fuel consumption, extending to the Tu-160M standard (also referred to as
Training and Field Trials Centre
the Tu-160’s range by around 540nm (1,000km). Tu-160M1 by some sources in Russia), was

30 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
expected to be rolled out in the third quarter of
2019, with the first flight reported in February
2020. The testing and evaluation campaign
of the Phase 2 upgrade package is expected
to run for two years, with completion of the
effort expected in 2021. The first production-
standard upgraded Blackjacks are expected
to be delivered to the RuASF in 2022.
The definitive new-generation Blackjack
for the DA, dubbed Tu-160M2, features the
Phase 2 avionics package and will be new-build
aircraft. The first was tentatively slated to fly in
2019, but then it was postponed to the end of
2020. According to Borisov, serial production
of the Tu-160M2, powered by the new NK-32-02
engines, should begin in 2021 with a rate of
between three and four aircraft a year and
first deliveries to the RuASF are planned for
2023. The overall combat capability of the
Tu-160M2 is reportedly twice that of the original
Blackjack, with the 1980s-vintage mission suite
and weapons. The bomber will also feature
a reduced radar cross-section, thanks to new
radar-absorbent coatings applied to the airframe.
As many as 50 Blackjacks are planned for
eventual production but the first firm contract,
inked in January 2018 between the Ministry
of Defence of the Russian Federation and
UAC (the parent company of Tupolev), covers
only ten examples at a unit price of RUB 15
billion (about US$266 million at the time of
signature); The contract guarantees work at
the KAZ Gorbunov plant until the end of 2027.
Bear-H Upgrades Progressing
The Tu-95MS fleet, rolled out between 1983
and 1991, has been little-used in terms of
flight hours and deemed in good technical
condition in terms of airframe fatigue and
corrosion damage but it is suffering from some
powerplant and avionics obsolescence issues.
Currently, the Bear-H fleet is being cycled
through a small-scale upgrade, carried out at
Tupolev’s experimental plant in Zhukovsky
near Moscow and TANTK Beriev in Taganrog.

The Engels-based Tu-95MS’ and Tu-160s currently conduct a significant proportion of their long-range patrols over
the deep-frozen Arctic, including the territories around the North Pole and the northern parts of the Atlantic Ocean,
while occasionally venturing to the northern Pacific, reaching the Alaskan coast. via Alexander Mladenov

The major upgrade programmes conceived for both the Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 fleets foresee the use of
common mission and flight/navigation avionics. Alexander Mladenov

www.key.aero 31
Long-Range Aviation
Known as Phase 1 upgrade, this was launched in
2009 and covers new avionics, used to replace
obsolete navigation and display systems, in
addition to new fuel system components.
The upgraded aircraft have the capability to
deploy the new Kh-101/102 ultra-long-range
cruise missiles, eight of which can be carried
on four twin-round underwing launchers.
As many as 13 upgraded Bear-Hs were delivered
in 2015-16, complemented by at least two more
examples in 2017 and another four examples
joined the fleet in 2018. Most if not all of the
Tu-95MS’ in the active fleet are earmarked to
cycle through the Phase 1 upgrade. During
2016, Lt Gen Zhikharev revealed 43 Tu-95MS’ will
undergo an avionics upgrade, but that revelation
is thought to be referring to a comprehensive
follow-on upgrade, known as Phase 2.
32 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
As Alexander Konyukhov, director general
of Tupolev revealed in October 2018, work
on Phase 2 of the Bear-H’s upgrade to the
Tu-95MSM standard, is being carried out by
the Taganrog-based TANTK Beriev company.
The first flight was originally scheduled for
late 2019, but the programme incurred delay
and the first flight was reported in August
2020, with testing to last between 18 months
and two years and the fleet-wide upgrade is
expected to be given a go-ahead by 2021.
The Tu-95MSM’s upgrade contract, covering
the full package of Phase 2 improvements, was
signed by Tupolev and the Ministry of Defence
of the Russian Federation in June 2018. The
scope of the work calls for integration of an
all-new navigation suite, including the Novella-
NV1.021 search radar, plus new optronic and
electronic/signal intelligence systems. The
upgraded Bear-H is also earmarked to introduce
the new Meteor-NM2 self-protection suite
featuring a new-generation radar jammer.
The Tu-95MSM will also see introduction
of uprated NK-12MPM engines, fitted with
AV-60T propellers for vastly improved take-off/
landing performance and extended range
and endurance. The new engine, rated at
15,000shp and driving the new and more
efficient counter-rotating propellers, entered
flight testing in April 2018. The effort was
expected to be completed by the end of 2018
and deliveries of new engines for installation
on upgraded Bear-Hs began in 2020.
The Tu-95MSM package will also extend the
aircraft’s service life and it will also receive
new weapons, including the Kh-50 ALCM.
 The prop-driven Tu-96MS Bear-H is the mainstay of the DA’s fleet, responsible for the majority of routine long-range
patrol operations. This upgraded to Phase 1 aircraft, named ‘Saratov’ (a large city next to Engels), is from the 184th
In its definitive upgraded form, the Bear-H
fleet is set to continue in LRA service in
both nuclear deterrence and conventional
long-range strike roles until 2035-40.
Backfire-C Upgrades
Most of the Tu-22M3s remaining in LRA service
were produced in the second half of the 1980s,
with the last Backfire-Cs rolling out of the KAZ
Gorbunov plant in Kazan in 1993. The type is
also slated for a significant upgrade to enable
it to remain in service until the late 2030s.
The first small-scale upgrade of the Backfire-C
fleet initiated in the late 2000s represented
an unorthodox and affordable way to boost
overall combat employment effectiveness in
the bomber role using conventional free-fall
munitions. It received the SVP-24-22 modular
TBAP at Engels and sports external pylons for eight Kh-101 or Kh-102 ALCMs. Alexander Mladenov
digital upgrade package to provide accurate
delivery of non-precision weapons. Developed
by a small high-tech Russian company named
Gefest & T initially for the Su-24M Fencer-E,
the upgrade package is built around a new
digital mission computer, integrated with a
combined GPS/GLONASS satellite navigation
receiver, new hardware interface units
and proprietary software for processing
navigation data received from a number of
different sources. It also features three new
displays in the navigator/operator’s cockpit.
The SVP-24-22 achieves very precise positional
information regardless of the mission duration
which, in turn, allows very accurate delivery
of free-fall unguided bombs on targets with
a known position. It is advertised by Gefest
& T as providing accuracy comparable
with that of the later laser and TV-guided
bombs. In 2009 a Tu-22M3 prototype was
upgraded with the SVP-24-22 for evaluation
purposes and four more Backfire-Cs were
subsequently slated for upgrade in 2012. By
2014, according to unconfirmed data, the
number of Tu-22M3s upgraded with the
SVP-24-22 had increased to seven, including
the prototype. In 2014-18, the system was also
installed on some of the aircraft undergoing
refurbishment and small-scale upgrade at both
the KAZ Gorbunov plant and the 360th ARZ
aircraft repair facility in Ryazan-Dyagilevo.
The small-scale upgrade of the entire
Backfire-C fleet, within the frame of the Phase
1 upgrade effort, adding improved mission
avionics suite and addressing obsolescence
issues, was initiated in 2009 and the prototype
www.key.aero 33
Long-Range Aviation

The Backfire-C has limited flight endurance and range compared to the Blackjack and Bear-H due to the
lack of air refuelling capability, but this is still sufficient for effective power projection in the Baltic and
Black Seas and the Northern Atlantic. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

Russian Long-Range Aviation Command Order of Battle

Unit Base Types

Headquarters Moscow

Centrally-reporting units
43rd TsBPiPLS - Combat and Conversion Training Ryazan-Dyagilevo Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, An-26
Centre (Long-Range Aviation Personnel)

203rd OGAP(SZ) - Independent Guards Aviation Regiment Ryazan-Dyagilevo Il-78, Il-78M

(Tanker Aircraft) (two component squadrons)

27th SAP - Composite Transport Regiment (two or Tambov An-12, An-26, An-30, Tu-134 UBL,
three component transport squadrons) Tu-134Sh, Mi-8T/MT.

22nd Guards TBAD - Heavy Bomber Aviation Division Engels

121st TBAP – Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment Engels Tu-160
(two component bomber squadrons)

184th TBAP (two component squadrons) Engels Tu-95MS

52nd TBAP (two component bomber squadrons) Shaikovka Tu-22M3, Tu-22M3R

40th SAP (one bomber and one transport/SAR squadrons) Olenogorsk Tu-22M3, An-12, Mi-8, Mi-26

326th TBAD - Heavy Bomber Aviation Division Ukrainka

182nd TBAP (two component bomber squadrons) Ukrainka Tu-95MS

79th TBAP (two component bomber squadrons) Ukrainka Tu-95MS

200th Guards TBAP (three component bomber Belaya Tu-22M3, Tu-22M3R, An-12, An-26, An-30
squadrons and one transport squadron)

Note: Compiled using publicly-available sources only and covering the DA main units. No official information has been released on ORBAT of the LRAC after
latest round of changes undertaken in 2015.

34 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 A Bear-H from the 184th TBAP at Engels, situated on the Volga, some 700km southeast of Moscow, is
seen here during a training flight in the vicinity of its base. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
was rolled out in 2012, with testing during
2013. The first production-upgraded
Backfire-C was taken on strength in 2014.
Between 2014 and 2018, between 20 and 25
Tu-22M3s were overhauled and cycled through
the Phase 1 upgrade at KAZ Gorbunov. An
undisclosed number of Backfire-Cs were
also overhauled and upgraded to the Phase 1
standard at the 360th ARZ aircraft repair facility.
The Tu-22M3’s upgraded mission avionics
under Phase 1 also makes the aircraft capable
of employing the new Kh-32 air-to-surface
The Syrian war campaign saw the use in anger
of all three DA bomber types, rushed into
combat during several surge periods between
November 2015 and December 2017. Alexander
Mladenov
missiles, which have a range of up to 324nm
(600km) range and was formally fielded in LRA
service in late 2016. Fitted with an active radar
seeker, this missile was originally developed
for use against sea targets to replace the
Tu-22M3’s obsolete Kh-22 (AS-4 Kitchen) but
can also be employed against large radar-
reflecting land targets and comes equipped
with conventional or nuclear warheads.
The Phase 2 upgrade contract was signed
in 2016 and it covers the upgrade of four
Backfire-Cs to this comprehensive standard.
A pair of Tu-160s flew a 25 hour-long and truly
global patrol mission on September 19, 2020
which saw the bombers flying in close proximity
to Alaska and then returning back to their home
base at Engels.
The Tu-22M3 force from Shaikovka southwest
of Moscow has been deployed for patrol and
power projection operations over the Baltic
and Black Seas and also occasionally conducts
patrol missions into the northern Atlantic.
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
The first fully upgraded Tu-22M3M, incorporating
the Phase 2 standard mission avionics and EW
suites, was rolled out at KAZ Gorbunov plant in
August 2018. There is a high commonality between
the Phase 2 mission equipment and that planned
for integration on the Tu-160M2. The tail gun turret
is removed and there are unconfirmed reports
the upgraded Backfire-C will also get an in-flight
refuelling probe. There were also hints that the
fully upgraded Backfire-C will be powered by the
Tu-160M2’s NK-32-02 engines, extending range
to 5,400nm (10,000km), but the first prototype
at least did not include the new powerplants.
According to Tupolev, the aircraft’s avionics suite is
80% new, including the navigation, communication,
electronic warfare, and targeting suites as well
as the engine and fuel management systems.
The service life of the upgraded aircraft is
planned to be extended to 45 or even 50 years
according to Tupolev’s Konyukhov, while its
arsenal will most likely be enhanced with the
new Kh-50 ALCM. It is also expected that in
its new guise the bomber will be capable of
deploying both guided and unguided bombs.
However, the ambitious upgrade effort is still
lagging behind the original schedule, with the
roll-out of the Tu-22M3M prototype at KAZ
Gorbunov plant occurring in August 2018, and
the first flight reported on December 28, 2018.
The comprehensive testing effort would take about
three years, while the production upgrade is slated
to run in parallel with the flight-testing effort. This
approach is expected to result in first deliveries of fully-
upgraded Backfire-Cs to front-line units around 2022.
As many as 30 aircraft are earmarked to
be cycled through the Tu-22M3M upgrade
under a new contract which was expected
to be signed in 2020 or 2021.
www.key.aero 35
Aerial Refuelling

Aerial Refuel l
The Russian Air Force
currently operates a fleet of
15 Ilyushin aerial refuelling
tankers in two derivatives.

T
HE VKS’ small tanker fleet is grouped
in the 203rd APSZ (Independent
Aviation Regiment of Tanker
Aircraft), a two-squadron regiment
stationed at Ryazan-Dyagilevo airfield and
reporting directly to the Moscow-based
Long-Range Aviation Command. According
to the MoD-owned Zvezda TV channel, in
mid-2018 the Russian air arm had a fleet
of no more than ten Il-78Ms and five Il-78
Midas tankers in squadron service.
The Il-78M is a vastly-improved derivative
of the baseline Il-76MD, boasting a
non-convertible/non-pressurised cargo
hold and an increased maximum take-off
weight of 210,000kg. The improved tanker
also features a strengthened wing and
undercarriage and, as it is stripped of all
cargo handling equipment, faired over cargo
doors; the port entry door has also been
deleted in the efforts to reduce the airframe’s
structural weight by some 5,000kg.
A total of 138,000kg of fuel can be
accommodated in the wing torsion box
and two fuselage cylindrical tanks, each
holding 16,000kg of fuel, while the maximum
transferable quantity is 80,000kg.
The Il-78-2’s upgrade package currently
in testing (first flight in September 2019),
is similar to that implemented in the
upgraded Il-76MD-M airlifter for the Military
Transport Aviation branch. The service
life is extended to 40 years, enabling the
existing VKS Midas fleet to remain in service
until about 2030. Further life extension
efforts to 45 or even 50 years cannot be
ruled out, which would allow the type to
remain in service until the early 2040s.
The first Il-78M-90A new-generation
tanker for the VKS, built at Aviastar-SP in
Ulyanovsk and based on the ll-76MD-90A
enhanced military airlifter, was rolled out on
November 29, 2017. Wearing the Russian
state registration RF-78741, it took to the
air for the first time on January 25, 2018.
The new tanker’s maximum range
is 5,000km with a 52,000kg payload,
while maximum payload is 60,000kg.
In August 2019, the Russian deputy defence
minister, responsible for new weapons
systems procurement, Alexey Krivoruchko,
told the press that a long-term tanker
contract will cover only 14 Il-78M-90As,
the last of which are slated for delivery by
2027. He also hinted the order may increase,
but the short-term MoD goal is to obtain
positive results from the joint state flight
testing effort to be initiated in 2020.

36 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
l ling

The VKS maintains an active fleet of 15 Il-78 and Il-78M tankers, mainly tasked to
support strategic bomber operations outside Russia’s borders. Andrey Zinchuk

The Il-78M-90A is the new-generation tanker for the VKS currently undergoing testing, with
the full-scale production launch expected to begin around 2023. Alexander Mladenov

www.key.aero 37
Air Transport

Heavy Airl
Russia’s air transport branch established new front-line units in 2017 and made additions to its fleet, a

T
HE MILITARY air transport branch of the
Russian Air and Space Force (RuASF) is
enjoying a period of gradual expansion,
together with a slow increase in overall
operational capability and the beginnings of a
long-delayed programme of fleet renewal.
It’s an exciting time for the RuASF. The Voyenno-
Transportnaya Aviatsiya (VTA; military transport
aviation) is introducing a new heavy transport
type with a 60-tonne payload, the Il-76MD-
90A. At the same time much of its existing
Il-76MD (NATO reporting name Candid) fleet is
undergoing an avionics upgrade and service life
extension. In addition, the VTA has spent a lot of
effort and money to improve the availability of its
heaviest type, the An-124 Ruslan (NATO reporting
name Condor), by investing heavily in overhauls,
upgrades, and service life extensions of the jets.
There is a pressing need for the VTA to increase
the size of its heavy lift fleet to offer better
overall mobility to the Russian military, but
deliveries of new and upgraded aircraft continue
slowly. The need for more transports of all sizes
for the VTA will become more acute with the
expected retirement, or long-term storage of the
entire An-22 and Il-76M fleets, together with a
significant number of early-production Il-76MDs
(60 aircraft), in the early/mid 2020s. However,
the best-case scenario anticipates deliveries of
39 new Il-76MD-90As up to 2025 and the addition
of between five and ten An-124s, which are being
taken out of mothballs and upgraded to An-124-
100(VTA) and An-124-100M(VTA) standards.
The situation may be further improved
in the long-term, thanks to follow-on
orders for Il-76MD-90As - the VTA’s overall
requirements are for more than 150 such
airlifters – and large-scale deliveries of the
newly-developed and smaller Il-276.
Airborne Assault Forces
VTA Command, headed by Lieutenant General
Vladimir Benediktov, has its HQ in Moscow,
and reports directly to RuASF commander-in-
chief, Colonel General Sergey Surovikin. The
branch’s principal mission is to facilitate the
strategic mobility of Russia’s armed forces
and, in order to cope with this demanding

The An-124-100 Ruslan, also known in the West as Condor, is the largest VTA aircraft. There are 26 examples in the VTA
fleet but only 10 or 11 of them are kept in airworthy condition. Andrey Zinchuk

38 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
rlift Force
as Alexander Mladenov explains
task, VTA operates a sizeable fleet of heavy
military transport aircraft. All its principal
front-line units represented by six regiments
and one independent squadron equipped with
heavy transport aircraft train intensively.
The branch is officially referred to as a capability
of the Russian Supreme Military Command,
which is intended for employment in a wide
variety of strategic, and operative-tactical
missions in both peace and wartime. The
principal VTA customer is the elite Vozdushno-
Desantniye Voiska (VDV; airborne assault
troops). This is an independent, highly-mobile,
and resourceful branch of Russia’s armed forces,
kept in a constant high state of operational
readiness. It is an important rapid-reaction
warfighting capability available to Russia’s
Supreme Military Command. VDV’s structure
incorporates four divisions, three brigades
and one independent regiment, a total of
around 45,000 highly-trained troops. In order
to facilitate co-ordination with the VDV and
support operational training of its units, all VTA
regiments are based near to the main permanent
VDV bases in the European part of Russia.
The main methods of rapid deployment,
especially useful in the early stages of a conflict,
include either massed parachute drops of
troops and heavy armament into enemy
rear areas, or large assault parties to seize
and secure airfields in the enemy’s rear or on
territory near the forward edge of battle. Both
www.key.aero 39
Air Transport

men and materiel can be parachuted in from
low level and the minimum altitude for mass
assault drops is set at just 500 metres with the
Il-76MDs flying in large and tight formations.
Also, all three of the VTA’s heavy transport
types are capable of operating from unpaved
runways made of grass, bare earth, gravel
and compacted snow and ice - very useful
when delivering VDV units to battle zones.
The VTA was expanded in 2009 through
the incorporation of the VDV’s own aviation
squadrons equipped with An-2 Colt light
biplanes and Mi-8 Hip helicopters. These are
used for day-to-day paradrop training as well
as for personnel and materiel transport and
liaison duties. A total of four squadrons, with
no fewer than 60 An-2s and small numbers of
Mi-8s and An-26 Curls, were transferred to the
VTA fleet while retaining their original purpose
as jump ships for the VDV’s day-to-day paradrop
training. In April 2011, the branch inherited
one squadron previously controlled by the
Strategic Missile Forces, equipped with An-26
and An-72 Coaler medium transports, and used
for personnel/cargo transport and liaison.
In addition to the all-important VDV support
mission, the list of VTA primary missions includes
delivery of weapons, munitions and materiel
to all branches of the Russian military machine;
supporting the re-deployment of air units of
other RuASF arms; air transportation of troops
and equipment from all branches of the Russian
military; casualty and medical evacuation; and
airlift to support peacekeeping operations.
The Il-76MDs and An-124s are also used for
on-demand commercial air transport operations,
both inside and outside Russia. This work is
undertaken by the 224th Lyiotny Otryad (LO,
Flight Detachment), which operates as VTA’s
own commercial arm, existing as a federal
state unitary enterprise which is a commercial
company, fully-owned and controlled by the
Russian government. Based at Tver’-Migalovo,
the 224th LO has its own Air Operator’s
Certificate (AOC), issued by Russia’s Federal Air
Transport Authority, allowing it to undertake
commercial cargo operations across the
world. Its core fleet comprises Il-76MDs and
An-124-100 Ruslans, with numbers varying in
response to demand. Some VTA aircraft, not
only those operated by the 224th LO, wear smart
colour schemes and Russian civil registrations,
comprising a pseudo-civil RA- prefix and five-

The VTA feet presently comprises over 120

Il-76MDs in active service or held in long-term
storage. Following an avionics and systems
upgrade for up to 35 late-production Candids,
they will remain in service for at least 20 years
to come. Andrey Zinchuk

The An-124-100 Ruslan is the main type used for ferrying heavy military equipment from Russia to Syria
and back in support of the Russian war campaign. The ambitious upgrade and life-extension effort
currently undertaken at Ilyushin, the new design authority for military-operated An-124s in Russia, is
set to keep the giant flying and up until 2050. Alexander Mladenov

The few veteran An-22s remaining airworthy are still in heavy demand for all kinds of heavy-lift
operations in Russia and abroad. Here the type is seen practicing operations from the snow-covered
unpaved back-up runway at Tver’-Migalovo airfield. Andrey Zinchuk

Still Going Strong

The rather old but remarkably cost-effective
Antonov An-22 Cock turboprop still performs
valuable active service with one independent
transport squadron stationed at Tver’-Migalovo
airfield north of Moscow. It is the oldest aircraft
among the VTA’s heavy lift types. The aircraft
entered squadron service in 1967 but remains in
great demand for all kinds of heavy lift operations.
It is still active on international flights delivering
Russian-made arms and military equipment,
including tactical aircraft and helicopters to foreign
customers worldwide. The four-turboprop giant is
designed to accommodate an impressive 60 tonnes
of payload, but the fleet is currently restricted to 40
tonnes due to structural integrity considerations.
As of October 2018, the 76th VTAE had on strength
three An-22s (manufactured between 1973 and
1974) in operational condition, with six more
An-22s believed to remain in long-term storage
at Tver’-Migalovofor use as spare parts. There
is no information about further aircraft being
earmarked for overhauls and life extension.

40 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
digit numbers, while the remainder sports the
The first An-22s entered squadron service in 1969 and by September 2018 as many as nine aircraft were
RF- Russian Federation state aircraft registration. in the VTA fleet, though only three of these were maintained in airworthy condition, with the rest in
Annual flight time accumulated by the VTA long-term storage. Ministry of Defence for the Russian Federation
fleet after 2015 exceeds 55,000 hours, almost
half of which is spent on training missions.
Each experienced aircrew member serving
with the VTA logs an average of 170-hours
annual flight time while the young pilots
in front-line units exceed 200 hours.

Latest Reforms
The latest major round of RuASF reforms
undertaken in 2014 saw the VTA return to the
organisational structure it enjoyed prior to the
radical and much-criticised re-organisation
initiated in December 2009. In December 2014,
the VTA Command, the direct successor of the
61st Air Army of the Supreme Military Command
(Military Transport Aviation), gained control of
five front-line regiments and one independent
squadron equipped with heavyweight
transports, as well as five more independent
transport squadrons flying medium and light
fixed-wing transports and helicopters. This new
structure was established by inheriting the

www.key.aero 41
Air Transport

The principal VTA mission of supporting rapid deployment of the Airborne Troops branch is fulfilled by
parachuting from either low or medium level, by means of assault landings on airfields in the enemy’s
rear areas or near the forward edge of the battlefield. Here Il-76MDs are seen preparing to load
infantry fighting vehicles on parachute platforms to be dropped in low-level flight. Ministry of Defence for
the Russian Federation

The Il-76MD is the VTA workhorse, mainly employed to support VDV operations and ferry personnel and
various cargoes across Russia and abroad. It can also operate from non-paved runways which gives
significant tactical advantages. Ministry of Defence for the Russian Federation

assets of VTA air bases and air groups as they

were between 2009 and 2014. These air bases
and air groups, in turn, were created after the
disbanding of the VTA regiments and divisions
in December 2009. In January 2014, those
re-established military transport regiments
of the VTA Command received number plates
they held prior to the ill-fated 2009 reforms.
Initially, the branch had only one division, the
12th VTAD (Voenno-Transportnaya Aviatsionnaya
Divisya), headquartered at Tver’-Migalovo north
of Moscow, controlling three regiments of heavy
transports and one independent squadron - the
196th VTAP and the 76th VTAE at Tver’-Migalovo
airfield and the 334th VTAP at Pskov, and the
556th VTAP at Sescha. The 196th VTAP and
the 334th VTAP are equipped with the Il-76MD,
while the 76th VTAE flies the An-22 and the
556th VTAP is equipped with the An-124-100.
The other two Il-76MD-equipped regiments,
stationed at Orenburg and Taganrog, were
directly subordinated to the VTA Command.
The VTA continued its expansion drive in
2017, and in November it reported establishing
its second air division, the 18th VTAD,
headquartered in the city of Orenburg in the
Up to 35 late production Il-76MDs, slated to be cycled through an inexpensive mid-life avionics upgrade southeastern corner of the European part
to Il-76MD-M standard, will receive the new PNPK-3 Kupol-3 flight/navigation system, combined with a
of Russia. It controls three heavy transport
life-extended airframe and powerplant. Ministry of Defence for the Russian Federation
regiments in addition to two more squadrons

42 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER

equipped with medium and light types. Its
principal subordinate units, both operating the
Il-78MD, are the 117th VTAP, also stationed at
Orenburg, and the 708th VTAP in Taganrog. The
latest addition to the 18th VTAD’s strength is
the 235th VTAP, a military transport regiment
re-established on December 1, 2017 at Ulyanovsk
and equipped in the beginning with ten Il-76MDs
transferred from the 117th VTAP. The regiment
is slated to become the first front-line unit to
receive new-build Il-76MD-90A transports,
produced at the Aviastar-SP company, also at
Ulyanovsk. The latest industry delivery plans
revealed in July 2018 call for three newly-built
Il-76MD-90As to be handed over to the RuASF
by the end of 2018, joining 235th VTAP’s fleet. In
fact, the Il-76MD-90A production has suffered
serious delays and by August 2020 the VTA
had taken just five examples on strength.
The newly formed regiment at Ulyanovsk is
also slated to receive overhauled and upgraded
An-124-100(VTA) transports, also cycled through
Aviastar-SP. The first of ten such aircraft for
the regiment was handed over in January 2018
following ground and flight testing while a
second, c/n 0605 was handed over in October.
The VTA’s command structure also includes
the 610th TsBPiPLS, an aircrew combat training
and conversion centre stationed at Ivanovo-
The VTA heavy-lift fleet is also involved in a variety of special missions, such as firefighting and support
for the international visits of Russia’s head of state. Here an Il-76MD is seen dropping water from a
VAP-2 fire attack kit in the cargo hold. Alexander Mladenov
Severny. It has one training squadron equipped
with transports, in addition to a two-squadron
regiment containing the RuASF fleet of A-50
and A-50U airborne early warning and control
(AEW&C) aircraft; its third squadron is equipped
with special-mission and various support types.
Fleet Developments
Currently, the VTA operates a diverse fleet of
no less than a dozen aircraft types, with a trio
of heavy types - the 190-tonne Il-76MD with
its 48-tonne payload, the 392-tonne An-124-
100(VTA) with a 120-tonne payload and the 225-
tonne An-22 with a 60-tonne payload – forming
the backbone. The list of the medium types with
secondary roles includes the An-12 Cub, An-26,
An-72 and Tu-134 Crusty. The single-engine
biplane Colt is the sole light transport and the
Mi-8MT, Mi-8MTV the only rotorcraft. Special-
mission types in the fleet of VTA command
are represented by the Beriev A-50 and A-50U
AEW&C aircraft, An-12PP and Il-22PP airborne
jammers, and Il-22 Coot-B aerial command posts.
In the 23 years between 1992 and 2015
no new aircraft were delivered to the VTA
and its mighty fleet deteriorated. Today the
average age of the two principal heavy lift
types, the Il-76MD and An-124, is exceeding
30 years. But despite their age, the majority
of these aircraft have experienced little use
and have a good many flying hours remaining,
which means they could be upgraded and
given a service life extension programme.
As of August 2020, the VTA’s entire heavy lift
fleet - including airframes kept in long-term
storage - comprised some 123 Il-76MDs,
34 Il-76Ms, five Il-76MD-90As (with three
more expected later in the year), 26 An-124s
and nine An-22s, sporting an overall fleet
serviceability rate of between 65 and 70%.
The VTA near-term fleet expansion and
renewal plans foresee the procurement of 39
newly-built Il-76MD-90As. The order for this
newest Candid derivative was placed in October
2012 and the first example was inducted in
regular VTA service at the end of 2015.
The ongoing Il-76MD-M upgrade and service
life extension programme will extend the
service lives of 35 Il-76MDs to the mid-2030s
while the first upgraded Il-76MD-M was
handed over to the VTA in March 2018.
In addition to deliveries of the new Il-76MD-90A
and the Il-76MD-M upgrade, VTA fleet renewal
plans for the next ten years foresees large-scale
purchases of the Il-276. The Il-276 is a new
medium-class transport intended to boost the
branch’s capabilities at the lighter end of military
transport missions up to 20 tonnes, relieving
www.key.aero 43
Air Transport

the heavily-used Il-76MD fleet. The development

contract between the Ministry of Defence of
the Russian Federation and Ilyushin was signed
in 2017, with the Il-276’s maiden flight planned
for 2023. Delivery of the first aircraft to the
RuASF should take place in 2026 at the earliest.
The jet-powered Il-276 is regarded as another
main type in the future VTA fleet, replacing
the Antonov An-70. The An-70 was originally
scheduled for the VTA but has experienced
troubled development and testing over the last
two decades. In the event, this rather ambitious
Russian-Ukrainian joint project was cancelled
by the Ministry of Defence for the Russian
Federation in 2014 after the abrupt break in
political relations between Russia and Ukraine.

Condor Force Rejuvenated

Ambitious plans announced in the early 2010s
for the resumption of An-124 production in
Russia were abandoned in mid-2018 due to
a combination of insurmountable technical,
financial, and political issues. These mainly
related to the impossibility of Ukraine, a key
partner in the design and production process
of the project, continuing participation after the
events of 2014 and their political consequences.
The An-124’s original design authority is Antonov,
a Ukrainian company, but it no longer supports
the RuASF’s Condor fleet. As a consequence,
An-124 design support has been handed
over to the Moscow-based Ilyushin company,
which acts as the new design authority for
military-operated Condors in addition to the
military’s An-26, An-72, and An-12 fleets.
The giant An-124 is considered to be a vital
asset for Russia’s military machine because of
The Il-76MD-90A, powered by fuel-efficient PS-90A-76 turbofans, is
capable of carrying a 60-tonne payload 4,000km. Alexander Mladenov
its huge load-carrying capability and long range. some 800 troops densely packed on two decks.
That combination is increasingly important as Since 2008, the VTA An-124 fleet has cycled
the Kremlin expands its military presence well through overhauls and avionics upgrades
beyond Russia’s borders and regularly practices performed by Aviastar-SP in Ulyanovsk at a
deploying forces and heavy military equipment rate of one to two units per year. By mid-2018
over long distances within the motherland. The the biggest RuASF An-124 operator, the 566th
An-124’s cavernous cargo hold can accommodate VTAP at Sescha, was reported to have received
up to four Mi-24, Mi-28, Ka-52 or Mi-8 helicopters ten overhauled, upgraded and life-extended
or up to three Su-25 attack aircraft, Su-27, Condors, with three more examples scheduled
Su-30, Su-35 or MiG-29 fighters. Alternatively, to be cycled through the programme until
it can carry up to three T-72, T-80, or T-90 main 2020. One more overhauled and extended
battle tanks or five BMP-2/3 infantry fighting Condor was handed over in 2018 to the
vehicles. When used for troop transport in re-activated 235th VTAP at Ulyanovsk.
emergency situations, it can accommodate During the life-extension effort, the type’s

This is the Il-76MD-M prototype. The Il-76MD-M upgrade contract between Ilyushin and the Ministry of Defence for the
Russian Federation was signed in August 2013, foreseeing a comprehensive avionics upgrade, combined with a service
life extension programme and replacement of obsolescent equipment. Ministry of Defence for the Russian Federation

44 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 The Il-76MD fleet is armed
with a pair of tail-mounted
GSh-23 twin-barrel guns for self-
defence, mainly firing rounds
with flares and chaff, but can
be also used for harassing
ground targets in low-level
flight. Alexander Mladenov
service life has been increased to 50,000
flight hours, 10,000 flight cycles and 45
years, but this will be an incremental process
based on research results and actual
airframe condition, combined with structural
modifications on an as-needed basis.
The RuASF’s overall An-124 fleet numbers 26
aircraft but in the 2000s it suffered from very
poor serviceability rates, with a maximum of
four aircraft available at any given moment;
their main mission was to support head-of-state
visits abroad. Currently, the 566th OVTAP has
regained its operational capabilities and their
An-124s fly worldwide, transporting various
The new Candid derivative, Il-76MD-90A, is claimed capable of taking-off
from unpaved runways with a length of 1,800m, albeit with a payload
limited to 30 tonnes. Alexander Mladenov
Bombing and Firefighting Roles
Since 2015 Il-76MD crews in most, if not
all, regiments have been practising some
long-forgotten combat employment profiles,
abandoned in the 1990s. These include using
the 23mm GSh-23 tail guns against ground
targets and dropping various types of free-fall
bombs. Low-level bombing runs in these World
War Two-style makeshift bomber missions are
typically performed at 400m and 270kts. The
employment of the Il-76MD as a bomber is only
possible in a permissive environment when the
enemy on the ground lacks air defence weapons.
The list of ordnance that can be dropped
military and commercial cargoes. In four
months at the end of 2015 for example, five
Condors were used to ferry a total of 10,200
tonnes of military cargo from Russia to Syria.
The first overhauled, life-extended and
upgraded Condor was re-delivered in January
2010 and a second example followed in 2011.
At least 14 aircraft have so far been upgraded
to An-124-100(VTA) standard, which includes a
plethora of structural reinforcements and an
updated flight/navigation suite; the list of other
improvements includes new, more effective
wheel brakes and more powerful self-loading/
unloading equipment in the cargo hold.
An Il-76MD seen here at Tver-Migalovo practicing operations from a snow-
covered runway. Andrey Zinchuk
from the Il-76MD’s four underwing pylons
includes the SAB-series of illumination
bombs (useful for lighting drop zones at
night when delivering parachutists) as well
radio beacons (for homing follow-on aircraft
formations towards the marked landing zone)
and general-purpose fragmentation/high
explosive bombs weighing up to 500kg.
Since 2011, the VTA Il-76MD fleet has been
tasked with the new and dangerous peacetime
role of tackling forest fires in Russia. A number
of Candids received fire attack upgrades as the
result of an urgent operational requirement. The
The second upgrade standard for the
mighty Condor, currently in development at
Ilyushin, foresees integration of an all-new
digital flight/navigation suite similar to that
used on newly-produced Il-76MD-90A and
upgraded Il-90MD-Ms. Additionally, all
Ukrainian-made systems are being replaced.
This new version, dubbed An-124-100M(VTA),
is expected to make its first flight in 2022.
Russian Vice Prime Minister, Yury Borisov,
responsible for supervising the military-
industrial complex, told the press in July 2018
that there are no plans to resume An-124
production at Aviastar-SP for the Russian
VAP-2 fire attack kit, 12 of which were procured
by the RuASF, turns the aircraft into an efficient
water bomber. Located in the cargo bay, the
equipment can be installed or removed within
two or three hours. The kit includes two water
tanks for dropping a total of 42 tonnes of water in a
single sortie through an open ramp. Water drops
are made at a speed of 151kts and 80m altitude,
with water attack taking six to eight seconds and
the liquid covering a strip 600m long and 80m
wide. In early 2016, VTA sources reported the
branch has more than 70 Candid crews qualified
to perform the demanding firefighting mission.
www.key.aero 45
Air Transport

Russian Air Transport Aviation Command Order of Battle

Unit Base Types
610th TzBPiPLS (Combat Training and Ivanovo-Severny Il-76MD, Il-76MD-90A, Il-76MD-M, A-50,
Aircrew Conversion Centre) A-50U, Tu-134, Il-22, An-12, An-26
224th LO** Tver’-Migalovo An-124-100(VTA), Il-76MD
12th VTAD Tver’-Migalovo
196th VTAP Tver’-Migalovo Il-76MD
566th VTAP Sescha An-124, Il-76MD
334th OVTAP Pskov Il-76MD
76th VTAE Tver’-Migalovo An-22
18th VTAD Orenburg
117th OVTAP Orenburg Il-76MD, An-12
708th OVTAP Taganrog Il-76MD
235th VTAP Ulyanovsk Il-76MD, An-124-100(VTA)

Notes: Compiled using all the publicly-available information about the reformed VTA structure and covering only the branch’s units equipped with heavyweight
transport aircraft. **The 224th LO uses An-124-100(VTA)s borrowed from the 566th VTAP fleet on an as-needed basis.

military. He maintained that the VTA’s fleet is big

enough and has enough service life remaining
to continue operations until about 2050.
The rift between Russia and Ukraine had serious
consequences for the VTA’s mid-to-long term
operations of the An-124, chiefly because the jet’s
D-18T engines had historically been overhauled
by the Motor Sich company in Ukraine. In
order to prevent the military-operated An-124
fleet running out of serviceable engines, the
Ministry of Defence for the Russian Federation
awarded a contract to the UZGA company in
Yekaterinburg in early 2016 to overhaul an
initial batch of ten D-18Ts. No time-scale for the
work has been released to the public but the
programme is expected to be protracted and
very complex. In addition, in an effort to ensure
the long-term future of An-124 operations,
the Russian aero engine industry was tasked
to develop a new turbofan engine as a D-18T
replacement. This undertaking, however, may
take up to a decade to bear fruit in the form
of certified and ready for use new engines.
VTA Il-76MDs are heavily tasked with the support of regular Russian military deployments and exercises
conducted in the Arctic. Ministry of Defence for the Russian Federation
Il-76MD-90A in to Service
The newly upgraded Il-76MD-Ms, complemented
by 39 newly-built Il-76MD-90As, are expected
to account for about 70% of the VTA’s active
heavy lift fleet by the early/mid 2020s. The first
Il-76MD-90A for the VTA was officially delivered in
December 2015, followed by the second example
in January 2016. Both are used for conversion-to-
type training for instructor pilots from the 610th
TsBPiPLS at Ivanovo, which will then be tasked to
train aircrews from the VTA’s front-line regiments.
The Il-76MD-90A is a new-generation Candid
derivative with a maximum payload of 60
tonnes. Compared with the legacy Il-76M/
MD it is powered by the more powerful
and fuel-efficient PS-90A-76 turbofan and
has a strengthened cargo hold floor and
landing gear for increased load capability. Its
passenger capacity remains the same as that
of its predecessor – 225 troops in high-density
configuration on two decks or 126 paratroopers.
The first production aircraft, used for testing
and certification trials by Ilyushin and the RuASF,
commenced the second phase of its joint state
Since mid-2015, all available Il-76MDs, An-124s and An-22s have been heavily used to ferry troops, testing and evaluation effort in the spring of 2016.
weapons systems and materiel of Russian land and special operations units deployed in Syria.
That effort was dedicated to test and evaluation
Ministry of Defence for the Russian Federation
of the newly-added mission equipment, currently

46 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 The principal VTA mission calls for supporting the rapid deployment of the
Airborne Troops and is fulfilled by parachuting from either low or medium
level, or by means of assault landings on airfields in enemy’s rear areas or
near the forward edge of the battlefield. Alexander Mladenov

The An-22 Cock is often seen on international flights delivering Russian-

made arms and military equipment, including tactical aircraft and
helicopters sold to customers around the world. Alexander Mladenov

The lion’s share of the operational missions flown by the VTA’s Condor force between mid-2015 and late 2018 were dedicated to the support of the air bridge
between Russia and Syria. Alexander Mladenov

lacking on the first pair of production-standard
Il-76MD-90As delivered. This enhanced mission
package incorporates an integrated self-
protection suite, integrated communication suite
and an electro-optical/infrared turret, useful
for monitoring the drop zone during low-level
paradrop missions during the day or at night.
All newly-manufactured examples will be
built to the new configuration and upon
completion of the test and evaluation effort,
the first two Il-76MD-90As delivered will be
retrofitted with the new mission systems. It is
noteworthy that the Il-76MD-90A lacks the tail
gun turret originally installed on the Il-76MD.
Deliveries of newly-built Il-96MD-90As
in the definitive production configuration
began from 2018 onwards. While in 2018
only three aircraft were slated to be taken on
strength by the RuASF, the tempo was set to
increase to a maximum of 12 per annum in
2021, but this rate hasn’t been achieved yet
due to production issues at Aviastar-SP.
The Il-76MD-90A procurement contract for
39 aircraft, signed in October 2012 and priced
at RUB 140 billion, has encountered serious
issues and caused significant delays. In June
2017 it was revealed the Ministry of Defence for
the Russian Federation and Ilyushin’s parent
company, the United Aircraft Corporation
(UAC), had initiated a comprehensive review of
the original procurement contract. The chief
reason was related to a gross miscalculation
of the Il-76MD-90A’s production expenses at
Aviastar-SP plant back in 2012, combined with
a much less favourable RUB/USD exchange
rate after 2014. This rendered Il-76MD-90A
production a loss-incurring activity.
In July 2018, the Russian Deputy Defence
Minister, Alexey Krivoruchko, told the press
about ongoing talks with UAC regarding a
contract amendment for the Il-76MD-90A, but
no details have yet been made public. In the
event, the original contract for 39 aircraft was
reduced to just 13, six of which have already
been built and delivered to the VTA. According to
Russian daily newspaper Vedomosti, in August
2020 the Ministry of Defence for the Russian
Federation placed a new order for 14 Il-76MD-
90As, with deliveries slated to run until 2027.
Legacy Candid Upgrade
In addition to the new-build Il-76MD-90A
procurement, the ongoing Il-76MD upgrade
effort is set to deliver life-extended and upgraded
Candids good for use well beyond 2030. The first
upgraded aircraft, earmarked for participation
in the flight test and evaluation programme,
took to the air for the first time in February 2016.
In October of the same year the Ministry of
Defence for the Russian Federation announced
a production contract for the first batch of three
aircraft, slated for delivery before the end of 2018.
The entire Il-76MD-M upgrade programme is set
for completion within 12 years and is planned
to involve only the youngest Il-76MDs in the VTA
fleet - those which rolled off the production line
in the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s.
The list of upgrades to the Il-76MD-M’s mission
avionics includes the new PNPK-3 Kupol-3
flight/navigation suite as used on newly-built
Il-76MD-90As, in addition to the enhanced
self-protection suite, communications suite
and electro-optical turret. The structural
reinforcements undertaken on the Il-76MD-
M’s fuselage are intended to provide a life
extension of 15 or even 20 years, depending
on usage, corrosion, and structural fatigue.
The upgraded Candid retains the original
fuel-thirsty D-30KP-2 turbofan engines (provided
with extended service life), as re-engining with
the new and much more fuel-efficient PS-90A-76
(used to power the newly-built Il-76MD-90A)
was deemed prohibitively expensive.
The first Il-76MD-M was handed over to the
RuASF in March 2018 to be used for testing.
According to VTA CO, Lt Gen Vladimir Benediktov,
up to 35 of the Il-76MDs will be upgraded.

www.key.aero 47
Military Districts

Air Transportation in
the Military Districts
Each of Russia’s Military
Districts includes an
independent composite
air transport regiment. We
examine the organisation and
transport aircraft types of each

A
IR TRANSPORT capability within
each of the four military districts
is provided by an independent
composite air transport regiment,
serving the needs of air and land units stationed
in the district and its command authorities.
For example, the Western Military District
is served by the 33rd OTSAP, stationed at
Levashovo near St Petersburg, reporting directly
to the 6th A&ADA HQ. Transport duty within
the Eastern Military District is provided by the
35th OTSAP, based at Khabarovsk-Bolshoy, This An-12BK belongs to the fleet of the 535th OTSAP at Rostov on Don. Alexander Mladenov
directly reporting to the 11th A&ADA HQ. The
535th OTSAP at Rostov on Don-Tsentralny, is a
composite transport regiment, directly reporting obsolete Tu-134 and Tu-154, usually assigned 16 Mi-8MT/MTV-2s and a single Mi-26 heavy-lift
to the 4th A&ADA HQ, which is responsible for for transportation of the higher command helicopter. The An-72s and some Mi-8MTV-2s
transportation within the Southern Military authorities of the military districts. The light are used for supporting operations at the
District. Finally, the 30th OTAP at Yekaterinburg- segment is represented by the L41UVP-E20, used nuclear testing range on Novaya Zemlya island,
Koltsovo serves the Central Military District, for liaison and short-range passenger transport. controlled by the Ministry of Defence of the
directly reporting to the 14th A&ADA HQ. The 33rd OTAP’s fleet includes eight An-12s Russian Federation’s 12th Main Directorate.
Each of these regiments employs a wide variety and 12 An-26s, plus two Tu-134s and two An-148- There is also a composite transport squadron
of fixed-wing transports, dominated by the 100Es. There is also a pair of L-410UVP-E20s and of the 33rd OTSAP, stationed at Vladimir-
obsolete An-26 and An-12BK turboprops, used no fewer than six An-72s used for passenger Semyazino airfield east of Moscow, operating
for general cargo and troop transport. The VIP transport and liaison, in addition to a single An-30 a fleet of six An-26s and seven Mi-8MTV-5-1s.
and personnel transport fleet is represented photographic survey aircraft. The helicopter The 535th OTSAP at Rostov on Don-Tsentralny,
by the newer An-148-100E in addition to the fleet of the Levashovo-based regiment includes has a fleet of seven An-12BKs and six An-26s

This Mi-8MTV-2 is operated by the 33rd OTSAP stationed at Levashovo near St Petersburg, and the colour
scheme hints that it is used to support testing works on the Novaya Zemlya nuclear testing range beyond
the Arctic circle. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

This An-26 belongs to the 33rd

OTSAP at Levashovo, utilised for
transportation of personnel and cargo
across the Western Military District.
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

48 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
The L410UVP-E20, locally-assembled in Russia by the UZGA company, is a new-generation liaison and passenger transport type
inducted in the mid-2010s for operation by three VKS composite independent air transport regiments. Alexander Mladenov

turboprops for general cargo and troop
transport in addition to two An-148-100s,
two Tu-134s and two L-410UVP-E20s for
VIP/passenger transport and liaison.
There is also a single Il-22M for ELINT/
SIGNIT/COMINT. Additionally, a handful of
Mi-8MT helicopters are used for general
transport duties and SAR duties.
The 35th OTSAP at Khabarovsk-Bolshoy has
a fleet of eight An-12BKs and seven An-26s,
in addition to two Tu-134s, one Tu-154,
four Mi-8AMTShs and a single Il-20M. Its
composite squadron stationed at Klychi eight Mi-8AMTShs. The fleet of the composite
on Kamchatka Peninsula, has a fleet of two squadron stationed at Kyzil includes three An-26s
An-12BKs, five An-26s and four Mi-8s. and four Mi-8AMTShs. The SAR detachment at
The 32nd OSTAP at Yekaterinburg-Koltsovo Bratsk has three An-26s and three Mi-8MTs.
has a fleet of eight An-12BKs and eight
An-26s in addition to a single Tu-154, three
Tu-134s, two An-148-100s, two L410UVP-E20s
and four Mi-8AMTSh in two squadrons at
the main airfield. A composite squadron
Abbreviations
OTAP - Composite Air Transport Regiment
subordinated to the 32nd OSAP is also stationed OTSAP - Independent Composite
at Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo, equipped with Air Transport Regiment
three An-12BKs, two An-26s, one Tu-134 and

The four-engined An-12BK is still the primary type for long-range

general cargo transportation, serving the needs of the military
districts air and land units. This example belongs to the 35th
OTSAP, based at Khabarovsk-Bolshoy in the Eastern Military
District. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

www.key.aero 49
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VIPs

VIP Air Tran s

The 8th ADON operates significant

numbers of Mi-8AMTs and Ka-226s
outfitted for the VIP transport, as seen
here. Alexander Mladenov

52 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
n sportation Looking after Russia’s great and good is the job of the VKS’s 8th
T
HE VKS’S 8th ADON is a direct-reporting
unit, which fields component regiments
and squadrons, flying passenger and
VIP aircraft to serve the leadership of
the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.
The passenger aircraft are also actively used for
ferrying VKS and other military personnel on
missions abroad, such as Syria.
The long-range VIP/passenger transport
fleet consists of one Il-96-400VVIP, used by the
ADON unit. We overview their small, varied fleet
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
and six Il-62Ms. At least one of the Il-62Ms is in a
VIP configuration, while two more are equipped
with the Surgut-T SATCOM system and used as
back-up command posts as well as for general
transport duties. The remainder are in passenger
configuration, used for personnel transport
which includes support of the on-going Russian
war campaign in Syria. The passenger fleet
consists of 15 Tu-154B-2s and Tu-154Ms. The 8th
ADON also has a helicopter regiment, equipped
with Mi-8AMT and Mi-8MTVs for VIP and
passenger transport, in addition to a handful of
Ka-226s outfitted for VIP transport and medical
evacuation. The 223rd LO (Flight Detachment)
is the commercial arm of the 8th ADON, using
a proportion of its fleet wearing Russian civil
registration, including Il-76MDs (five), Il-62Ms
(four), Tu-154B-2/Ms (five), An-12Bs (four), An-72s
(ten), An-140-100s (three) and one L410UVP-E20.
The An-140-100 is among the latest additions
to the fleet of the 8th ADON for use in the
passenger transport role. Alexander Mladenov
www.key.aero 53
Intel

Intelligence G
Alexander Mladenov details Russia’s electronic, signals and communication intelligence aircraft

T
HE EXACT number of aircraft in the VKS
fleet of Ilyushin Il-20M Coot-A ELINT/
SIGNIT/COMINT types isn’t known but
it is suspected to be around 15. They
are operated by numerous units, some of which
have a single aircraft in their structures. For
example, three or four are assigned to a unit
at Kubinka near Moscow, subordinated to the
929th GLITs; one aircraft is flying with the 610th
TsBPiPLS of the MTA branch in Ivanovo-Severny,
another is in the structure of the 30th OTSAP at
Rostov-on-Don/Tsentralny and the 257th OSAP
at Khabarovsk-Bolshoy has one more example.
The Rostov on Don-based aircraft is tasked to
perform missions in the Black Sea region and
around the southern borders of Russia, while
the aircraft from Kubinka operate over the
Baltic and Barents Seas and the Il-20M from
Khabarosk is used for intelligence-gathering
over neutral waters in the Far Eastern region.
There are also aircraft in test and evaluation
with the 929th GLITs and others are undergoing
overhaul and upgrade at the 20 ARZ plant in
Pushkin, near St Petersburg; there are a number
of Il-20Ms held in long-term storage at Pushkin,
to be used either as spare parts donors or to
be cycled through overhaul and upgrade.
The VKS Il-20M existing inventory, produced
in the first half of the 1970s, is being life
extended and receiving new mission suites.
There were hints that small and large-scale
upgrades applied to the Il-20M fleet over the
years have resulted in unique mission suite
configurations for each airframe in active service.
The Russian MoD’s effort to boost the
capabilities of the small strategic reconnaissance
fleet has resulted in at least three comprehensive
Il-20M upgrade standards introduced post 2000.
The first two, known as Monitor and Anagramma,
were introduced in the 2000s, adding new ELINT/
SIGINT/COMINT capability to bring the Il-20M
into the digital era. The third one, known as
Retsensent, added an even higher standard of
ELINT/COMINT/SIGNINT equipment and electro-
optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors in order to deliver
two more decades of service. The prototype
Il-20M upgrade (known as Product 17MS) was
developed under a contract between Ilyushin
and the Russian MoD signed in February 2011, at
a price of RUB 262.2 million, with completion of
the state testing effort slated for the early 2020s.

This VKS Il-20M is seen flying in neutral

airspace over the Baltic Sea, devoid of
serials and registration markings. The
anonymous Coot-A was photographed
by Luftwaffe Eurofighters scrambled
out of Amari air base in Estonia on
September 10, 2020. Luftwaffe

54 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
e Gatherers
The Retsensent prototype, retrofitted from
one of the production-standard Il-20Ms, made
its maiden flight in the spring of 2015 and had
completed its factory testing phase by early
2018. With the internal Ilyushin designation
Izdeliye 17MS (Product 17MS), the highly-
upgraded Il-20M retains the Il-20M’s original
large belly pod, but housing a new-generation
phased-array side-looking radar; and the
large fairings on the forward fuselage have
been reshaped, together with two pairs of
large fairings behind the wings and on the rear
fuselage. The belly also houses bulged fairings,
believed to serve the newly-added ELINT,
COMINT and SIGINT sensors, as well as an EO/
IR sensor turret under the nose. There are also
arrays of newly-added antennas on the upper
and lower fuselage and on the tail, associated
with the highly-classified new mission suite.
The Il-20M fleet was originally due to be Abbreviations
replaced by the jet-powered Tu-214R, equipped GLITs – Flight Test Centre
with a new-generation mission suite including OSAP – Independent Composite
a side-looking radar, EO, ELINT, SIGINT, COMINT Aviation Regiment
and EO sensors. However, it now seems that both TsBPiPLS - Combat Training and
types are set to serve together, as the Tu-214R Aircrew Conversion Centre
has proved to be a long-delayed and expensive
programme, and no significant production run
is believed to be planned. Two Tu-214Rs have
been built so far, with the first flying for the first
time in 2009 and are currently in experimental
operation with the VKS. Completion of their
notably protracted testing effort was originally
intended for 2018, but as of October 2020 there
were no reports that the plan had been met.
www.key.aero 55
Electronic Warfare

56 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 Russian
Jammers
The Ilyushin Il-22PP is
Russia’s electronic warfare
aircraft of choice. We take a
look at their fleet

D
EVELOPED UNDER the Porubshtik
programme, the Ilyushin Il-22PP
is an airborne escort jammer
and SIGINT aircraft, converted
from the Il-22 airborne command post. It is
equipped with a new-generation jammer
suite to disrupt operations of airborne
radars, land-based and ship-based air
defence radars, missile guidance radars,
missile guidance radio command systems
and tactical datalinks. The type is easily
distinguished from the Il-22 thanks to two
large, bulged fairings on either side, housing
the antennae of the L-415 jammer suite
developed by the Kaluga-based KNIRTI
company. The tail also sports a bulged
fairing which houses an unidentified
antenna, the top of the fuselage has a
receiver antenna fitted and a cigar-shaped
antenna is installed under the mid-fuselage.
The Il-22PP is also equipped with UV-26
chaff/flare dispensers installed in a pod
under the fuselage for 26mm cartridges,
plus two more dispenser units (for a total
of 28 50mm rounds) in the rear fuselage.
Il-22PP development was launched by
the Myasischev Company in 2009 and
flight test of the prototype, wearing
Russian pseudo-civil registration
RA-75903, commenced in 2011. The
testing effort was reportedly complete
by 2015 and Myasischev subsequently
completed a production batch of two
aircraft. These were handed over to the
VKS in 2016, and 2017, respectively.
The three Il-22PPs (including the
prototype upgraded to the production
configuration) were delivered to the
EW Detachment of the 117th VTAP, a
front-line regiment of the VKS’ Military
Transport Command stationed at
Orenburg, in 2017. The unit also operates
three older-generation Antonov
An-12PPS equipped for the EW role.

This the Myasischev company hangar at

Zhukovsky, showing all the three Il-20PPs
prior to their delivery to the VKS. All three
wear Russian civilian registration markings.
United Aircraft Corporation

www.key.aero 57
Command & Control
Command P
Very much like the United States Air Force, the Russian Air Force operates command post aircraft
T
HE ILYUSHIN Il-22 Coot-B is an aerial
command post and relay aircraft, with
the Il-22M-11 being the latest derivative,
fielded for the first time in 2018. The
aircraft is equipped for command-and-control
of air, land, and space forces, thanks to a new-
generation communication suite, which also has
radio relay functions. Five aircraft are scheduled
to cycle through upgrade, receiving jam-resistant
and secure digital communications. The aircraft
also feature new battle control stations, enabling
58 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
mission crews to exercise command and control of
different branches of the armed forces in various
large-force exercise and real-world operations.
The command and control system is capable of
controlling the forces assigned to an entire military
district, of which there are five including the special
region of Kalinigrad, or a frontal group of several
land armies.
The first Il-22M-11 was upgraded in 2013 under a
programme originally initiated in 2009, followed
by a protracted testing and evaluation campaign.
The Il-80 is an aerial command post for the
nation’s strategic nuclear forces in wartime. A
total of four Il-86 wide-body passenger aircraft
were reworked into aerial command posts,
with the first taking to the air in May 1985.
The Il-80 can easily be distinguished from the
baseline version thanks to the large fairing
on top of the forward fuselage which houses
satellite communication antennas. The type
remains among the most secretive VKS aircraft,
with little or no credible information about its
d Posts
The Il-22 fleet is currently
serving in the aerial command
post role in the M-11 upgrade
form, fielded for the first time
in 2018. via Alexander Mladenov

true capabilities and mission equipment. It is

believed two or three out of the four, based at
Chkalovsky near Moscow, are maintained in
airworthy condition. In May 2019, the Russian
deputy minister of defence, Alexey Krivoruchko,
announced that the aging Il-80 feet is earmarked
for significant upgrade of its mission suite, to
enable it to remain in operations for many years
to come. The Il22M-11 and Il-80s fleets are
operated by the 3rd Squadron of 929th GLITs
stationed at Chkalovsky.

www.key.aero 59
Flight Training

A Russian
Revolution
Russia’s military flight training system is undergoing radical change. We look at what the current system
entails and what the future will bring

60 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER

n
The Yak-130’s advanced features for training
pilots destined to convert to fourth and fifth
generation fighters come with a hefty price
tag and relatively high fuel consumption.
The purchase price of the type for the
Ministry of Defence of the Russian
Federation in the early 2010s was equal to
about $15 million per unit. Andrey Zinchuk
R
USSIA’S MILITARY flight training system
is working flat out to answer a call
for more pilots. At the same time, it
is suffering from a severe shortage
of aircraft and instructors. The present high
operational tempo is aimed at beefing up Russian
Air and Space Force (RuASF) front-line units,
where branches flying fixed-wing aircraft are
short of no fewer than 1,000 pilots. At the same
time, the recently redesigned training system
has at last begun to receive significant numbers
of the new-generation Yak-130 jet trainer.
The main fixed-wing aircrew training
organisation for the RuASF is the Krasnodar
Military Higher Aviation Pilot School, named
after Hero of Soviet Union A K Serov (known by
its Russian-language abbreviation KVVAUL –
Krasnodarskoe Vyshee Voennoe Aviatsionnoe
Uchilishte Letchikov). It was re-established in
June 2015 as an independent structure and
placed under the direct command and control
of the RuASF HQ in Balashikha near Moscow.
Between 2011 and 2015, the Krasnodar training
school existed as a branch of the Ministry of
Defence of the Russian Federation’s Military
Training-Scientific Centre in the city of Voronezh.
In addition to meeting the needs of the
RuASF and Russian Naval Aviation (RNA) for
new officer pilots to fly the entire spectrum of
fixed-wing types, the KVVAUL also provides
newly trained aircrews to three other Russian
government military and paramilitary
organisations operating their own air services
with multi-engine transport and special mission
aircraft. These are the Ministry of Interior, the
Federal Security Service, and the Ministry of
Emergency Situations. The KVVAUL also provides
flight training to aircrews from international
customers that operate Russian-made aircraft
that undertake their conversion-to-type
training on the Su-25, Su-27, and MiG-29.
The RuASF fields a three-phase flight training
system preceded by extensive academic and
simulator work, with fast-jet and long-range
bomber courses using jet trainers from the very
beginning. The KVVAUL controls four flight
training centres (known as facilities) used for
theoretical and simulator training and a total
of nine training air bases; its fleet comprises
around 1,000 aircraft of some 20 different types.
The ageing Czech-built Aero Vodochody L-39C
Albatros is still the most numerous type used
for initial flight training. The jet is also used
for the basic training of students entering the
fast-jet frontal bomber/attack and long-range
bomber streams. Some trainees destined
to fly transports are trained on multi-engine
turboprops from the very beginning. The
ageing twin-engine Let L-410UVP turboprop is
used for initial training and some of the basic
training elements of the long-range bomber/
military transport course, which also covers
training of aircrews for special-mission,
maritime patrol, and tanker aircraft. Another
aspect of basic and advanced training on this
multi-engine course is carried out on the equally
elderly, but much larger Antonov An-26.
The Yakovlev Yak-130 twin-engine jet trainer is
set to become the mainstay of Russia’s military
www.key.aero 61
Flight Training
flight training system. It is used in conjunction
with computerised classrooms, synthetic
flight training devices, integrated flight data
recording and computerised debriefing aids.
The type entered service with the 209th UAB
(Uchebnaya Aviatsionnaya Basa – Training
Air Base) at Borisoglebsk in 2011 and began
training student pilots for the frontal bomber/
attack stream two years later. It joined the
200th UAB at Armavir in 2014, with the first
students reporting for training in April 2016.
Slow Recovery
Between 2011 and 2015, the RuASF aircrew
training system underwent a slow and painful
recovery after collapsing in the mid/late 1990s
and early 2000s due to underfunding and
chaotic restructuring and downsizing efforts.
The most concerning effect of this crisis was
the sharp reduction in the number of trainees,
down to only 15 fast-jet graduates posted to
front-line units per year, and those with under
50 flying hours each. The first improvements
were reported in the mid/late 2000s, when
graduates received 150 to 170 flying hours, while
between 2010 and 2012 hours were increased
to about 200. However, between 2009 and 2011
there was a massive reduction in the number
of newly recruited students beginning their
five-year officer and flight training courses.
This was a result of poor planning by the then
MoD leadership. In 2012, the system’s output
numbered 254 fixed-wing lieutenant aviators,
in 2013 the figure fell to about 200, and then
output fell sharply in 2014 to fewer than 30! Even
worse was to come and in 2016 only 13 students
graduated. In 2017, the number rose to 65.
In order to bridge the gap as quickly as possible,
a selected group of 77 student pilots underwent
an accelerated second flight training phase
and completed their training in the fighter
stream one year early, in October 2017, logging
between 180 and 190 flight hours. After that,
they underwent final theoretical training and
The VKS has only about 100 L-39Cs maintained in serviceable state at any time and the type suffers
from serious obsolescence issue. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
62 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
exams at the Krasnodar school and graduated
as newly promoted lieutenants in March
2018, instead of September. In September
2018, 350 new lieutenant pilots graduated
from the regular training course. In 2019 the
figure was 525 and in 2020 it reduced to 438.
To compensate for the earlier poor planning
that caused the present acute pilot shortage,
since 2013 the KVVAUL has moved to increase
recruitment. While 2013 saw 321 newly
recruited students, in 2014 the number
jumped to 374; numbers increased again to
530 in 2014, 661 in 2015 and 525 in 2017.
To cope with the large number of students
currently going through the flight training
pipeline, a new training plan to be implemented
post-2020 called for the start of flight training
immediately following completion of the second
academic year. This change will enable students
to undergo four training phases or periods,
instead of three in the current syllabus.
Five-Year Course
Today’s Russian military pilot training system can
be described as rather conservative compared
with most of the leading systems in the western
world. It still closely follows a Soviet-era rigid
officer education and training approach over a
protracted five-year course. At the conclusion
of their studies students are awarded civilian-
standard university (higher) Masters degrees.
As young officers, they also leave the academy
having been imbued with the military ethos
considered a must by Russia’s military leadership.
Students are recruited from high-school
graduates and those who began a university
degree but left before graduation to pursue
a military career. Serving career soldiers and
conscripts from all branches of the military
can also apply. Typically, candidates are aged
between 16 and 22 years, but for career officers
the age limit is 27. Candidates undergo a
rigorous selection process to pick those with
a high degree of physical and mental fitness
As of October 2020, some 91 IAZ-built
Yak-130 remained in active service with
the VKS, including 14 examples which
were delivered in 2018 to complete the
latest delivery contract for 30 aircraft
placed by the Ministry of Defence of
the Russian Federation in April 2016. A
new order was placed in August 2020
covering as many as 25 aircraft, for
delivery to the VKS in the next two to
three years. Andrey Zinchuk
and a good level of general education. In
2016, for example, the KVVAUL recruited 661
new students from about 3,000 applicants;
it is expected that between 580 and 600 of
them will graduate as lieutenants in 2021.
For many years, only male candidates
were accepted for military flight training
in Russia, but that changed in 2016. In
2017, the first class of 16 female pilots (in
addition to 509 male students) was recruited
and they are set to graduate in 2022.
The first two years (four terms) of study
at the KVVAUL are dedicated to military
training and fundamental subjects such as
mathematics, physics, and history, in addition
to extensive English language training. At
the end of the second year, students are
streamed into the different aviation branches
depending on their performance, up to
and including their results in physiological
examinations, their own preferences, and the
decision of the KVVAUL’s academic council.
In their third year, future Russian military
pilots disperse among the three aviation
training centres: to Armavir for the fighter
course, Borisoglebsk for the frontal bomber/
attack course and Balashov for the long-range
bomber/military transport course. There they
are introduced to flight theory which is covered
in one term. At the same time, the trainees
practise their handling skills on flight simulators.
They are each required to amass between
ten and 15 hours of synthetic flight training
before commencing initial flying training.
The first flight training phase begins in
the spring of their fourth year. This intense
four or five month-long ab initio training
The Czech-made Aero L-39C Albatross jet trainer still plays an important The L-39C is well-known as a forgiving aircraft, able to withstand the typical
role in the Russian military flight training system, used in the initial training mistakes made by inexperienced students, the most frequent of which are
phase of the fast-jet courses. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation hard landings. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

License-Built DA42Ts For Initial Training

In late 2017, the RuASF began taking delivery of
the long-delayed Diamond DA42T twin-engine
training aircraft produced under license in
Russia and fitted with Russian-made avionics.
According to deputy minister of defence
Yury Borisov, who is responsible for their
procurement, a firm order had been placed for
35 aircraft, powered by Astro Engine’s AE 300
diesel running on aviation jet fuel and produced
by the UZGA company in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
In 2017, three DA42Ts were delivered for testing
and evaluation by the RuASF, while 17 more
arrived in 2018 and 17 additional aircraft in
2019. Borisov also said that the RuASF was set
to complete state testing of the DA42T in 2018.
The DA42T is used for initial and basic
training of student pilots for the transport
and long-range bomber branches, replacing
Czech-made L-410UVP Turbojets, with the first
group of students reportedly trained in 2019.
The DA42T is a derivative of the Austrian-built
Diamond DA42NG Twin Star and reconfigured
to meet RuASF airworthiness requirements.
All redesign work and the integration of the
new avionics was undertaken at UZGA from
2013. It was originally intended that the full
‘Russification’ of DA42T production would be
achieved in 2016. However, according to UZGA’s
managing director, Vadim Badekha, delays meant
that, by late 2017, the DA42T’s Russification
effort was at only 30%, with the 100% target
not expected to be achieved before 2019.
The RuASF was also interested in the
procurement of a DA42T derivative
equipped for ISR missions. Two such aircraft
equipped with multi-sensor payloads were
reported to have been delivered in 2016 to
the Russian Federal Security Service.
In August 2020, the Ministry of Defence
of the Russian Federation placed a new
order for DA42T trainers, comprising 20
examples, to be produced at UZGA.

www.key.aero 63
Flight Training
programme provides the students with vital
stick and rudder skills. It continues until the
end of the summer and until 2015 provided
50 to 60 flight hours on the L-39C or about 20
hours on the L-410, including familiarisation,
general handling drills and circuits. From
2016, future fast-jet pilots undergoing initial
flight training are said to have logged 80 flight
hours in a much more intense programme.
The fighter stream undertakes its initial
flight training on the L-39C at the 192nd UAB at
Tikhoretsk and the 272nd UAB at Maikop, while
the frontal bomber/attack stream students
fly at the 219th UAB at Michurinsk. Each of the
bases has two squadrons and trains about
80 students a year, increasing to 100 in surge
periods such as those in 2016 and 2017.
The 195th UAB in Kuschtyevskaya provides
64 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
the initial training for foreign students set to be
trained as fast-jet pilots in addition to a small
number of RuASF students, also using the L-39C.
Students destined for the long-range bomber
branch also receive their initial flight training on
the L-39C at the 213th UAB in Kotel’nikovo. The
217th UAB in Rtishtevo use the L-410UVP-E3
twin-engine turboprop to train the students
aiming for the military transport aircraft stream.
In 2019, the DA42T was introduced for initial
training of students in the transport stream.
As a rule, a first solo flight in the fast-jet streams
is authorised after about 75 landings with
an instructor in the back seat, which usually
happens after 20 to 25 hours of circuit practice.
In 2016, some 350 pilots at the KVVAUL were
cycled through their first flight training phase,
amassing 80 hours each. In March 2017,
200 fighter-branch students were posted to
Tikhoretsk and Maikop, while 100 more of their
colleagues on the frontal bomber/attack course
commenced initial flight training in Michurinsk. In
addition, Kotel’nikovo took 107 beginner student
pilots, all of them posted to the bomber stream of
the long-range bomber/military transport aircraft
course, plus 123 more trained in Rtishtevo.
The massive increase in students in the
first phase of the fast-jet stream and the
shortage of serviceable L-39Cs in 2017 led to
20 students being sent, after 19 hours training
on the simulator, directly to the 200th UAB in
Armavir and the high-performance Yak-130.
Using the rather expensive new twin-engine
jet for ab initio training is a good example of
a Russian-style surge effort, where only the
result matters and it must be achieved at any
price! In fact, the experiment turned out to
be short-lived and the students eventually
continued their initial training on the L-39C.
Second Phase
Students on the fast-jet course continue their
second training phase which takes place
between April and September after completion
of the fourth academic year at Armavir and
Borisoglebsk. The fighter stream’s basic and
some advanced training takes another four
to five months. During that time, it practises
navigation and aerobatics as well as formation
flying (in pairs) and initial weapons training
tasks as well as some night flying. This typically
takes another 80 hours and is carried out at the
200th UAB in Armavir. Since 2017, all students
on the fighter course at Armavir have used
The Yak-130 features a sophisticated
built-in weapons simulation capability
which caters for all modern-day Russian
guided missiles and bombs fitted with
IR, TV, and laser seekers, as well as guns
and the aircraft self-protection suite.
Alexander Mladenov
the Yak-130 for their second training phase.
All basic and some advanced attack/bomber
aviation stream training in the second phase is
now carried out at the 209th UAB at Borisoglebsk,
also on the Yak-130. When the basic training
phase has finished, student pilots from the
fast-jet streams typically have a total of 160 to
170 hours flying experience under their belts,
about 30 of which have been on solo sorties.
The long-range bomber/transport stream
receives its ground training at the 5th Training
Facility at Balashov, while basic training on the
L-410UVP-E3 in the second training phase is
carried out at the 217th UAB in Rtishtevo, and
on the An-26 at the 205th UAB in Balashov. In
the early 2010s, trainees in this stream flew 35
hours on the L-410UVP-E3 or 38 hours on the
An-26 but since 2015, flying hours are believed to
The DA42T is the latest fixed-wing type for initial training of students for multi-engine transports. As
many as 35 aircraft were ordered, to be assembled locally at the UZGA company in Yekaterinburg.
In August 2020, an additional batch of 25 aircraft was ordered to serve the VKS training system for
transport and bomber pilots. Alexander Mladenov
L-39C: Close to Retirement
The Czech-made Aero L-39C single-engine jet
still forms a significant part of Russia’s training
fleet and it is set to remain in service until about
2025. It has the reputation of being a rugged
and forgiving machine, able to withstand
rough handling at the hands of inexperienced
students. The type’s chief shortcoming is that
it is somewhat underpowered, especially for
the basic and advanced training phases. It
is also plagued by many performance and
aerobatics limitations; for instance, since the late
1980s spinning practice on the L-39C has been
prohibited because of controllability issues.
Another serious drawback of the Czech-made
machine is related to the poor performance
and reliability of its VS1-BRI ejection seats.
In 1994, the RuASF had a fleet of some 1,200
L-39Cs, the youngest of which were four years
old. By 2012, the fleet was believed to have
shrunk to about 700, with fewer than 200 of those
maintained in airworthy status at any one time.
By 2016 the number of airworthy L-39Cs in RuASF
service had slumped to about 100. In 2017, for
example, the 219th UAB at Michurinsk had only
16 serviceable L-39Cs, out of a total fleet of 40
have been increased to about 80. The students
destined to fly long-range bombers continue
their second training phase on the L-39C at
Kotel’nikovo, logging 70 to 80 flight hours.
Third Phase
The third training phase in the two streams
of the fast-jet course, covering the remaining
part of the advanced and the entire lead-in
fighter training (LIFT) course (combat flying),
begins immediately after completion of the fifth
academic year and runs from January to August,
including the state final flight examination.
The graduation date for newly appointed
officers is in either September or October.
The third phase requires students to master
all the basic and some advanced combat
manoeuvres and tactics in single ships and
aircraft used to train some 100 beginner student
pilots; it is believed that the situation at the other
three bases still operating the type was not
much different. By 2020, the number of L-39Cs
in airworthy condition was about 100 examples.
The original service life of the L-39C was set at
4,500 hours or 30 years, whichever occurred
first, but the RuASF will most likely undertake a
life-extension programme (by years) for a small
number of machines, enabling them to fly until
the mid-2020s. The aircraft currently flying
still have plenty of hours remaining and there
is still a high demand for the L-39C’s services.
The type is maintained entirely in Russia and
the original manufacturer, Czech company Aero
Vodochody, no longer assists with spare parts
or repair services. Depot-level inspections
are undertaken at two aircraft maintenance,
repair, and overhaul plants – the 275th ARZ
in Krasnodar and 570th ARZ in Yeisk. There
are also locally established repair facilities,
and the most important and frequently used
spares and consumables are made in Russia
and the large number of grounded machines
are also used as spare parts donors.
www.key.aero 65
Flight Training

The Yak-130 sports a thrust-to-weight ratio at take-off of 0.88, compared to 0.49 for the single-engine and
rather antiquated L-39C. This renders the type well-suited to train students destined to convert to highly-
agile fourth and fifth-generation fighters currently being inducted VKS in service. Alexander Mladenov

pairs, as well as some night-flying training.

In the early and mid-2010s, the fast-jet course
used combat jets for some students in both its
streams, while other students flew the L-39C
throughout. The fighter stream syllabus in
particular called for 12 hours in the simulator and
then 60 to 70 hours on either the MiG-29 or the
L-39C at the 200th UAB in Armavir. In the recent
past, students in the attack/bomber stream
typically amassed 60 to 70 hours flying either
the Su-25 – including 30 hours in a two-seater
and another 30 hours in a single-seater – or
the L-39C at the 209th UAB in Borisoglebsk.
Since 2013, the 209th UAB has been using
the Yak-130, with full transition to the type
reported in 2014. The jet replaced both the
L-39C and Su-25. The 200th UAB followed
suit in 2016, with the Yak-130 used to replace
both the L-39C and MiG-29 in the advanced
training and LIFT roles, while in 2017 its use
was extended to initial and basic training.
The most complex drills mastered by students in
The prop-driven Yak-152 is being promoted as the new initial (primary) training platform for the VKS the fighter stream at the 200th UAB include one-
and will replace the aging L-39C in this role. The trainer comes powered by a diesel engine rated at vs-one air combat (basic fighter manoeuvres)
500shp but has had a protracted development and testing programme and its introduction for student
and clear-weather day one-vs-one intercepts at
training with the KVVAUL is not expected before the early 2020s. Alexander Mladenov
low and medium level. Students in the frontal

66 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
bomber/attack stream hone their air-to-ground
skills in complex attack manoeuvres for strafing
and dropping bombs from the Yak-130, using the
sophisticated simulation of weapons delivery
offered by the new jet’s advanced avionics suite.
Some students in the long-range bomber/
transport aviation course continue their
advanced flight training phase on the An-26
at the 205th UAB in Balashov, flying about 50
hours. Other students are posted to continue
their third phase flight training at the VTA’s
(Military Transport Command’s) 610th Combat
Training and Aircrew Conversion Centre (CTAAC)
in Ivanono, undergoing a conversion course to
the Il-76MD four-engine jet transport. Students
destined for the long-range bomber branch are
posted to the 27th SAP, a composite aviation
regiment based in Tambov and subordinated to
the 43rd CTAAC in Ryazan. For four months they
fly the Tu-134UBL and Tu-134UBSh passenger
jets, converted as trainers for pilots destined
to fly long-range jet bombers. Those destined
for posting to anti-submarine and maritime
patrol aircraft complete this phase at the RNA’s
combat training centre, the 859th CTAAC in Yeisk,
converting to the Tu-134UBL, An-26 and Il-38.
The L410UVP-E20 is still a modern aircraft for
multi-engine training, used at the KVVAUL’s
Balashov facility for initial and basic training of
prospective transport and heavy bomber pilots.
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
On completion of flight training in the fast-jet
stream, new lieutenants destined for the RuASF
are posted to their front-line units, while a small
number are retained as instructors at KVVAUL
bases. Those beginning their service with the
front-line units are typically cycled through the
4th TsPAPVI, the aviation personnel training
and operational testing centre of the RuASF’s
Frontal Aviation branch in Lipetsk, where they
convert to their assigned combat jet type with
the 968th IISAP, a composite instructor-research
aviation regiment. The Borisoglebsk facility’s
newly produced lieutenants convert to the
Su-25, Su-34 and Su-24M or Su-24MR, while their
colleagues graduating at the Armavir Facility
undergo conversion-to-type training courses on
the MiG-29SMT, Su-27SM, Su-30M2, Su-30SM
and Su-35S or on the MiG-31 and MiG-31BM
at the centre’s branch in Savastleika. Fast-jet
lieutenant pilots for the RNA continue with
conversion-to-type training on the Su-24M/
MR and Su-30SM at Lipetsk or on the MiG-31BM
at Savastleika. However, those lieutenants
destined to fly RNA shipborne fighters, the Su-33
and MiG-29KUB or MiG-29KR, are required
first to undergo additional training at Yeisk on
the L-39C and Su-25UTG at the 859th CTAAC,
before converting to their combat jet type.
Yak-130
The RuASF received its first Yak-130s in 2010,
but its introduction to service was protracted
and plagued with difficulties and students
didn’t get their hands on it until March 2013.
Today, the type is in regular use with the two
fast-jet course streams, offering Russian student
pilots destined for fourth-generation fighters
a true 21st-century training environment. The
www.key.aero 67
Flight Training

The twin-engine, fly-by-wire control system-equipped Yak-130 has superseded both the Su-25, Su-25UB, and L-39C
used for the advanced and lead-in fighter training (LIFT) in the strike/ground attack stream. Later the type also
superseded the MiG-29, MiG-29UB, and L-39C in the advanced/LIFT role within the fighter stream. Andrey Zinchuk

Fixed-Wing Flight Training Organisation Order of Battle

Unit Base Types

Krasnodar Higher Military Pilot School Krasnodar

1st Training Facility Krasnodar

(basic military and theoretical training for university-standard education)

2nd Training Facility Armavir

(fighter stream)
200th UAB Armavir Yak-130, An-26, Mi-8T

192nd UAB Tikhoretsk L-39C

272nd UAB Maikop L-39C

4th Training Facility Borisoglebsk

(frontal bomber/attack stream)

209th UAB Borisoglebsk Yak-130

219th UAB Michurinsk L-39C

6th Training Facility Balashov

(long-range bomber/military transport aircraft stream)
205th UAB Balashov L-410UVP-E3, An-26, DA42T

217th UAB Rtishtevo L-410UVP-E3

213rd UAB Kotel’nikovo L-39C, Yak-130

8th Training Facility Kushchevskaya

(specialised in foreign student flight training)
195th UAB Kushchevskaya L-39C, Su-27UB, Su-25UB, MiG-29UB

Note: Compiled using all the publicly available information about the RuASF fixed-wing training units. To date there is no official information released about the
OrBat of the RuASF and its flight training organisation in particular. Each of the so-called 2nd Rank UABs has two component squadrons and command section.

68 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
twin-engine jet trainer boasts a contemporary
modern glass cockpit with multifunction displays
and a head-up display similar to these found
in the latest front-line types, combined with
advanced aerodynamics and its fly-by-wire flight
control system, which combine to give great
handling performance. It is fitted with the tried
and tested Zvezda K-36LT-3.5 zero-zero ejection
seat. The Yak-130 is certified for -3 to +8g and
it is advertised as being capable of sustaining
7g turning at a speed of 450kts (830km/h).
Service life is 10,000 flight hours or 30 years.
The built-in sophisticated weapons simulation
capability allows students to practise using every
modern guided missile and bomb, with infrared,
TV, and laser seekers, in the Russian inventory,
as well as guns and self-protection suites. It is
not known if live weapons are used during the
LIFT phase of the frontal bomber/attack stream,
but with the Yak-130 there is no real need to.
The first Yak-130s, built at the NAZ Sokol plant
in Nizhni Novgorod, were delivered to the
209th UAB in April 2011, and the first instructor
training flights took place in August 2011.
Yak-130s commenced flight operations from
Borisoglebsk with jets it received from Irkutsk in
mid-November 2012. The 200th UAB at Armavir
received its new aircraft in November 2014 and
began student training for the first time in April
2016. In 2019, the Yak-130 was also delivered
to the 213rd UAB at Kotel’nikovo. There it will
be used for the advanced training of pilots
destined to fly jet-powered long-range bombers
after their graduation from the KVVAUL.
Between February 2010 and October 2020,
the RuASF accepted 109 Yak-130s, including
97 assembled at IAZ in Irkutsk (of which 81
remain in service). Some 35 of that batch
were eventually assigned to the 209th UAB
and the rest equip the 200th UAB. Fourteen
more examples, from a contract for 30 aircraft
signed in April 2016, were delivered before
the end of 2018. A further Yak-130 order was
signed in 2018 for 20 or 30 more aircraft with
deliveries spread between 2019 and 2020.
The legacy An-26 is still in active use at the KVVAUL’s Balashov facility for basic and advanced training.
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
The Yak-152 is being promoted as a high-performance piston-engine trainer for the VKS, equipped with
ejection seats and glass cockpit. The type made its maiden flight in September 2016 and is expected to
begin production at the Irkutsk-based IAZ plant in the early 2020s. Alexander Mladenov
So far, three RuASF Yak-130s have been lost
in accidents, one built at NAZ Sokol and two
at Irkutsk. Another, operated by the Yakovlev
Design Bureau, has also been written off. All
11 survivors of the NAZ Sokol-built batch have
been grounded and relegated to use as ground
instructional airframes. In August 2020, the
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
placed an order for 25 more Yak-130s, to be
delivered to the RuASF between 2021 and 2023.
New-Generation
The new RuASF military flight training system is
predicated on using only Yakovlev-built aircraft.
The Yak-152 propeller-driven trainer, which made
its maiden flight on September 29, 2016 from
Irkutsk, will join the RuASF fleet soon as part of
a new-generation aircrew initial training system
that also includes procedural trainers, computer
training aids and flight data analysis facilities.
The Yak-152 was ordered by the Ministry of
Defence of the Russian Federation in 2014
under a RUB 300 million programme. The
contract awarded to Yakovlev called for
design, development, and manufacture of
four aircraft – two for ground and two for flight
testing – to be built at the IAZ plant in Irkutsk.
The basic design of the Yak-152 dates to the
early 1990s. It is a low-wing monoplane, with a
tandem two-seat cockpit and retractable landing
gear with low-pressure tyres for operations from
non-paved runways. It is powered by a German-
made Raikhlin A03TV12 diesel engine rated at
500shp driving a three-blade, constant-speed
MTV-9-E-C propeller; for Russian aircraft, the
engine will be assembled and serviced in Russia.
It has a maximum speed of 270kts and a service
ceiling of 13,120ft, a maximum range of 1,500km
and is certified for +9 to -7g. Its service life will be
10,000 flight hours, 30 years or 30,000 landings.
The aircraft boasts Zvezda SKS-94M lightweight
aircrew ejection systems, enabling safe bail-
out at a minimum altitude of 10m at speeds
between 38 and 216kts. In its production
version, the Yak-152 will share a high degree
of cockpit similarity with the Yak-130.
The RuASF’s requirements call for no fewer than
150 aircraft for the KVVAUL, where it will replace
the L-39C in the initial flight training phase.
According to the Russian deputy defence minister
responsible for procurement, Yury Borisov,
on successful completion of the test effort –
expected in 2018 – an order for the RuASF will
be placed, with the first aircraft being delivered
by the end of 2020. In fact, the programme hit a
serious delay, and now testing is expected to be
completed by early 2021, with the first deliveries
to the RuASF possible in 2022 at the earliest.
In a bid to accelerate the Yak-152’s induction
into service, it was revealed in July 2017 that the
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
had placed an order for three more aircraft,
for delivery the same year, to accelerate
the pace of the flight test programme.
www.key.aero 69
Flight-Test

Flight-Te
Akhtubinsk in Southern
Russia is home to the
Russian Air Force flight test
organisation. Alexander
Mladenov provides details of
the operation

T
HE 929TH GLITS (flight test centre) is the
VKS flight-test organisation tasked with
the test and evaluation of Russian-made
military aircraft and airborne weapons.
Its main base is at Akhtubinsk in Southern Russia,
1,000km southeast of Moscow, but there’s also
a major branch at Chkalovsky near Moscow and
other branches at locations across Russia used
for tests in specific environments. In addition,
the huge range complex, used for weapons and
system testing, is situated in the Astrakhan region
in Russia and also stretches into the territory of
neighbouring Kazakhstan. The sea range used by
the 929th GLITs is located off Crimea in the Black
Sea and its high-altitude test range is near Nalchik
in the Caucasus Mountains. The 929th GLITs also
operates its own test school for training of aircrews
and test engineers stationed in Akhtubinsk.
The centre’s organisational structure includes
headquarters and testing facilities across
Russia. The test units stationed in Akhtubinsk
are used for the complete cycle of combat jet
testing, while Chkalovsky, home of the 3rd Test
Squadron, is used for helicopter and transport/
special mission aircraft testing, with some
stages, including weapons employment, also
conducted at Akhtubinsk. The 929th GLITs

70 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
st Centre

The first production-standard Su-35S for the VKS was delivered to the 929th GLITs to
undergo the exhaustive state testing effort in 2012, and then remained at the centre for use
in various test programmes associated with new air-launched weapons. Alexander Mladenov

facilities support flight test and evaluation
of all VKS and AVMF aircraft types and their
associated weapons systems and avionics.
Most of the 929th GLITs jet fleet is
comprised of pre-series and early-production
fighters, frontal bombers, attack aircraft
and helicopters. They are used for testing
various equipment and avionics upgrades,
developmental testing, and the integration of
new air-launched weapons. A proportion of
the fleet is also used by the test pilot school.
In turn, the 929th GLITs undertakes testing of
long-range and heavy bombers, transports,
and special mission aircraft, borrowed from
the front-line units or training centres. The
testing at the centre in Akhtubinsk and its
branches comprises about 220 programmes
annually, resulting in around 1,600 sorties.
The 929th GLIT’s test pilots also act as
instructors for their colleagues at the VKS and
AVMF combat training centres and front-line
regiments inducting new aircraft types into
service. Some missions are of extended
duration, such as the training of AVMF pilots for
shipborne operations, where the continuous
support provided by experienced test pilots
is deemed instrumental for keeping currency

www.key.aero 71
Flight-Test

The Su-57 Felon is the main aircraft type

undergoing exhaustive testing at the
929th GLITs, with as many as six aircraft
flying at Akhtubinsk in 2019 and 2020.
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

This is an early-production Su-34 assigned to the

929th GLITs and used for weapons integration
testing. Spetstroy Russia via Alexander Mladenov

72 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
and improving qualification of their front-line
colleagues. By 2012, each test pilot serving with
the centre logged between 150 to 200 hours.
Akhtubinsk is also known as the home of the
first VKS squadron to be equipped with the
MiG-31K strike aircraft, carrying the Kinzhal
hypersonic guided missile for striking land
and sea targets. Its fleet comprises ten highly-
modified MiG-31Ks, and according to the Russian
MoD, the squadron had attained combat-ready
status by December 1, 2017, when it was placed
on experimental quick reaction alert duty.
At present, the 929th GLITs is busy conducting
Stage 2 of the Su-57’s exhaustive state testing
effort, which has concentrated on weapons
integration and expansion of the fifth generation
fighter’s sensor capabilities. The initial prototype
of Russia’s first stealth fighter, known as the T-50-
1, made its maiden flight on January 29, 2010 and
the type was submitted for Stage 1 of the joint
state flight testing effort at the 929th GLITS in
February 2014. The stage was declared complete
in July 2017, in a bid to allow launch of low-rate
serial production. Stage 2 of the Su-57’s testing,
undertaken with support from the manufacturer
Sukhoi, commenced in early 2018 and it is not
expected to be completed before the early 2020s.
The jet-powered Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik UCAV
is another project where the 929th GLITs is
involved, but thus far only in the support role,
as developmental testing is being carried
out by the manufacturer. The centre will
take on the exhaustive test and evaluation
of the first Russian UCAV at a later stage.
The initial S-70 prototype took to the air for the
first time on August 3, 2019, in Akhtubinsk. A
classified programme, Russia’s first jet-powered
unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), dubbed
Okhotnik (Hunter), it is set to enter service in 2024
at the earliest, provided development progresses
smoothly. The Okhotnik is a low-observable, jet-
powered UCAV intended for deep strike missions
and features a flying wing layout without fins,
making extensive use of radar-absorbing
coatings. It is mainly intended for use against
well-defended ground targets, operating in
joint formations with Su-57, with which the S-70
shares a significant design commonality. Satellite
photos from Akhtubinsk airfield showed it side-
by-side with the Su-57, indicating that the UCAV
has a considerably larger wing span, about 19m.
The fielding of the rather sophisticated UCAV
system in serial production for the VKS will
require exhaustive testing and evaluation
efforts at the 929th GLITs. The main share of
the Okhotnik’s flight testing and evaluation
effort is slated for completion in 2023 and 2024,
including demonstration of strike missions with
different types of guided air-launched weapons.
In late September 2019, Sukhoi demonstrated
manned-unmanned teaming operations for
the first time, with the S-70, flying a mission
integrated with a Su-57. The flight, taking place at
the 929th GLITs main base in Akhtubinsk, saw the
UCAV operating its full avionics configuration, to
demonstrate sensor augmentation for the Su-57,
a key capability when facing a well-developed air
defence environment. It is known that the T-50-3
prototype of the Su-57 has been actively involved
in the Okhotnik development programme,
testing the air vehicle’s flight control system
and other specific equipment for the S-70.
The list of other important projects at the
moment includes the upgraded Su-35SM,
Su-30SM, Su-30SM2, Su-34, MiG-35S, MiG-35UB
and MiG-31BM or MiG-31K derivatives, involving
testing of new mission avionics and integration
of new weapons. The list of the helicopters
cycled through state testing or other testing
programmes includes the Ka-52, Ka-52K,
Mi-28NM and Mi-26T2V. Also, the special-mission
aircraft tested by the 929th GLITs are represented
by the A-100 and the Il-20M Retsenzent equipped
for ELINT/COMINT/SIGINT. The bomber-related
works at the centre are set to begin in the near
term with the trio of the VKS bomber types still
in early developmental testing by Tupolev – the
new-build T-160M, with an all-new avionics
suite and better engines, in addition to the
heavily-upgraded Tu-22M3M and Tu-95MSM.
www.key.aero 73
Rotary-Wing Training

Helicopter
Pilot Dependent as it is on large numbers of fuel-
thirsty, maintenance-intensive, and relatively
heavy helicopters, we examine Russia’s
rotary-wing pilot training system

Training

74 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
R
OTARY-WING FLIGHT training for the
Russian military and all government
organisations is performed by a
specialised branch of the Voronezh-
based Air Force Military Training-Scientific
Centre, stationed in Syzran, in central Russia. It
is responsible for theoretical, simulator and
officer military training. Its flight training
component, known as the 339th UAB, has
two training air groups (TAGs) responsible for
flight training. The first of these is stationed
at Syzran-Troekurovka airfield but also uses
Pugachev satellite airfield, while the other, known
as the Sokol TAG, is at stationed at Sokolovy,
near the large industrial city of Saratov.
The current VKS rotary-wing training system
is regarded as conservative and protracted
compared with its Western equivalents and
remains little changed since the 1980s. It
still relies on large numbers of fuel-thirsty,
maintenance-intensive, and relatively heavy
helicopters, while new and efficient training
aircraft and simulation technologies have been
introduced at a slow pace and their utilisation
rates are still relatively low. Furthermore, the
overall training process is described as slow-
going; Students follow a five-year academic and
officer course, with comprehensive theoretical
and military training and education components.
This is interspersed with flight training, divided
into three periods or phases, conducted in
spring and summer, where students complete
initial, basic, and advanced training courses,
with each phase taking about 50 flight hours.
Academics-Heavy Course
The first two years of study at Syzran are
dedicated to general military and fundamental
subjects and in the third year, future
military rotorcraft pilots are introduced to
theoretical aviation training and education.
At the same time, the trainees develop their
handling skills on six Mi-24 and Mi-8MTV
motionless flight simulators, introduced
in the period between 2008 and 2014.
Flight training begins immediately after
completion of the third academic year.
Today the system faces the challenge of
delivering a steady stream of around 300
graduate pilots annually, a tempo which has been
sustained since 2018. The majority of graduates
are used to continue the rapid expansion of the
AA, as its new structure has a fleet of no less than
1,100 attack and transport helicopters but still
suffers from aircrew shortage. The gradually
increasing number of front-line units and fleet
strength requires the AA alone to receive in the
near to medium term between 200 and 300 new
aviators annually to sustain ongoing expansion
and compensate for the natural aircrew
The digital world is being slowly introduced into the
rotary-wing training pipeline at the Syzran branch
with the new Ansat-U and Ka-226 helicopters and a
plethora of modern non-motion simulators for both
the Mi-8MTV and Mi-24P. via Alex Mladenov
www.key.aero 75
Rotary-Wing Training
attrition which occurred between 2014 and 2017,
when the supply of new pilots proved marginal.
In 2012, output at the Syzran branch comprised
170 newly-graduated lieutenant pilots, while
in 2013 the figure was reduced to 152, 120
of which were assigned for officer service
with the VKS, mainly to serve Army Aviation
units. In 2014, however, the figure fell to only
40 and in 2015 the system delivered slightly
more than 20 newly graduated lieutenants.
This shortfall was caused by an abrupt decrease
in the number of newly-recruited students
between 2009 and 2011, a gross error caused
by incorrect planning assumptions made by
the Russian MoD at that time. As a result, the
number of graduates in 2016 was only 28, an
all-time low. This planning shortfall had meant
that less than 200 new rotorcraft pilots were
trained at Syzran between 2014 and 2017.
To compensate for this oversight, in 2013
the number of newly-recruited students was
76 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
experience and glass cockpit familiarisation from the
increased threefold compared with the 2012
total, accounting for 320 people and such
a large input into the rotary-wing training
pipeline is set to be maintained until the early
2020s. In 2017, the number of graduates
increased to 105 and in 2018 to 290, while in
2019 and 2020 the figure was about 300.
Training Fleet
The Russian military rotorcraft pilot training
system currently operates an active fleet
of around 200 aircraft of four different
types, assigned to the two training air
groups of the 339th UAB. No less than 70
of these (comprising legacy types such as
Mi-8Ts, Mi-8MTVs and Mi-24Ps) have been
refurbished since the early 2010s and are
complemented by 72 newly-built helicopters,
including 46 Ansat-Us and 26 Ka-226s.
The initial flight training phase of the existing
system begins in spring, after completion of the
The highly-agile Ansat-U is a 3.3-tonne twin-engined
training machine that offers students multi-engine
very beginning of their flight career. Alex Mladenov
third academic year. The intense four-to-five
month-long training schedule, usually
undertaken between April and October,
teaches vital aviator skills. It includes
between 45 and 50 flight hours logged
on the twin-engine Ansat-U. The initial
training course includes familiarisation
flying, hover flight, general handling
drills, and landing circuits. This phase
is undertaken at the Sokol TAG. A first
solo flight is usually authorised after 15 hours
of training with instructors in the right-hand
seat (in all Russian-made helicopters the
pilot-in-command sits in the left-hand seat).
Then, based upon skills demonstrated
during the initial flight training phase and
the student’s personal preference, follow-on
streaming directs the students into the
tactical transport and attack courses.
Those students destined to fly attack
helicopters continue onto the second

training phase, which takes place after
the end of the fourth academic year. They
undergo basic training on the Mi-24P Hind-F
for another four or five months, practicing
navigation and manoeuvres and learning
the principles of formation flying and initial
weapons training tasks. In the past this
course, carried out at the Syzran-Troekurovka
TAG, lasted between 35 and 45 flight hours,
but increased to 50 hours in 2019-2020.
Basic training for the tactical transport
stream is carried out at the Sokol TAG, where
students fly the Mi-8T. After completion of
the basic training phase, student pilots from
both streams typically have a total of 95 to 100
hours of flight experience under their belts.
The third training phase for both streams,
the advanced course, begins on completion
of the fifth academic year. This phase calls for
mastering all the basic combat employment
manoeuvres, tactics, and techniques. The
students in the attack stream typically log 50
to 60 hours on the Mi-24P (which also includes
ten flight hours as weapons system operators
in the front cockpit), mastering their strafing
skills using 80mm S-8 rockets and 30mm guns.
In the advanced phase of training students
in the tactical transport stream fly the more
powerful Mi-8MT, Mi-8MTV Hip-H, instead of the
less-capable and underpowered Mi-8T Hip-C.
They also practice some ground attack runs
as part of their advanced training syllabus.
In addition to the training within the dedicated
TAGs, between 60 and 80 student pilots from
the transport and attack streams regularly
undergo their third training phase with Army
Aviation front-line units in the Eastern, Western
and Central Military Districts. This practice
will continue in the future, due to the very high
workload at the training air groups as a result
of the sharply increased number of trainees.
The initial Ansat-Us used for initial training rolled
The Ansat-U is used for initial flight training at the
Sokol TAG, while heavy types such as the Mi-8T, Mi-
8MTV and Mi-24P are utilised for basic and advanced
training of students in the transport and attack
streams, respectively. via Alex Mladenov
off the line in 2009 and were taken on strength by
in October 2010. The new type then underwent
a notably protracted entry-into-service period.
The reason for this is related to the delayed and
exhaustive field trails and evaluation program
(the so-called experimental operation) due to
numerous teething troubles. The Ansat-U was
eventually declared as fit for use in the training
role three and a half years after its induction
in the VKS’ military flight training fleet. Before
the start of student training in 2014, each
instructor pilot at Sokol was required to log no
less than 150 flight hours on the new type.
The first Ka-226s were taken on strength in
2012 and the co-axial helicopter undertook
experimental operations in 2013 and 2014
and has since been in regular use for the
training instructor pilots at the Sokol TAG. To
date there have been no announcements
regarding when or if the new type will
begin to be used for student training.
www.key.aero 77
Army Aviation

Army
Alexander Mladenov
tells us how the
Army Aviation
branch’s recent
structural and fleet

Aviation
developments are
being implemented

A
FTER ABRUPT cuts in both unit and
fleet strengths during a previous
round of radical reforms and
downsizing, undertaken in 2009-2010
and now viewed as ill-conceived and even
harmful, Russia’s Armeyskaya Aviatsia (AA/
Army Aviation) branch is being streamlined
and gradually enlarged once again.
The previous Russian Air and Space Force’s
(RuASF’s) Commander-in-Chief (CinC), Colonel
General Viktor Bondarev, revealed in an
interview dated July 2014 that the eventual aim
of AA’s wide-ranging restructuring effort, to be
undertaken concurrently with a force-wide fleet
recapitalisation, is the structural reorganisation
into dedicated regiments and brigades.
According to Col Gen Bondarev, the AA’s
frontline strength would eventually comprise
four army aviation brigades and ten fully-
fledged helicopter regiments. As of October
2020, however, the AA frontline strength
included four brigades and eight regiments
in addition to one independent squadron. The Mi-26 fleet strength, which declined sharply in the late 2000s, has been restored thanks to the
The list of AA’s primary wartime roles urgent procurement of 11 newly-built and six extensively refurbished examples in 2011, with deliveries
completed in 2017. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
includes close air support of offensive
and defensive land/sea-land operations,
provision of logistics support on the AA’s structure, undertaken in 2009-10 led now widely regarded as having been a huge
battlefield, transportation of materiel and to a considerable reduction in the number mistake and to have had a profoundly negative
troops, liaison, and casualty evacuation. of frontline units. This was accompanied by impact on AA’s overall combat capability.
The restructuring initiative launched in the large-scale retirement of a good many Therefore, the next round of changes,
December 2013 was primarily aimed at obsolete and non-serviceable attack and assault undertaken after 2013 and often referred to
improving AA’s ability to effectively support transport helicopters. Significant personnel as ‘counter-reform’, were aimed at mitigating
Russian Land Forces, Airborne Troops, the cuts took place at the same time, involving the grave consequences of the previous radical
growing Special Operations Forces (SOF) large numbers of aircrew and technicians downsizing and introduction of an all-new
community and Russian Naval units involved being declared redundant almost overnight and more efficient organisational structure.
in low and high-intensity conflicts. and subsequently discharged from service. The AA expansion initiative presently calls
These cuts badly affected morale and are for establishing three brand-new frontline
Reform and Counter-Reform units with a total of eight or nine squadrons,
Dedicated to providing air support to operations while an additional six to eight new squadrons
of the Russian Land Forces and Airborne Troops, (to be added to the structure of existing
AA is a fully–fledged combat branch currently independent helicopter regiments) are
numbering around 15,000 personnel, while its to be formed in the near to mid-term.
frontline units operate a total active fleet of no Newly-established units in AA since 2014
fewer than 800 helicopters. The current frontline include the four-squadron 15th Brigada
inventory - including the Torzhok-based combat Armeyskaya Aviatsia (BrAA/Army Aviation
training centre but excluding the training fleet Brigade), stationed at Ostrov in the Western
at the Syzran flight school - comprises 400-plus Military District (MD). The list of the new units
Mi-8s of various versions in addition to some 120 The AA front-line strength will include 23 Mi- also included a composite helicopter squadron
Mi-24P/PNs, 49 Mi-35Ms, 100-plus Ka-52s, 100- 28UBs out from 24 to be delivered between 2017 within the structure of the 3624th Air Base (AB)
and 2021, as one example was lost in accident in
plus Mi-28Ns, 23 Mi-28UBs, and 20-plus Mi-26s. at Erebuni airfield in Armenia (in the Southern
2019 near Korennovsk. Alexander Mladenov
The first round of the radical shake-up of MD) that was actually established in 2014,

78 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 The AA is expanding its front-line
strength and by the early 2020s the
branch should have about 1,100
new attack, tactical transport, and
heavy-lift rotorcraft in front-line
service. Alexander Mladenov

www.key.aero 79
Army Aviation

The Mi-28N, known in Russia as Night Hunter and in the West as Havoc, was inducted with the RAA
service in 2008 but was eventually commissioned by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
as an attack type, meeting the military specification after a protracted trials and field testing and
evaluation effort in November 2013. The current fleet numbers about 100 examples, serving with four
front-line and one combat and conversion training squadrons. Alexander Mladenov

and the 39th Vertoletniy Aviotsionniy Polk

AA’s Torzhok centre operates a diverse fleet for aircrew conversion training and its elite aircrews are also (VAP/Helicopter Aviation Regiment), which
routinely involved in special operations and disaster relief efforts. Here two of the new-generation types is stationed at Dzhankoy, Crimean Federal
are seen – a Mi-8MTV-5-1 for assault transport and the Ka-52 attack workhorse. Alexander Mladenov District (on the annexed Crimean Peninsula) and
controls two attack and one assault transport
squadron. Then, in August 2015, a new army
aviation brigade, the 16th BAA, was formed at
Zernograd in the Southern MD, using the fleet
and personnel of the existing 546th AB (Army
Aviation) previously stationed at Rostov on Don.
Following the example set by the 16th BrAA,
two of the existing AA air bases in the Central and
Eastern MDs – stationed at Kamensk-Uralskiy
and Khabarovsk-Bol’shoy respectively – have
been transformed into army aviation brigades.
The base at Khabarovsk-Bol’shoy was reformed
into a brigade, the 18th BrAA, in December 2016.
Then, in December 2018, the army aviation air
base at Kamensk-Uralskiy was transformed
as the 17th BrAA, with a newly-established
attack squadron equipped with 20 Mil Mi-24Ps
added to its strength during the same month
to work alongside its two Mi-8-equipped
squadrons and Mi-26 detachment.
Army Aviation’s Order of Battle (OrBat) also
includes a newly-established independent
The Mi-8AMTSh is set to be the backbone of the RAA’s tactical transport helicopter force. This is the composite helicopter squadron as part of the
enhanced-performance Mi-8AMTSh-V derivative fielded in service with three front-line squadrons at
Southern MD, incorporated into the structure
Novosibirsk and Chita. Alexander Mladenov
of the 3624th Air Base at Erebuni airfield in

80 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 In recent years, the AA has been provided with significant night assault capabilities thanks to intensified training and mass
deliveries of both the Mi-8AMTSh and Mi-8MTV-5-1 new-generation rotorcraft plus no fewer than 17 Mi-26s. Alexander Mladenov
Armenia. It has a fleet of 18 helicopters, a mixture
of Mi-24P attack machines, Mi-8MTVs for assault
transport and Mi-8SMV-PGs for electronic
warfare (EW). It began training operations in
the second half of 2014 from Rostov-on-Don,
before moving to its permanent base at
Erebuni in late 2015 and aircrews commenced
regular training operations in early 2016.
In order to get to an eventual AA frontline
strength of ten regiments and four brigades,
as outlined in July 2014, two more newly-
established army aviation regiments, with a total
strength of six squadrons, need to be added
to the branch’s existing order of battle, but as
of October 2020 there was no information on
such on-going developments. Another way of
expanding AA’s fleet could be the establishment
of an additional attack squadron within the
structure of each of the existing two-squadron
independent helicopter regiments. This move,
expected to be undertaken in most regiments
in the early 2020s, will result in the formation
of at least five new squadrons equipped
with newly-produced Ka-52s and Mi-28UB/
NMs, and possibly upgraded Mi-24Ps.
New Force Structure
As of December 2020, AA structure comprised
eight front line regiments, assigned to support
The Ka-52 deliveries
are set to continue
after 2020, when
a new enhanced-
capability derivative
will be ordered to
further beef-up
the AA’s attack
potential, with the
order numbering
114 examples in a
significantly upgraded
configuration.
Alexander Mladenov
a specific combined-arms army of the Russian the AA branch should reach no fewer than
Land Forces. There is also one independent 50. In addition, the branch will also be able to
squadron that reports directly to Russian rely on the elite aircrews and aircraft of four
forces in Armenia. The four new brigades instructor-research squadrons of the 344th
report directly to the command authorities Tsentr Boevey Podgotovki i Pereuchivania
of each of the existing military districts. Lyotnogo Sostava (TsBPiPLS - Combat Training
At the completion of the current re-structuring and Aircrew Conversion Centre), stationed
and expansion plan in the early 2020s, the at Torzhok, northwest of Moscow.
total number of frontline squadrons within Each of the independent helicopter regiments
www.key.aero 81
Army Aviation

established in December 2015 comprises a
headquarters and three component squadrons
in addition to a helicopter maintenance and
repair section and various support services.
The squadrons have up to 22 helicopters each,
giving a regimental strength of around 66. This
number is made up of a mixture of transport
and attack types - usually 44 attack machines
equip two squadrons and 22 assault/transport
helicopters the third. Many regiments still
have only two, but these are set to get another
squadron of attack helicopters in the early 2020s.
Those AA regiments established through
a transformation of the existing air bases in
December 2015 inherited the heraldry and
number plates of their disbanded predecessors.
In that way historic regiments that were
transformed into air bases during the radical
AA reforms in December 2009 have rekindled
their historic connections and lineage.
The newly-established army aviation
brigades are substantial units with all-new
sequential numberplates. They each have
four component squadrons (two equipped
with attack and two with assault transport
helicopters), plus various support services.
Their authorised establishment is usually
between 84 and 88 helicopters. In addition to
attack and assault transport capabilities, the
brigades are endowed with a comprehensive
heavy lift capability, comprising a detachment/
flight of between four and six Mi-26s, each
with a 20-tonne payload. These monster
machines are used for the intra-theatre air
transport needs of all armed forces branches
stationed in their respective military districts.
New-Generation Helicopters
By the end of the decade, the backbone of AA’s
assault transport helicopter fleet will largely
be made up of two newly-built Mi-8 derivatives
- the Mi-8AMTSh and Mi-8MTV-5-1. These are

The Ka-52-equipped six front-line attack squadrons training for close air The co-axial rotor-driven Ka-52 is set to remain the most numerous RAA
support and anti-armour missions day and night. Alexander Mladenov attack type for the foreseeable future, with no less than 250 examples in
front-line squadrons by 2027. Alexander Mladenov

The Mi-26’s cavernous cargo hold has four rows of

lightweight seats for transporting 82 troops while
in medevac configuration the giant helicopter can
accommodate up to 60 litters. Alexander Mladenov

82 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
13-tonne machines, capable of transporting up
to five tonnes of cargo in the cabin, 36 troops
or 12 stretchers. They were used to replace the
worn-out fleet of Mi-8MTs and Mi-8MTVs in
existing units on an almost one-for-one basis
and between four and six newly-established
assault transport squadrons will also be formed.
It is noteworthy that the AA’s once depleted
and worn-out attack fleet is poised for a much
more serious expansion than the branch’s
assault transport component. This is currently
being implemented through the simultaneous
fielding of three new day/night-capable attack
types to supersede the day-only Mi-24P and
The Mi-8MTPR-1 new-generation EW helicopters were taken
on strength by the AA in 2017. Alexander Mladenov
Intensified Training Regime
Following a sharp training budget increase in the
period 2011-2013, average annual flying time
in AA frontline units exceeded 100 hours per
pilot, compared to about 60 a decade ago (the
target for NATO pilots is 180 hours of which 40
can be flown in a simulator). This translates into
120 to 140 sorties, but in the most active tactical
transport units, aircrew flying time has exceeded
200 hours due to the much greater workload,
including numerous exercises and operational
commitments. In 2016, the average flying time
for young aircrews serving with frontline units of
the Southern MD is reported to have exceeded
120 hours, while the experienced ones hit 400
hours, this figure also included instructor sorties
and operational missions in hot spots in Russia
and Syria. By 2020, the intensity of training and
operations remained more or less the same and
nearly 90% of AA flight crews got operational
experience in the war operation in Syria.
the handful of night-capable Mi-24PNs. The
attack fleet recapitalisation initiative was
launched in 2010 and is set for completion by
the mid-2020s. At least 550 new machines have
already been, or are expected to be, ordered.
As of now, there are no publicly-announced
plans for a mass induction of light or medium
rotorcraft types into AA frontline units to fulfil
the various liaison, observation, and light utility
transport tasks. According to current AA fleet
development plans, light helicopter types are
planned to be used on secondary missions
only. Some 50 Ansat-Us have been taken on
strength purely as trainers and 36 Ka-226s
It is noteworthy that since the onset of the
expansion of its organisational structure
and fleet in 2014, Army Aviation has been
handicapped by a chronic lack of aircrews
to man newly-established frontline units.
While in 2012 the branch comprised some 21
frontline squadrons, in late 2016 that had risen
to 34 squadrons, a 60% increase. The manning
problem has been exacerbated by the miserably
small output of graduate aircrews trained at
the Syzran military helicopter training school.
In 2012 Syzran produced 170 lieutenant pilots,
150 of whom were posted to AA units. In 2013 the
figure fell to 152, with no more than 120 posted
to AA, then in 2014 the figure slumped to only
40 with fewer than 30 going to AA. Worse still,
in the period 2015-2017 the annual output was
set at around 30 graduates, due to an abrupt
decrease in the number of students recruited
in 2009-2012. This sharp reduction of recruits
The Mi-28NM has all-new main rotor blades with
better aerodynamic efficiency for increased lift
and speed and boasts an all-new targeting suite.
Alexander Mladenov
resulted from incorrect planning assumptions
made by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian
Federation at the time, coinciding with the
wide-ranging cuts in AA personnel numbers
during the ill-conceived 2009 reforms.
The high operational tempo, with AA engaged
in both Russia’s military operations in Syria
and the so-called ‘counter-terrorist’ activity
in the Northern Caucasus and logistics
support for deep-frozen Arctic regions,
combined with the fleet expansion drive
and intensified training, will undoubtedly
require a steady stream of newly-trained and
combat-ready aircrews in the near term.
In an effort to compensate for this serious
shortfall, in 2013 the number of aircrew recruits
was increased sharply to 320 and they graduated
as officer pilots in 2018. This large input into
the rotary-wing training pipeline is set to
continue at the same tempo until at least 2021.
www.key.aero 83
Army Aviation

A Mi-26 Hallo seen during assault operations, supporting the battlefield operations
of the elite Airborne Troops branch. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

have been acquired for liaison, personnel
transport, and medical evacuation duties.
Attack Helicopters
The recapitalisation of AA’s attack fleet
commenced with the acceptance of the first
Mi-28N Night Hunters (NATO reporting name
Havoc) in January 2008. The first Ka-52 Alligators
(NATO reporting name Hokum) followed in
December 2010. Both new-generation attack
types went in the first instance to the Torzhok-
based 344th TsBPiPLS, and in December 2011
they were joined by the third new type, the
Mi-35M, a much-upgraded Hind variant.
All three types feature sophisticated day/
night targeting suites with thermal vision
cameras and NVG-compatible internal and
external lighting, while the Ka-52 also boasts an
integrated self-protection suite and multi-mode
radar for bad weather navigation and air-to-air
and air-to-surface targeting purposes.
The co-axial rotor Ka-52 Alligator is
eventually set to become the most numerous
attack rotorcraft within the AA’s expanding
fleet. A successful and capable design,
the Alligator completed its extensive test
and evaluation effort in the definitive
production configuration in November 2011;
this achievement opened the doors for its
service-wide introduction with the AA.
As a result, at least two separate Ka-52
batches are known to have been ordered so
far by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian
Federation in an effort to recapitalise the
majority of AA’s obsolete attack rotorcraft fleet.
The second batch, obtained via a multi-year
contract signed in 2011, foresaw delivery of as
many as 146 Ka-52s before 2020. The order was
priced at more than RUB 120 billion. According
to the Moscow-based independent think-tank,
the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and
Technologies (CAST), by early 2018 as many as
91 Ka-52s covered by this contract had been
delivered to the Russian military, in addition
to 26 further examples covered by a previous

A pair of Ka-52s, seen mounting a firing pass to unleash 80mm rockets.

Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

The total number of Mi-28NMs to be procured by the RAA is 100, including

two pre-series examples taken in 2019 (one of these seen here), while 2020
will see the first batch of six-production standard helicopters from the order
for 98 placed in June 2019. Alexander Mladenov

Command-and-Control Specifics
The AA branch comes under the direct
supervision of the RuASF’s chief of aviation,
while the overall management of its training
activities and engineering support is provided
by the Army Aviation Department within
the structure of the RuASF’s main staff.
In December 2010, all AA frontline units were
placed under the direct operational control of the
air and air defence commands of the four newly-
established military districts of the Russian Armed
Forces. These geographically-defined military
districts are strategic-level command authorities
responsible for exercising operational command
and control over all land and sea forces, as well as
all RuASF tactical aviation and army aviation units
stationed within their area of responsibility. The
military districts function in peacetime as regional
armed joint forces commands while during
wartime they are set to act as joint forces strategic
commands for their assigned area of responsibility.
In August 2015, the air and air defence
command structures of each military district
were expanded into air and air defence armies,
controlling all the tactical, army aviation and
transport assets stationed within their respective
military district. As a result, army frontline units
such as brigades, aviation bases, independent
helicopter regiments and squadrons are now
directly subordinated to their respective air
army – the 6th Air and Air Defence Army (A&ADA)
in the Western MD, the 14th A&ADA in the
Central MD, the 11th A&ADA in the Eastern MD
and the 4th A&ADA in the Southern MD.

84 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
contract signed in 2007. This so-called first batch
The first two Mi-35Ms for the AA were delivered to Torzhok in December 2011, while another two
included two helicopters intended for use in the examples were handed over in the same month to the front-line air base stationed at Budyennovsk in
testing and evaluation programme, plus 24 more the southwestern part of Russia. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
delivered to AA. By October 2020, the number
of Ka-52s delivered to the AA had exceeded 100.
These Ka-52s are currently fielded with
six front line and one instructor-research/
conversion training squadron. Two Ka-52s
are known to have been lost – one in a training
accident in February 2012 and another during
a combat sortie in Syria in May 2018.
In early February 2018, the Ministry of Defence
of the Russian Federation announced plans
for another large-scale contract, covering 114
more Alligators. According to Yury Borisov,
then deputy minister of defence responsible
for procurement, the deal is set to be funded
by Russia’s new State Armament Programme
2018-2027. He also hinted that these Ka-52s will
be ordered in an upgraded configuration agreed
between the Ministry of Defence of the Russian
Federation and Russian Helicopters, boasting
better sensors and armament. Deliveries are The Mi-8MT/MTV/-1/-2 family of old-generation Hips is now being largely replaced by the more capable
expected to run from 2021 onwards. Borisov also Mi-8MTV-5-1 and Mi-8AMTSh. The old-generation helicopters still have good life extension reserves
disclosed that the newly-ordered Ka-52s will get rendering them good to be operated until the end of the 2020s. Alexander Mladenov
new extended-range anti-tank guided missiles
and an improved optronic targeting system
to support extended-range engagements.
The type’s first AA frontline unit, the 575th AB,
stationed at Chernigovka in the Eastern MD,
received its initial four Ka-52s in May 2011. The
type was then issued to five more frontline
squadrons – at Korennovsk and Dzhankoy in the
Southern MD, Khabarovsk-Bol’shoy in the Eastern
MD, and Ostrov and Vyazma in the Western MD.
The co-axial Alligator is eventually slated to
equip one attack squadron in most of AA’s
independent helicopter regiments and army
aviation brigades. The type will eventually
be fielded by 10 to 12 frontline squadrons,
each with an establishment of between 15
and 22 aircraft. Additionally, there is the
instructor-research squadron at Torzhok,

In the recent years, the RAA has been provided with significant night assault capabilities
thanks to intensified training and the mass deliveries of both the Mi-8AMTSh and Mi-
8MTV-5-1 new-generation rotorcraft. Alexander Mladenov

www.key.aero 85
Army Aviation

currently equipped with eight machines.

Complementary
Army Aviation frontline units began receiving
their first Mi-28Ns in April 2009 – the first
operator being the attack squadron of the 487th
Otdelnoy Vetoletny Polk (OVP – Independent
Helicopter Regiment), reorganised in December
that year as the 387th Air Base and then again
reformed as the 487th OVP in December
2015. It received a fleet of 16 Night Hunters
and in 2010 was followed by the attack
squadron of the 393rd AB at Korennovsk,
which also took on strength 16 examples.
A total of 97 Mi-28Ns were ordered, with all
delivered by the end of 2017, and then in early
2019 five more examples were handed over.
Currently, the type is operated by six frontline
squadrons (with up to 16 machines each) and one
instructor-research squadron (equipped with ten
aircraft). Three Mi-28Ns have been lost – the first
in a training accident in February 2011, a second
during a flying display in August 2015 while
the third was reportedly destroyed in a non-
combat-related accident in Syria in April 2016.
The first contract for delivery of Mi-28UB
attack helicopters with dual controls and
mast-mounted radars was signed between the
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
and Russian Helicopters in April 2016. The
delivery schedule covered 24 helicopters: eight
of these rolled out in 2017, eight more in 2018
and the last batch of eight is expected in 2019.
The Mi-28UB is an improved Havoc type with
dual controls and a number of ergonomic
improvements to the cockpit. Intended to be
The Mi-8MTV-5-1 is the principal assault transport helicopter in the Western MD and equips
used mainly for conversion and operational
about half of the assault transport units in the Central Military District. via Alexander Mladenov
training of new Mi-28N pilots, the new derivative
is fully combat-capable and boasts a mast-
mounted NO25 radar while retaining the rest of payload based on that installed in the Ka-52, June 2019, and the first contract for production-
the mission avionics and weapons of the Mi-28N. together with an improved mast-mounted standard helicopters covers 98 examples
From 2020 onwards, the AA is scheduled to observation/targeting radar; an integrated slated for delivery between 2020 and 2027.
begin receiving an undisclosed number of self-protection system combined with more
the radically-improved Mi-28NM. Currently powerful engines, new transmission and a new Super Hind: The Mi-35M
undergoing testing, with its official maiden flight main rotor system to boost flight performance. It The Mi-35M, already in service with AA in limited
reported on October 12, 2016, this enhanced also comes armed with the new Khrizantema-V numbers, is a derivative of a new-generation
Night Hunter derivative boasts numerous guided missile with dual laser/radar guidance Hind designed for the export market in the
design improvements intended to cure most, if and a range of up to 10km and the new non-line early/mid-2000s. It is a re-think of the popular
not all, of the design shortcomings inherent in of sight air-to-surface missile known as Izdeliye Mi-24 family, cheaper than the Mi-28N but
the baseline Mi-28N. These include an all-new 305. The first two pre-production Mi-28NMs with a roughly equivalent day/night operating
targeting suite - comprising a day/night optronic were handed over to the RuASF for testing in capability, combined with new guided anti-tank
missiles, an up-rated powerplant and an
all-new rotor system. In 2016, the AA Mi-35M
fleet began receiving Vitebsk-series integrated
self-protection suites (something still missing
on the Mi-28N) comprising missile approach
warning systems and active infrared jammers
to counter shoulder-launched surface-to-air
missiles using heat-seeking guidance systems.
An urgent order for 22 Mi-35Ms for Army
Aviation was initially placed in June 2010, followed
in 2011 by a further order for 27 helicopters,
with deliveries completed in 2014. By March
2017, 47 of these ‘Hinds on steroids’ were in
service with AA. Four have crashed. One
operated by the Torzhok centre was written off
in a fatal accident in September 2012, another
in 2020 at Dzhankoy and two more were lost
in Syria in July 2016. In early 2019, the RuASF
took on strength six more new Mi-35Ms.
The new Mi-38T is set to be procured in limited number in its basic tactical transport and VIP It is noteworthy that today most Mi-28N-
transport configurations – already delivered or expected by 2021-2022 - while more orders for
equipped units (except that of the 16th BAA)
special-mission derivatives are expected to follow in the medium term. Alexander Mladenov
include between six and 12 Mi-35Ms utilised

86 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 A pair of Mi-8MTV-5-1s involved in an assault operation. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

The Mi-8MATSh-V is the new

workhorse in some of the
tactical transport squadrons
for training inexperienced pilots and aircrew of the AA. In addition to
proficiency check rides, in addition to their hauling troops and military
main attack role; in the 16th BAA, the older- equipment, the type has
generation Mi-24P Hind-F is still used for this. capabilities to attack ground
targets with rockets, gun-
pods, and free-fall bombs as
New Mi-8 Derivatives well as laying anti-personnel
There is an on-going long-term programme and anti-tank mine belts on
for a complete recapitalisation of the AA the ground. Ministry of Defence
assault transport fleet with newly-built Hips. of the Russian Federation
In order to speed up the fleet recapitalisation
process and provide work for two factories, two
different new-generation Hip derivatives with The classic Mi-24P is still in
widespread service with the
broadly similar avionics, mission equipment and
AA front-line units in the
weapons are being procured simultaneously. Central Military District and
The Mi-8MTV-5-1 is built at Kazan Helicopters will continue soldiering on for
while the Mi-8AMTSh comes from the Ulan-Ude a while. Ministry of Defence of the
Aviation Plant (U-UAP). In addition to their Russian Federation
primary transport role, these affordable and
rugged helicopters can also be used for fire
support, armed with 20-round rocket packs (up
to four, two mounted on each stub wing) for firing
80mm rockets and up to two 23mm gun-pods.
Both the Mi-8MTV-5-1 and Mi-8AMTSh can
also lay anti-personnel and anti-tank mines
and drop free-fall high-explosive bombs.
In fact, the Mi-8AMTSh derivative has
been ordered in much higher numbers
than the Mi-8MTV-5-1. By October 2020, for
example, about 140 Mi-8MTV-5-1s had been
delivered to AA, compared with no fewer
than 250 Mi-8AMTShs and Mi-8AMTSH-Vs.
Deliveries of small batches of Mi-8MTV-5-1s to
AA began in 2008 but the rate notably increased
from 2010. The first Mi-8AMTSh contract

www.key.aero 87
Army Aviation

Russian Army Aviation Order of Battle

Unit Base Types

Centrally subordinated units

334th Combat Training and Aircrew Torzhok
Conversion Centre (Army Aviation)

1st Instructor-Research Squadron Torzhok Mi-8MTV-2/3, Mi-8MTV-5-1,

Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-26

2nd Instructor-Research Squadron Torzhok Mi-28N, Mi-35M

3rd Instructor-Research Squadron Torzhok Ka-52, Mi-24P, Ka-27PS

4th Instructor-Research Squadron Klin Mi-24P, Mi-24PN, Mi-8AMTSh,

Mi-8MTV-2/3

Frontline Units

4th Air and Air Defence Army – Southern Military District

16th BrAA Zernograd Mi-28N/UB, Mi-24P, Mi-26, Mi-8AMTSh,
Two attack and two tactical transport squadrons Mi-8MTPR-1, Mi-8PP, Mi-8SMV-PG

55th OVP Korennovsk Ka-52, Mi-35M, Mi-28N/UB, Mi-8AMTSh

Two attack and one tactical transport squadron

387th OVP Budennovsk Mi-35M, Mi-28N/UB, Mi-24P,

Two attack and one tactical transport squadron Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-8MTV-5-1

39th VAP Dzhankoy Ka-52, Mi-28N/UB, Mi-35M, Mi-8AMTSh

Two attack and one tactical transport squadron

3624th AB Erebuni Mi-24P, Mi-8MT, Mi-8SMV-PG

One composite helicopter squadron

6th Air and Air Defence Army – Western Military District

15th BrAA Ostrov Ka-52, Mi-28N/UB, Mi-35M,
Two attack and two tactical transport squadrons Mi-8MTV-5-1, Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-26,

440th OVP Vyazma Ka-52, Mi-24P, Mi-8MTV-5-1, Mi-8MTPR-1

One attack, one tactical transport and
one electronic warfare squadron

549th OVP Pushkin, Pribylovo Mi-28N/UB, Mi-35M, Mi-24P,

One attack and one tactical transport squadron Mi-8MTV-5-1, Mi-8MTV-2

14th Air and Air Defence Army – Central Military District

17th BrAA Kamensk-Uralskiy, with squadrons and Mi-24P, Mi-8MTV-5-1, Mi-8MT, Mi-26
detachments also based at Uprun

337th ОVP Novosibirsk– Tolmachevo Mi-24P, Mi-8AMTSh-V, Mi-8MTV-1

One attack and one tactical transport squadron

11th Air and Air Defence Army – Eastern Military District

18th BrAA Khabarovsk-Bol’shoy. A detachment is maintained Ka-52, Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-26
One attack and two tactical transport squadrons at Burevestnik and Yasny airfield (Iturup island)

319th OVP Chernigovka Ka-52, Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-8AMTSh-V

One attack and one tactical transport squadron

112th OVP Chita–Cheremushki Mi-24P, Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-8ATMSh-V

One attack and two tactical transport squadrons

This information was compiled using publicly available information. No official data has been released since the substantial AA reforms undertaken in
December 2014.

88 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
This Mi-24P from the 440th OVP, an independent helicopter regiment, home-based at Vyazma, is seen here
practicing snow surface landing in a high-altitude exercise in the Caucasus Mountains. via Alexander Mladenov
for AA came in 2009, and a second followed in
2010; these covered 26 helicopters, delivered
before the end of 2010 to transport squadrons
assigned in the Southern MD, stationed at
Budennovsk and Korennovsk, respectively. In
2011, a new and much larger order was placed
by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian
Federation, covering the delivery of as many
as 171 Mi-8AMTShs before the end of 2020.
The Mi-8AMTSh has been slated for delivery to
all AA frontline units stationed in the Southern,
Eastern and Western MDs and at least half of
those in the Central MD. The tactical transport
squadrons assigned to the army aviation brigade
and the two air bases (to be transformed to
helicopter regiments) in the Western MD and
one of the two air bases in the Central MD are
set to take mostly the Mi-8MTV-5-1 version.
A follow-on order for 40 more U-UAP-built
Mi-8AMTShs was placed in August 2013,
with the first examples delivered in August
2014. These helicopters were of an improved
version known as the Mi-8AMTSh-V. This
variant features more powerful engines
for improved hot-and-high performance in
The newly-introduced attack types, represented by the Mi-28N and Ka-52, were also complemented by
the Mi-35M; the three types are set to improve the RAA’s capability to undertake 24-hour operations in
both counter-insurgency operations and conventional high-end conflicts. Alexander Mladenov
addition to lighter ceramic armour for the
cockpit, a modern avionics suite, expanded
ordnance selection, a better APU and provision
for the Vitebsk-8 integrated self-protection
suite. These Hips also feature a re-shaped rear
fuselage with the old-style clamshell doors
installed in the place of the rear loading ramp
used on the Mi-8AMTSh and Mi-8MVT-5-1.
By 2020, all 40 enhanced Mi-8AMTSh-Vs had
already been delivered to AA, serving with the
assault transport squadrons of the air bases at
Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo and Chita and partially
There are three front-line units of the AA where
the Ka-52 serves shoulder-to-shoulder with the
Mi-28N – at the 15th BAA at Ostrov, the 55th OVP
at Korennovsk and the 39th VAP at Dzhankoi.
Alexander Mladenov
equipping a squadron at Chernigovka. This
version was the sole tactical transport type
deployed by AA for combat operations in Syria.
Two of these machines are reported to have
been lost in combat in Syria, in 2015 and 2016.
Heavy Lift Recapitalisation
On the heavy lift front, Army Aviation has
benefited from a fast-track programme to
replace a high proportion of its worn-out Mi-26
Halos, some of which date back to the late 1980s
and early 1990s, with a mixture of newly-built
and extensively refurbished examples. The
heavy lift transport force, which in the late
2000s suffered from low availability due to a
severe lack of serviceable airframes, received no
fewer than 17 Mi-26s between 2011 and 2020.
Of these, 11 were newly-built while the other
six were extensively refurbished machines.
The newly-built Mi-26s were delivered to AA
units stationed at Ostrov, Kamensk-Uralskiy,
Khabarovsk-Bol’shoy, and Zernograd; four
of the refurbished examples are reported to
have joined the fleet of the 344th TsBPiPLS at
Torzhok, followed by two more in 2017 – one to
Khabarovsk-Bol’shoy and another to Ostrov.
The resurrected AA Halo fleet assumed a
number of new battlefield support roles in the
early 2010s, including regular use as a fuel tanker
to provide diesel fuel to main battle tanks and
infantry fighting vehicles on the forward edge
of the battlefield. The type has also frequently
been used in the firefighting role to tackle forest
fires, using an external 15-tonne water bucket.
The Mi-26 is also widely employed
ferrying heavyweight cargos in support
of the ambitious Arctic basing initiative
launched by the Russian military in 2013.
In the early 2020s, AA is slated to receive
an improved Halo derivative designated
Mi-26T2V. This variant is equipped with an
all-new digital avionics suite, self-protection
system and is capable of NVG operations. The
prototype made its maiden flight in August
2018, and production is expected to begin at
Rostvertol in 2020. The first Russian order
comprises ten Mi-26T2Vs for the AA.
www.key.aero 89
Naval Aviation

Naval Av
Since the early 2010s, the Russian
Naval Aviation service has
slowly increased its
capability, but it is
an ever-ongoing
process

90 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
Aviation
W
HILE THE introduction of new
and upgraded combat jets,
complemented by upgraded anti-
submarine warfare (ASW) fixed
and rotary-wing aircraft has gradually improved
the core capabilities of Aviatsia Voennmoskogo
operational training, logistics support and
flight safety of the component air units.

Expanded Combat Jet Fleet

The AVMF fleet of shipborne and land-based
fighters and strike aircraft saw considerable
In 2013 and 2014, a
total of four Su-33s
underwent overhaul
and life-extension
Flota (AVMF or Naval Aviation), the service numerical growth in the mid and late 2010s. programmes to
deliver 700 additional
still faces the challenge of operating ageing Expansion has been achieved through the
flight hours and
ASW and maritime patrol fleets. establishment of new front-line combat units 1,500 more landings
AVMF assets are assigned to the four and also by means of transferring former VKS and also received an
Russian Navy fleets – Northern, Pacific, regiments and squadrons to AVMF control. avionics upgrade.
Baltic, and Black Sea - in addition to The fast jet fleet currently numbers around Nine more were
scheduled to be
two direct-reporting air units. Within 150 aircraft, with an average age of about
cycled through the
each fleet’s HQ structure, there 25 years, while 70% of them are older than programme between
is a directorate of naval aviation, 30 years. It is organised into attack and 2016 and 2019.
responsible for day-to-day fighter aviation branches, with only the Andrey Zinchuk

www.key.aero 91
Naval Aviation
latter including shipborne components,
which serve with the Northern Fleet.
The shipborne fighters fly with two regiments -
the 279th and the 100th OKIAP. Both of these are
stationed at Severomotsk-3 airfield, 28km from
the large city of Murmansk on the Kola peninsula.
The AVMF shipborne fighter regiments
and the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov,
which is officially known in Russia as a heavy
aircraft-carrying cruiser, are assigned to
the Northern Fleet. The carrier took on
flag-waving and training roles, rather than
having real-world operational significance.
Currently it is undergoing a deep repair and
upgrade, initiated in 2017 but this has proved
a protracted and costly undertaking, with
completion expected no earlier than 2022.
A total of 24 Sukhoi Su-33s were built and
delivered to the AVMF between 1993 and 1998.
No fewer than seven have been lost in accidents,
while some are known to be in long-term storage
and others undergoing overhaul and upgrade.
Thus, the number of active Su-33s in regimental
service at Severomorsk-3 never exceeds ten.
The regiment also incorporates a dedicated
training squadron equipped with up to seven
Su-25UTG carrier-capable two-seat trainers
and at least one Su-27UB two-seater, used by
Su-33 pilots for conversion and continuation
training. In December 2016, the regiment
also took two new-build Su-30SM multi-role
fighters on strength, intended to be used
as a basis for a land-based squadron, but
there have been no follow-on deliveries.
According to AVMF’s commanding officer,
Major General Igor Kozhin, the Flanker-D is
set to remain in regular service until 2025, in
an upgraded and life-extended form. The
type will continue its long-range air defence
role, while the newer MiG-29KR will provide
medium-range air defence. Short-range air
defence is tasked to the ship’s SAM systems.
In August 2016, the Ministry of Defence of the
Russian Federation revealed an undisclosed
number of Su-33Ks have been upgraded with
Abbreviations
OKIAP – Independent Shipborne
Fighter Aviation Regiment
OMShAP - Independent Naval
Attack Aviation Regiment
A new mission suite allows the Ka-27M to perform search, track and attack
against submarines at depths up to 500m and speeds of 40kts and at a
distance of 200km from the ship (with a patrol time of two hours), in Sea
State 5, day and night, in good and bad weather. Kamov
92 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
The Su-30SM is re-equipping land-based attack
and fighter regiments. So far, 22 examples have
been taken on strength, and the total number
is set to reach at least 50 by the mid-2020s.
Alexander Mladenov
the Gefest&T SVP-24 navigation bombing
system. This relatively simple and affordable
upgrade makes the Flanker-D capable of
delivering ‘dumb’ bombs with reasonable
accuracy on targets with known coordinates;
the newly-added targeting system uses highly
accurate positioning information, combined
with precise calculation of bomb ballistic
parameters. The upgrades were part of
measures to enhance the Admiral Kuznetsov’s
strike potential during its cruise in the eastern
Mediterranean during the second half of
October 2016. The cruise saw the Flanker-D
involved in striking ground targets in Syria as
a fully-fledged asset of the Russian air group
operating there. As many as 420 combat sorties
(including 117 at night) were logged by the Su-33s
together with MiG-29KR and MiG-29KUBRs.
In order to enlarge its shipborne fighter fleet,
the MoD ordered 20 MiG-29KR single-seaters
and four MiG-29KUBR two-seat, multi-role,
deck-capable fighters in February 2012. The
first aircraft was handed over in November
2013 and all 24 had been delivered by mid-2015.
The first training flights were flown in October.
Shipborne Fulcrums equip the 100th OKIAP, a
brand-new, two-squadron shipborne regiment
formally established at Yeisk on December 1,
2015. Eight months later, the 100th moved its
MiG-29KR/KUBRs to its permanent base at
Severmorsk-3 and immediately began training
aboard Admiral Kuznetsov. The 100th OKIAP’s
CO reportedly made the first landing on the ship
on August 8, 2016 and then four fighters (three
single-seat and one two-seat aircraft) were
deployed on the combat cruise in the eastern
Mediterranean. The naval Fulcrums flew combat
missions over Syria, delivering both guided and
unguided ordnance. One aircraft was lost in
The Su-30SM is the most-modern land-based combat jet operated by the
AVMF, with 22 examples on strength and plans for the procurement of at
least 28 more. Alexander Mladenov
 A significant proportion of the Northern Fleet’s Tu-142MK, Tu-142MZ missions are dedicated to ice field surveillance in support
of commercial shipping passing through the Russian-controlled Northern Sea route. These operations are also aimed at
providing the security and safety of the route, which is becoming an increasingly important shipping lane along the Russian
Arctic coast, from Murmansk on the Barents Sea to the Bering Strait and Far East. Andrey Zinchuk

This Su-30SM belongs to the 1st Squadron of the 43rd OMShAP, a naval
independent attack regiment stationed at Saki in Crimea. Alexander Mladenov
The Flanker-D upgrade programme initiated in the early 2010s was centred
on replacing the obsolete SPO-15 Beryoza radar warning receiver with the
much more capable L150 Pastel system. Another aspect of the upgrade is
the introduction of navigation enhancements, including the A737 satellite
navigation receiver, new cockpit displays and increased-thrust AL-31FM-1
engines. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

www.key.aero 93
Naval Aviation

The ‘combat duty’ ASW patrols flown by Tu-142MK, Tu-142MZ fleet can be The MiG-31DZ has been the primary Foxhound version operated by the
divided into ‘offensive’ and ‘defensive’ types, with the former covering areas fighter squadron of the 317th SAP at Yelizovo on Kamchatka Peninsula, but
of expected patrols of ballistic missile-armed submarines of a potential is being slowly replaced by the upgraded MiG-31BM. Ministry of Defence of the
enemy. TANTK Beriev Russian Federation

the course of these operations, due to problems
with Admiral Kuznetsov’s arresting gear.
Land-Based Fast Jets
The AVMF land-based frontline component is
grouped in five regiments, with a total of eight
squadrons. Three of these are equipped with the
upgraded MiG-31BM Foxhound (together with
a small number of non-upgraded MiG-31DZs
in one of the squadrons) while three more fly
the Su-24M Fencer-D and Su-24MR Fencer-E.
Two further squadrons are equipped with the
Su-30SM while two more fly legacy Su-27P
Flanker-B and Su-27UB Flanker-C types.
The Baltic Fleet’s land-based fast jets operate
with two squadrons assigned to the 4th Guards
MShAP, a naval attack regiment re-established
in December 2017 and stationed at Chkalovsk
near Kaliningrad since October 2018. By 2019
one of its squadrons was equipped with 14
aircraft, a mixture of Su-24M frontal bombers
and Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft, while
the second unit has eight Su-30SMs, the first
of which were taken in December 2016.
The fighter regiment, the 689th IAP,
re-established in December 2018 and is also
stationed at Chkalovsk, operating a fleet of about
16 Su-27P and Su-27UBs in two component
squadrons. It is tasked with QRA duty under
Russia’s integrated air defence system,
protecting the airspace of the Kaliningrad exclave
and the adjacent airspace over the Baltic Sea.
The Black Sea Fleet’s single land-based jet attack
regiment, the 43rd OMShAP, is based at Saki
airfield on the Crimean Peninsula. It was the first
RNA unit to be equipped with 12 thrust-vectoring
Su-30SM two-seat multi-role fighters. The first
three examples were taken on strength in June
2015, and initially used for conversion training

The Ka-52K is the new-generation deck assault helicopter

set to serve on the Russian Navy amphibious assault ships
which are expected to be commissioned by the mid-2020s.
Alexander Mladenov

In both the Cold War and the post-Cold War environments, the main
potential enemy encountered during combat duty patrols flown by the RNA
May and Bear-F fleets has been the US Navy’s numerous submarine fleet
and this situation continues to be true today. This is an upgraded Il-38N
with vastly increased combat potential. Ministry of Defence of the Russian
Federation

A Su-27UB two-seat fighter belonging to the 689th IAP based at Chkalovsk

in Kaliningrad exclave, is seen here escorting a Belgian F-16AM fighter on
Baltic Air Policing duty. Belgian Air Force

94 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
at Yeisk, before arriving at Saki in December
The average age of the Ka-27PL, Ka-27PS and Ka-27M fleet exceeds 30 years. The mission avionics
that year. The type serves with the 43rd’s 1st upgrade of the Ka-27PL fleet to Ka-27M is in addition to a comprehensive airframe life-extension
Squadron, whose crews primarily train for the programme, ensuring the upgraded Helix-As is capable of an additional 20 years of operational life, and
maritime attack role. The Saki-based regiment’s 3,000 flight hours. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
2nd Squadron flies about six Su-24M bombers
and six Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft.
The Northern Fleet has one composite
aviation regiment, the 98th SAP. The unit
includes two fighter squadrons, each equipped
with 12 upgraded MiG-31BM long-range
interceptors, in addition to a frontal bomber
squadron operating a mix of Su-24Ms and
Su-24MRs, numbering about 12 examples.
The Pacific Fleet controls a single MiG-31BM/
DZ squadron assigned to the 317th SAP at
Yelizovo, on the Kamchatka peninsula, in
Russia’s easternmost corner, with about 12
aircraft in active service. These long-range
fighters are responsible for the air defence
of the Russian Navy installations on the
peninsula, most importantly the huge Pacific
Fleet nuclear submarine base at Vilyuchinsk.

ASW and Maritime Patrol

Force
AVMF’s maritime patrol and ASW branch The entire Ka-27PL fleet is set for upgrade to Ka-27M standard but contracts so far cover only 22
operates two principal fixed-wing types, the examples. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
Il-38 May and Tu-142MZ/MK Bear-F. These
serve only with the two ‘big fleets’ of the Russian
Navy - the Northern and Pacific Fleets, with a
combined total of five front-line squadrons.
The Il-38 is the principal ASW and maritime
patrol workhorse, designed for operations in

A Ka-52K and Ka-29 are seen here on the Admiral Kuznetsov flight desk during the 2017 cruise to the
Eastern Mediterranean. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

www.key.aero 95
Naval Aviation

the ‘medium-range’ oceanic zone, up to 2,200km

An An-26 of the Black Sea fleet air arm. Ministry of
Defence of the Russian Federation from base, where it can patrol for four hours.
The May was introduced into Soviet service
back in 1968 and the surviving examples, built
between 1967 and 1972, are now grouped in
three front-line squadrons. One of these is
assigned to the Northern Fleet and two more are
included within the structure of the Pacific Fleet,
with a total active fleet of less than 20 aircraft.
The Il-38 fleet is quite aged but has a good
remaining life and is also inexpensive to operate
and maintain. Most, if not all of the active
aircraft, around 28 examples, were originally
slated to undergo a comprehensive mission-
suite upgrade, dubbed Il-38N, in an effort to
enhance overall maritime patrol and ASW
capabilities. The upgrade would be combined
with a major service life extension overhaul,
intended to render the May capable of use until
the late 2020s. As of late 2020 however, only
seven examples have been cycled through
the upgrade and life extension programme.
The Tu-142 Bear-F ASW and maritime patrol
aircraft, a derivative of the giant Tu-95 turboprop
strategic bomber, was developed specifically
for ultra-long-range oceanic operations, up to
4,500km from its base. Today’s active service
fleet of around 25 aircraft comprises the
Tu-142MK and Tu-142MZ versions introduced
in the 1980s, with the later version continuing
in production until the early 1990s.
Currently, the AVMF has on strength two Tu-142-
equipped squadrons – one assigned to the
Pacific Fleet and the other to the Northern Fleet,
maintaining a total active fleet of about 15 Bear-
Fs in addition to Tu-142MR aerial relay aircraft. In
2019 there were hints of a small-scale upgrade
for a proportion of the Bear-Fs, including a
derivative of the SVP-24 navigation/attack system
(borrowed from the Su-33), to allow precision
torpedo and bomb delivery from high altitude.
A more comprehensive programme was
also planned for the Bear-F fleet, with an
all-new mission avionic suite, but this is
thought to be still in the prototype stage. The
main component of the Tu-142MZ’s upgrade
will be the new and very powerful surface
search radar, supplied by AO Zaslon and
The rejuvenated Helix-A helicopters, dubbed Ka-27M, are sufficient to equip the ASW detachments (for based on that developed for the Il-38N.
both embarked and shore-based operations) within the structure of AVMF’s five front-line shipborne The RNA still operates a handful of Beriev
helicopter squadrons. In addition, between four and six more examples are expected to be assigned on Be-12PL, Be-12PS turboprop flying boats, serving
to the Yeisk-based combat and conversion training centre on a permanent basis. Ministry of Defence of
with the Black Sea Fleet. The aircraft are used
the Russian Federation
in the SAR and maritime patrol roles, limited

The Be-200Chs is the new naval aviation type for amphibious operations,
useful for SAR and firefighting but with limited maritime patrol capabilities.
TANTK Beriev

The Forpost UAS is the most capable systems operated by the AVMF at
present but expected to be complemented this year by the Orion, while
in the medium-term the naval air service will also get the Altius medium-
altitude/long endurance system. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

96 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
 The An-72 is in service for passenger and cargo transport, serving with the 46th OTAP, an
independent air transport regiment based at Ostafyevo near Moscow. Alexander Mladenov

The Ka-27PL is used for both land-based and ship-based ASW and maritime
patrols duties. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

The MiG-29KR, MiG-29KUBR is a true multi-role fighter and provides the

Admiral Kuznetsov with a new capability against ground targets, with
munitions including laser and TV-guided weapons such as the Kh-29T/L
missile, Kh-31P high-speed anti-radiation missile, and KAB-500L and KAB-
500Kr bombs. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

ASW operations and bombing of land targets.
Five aircraft, previously in storage for many
years, were cycled through overhaul at TANTK
Beriev in Taganrog between 2012 and 2014 to
extend their life. This work was combined with
some minor avionic upgrades and the fleet was
augmented by two more examples overhauled
at Yevpatoria aircraft repair plant between 2016
and 2018. This has rendered this antiquated-
looking amphibian workhorse capable of serving
until the mid-2020s. In 2019, the AVMF CO,
Major General Kozhin, hinted the Be-12 fleet
is slated for a mission suite upgrade, but no
progress has been reporting as of late 2020.
Rotary-Wing ASW, SAR and
Transport
The AVMF’s shipborne ASW and SAR
capability is provided by rugged and
dependable Ka-27 helicopters, which are
currently scheduled to continue their faithful
service until 2030, or even beyond.
The Ka-27PL Helix-A is the dedicated ASW
version, while the Ka-27PS Helix-D is the SAR
and utility transport derivative, also used for
special operations forces support and anti-piracy
missions. The vast majority of the current
Helixes were built in the mid and late-1980s
and about 70 remain in active service. They
are grouped into five shipborne helicopter
squadrons – one each assigned to the Black Sea,
Northern, and Baltic Fleets, two to the Pacific
Fleet and one composite training squadron
assigned to the training centre at Yeisk.
In a bid to solve the acute obsolescence issue, an
ambitious upgrade programme for the Ka-27PL
fleet was initiated in the early 2000s, but the
contract for the Helix-A’s production-upgrade
effort was not signed until at least 2012. Around
48 Ka-27PLs will cycle through a combined
upgrade and life extension programme.
The first production contract for the Ka-27M
upgrade, signed between KumAPE and Kamov
on one side, and the Ministry of Defence of
the Russian Federation on another, dates
back to early 2013 and covers the upgrade,
overhaul and life extension of eight RNA Ka-27s
to Ka-27M standard, with the deliveries to
be completed in November 2015. In fact, the
eight-aircraft batch was eventually handed
over in December 2016. A second batch,
contracted by the Ministry of Defence of the
Russian Federation in 2014, comprises 14
Ka-27Ms, for delivery between 2018 and 2020.
The land-based AVMF rotary-wing fleet includes
around ten Mi-8s, in the T/P/MT/MTV/MTV-5
versions which, as a rule, are incorporated
into the structure of the transport squadrons
or regiments assigned to each fleet, and
used for utility transport and SAR duties.
There is also an ongoing programme to
procure the Ka-31R airborne early warning
and over-the-horizon targeting helicopters for
the RNA. An initial batch of two red numbered
helicopters was ordered in 2008 and the first
was delivered to the Yeisk training centre

www.key.aero 97
Naval Aviation

The Su-27P, Su-27UB and MiG-31 squadrons of the Baltic, Northern and
Pacific fleets stand homeland QRA in Russia’s integrated air defence
environment under VKS control. They are required to maintain a reaction
time of ten minutes from receiving a scramble call to take-off. This is a
non-upgraded MiG-31DZ from the 317th SAP at Yelizovo. Ministry of Defence of MiG-31 pilots of the 317th IAP at Yelizovo on the remote Kamchatka
the Russian Federation Peninsula. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

in June 2012, with the second following later
in the same year. In 2019 one of the two
Ka-31Rs was moved to the Black Sea fleet, to
be operated by the 318th SAP at Kacha.
Attack and Assault
In the mid-2010s the AVMF maintained only a
very small number (up to four) of Ka-29 Helix-B
assault transport helicopters in serviceable
condition. In 2017-2018, however, the number of
serviceable Ka-29s was significantly increased,
with the re-introduction of eight overhauled
Helix-Bs to the Pacific Fleet, while four were taken
by the Baltic Fleet and two by the Black Sea Fleet.
The Baltic Fleet also fields a dedicated attack/
assault transport squadron equipped with
Mi-24P, Mi-24VP and Mi-8MTV helicopters, based
at Donskoye near Kaliningrad. It is mainly tasked
with naval infantry battlefield support, while
secondary roles include the provision of a limited
low-level air defence capability, to intercept
low-speed aircraft over the Kaliningrad exclave.
The naval version of the Ka-52 for RNA,
designated Ka-52K, has been selected as
the new shipborne attack type. The first
pre-production Ka-52K (from a batch of
four examples intended for testing and
evaluation purposes) conducted its maiden
flight on March 7, 2015 at manufacturer AAC
Progress’s airfield in Arsenyev, Russia.
The contract for 32 production-standard
Ka-52K attack helicopters was signed in April
2014 but later suspended, and a new contract
is expected to be signed in 2020 or 2021.
These helicopters are intended to equip the
carrier air groups of two Russian-designed
amphibious assault ships, laid down in 2020
and slated for commissioning in 2024. Each of
these ships will be able to accommodate up to
16 attack or assault transport helicopters.
Transport and Special-
Mission
The transport and special mission branch of the
AVMF is tasked with transporting Russian Navy
commanders and transferring personnel and
cargo between the bases. Other duties include
a variety of miscellaneous roles, such as general
SAR in the fleet area of responsibility, parachute
training of naval infantry and combat diver units,
medical evacuation and support of Russian
spacecraft missions such as search and rescue
provision in the areas of expected return of
manned re-entry vehicles in the Pacific Ocean.
The An-26 is the workhorse of the branch,
with some two dozen still in active use, while
only two examples of the much larger An-12BK
remain. There is also a fleet of six An-72
short take-off and landing (STOL) twin-jet
transports used for passenger and cargo
transport, including support of Arctic bases.
The transport fleet also includes seven
Tu-134s and two Tu-154Ms for transport
of command personnel. In early 2013, the
RNA took on strength its first An-140-100 in
passenger transport configuration and by
2015 the number had grown to three aircraft.
In addition to its fleet of transport-configured
aircraft, the branch also operates three An-12PS
maritime SAR-dedicated platforms, which
operate with the air service of the Northern Fleet.
There are also two Il-22s and two Il-20RTs
special-mission aircraft, serving with the
Northern and Pacific fleets and outfitted
for long-range passenger transport. These
are augmented by an Il-18D used for
continuation training of Il-38 pilots, as well
as for passenger and cargo transport.
The aged SAR and maritime patrol force
was set for renewal in 2013, with an order for
new-generation jet amphibians for use in the
maritime patrol, SAR, and firefighting roles. A
batch of six Be-200s was ordered, originally
slated for delivery between 2014 and 2016.
However, the contract was later terminated and
a new one signed in 2018, covering only three
Be-200Chs. The first of these was eventually
delivered to the Yeisk training centre in July
2020, with the other two examples expected
to follow suit by late 2020 or early 2021.

This Su-27P fighter-interceptor belongs to the 689th IAP, a fighter regiment The Be-12 fleet serving with the Black Sea Fleet air arm is set to continue for
stationed at Chkalovsk in Kaliningrad exclave. Ministry of Defence of the a while yet, as it has proved affordable and useful in a multitude of front-
Russian Federation line and support roles. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

98 RUSSIAN AIRPOWER
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