Soviet Air Group Unit Names

Soviet air group names include both an indication of the formation’s

principle purpose, its status and any wider role or attachment.

The addition of ‘G’ before any other initials indicates the air group had
been awarded Guards status (Gvardeyskiy). Initials after the title (in
the form –KBF) indicate that the formation was notionally part of a
different air organisation than the mainstream VVS formations attached
to the Red Army.

Examples of this include:

 PVO (Protivovozdushnaya Oborona) – Soviet Air Defence

Forces
 SF (Severnyy Flot) – Northern Fleet
 KBF (Krasnoznamyonnyy Baltiyskiy Flot) – Red Banner Fleet
 ChF (Chernomorsky Flot) – Black Sea Fleet
 GVF (Grazdanskovo Vozdushnogo Flota) – Civil Air Fleet
 PF (Tikhookeanskiy Flot) – Pacific Fleet

The rest of the initials give an indication of the primary function of the
formation:

 BAP (Bombardirovchnyy Aviatsionnyy Polk) – Bomber

Aviation Regiment
 BBAP (Blizhne-bombardirovochnyye Polki) – Short Range
Bomber Aviation Regiment
 DBAP (Dahl’nyaya Bombardirovchnyy Aviatsionnyy Polk) –
Long Range Bomber Aviation Regiment
 IAP (Istrebitel’nyy Aviatsionnyy Polk) – Fighter Aviation
Regiment
 NBAP (Nochnoy bombardirovochnyy aviapolk) – Night
Bomber Aviation Regiment
 MTAP (Minno-torpednyy Aviatsionnyy Polk) – Minelaying and
Torpedo-Bomber Aviation Regiment
 MRAP (Morskoy Razvedyvatel’nay Aviatsionnyy Polk) –
Naval Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment
 OAS (Otdel’nyi Aviatsion’nyi Aviaeskadril’ya) – Independent
Aviation Squadron
 ODRAE (Otdel’naya Dahl’nyaya Razvedyvatel’naya
Aviaeskadril’ya) – Independent Long-Range Reconnaissance
Squadron
 OIAE (Otdel’naya Istrebitel’naya Aviatsionnyy
Aviaeskadril’ya) – Independent Fighter Aviation Squadron
 ORAE (Otdel’naya Razvedivatel’naya Aviatsion’naya
Eskadrilya) – Independent Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron
 RAP (Razvedyvatel’nay Aviatsionnyy Polk) – Reconnaissance
Aviation Regiment
 SBAP (Smeshannaya Bombardirovchnyy Aviatsionnyy
Polk) – Composite Bomber Aviation Regiment
 ShAP (Shturmovoy Aviatsionnyy Polk) – Ground attack Air
Regiment
 TAP (Transportnaya Aviahtsiya Polk) – Transport Aviation
Regiment
 TBAP (Tyazhelobombardirovochnyy Aviapolk) – Heavy
Bomber Aviation Regiment