The Russian Aerospace Forces were formed in 2015 after the merger of the Air Force (Vyenno-Vozdushnye Forces) and the Aerospace Defense Forces. They began to perform their functions on August 1, 2015. The general governing body is the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, and the direct command staff is controlled by the High Command of the Aerospace Forces. The main headquarters of this type of troops is located in the building of the Russian Ministry of Defense in the capital.

VKS is an abbreviation that stands for Aerospace Forces. Military personnel celebrate their holiday on August 12. According to General S. Shoigu, the unification of the 2 formations became the best option improving the defense system. On the one hand, more targeted responsibility for the education and development of the relevant troops is ensured, on the other hand, the success of the operation increases due to deep integration, and on the third, the constant and irreversible development of the Aerospace Forces as a system is realized.

Starting from September 30, 2015, the VKS has been participating in the military conflict in Syria, and by next year about 84% of the flight personnel received relevant experience in combat, which was highly appreciated by the president of our country.

VKS tasks

Russian videoconferencing accomplishes many goals and functions:

1. Reflecting attacks and providing protection from aggressive enemy actions against administrative facilities, political centers, military groups, industrial and economic regions of Russia, and the most important infrastructure zones.
2. Use against the enemy different means, including nuclear ones.
3. Carrying out combat operations with other troops.
4. Destroying enemy missiles, which is how the attack is carried out.
5. Providing management personnel with accurate information about the movement of missiles and warning of a possible attack.
6. Surveillance in space and detection of threats towards Russia, as well as response actions regarding them.
7. Launching special vehicles into space, regulating satellites.
8. Maintenance, readiness for activation of satellites.
9. Solving other problems.

Composition of the VKS

The structure of the Aerospace Forces is represented by 3 branches of the military. These include the following:

• air and missile defense;
• space military forces.

The first category includes missile, anti-aircraft and radio technical forces, aviation, administrative authorities, medical and other institutions, as well as special purposes (which include communications, automated control systems, reconnaissance, engineering, search and rescue, logistics, aeronautical and other troops ).

The structure of the Air Force is long-range, operational-tactical, military transport and army aviation. The reform that began in 2008 ended with the creation of 4 instead of 6 armies, which subsequently became part of the updated military districts.

The second category of troops was a separate branch of the Russian Armed Forces until 1998, then merged with the Air Force, and later reorganized as 11 aerospace defense brigades. After the unification in 2015, new troops were organized, which are abbreviated as PVO-PRO VKS.

Using appropriate means, they must protect and repel enemy strikes, as well as defeat ballistic missiles attempting to attack objects of national importance.

The main tasks solved by these troops are monitoring space objects in order to detect various types of threats, launching special vehicles into space, and maintaining satellites in a state of readiness for use.

How to get a job in VKS

Many young people dream of joining this branch of the military, but for this they need to meet different parameters. Today, conscription and contract service is carried out in the Aerospace Forces in the same way as in other branches of the RF Armed Forces. The service here is conditional the highest level responsibility. The slightest mistake during an operation can threaten the safety of many people, and also leads to malfunctions and loss of expensive equipment.

Some airfields store nuclear weapons, while management strives to minimize the number of newcomers in such a responsible area.

Depending on the rank and service experience, the salary of a contract soldier here is about 40 thousand rubles. In addition to material support, employees are provided with a whole package of various social benefits. These include travel without payment, provision of housing, food, and more.

A conscript can do military service or get a contract. In the first case, during the survey you should indicate your desire to serve in this branch of the RF Armed Forces, then the conscript will have the appropriate chances if he is fit for health reasons (and not only his physical condition is taken into account, but also his mental one). However, in this case, the soldier can only count on economic, security and other similar functions, but not on controlling, for example, an airplane. However, a conscript will still not have a full guarantee of getting into the Aerospace Forces for military service.

To become a pilot, you must enroll and graduate from the appropriate university. In this case, an application is submitted to the military commissariat, to which the following documents should be attached:

• short biography;
• characteristics;
• certificate;
• 6 photos size 4.5*6;
• certificates from dispensaries;
• a certificate from a medical institution confirming the absence of chronic diseases.

Many believe that a recruit will have a better chance of getting into the desired branch of the military if he will undergo training in DOSAAF. This organization has been training young people since Soviet times. Currently, this activity is also ongoing. Every year, this organization trains over 100 thousand future conscripts. As a result, they receive a military specialty and are more likely to end up in the branch of the military for which they are better prepared.

You can also try submitting an application to the military registration and enlistment office. To do this, you need to come there, take an application form, and write it outlining your request. If there is a desire, then you need to make efforts to achieve it, then perhaps the recruit will get exactly where he wants.

Today, a young man who served in the army is an example to follow. Whatever type of army he ends up in, life in the army will instill in him responsibility, as well as a number of high moral principles. At the same time he receives good experience, becomes a real man, he is more likely to choose the right direction in life.

The decoding of the relatively recently appeared in the media abbreviation “VKS” is known to almost everyone: “Aerospace Forces”. The Russian Aerospace Forces were formed in 2018. However, the prerequisites for the formation of these forces emerged in the second half of 2008. Forcing Georgia to peace forced the command of the Russian armed forces to completely reconsider the structure of the Russian Air Force, which in practice turned out to be morally outdated and imperfect.

The current state of the Russian Aerospace Forces

After August 1, 2015, as a result of the merger of the Air Force and East Kazakhstan Region, it was formed the new kind armed forces - Russian Aerospace Forces. The commander of the Aerospace Forces was General Viktor Bondarev, who repeatedly participated in various military conflicts, Hero of the Russian Federation and Honored Pilot of the Russian Federation.

The creation of the Aerospace Forces made it possible to concentrate all the country's air defense assets - air force and air defense troops with the latest equipment - in a single structure.

BBC today

The Air Force of the Russian Aerospace Forces performs the following tasks:

1. Air and space reconnaissance;
2. Detection of the beginning of hostilities against the country in aerospace. After detection, the aerospace forces must notify the control authorities, and using all available weapons, repel the attack;
3. Protection of important and strategic management facilities and economic areas of the country. In addition to defense, aerospace forces must strike at enemy strategic targets;
4. Air support for other types of troops.

In addition to combat operations, the Russian Aerospace Forces must ensure launches of vehicles into space and control them using the latest equipment.

Prospects for Air Force modernization

The General Headquarters of Space Defense stated that the Aerospace Forces in the coming years will be equipped with more than a hundred units of new aircraft, mainly for military purposes. This statement was made after the MAKS-2017 aerospace salon. According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, General Bondarev, the tasks of updating the aircraft fleet are being solved at an accelerated pace, and by 2019 it is planned to increase the combat effectiveness of the Aerospace Forces aviation to 95 percent.

In addition to admission new technology to military units, expected major renovation and modernization of older aircraft and helicopters. Bondarenko emphasized that the equipment of the Russian Aerospace Forces is in no way inferior to the air fleets of world powers.

When asked whether the Aerospace Forces will receive increased funding and what the general course of the state armament program is until 2025, the general replied that there will be more than enough funds for equipment and the implementation of the Aerospace Forces’ tasks. It was also said that by 2025, 80-90 percent of combat aircraft will be the latest models of equipment.

Tactical level of the Air Force today

Today, the Air Force fleet contains more than 3,800 aircraft, 1,400 helicopters of various types and has the latest equipment, some models of which have no equal in the world. Considering the total number of aircraft, it is difficult to believe that in 7 years it will be possible to replace more than 80 percent of it. Such colossal expenses are beyond the capabilities of even the NATO army. Although observing the renewal trend, which has been clearly visible since 2011, it should be recognized that every year the Aerospace Forces management purchases hundreds of combat equipment.

According to the VKS information service, each pilot training center will receive new Sr-10 training aircraft in 2018. They will be used in pilot training along with the Yak-152 and Yak-130. Since the Air Force is expected to receive many new fighters and bombers in the coming years, there is no need to worry about the safety of the country’s airspace.

Problems of import substitution and ways to solve them

In the recent past, most helicopter engines were supplied to Russia from Ukraine. However, as a result of the aggravation of the situation and the change of government in Ukraine, these supplies almost completely stopped. As a result of the enormous work done by the United Engine Corporation, this problem managed to solve it literally in three years. Now the production of helicopter engines has been established in Russia. The rapid expansion of production capacity made it possible to supply the entire Russian helicopter industry.

A similar situation arose with the production of engines for cruise missiles. The quick response of Russian designers made it possible to cope with this problem.

Unfortunately, not all problems with import substitution were successfully resolved. The military transport aviation of the VKS was left without AN series aircraft. After the change of power in Ukraine, the joint program was curtailed, and there are no Russian analogs of the AN series military transport aircraft yet.

Shield sword of Russia

The Aerospace Forces will ensure the protection of Russia from a surprise attack by the enemy and create conditions for inflicting unacceptable damage on him in a retaliatory strike.

A new type of troops - the Aerospace Forces (VKS) - was created in a timely manner and fully corresponds to the current military-political situation in the world.

Events in Ukraine and Syria have shown that the United States and its allies have chosen the Russian Federation as a priority target, which represents the organizing core of resistance to Western plans and a powerful resource base. The Aerospace Forces troops were created taking into account different views and accumulated experience (including foreign) in the construction and use of forces operating in the aerospace sphere.

First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Pavel Kurachenko believes that “Russia today is the only global force that is capable and ready to counter... military and political plans» West. He stated this at the scientific and technical conference “Aerospace as a sphere of protection for planet Earth.” According to him, “information warfare measures, economic sanctions and demonstration of military superiority” are used to achieve goals.

Nevertheless, understanding the general situation, opponents continue to doubt the feasibility of creating a videoconferencing system. In their opinion, the existing structures successfully solved their problems and ensured the security of the country. From time to time, in one form or another, the question arises: what required the creation of a new type of troops?

Reasons for creating VKS

The collapse of Russia using various, including military, means is the main and long-standing goal of the West. It is clear to everyone that the use of nuclear weapons will be a disaster both for the victim of aggression and for the aggressor himself. Therefore, today and in the future, in the armed struggle against Russia, existing and promising conventional means of aerospace attack (ACAS) will be used primarily, and their acquisition of dominance in the aerospace sphere will become the main task with the outbreak of hostilities.

The United States and its NATO allies consider airborne missile systems as the main means, and air and space as the main “field” of confrontation with the Russian Federation. This is an indisputable conclusion from an analysis of trends in the development of means of armed warfare, methods of their use, as well as the results of wars and military conflicts in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

Reasons for creating VKS

The first and main reason for the creation of the Aerospace Forces is the steady desire of the United States to achieve military superiority over Russia in the aerospace sphere. It is for this purpose that the concept of a lightning-fast global strike using hypersonic weapons was developed, the main provisions of which are being gradually implemented today.

A hypersonic cruise missile was successfully tested in the United States

The US Air Force successfully tested the X-51A Waverider hypersonic cruise missile, reports Space.com.

Tests of a rocket capable of reaching speeds five times the speed of sound took place on May 1 over Pacific Ocean. The X-51A Waverider was launched from a B-52H Stratofortress from Edwards Air Force Base in California. The hypersonic missile was launched at an altitude of 15.2 thousand meters and rose to 18.2 thousand meters. The rocket's flight time was 370 seconds. During them, the X-51A Waverider reached a speed of Mach 5.1 (6.1 thousand kilometers per hour) and covered a distance of 426 kilometers. After this, the hypersonic missile destroyed itself.

The main bet is “on gaining supremacy in the air and space, conducting massive aerospace operations at the very beginning of the war, striking strategic and vital targets throughout the depths of the country,” he believes Deputy Defense Ministry Arkady Bakhin.

At the same time, “the degree of threats to Russia in the aerospace sector will steadily increase.”

His opinion is also supported by Viktor Baranets, a military columnist for the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. He believes that “America continues to militarize space and is increasing its efforts here,” despite the fact that today “some people bear responsibility for airspace, and others for outer space.”

Another important reason for the creation of the Aerospace Forces is the steady implementation of US plans to deploy American missile defense elements in Europe directly near the borders of Russia. The President of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences, Konstantin Sivkov, believes that today a European region is actually being created as part of the US global missile defense system.

Diagram of the missile defense system in Europe

The third reason, closely intertwined with the above, is the buildup of NATO forces in Europe and the growth of a direct military threat to Russia. This is the transfer of American military equipment and its deployment on a rotational basis in the Baltic states, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, etc. European countries, creating bloc rapid reaction forces, forcing alliance partners to increase their defense budget, etc. and so on.

Thus, the creation of the Aerospace Forces is an adequate response to the complex of military-political threats to Russia from the United States and NATO. This is realized by integrating all forces and means to effectively repel an aerospace attack by a potential enemy. Taking into account existing threats, the Aerospace Forces are called upon to solve the problems of deterrence and neutralization American plans in the aerospace field.

Based on the experience of past years, it can be argued that the actions of national air defense systems determine the course and outcome of the armed struggle. Thus, the strong air defense of Vietnam, whose military-economic potential was noticeably inferior to the aggressor, became main reason US refusal to continue the war. And, on the contrary, the weakness of the air defense systems of Iraq, Libya and Yugoslavia led to their defeat, and the latter completely disappeared as a state.

In addition, other factors contribute to the use of SVKN groups and the enemy’s aerospace attack on Russia. According to Kurachenko, this is the presence of large groups of foreign military forces near the borders of the Russian Federation and its proximity to centers of instability; the large length of the borders and the area of ​​the country's territory; the presence of an enclave - the Kaliningrad region, remoteness and inaccessibility of Primorye, Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Chukotka; the presence of objects that are potentially dangerous to the population if they are destroyed. These and other factors determine the preference of aerospace attack over ground combat. These same factors simultaneously make it difficult to solve aerospace defense problems.

It is difficult to disagree with the fact that over time, the West’s desire to “build” Russia is only growing, and the means for this, primarily military, are being improved. In the interests of preserving the country, our actions should be aimed at strengthening the army and navy in every possible way. As Emperor Alexander III the Peacemaker (1845-1894) once said, “we have only two faithful allies, our army and navy.” The current situation fully corresponds to these prophetic words.

Structure and tasks of the VKS

Main Command of the Aerospace Forces

Air Force

Space Force

Air defense and missile defense troops

On August 1, 2015, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Aerospace Forces began to carry out their tasks. The aerospace forces include defensive and offensive components, which, according to Kurachenko, “is both the sword and shield of Russia in the aerospace sector.”

According to the deputy commander-in-chief, the combat strength of the Aerospace Forces includes three types of troops - the Air Force, air defense and missile defense troops, as well as space forces. In addition, the Aerospace Forces includes units and units of electronic warfare, communications, radio engineering support, automated control, engineering, metrology, etc. They are united into a single type of troops by the corresponding command structures.

Video conferencing systems are designed to solve the following main tasks.

The first and main one is to ensure, in cooperation with other types and branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, effective cover for strategic nuclear forces (SNF). It is they who, in a retaliatory strike, must inflict unacceptable damage on the aggressor and force him to renounce further military action. Simultaneously with this task, the Aerospace Forces solve the problems of monitoring aerospace and timely detection of the beginning of an attack; repelling an enemy air force attack and protecting the most important facilities, political and economic regions of the country and troop groups from its attacks; defeating enemy targets and troops; ensuring the launch of spacecraft and their in-flight control.

Why shield and sword?

Effective solution The VKS will use its forces and means to help prevent aggression. Otherwise, as the experience of wars of the 20th and early 21st centuries has shown, without modern aerospace defense the war will be lost. But the same experience also shows that, in principle, using only passive defense, regardless of its effectiveness, the defenders should not count on a positive outcome of the war.

The victim’s lack of aggression, even in the presence of a sufficiently strong air defense, the ability to strike at the enemy clearly leads to defeat. It's a matter of time, which is confirmed by the tragic fate of the previously mentioned Iraq, Libya and Yugoslavia. That is why the Russian Aerospace Forces have strike aircraft capable of delivering powerful and high-precision strikes against enemy targets.

A convincing demonstration of this was the actions of our aviation in Syria.

Thus, the Russian Aerospace Forces are a shield to cover it from enemy attacks and a sword to deliver retaliatory strikes.

The main directions of the construction and development of aerospace forces in terms of the aerospace defense system are: the creation of promising air defense - missile defense systems and their integration into a unified control system; rearmament of troops with promising weapons and military equipment; improvement of reconnaissance and information systems for warning of a missile attack and control of outer space, as well as their integration into a unified reconnaissance and warning system for aerospace attacks; increasing the number of personnel and quality characteristics domestic orbital constellation, which in last years carried out more efficiently.

Regarding the currently most important problem of building up groupings of troops and forces in strategic directions, it should be noted that its solution should go along three main directions: creating groupings equipped with modern weapons and military equipment, increasing the quantitative and qualitative composition of existing groupings, ensuring strategic mobility aviation and air defense troops.

In general, the implementation of planned activities by 2021 will enable the aerospace defense system to fulfill its tasks. The capabilities of the reconnaissance and warning system will make it possible to provide timely warning of an aerospace attack in order to ensure decision-making for response actions, including the use of strategic nuclear forces. Missile defense capabilities will increase significantly. Guaranteed anti-aircraft missile cover will be provided for the most important military and government facilities, primarily the facilities of strategic nuclear forces and the highest levels of government and the Armed Forces.

In conclusion, it should be noted: the implementation of the planned plans for the construction of the aerospace defense system is impossible without the clear, high-quality and coordinated work of all military command and control bodies, research organizations and enterprises of the military-industrial complex. A significant role in this direction and in this process is also assigned to the WES on aerospace defense issues.

Work on the creation of an aerospace defense system should be carried out with a general focus, providing for the creation and development of information and fire means with mandatory interface with the means of the fire control system. I am convinced that plans to create an effective aerospace defense system will be successfully implemented, which will ensure the security of our state.

The following should be noted. Since August 1, 2015, the Aerospace Forces have participated in all events conducted under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the Minister of Defense, in the Center-2015 exercises, joint live-fire exercises within the framework of the Combat Commonwealth-2015 air defense system. Currently, our air group is successfully completing its tasks in Syria.

Russia. This time we will talk about Aerospace Forces

And we'll start with the most pleasant part. When is Aerospace Forces Day celebrated?

Aerospace Forces Day

U Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation very little experience of existence. They arose on August 1, 2015 with the unification of the Air Force (Air Force) and Aerospace Defense Forces (ASD)

The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces presents the Battle Banner of the Aerospace Forces

Taking into account the merits of the personnel in the defense of the country, by decree of the President of our country, a professional holiday of the Air Force was adopted back in 2006. Their day is considered to be August 12.

And since the Aerospace Forces now include the Air Force, this same day is considered a holiday!

The combination of forces led to the necessary combination of the air and space spheres as adjacent areas for more convenient control over them. The creation of these forces is due to the situation on the world stage, changes in the rearmament of other states, and the increasing importance of the space sector for military-economic and social progress.

Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces is Colonel General Sergei Vladimirovich Surovikin, in office since November 22, 2017. He commanded the last stage of a group of Russian troops during the Syrian military mission.

Composition of the Aerospace Forces

VKS structure consists of 3 types:

• Air Force,
• Space Forces,
• Air and missile defense troops.

The Air Force is represented by several branches:

• Long-range aviation;
• Frontline aviation;
• Military transport aviation;
• Anti-aircraft missile forces;
• Radio technical troops;

U Long-Range Aviation their purpose is expressed by the elimination of air and sea targets, command posts and communication connections of the opposing side.

DA units are armed with strategic bombers and Tu-160 and Tu-95MS missile carriers, and Tu-22M3 long-range aircraft. The aircraft are equipped with maximum and medium range cruise missiles X-55 and X-22 on their sides; in addition, they are armed with aerial bombs (including nuclear ones).

White Swan TU-160 strategic bomber-missile carrier of the aerospace forces of the Russian Federation

Frontline aviation- is obliged to provide cover for the Ground Forces. It contains:

Front-line bomber and attack aviation - its arsenal includes Su-24M, Su-25, Su-30, Su-35 aircraft. On board they are equipped with a set of aerial bombs, guided and unguided missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and air cannons.

Su-30 multi-role fighter 4+ generation

Reconnaissance aircraft– conducts general reconnaissance during flight. The Su-24MRs in their arsenal are equipped with reconnaissance complexes.

The purpose of Fighter Aviation is to counter air attacks and opposing targets in the air. They are armed with Su-27, Su-33, MiG-25, MiG-29, MiG-31 fighter aircraft, equipped on board with air-to-air missiles and air cannons.

"Fox Hound" MiG-31 supersonic high-altitude all-weather interceptor fighter

Army aviation– specifically provide cover for the Ground Units, supply the rear and front. Equipped with airplanes and helicopters: Mi-8, Mi-24, Ka-50, Ka-52, Su-24M, Su-25, Su-30, Su-35, providing fire cover. Equipped with air-to-ground guided missiles, unguided rockets, aircraft guns, and bombs on board. In addition, AA is supplemented by Mi-8 transport helicopters and An-26 aircraft.

"Alligator" Attack helicopter Ka-52

Military transport aviation– lands manpower and equipment, provides rear transportation and technical support in war situations on water and land. They are armed with strategic aircraft An-124 "Ruslan", An-22 "Antey", long-range aircraft Il-76, An-12, and medium-range aircraft An-26.

Anti-aircraft missile forces– protect military forces and points from air threats of the opposing side. They are armed with short, medium and long range anti-aircraft missile systems - Osa, Buk, S-75, S-125, S-300, S-400.

Radio technical troops– engaged in identifying air threats from opposing forces. Identification, notification of management, pursuit of identified objects, control and management support of flights.

Space Force

They are engaged in maintaining the security of our state in the space sector.

As a separate branch of the military, it existed in the RF Armed Forces from 2001 to 2011. From December 1, 2011, they were transformed into the Aerospace Defense Forces. And 08/01/2015 are considered a branch of the military that is part of the Aerospace Forces.

KVs are armed with: satellites for specific reconnaissance, electronic control, communications and a global system of satellite military navigation.

Air and Missile Defense Troops

Formed in 1914. In their current form, they represent air defense-missile defense brigades and have primary purposes:

countering ballistic and aerodynamic threats.

Purpose of the Aerospace Forces

Military space forces have their own tasks, namely:

• countering air attacks and protective measures against attacks on top-level military command posts of the state, administrative and political points, industrial and economic territories, valuable infrastructure and economic facilities of the state and military formations;
• destruction of military points of the opposing side using conventional and nuclear means of destruction;
• air support for all its units during an armed conflict;
• studying the space sphere, identifying possible dangers in that area, and neutralizing them if they arise;
• launch spaceships, maintaining civil and military satellites, obtaining the necessary military information;
• maintaining the satellite system in a certain quantity and ready for use.

Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria

First combat experience

The first combat experience was the Syrian military mission, which was highly praised by the country's leadership. Aerospace Forces personnel were involved in the Syrian conflict in large numbers and many were awarded high government awards. Even world analysts highly appreciated the quality of the actions of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

During control surveillance of Syrian territory, a constellation of satellites was used to carry out visual and electronic reconnaissance, in addition, to provide radio communications.

There were reports of the use of Orlan and Granat drones.

Achievements of VKS

At some cultural events and during demonstration flights at any air show, the Russian Aerospace Forces usually present the aerobatic teams “Russian Knights” and “Swifts”.

Their skill delights visitors to those show programs. Often the impression of the flights seen encourages young men to choose this military service. This is evidenced by surveys of flight school cadets who saw virtuosos of piloting skills.

A similar and most famous event has been taking place at the MAKS air show for more than two decades, which anyone can visit.

Representatives Russian Aerospace Forces clearly demonstrate their professional skills.

Pavel KURACHENKO,

Member of the Presidium of the Non-Departmental Expert Council on Aerospace Issues, Lieutenant General, Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces.

Based on materials from the report “Aerospace Forces - Russia’s New Shield”

Russia and the world

The results of an analysis of the military-political situation in the world show that Western states, led by the United States, are returning in their political ambitions to the times of the Cold War. Russia was chosen as the primary target because it represents, on the one hand, a potential organizational core of resistance to Western plans, and on the other, a resource base for any non-Western coalition.

Russia is the only global force capable and ready to counteract militarily and ideologically. To weaken it, fence it off, and deprive it of geostrategic maneuver, information warfare measures, economic sanctions, and demonstrations of military superiority are used. The most dangerous period for Russia will come at the turn of 2020-2025, when the technological rearmament of developed countries and China begins, and the United States and other Western countries emerge from the depression of 2008-2018 and make a new technological leap.

The pattern that “the course and outcome of military operations is largely determined by successful actions in air and outer space” determines the real state of affairs in this area. This is convincingly evidenced by the experience of military conflicts in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

The role of air defense systems in armed struggle

The active actions or inaction of the national air defense (air defense) systems of the state and strike forces determined the course and outcome of the armed struggle. This was the case in Vietnam, where the active and effective actions of the national air defense forces forced the aggressor to abandon the war. On the contrary, the inaction or weakness of national air defense systems led to the collapse of a number of states. This happened in Iraq, Libya, Yugoslavia.

The problem of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation in the aerospace sector is becoming more relevant than ever. In the interests of its solution, from August 1, 2015, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, a new type began to carry out the assigned tasks Armed Forces- Aerospace Forces (VKS). He is both the sword and shield of Russia in the aerospace sphere.

The combat composition of the Aerospace Forces includes: the Main Command of the Aerospace Forces, the Long-Range Aviation Command, the Military Transport Aviation Command, four air force and air defense associations of military districts, the air defense-missile defense association and the aerospace forces association, as well as the state test spaceport.

The Russian Aerospace Forces has three types of troops: the Air Force, the Air and Missile Defense Forces, and the Space Forces. In addition, the Aerospace Forces includes special troops: military units and electronic warfare units; communications, radio engineering and automated control systems; engineering and meteorological.

The decision to create the Aerospace Forces was preceded by a lengthy discussion in the open press, the participants of which were many of the members of the Eastern Economic Forum. The considerations expressed during it, as well as the positions set forth in various documents, were carefully studied by members of the group of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which was entrusted with developing proposals for the creation of a new branch of the Armed Forces. The final conclusions are formed on the basis of a creative synthesis of different views and accumulated experience in the construction and use of forces operating in the aerospace sphere. At the same time, the experience of both our own and advanced powers was taken into account.

Aviation, missile and space means of armed warfare now form the basis not only of the air forces of the leading states of the world. They are also an integral component of modern navies and ground forces. This has led to the fact that coverage of the air (and in recent decades, aerospace) sphere has become an indispensable attribute of modern combined arms combat. The struggle for air supremacy has firmly become one of the highest priority tasks of armed confrontation.

The main tasks of the Aerospace Forces are:

Maintaining the potential of troops (forces) at a level that ensures, in interaction with other types and branches of the Armed Forces, a guaranteed solution to the tasks of strategic deterrence;

Conducting reconnaissance of the aerospace situation and detecting the beginning of an attack;

Reflecting aggression in the aerospace sphere and protecting industrial and economic regions, important facilities of the country and troop groups from attacks from space and air;

Defeat enemy targets and troops;

Providing launches of spacecraft and controlling them in orbital flight.

Strategic deterrence

Considering the participation of the Russian aerospace defense system in strategic deterrence, it should be noted that the primary and relatively low-cost response to the escalation of the threat of a “disarmament” strike, due to the development of the US strategic potential, may be to increase the role of the retaliatory strike of the Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces (SNF). The task of aerospace defense in these conditions is to improve warning capabilities within the framework of the created system of reconnaissance and warning of aerospace attacks (SRPVKN).

Its solution is possible due to the echeloning of the SRPVKN, the inclusion in its composition of space-based, air-based, ground-based and sea-based elements operating on various physical principles. This construction of the SRPVKN will ensure compliance with the requirements for the time of issuance and reliability of warning information. The composition of reconnaissance assets by echelon should be determined taking into account the nature of possible actions of the enemy airborne missile systems, climatic and geophysical features in a specific strategic aerospace direction.

Despite the importance of increasing the effectiveness of a retaliatory strike, it is necessary to take into account that strategic stability will be most reliable if it is able to inflict unacceptable damage on the aggressor in a retaliatory strike, that is, in the most difficult circumstances for the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation. This ability is ensured by the high survivability of strategic nuclear forces. The participation of aerospace defense in the implementation of such survivability comes down to fire cover of strategic nuclear forces facilities. We propose to consider the facilities of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces) as a priority. The primary nature of their cover is due to the fact that these troops contain the main potential of strategic nuclear forces and the entire potential of a retaliatory strike.

An analysis of the development of possible scenarios of military confrontation with the participation of the Russian Federation, based on taking into account factors of a military-political, military-technical and military-geographical nature, allows us to draw the following conclusions.

In wars of various scales using only conventional weapons, armed confrontation in the aerospace sphere will play a decisive role, especially in the initial period of the war.

The tasks of aerospace defense in such wars will be:

Continuous reconnaissance of aerospace space, issuance of reconnaissance information and warning information about the operational deployment of forces and means of aerospace attack, the beginning of an attack, the operational formation and actions of airborne forces groups;

Covering the most important objects of the Armed Forces, strategic reserves from attacks by enemy air defense systems in places of their deployment, concentration, during advancement, deployment and in operations carried out by them, fleet forces at their bases and at sea within the radius of action of aerospace defense forces and assets, key economic and infrastructure facilities in the conflict area.

Effective solution of information and power tasks by forces and means of aerospace defense will help prevent the enemy from gaining and maintaining air superiority.

In relation to the Russian Federation, it is worth noting the factors that create favorable conditions for the use of airborne attack forces of foreign states and determine the preference for an aerospace invasion compared to a land invasion.

Such factors include:

The presence of large groups of airborne attack forces of foreign states near the borders of the Russian Federation;

The proximity of the Russian Federation to centers of instability and increased conflict, the presence of such centers within the borders of the CIS and the Russian Federation itself;

The large length of the borders, the area of ​​the territory, which complicates the possibility of concentrating air defense forces (VKO) in threatened areas;

The presence of an enclave (Kaliningrad region), as well as remote and hard-to-reach areas (Primorye, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Chukotka);

Availability of strategic nuclear forces facilities, nuclear power plants, chemical plants and other potentially dangerous facilities;

Lack of sufficient information background in the most important areas.

These and other factors together create favorable conditions for the use of airborne attack forces by potential adversaries, determine the preference of an aerospace invasion over a land invasion, and at the same time make it difficult to solve the problems of the country’s aerospace defense.

Under certain conditions, the goal of aggression can be achieved without a land invasion. If the ultimate goal of aggression is to seize part of the territory of the Russian Federation and establish control over it natural resources, then the air (aerospace) phase of armed confrontation will be aimed at creating favorable conditions for land (sea) invasion.

Effective solution of information and power tasks by aerospace defense forces and means will help prevent the enemy from quickly gaining and maintaining unconditional air superiority.

Effective solution of information and power tasks by forces and means of aerospace defense will help prevent the enemy from quickly gaining and maintaining unconditional air superiority

Problems and solutions

The experience of wars in the 20th and early 21st centuries convincingly demonstrates that without modern aerospace defense the war will certainly be lost. However, the same experience also shows that with passive defense one cannot, in principle, count on a favorable outcome of the war for the defender, no matter how effective the defense may be.

Consideration, and even more so planning as alternative options Only strike or only defensive actions during armed confrontation are permissible only in a purely theoretical sense. The advantages of combining defensive and offensive actions have long been proven by the practice of past wars, including the experience of the Great Patriotic War.

Only in the case of the integrated use by the defending side of both defensive and strike means when repelling aggression, does armed confrontation acquire the main classic features war. Otherwise, more often than not, something similar to a punitive operation takes place. This is exactly what the actions of the US Air Force and Navy against Libya (1986), the actions of multinational forces against Iraq (1991), and the actions of NATO countries against Yugoslavia (1999) look like. The outcome of all the above military conflicts is known. The absence of the ability of one of the parties to strike the enemy clearly ensures the victory of the other side, no matter how strong the air defense the victim of aggression possesses. The only question is time.

Effective solution of problems of armed confrontation in the aerospace sphere is impossible without the presence modern system control, ensuring the integrated use of strike and defensive components. To date, a system for command and control of troops (forces) of the aerospace defense region has been created and is being improved. Unfortunately, the shock component control system lags behind modern requirements. The solution to this problem will make it possible to create a comprehensive strike and defense system that solves the problem of conducting armed warfare in the aerospace sphere.

The main directions of construction and development of videoconferencing in the aerospace region are:

Creation of promising air defense-missile defense systems and their integration into a unified aerospace defense control system;

Re-equipment of troops with advanced models of air and military equipment of the East Kazakhstan region;

Improving the reconnaissance and information systems of PRN (missile attack warning) and MCP, as well as their integration into a unified reconnaissance and warning system for aerospace attacks;

Increasing the numerical strength and quality characteristics of the domestic orbital constellation.

Speaking about the currently most important problem of building up groupings of troops (forces) in strategic directions, it should be noted that its solution should go in three main directions:

Creation of completely new groups of troops (forces), equipped with modern models of military equipment;

Increasing the quantitative and qualitative composition of existing groups of troops (forces);

Ensuring strategic mobility of aviation and air defense troops.

In general, the implementation of planned activities by 2021 will allow the East Kazakhstan region of the Russian Federation to fulfill its tasks.

The capabilities of the SRPVKN will make it possible to provide timely warning of an aerospace attack in order to ensure decision-making on response actions, including the use of strategic nuclear forces.

Missile defense capabilities will increase significantly.

Guaranteed anti-aircraft missile cover will be provided for the most important military and government facilities, primarily strategic nuclear forces facilities and the highest levels of government and the Armed Forces.

The implementation of the planned plans for the construction of the aerospace defense of the Russian Federation is impossible without clear, high-quality and, most importantly, coordinated work of all military command and control bodies, research organizations and enterprises of the military-industrial complex. Big role In this process, wind farms are also assigned to the problems of East Kazakhstan region.

Work on the creation of the aerospace defense of the Russian Federation should be carried out with a general focus, providing for the creation and development of information and fire assets with mandatory interfacing through a unified combat control and communications system.