Russian Aerospace Forces

Combined air and space forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

Military unit

President Putin presenting the banner of the Aerospace Forces to Viktor Bondarev

The Russian Aerospace Forces (Russian: VKS)^[2] or Russian Air and Space Forces^[3][a] comprise the aerial, space warfare, and missile defence branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It was established on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force (VVS) and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces (VVKO), as recommended by the Ministry of Defence to improve efficiency and logistical support.^[4] The VKS is headquartered in Moscow.^[5]

Organisation

Branches

With the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces, the Russian Aerospace Forces is a unified command consisting of the following branches:^[6][7]

• Air Force
• Air and Missile Defense Forces
• Space Forces

Leadership

Order of Battle

The Aerospace Forces are organised in air armies.

Air Forces High Command (Главное командование ВВС) (Moscow)

• Units directly subordinated to the High Command (Части центрального подчинения ВВС)
• operationally subordinated to the High Command:
  • Military Transport Aviation Command (Командование военно-транспортной авиации) (Moscow)
  • Long-Range Aviation Command (Командование дальней авиации) (Moscow)
• operationally subordinated to the Western Military District:
  • 6th Leningrad Red Banner Army of Air Forces and Air Defence (6-я Ленинградская Краснознамённая армия ВВС и ПВО) (Saint Petersburg)
• operationally subordinated to the Southern Military District:
  • 4th Red Banner Army of Air Forces and Air Defence (4-я Краснознамённая армия ВВС и ПВО) (Rostov-on-Don)
• operationally subordinated to the Central Military District:
  • 14th Red Banner Army of Air Forces and Air Defence (14-я Краснознамённая армия ВВС и ПВО) (Yekaterinburg)
• operationally subordinated to the Eastern Military District:
  • 11th Red Banner Army of Air Forces and Air Defence (11-я Краснознамённая армия ВВС и ПВО) (Khabarovsk)
• operationally subordinated to the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command:
  • 45th Air and Air Defence Forces Army (45-я Армия ВВС и ПВО) (Severomorsk-2) - uniquely the aviation units of the 45th Army belong administratively to the Naval Aviation and the ground-based missile air defence units belong to the Air Forces air defence branch.

Air Defence and Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence Forces Command (Командование войск ПВО-ПРО) (Moscow)

• 1st Order of Lenin Air and AntiRocket Defence Army (Special Purpose) (1-я ордена Ленина армия противовоздушной и противоракетной обороны (особого назначения)) (Balashikha, Moscow Oblast) - air cover of the Moscow area.
  • 4th Air Defence Division "Hero of the Soviet Union Lt.-Gen. B. P. Kirpikov" (4-я дивизия ПВО имени Героя Советского Союза генерал-лейтенанта Б.П. Кирпикова) (Dolgoprudny, Moscow Oblast) (armed with the S-300PM/PS and the S-400 missile systems)
  • 5th Air Defence Division (5-я дивизия ПВО) (Petrovskoe, Moscow Oblast) (armed with the S-300PM and the S-400 missile systems)
  • 9th Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence Division (9-я дивизия ПРО) (Sofrino, Moscow Oblast) (armed with the A-135 anti-ballistic missile system)

Space Forces Command (Командование космических войск) (Krasnoznamensk, Moscow Oblast)

• 15th Aerospace Forces Army (Special Purpose) (15-я армия Воздушно-космических сил (особого назначения)) (Krasnoznamensk)
• 1st State Test Cosmodrome of the Russian Federation Ministry of Defence "Plesetsk" (1-й Государственный испытательный космодром Министерства обороны Российской Федерации «Плесецк»)
• Space Forces Arsenal (Арсенал космических войск) (Znamenka-1 village, Tambov Oblast)

Ranks and rank insignia

Officer ranks

Other ranks

See also

• Russian Naval Aviation
• Strategic Missile Forces
• United States Department of the Air Force
  • United States Air Force
  • United States Space Force

Notes

1. Russian: Воздушно-космические силы, ВКС, romanized: Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily, VKS

References

1. "Russian Armed Forces: Military Modernization and Reforms" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. 20 July 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
2. "Russia establishes Aerospace Forces as new armed service — Defense Minister". Archived from the original on 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
3. "6 Dead in Fire at Russian Aerospace Defense Research Institute – State Media". The Moscow Times. 21 April 2022.
4. Compare: Russia establishes Aerospace Forces as new armed service — Defense Minister Archived 2016-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, tass.ru, 3 August 2015. - "'The formation of the Aerospace Forces by combining the Air Force and the Aerospace Defense Force is the optimal option for improving the system of the country's aerospace defense,' Shoigu said. [...] 'Now the single command unites aviation, air defense and anti-missile defense troops, space forces and means of the armed forces' [...]."
5. Шойгу объявил о создании нового вида ВС - Воздушно-космических сил Archived 2015-08-05 at the Wayback Machine, ria.ru/defense, 3 August 2015
6. Russia creates new Aerospace Force service branch Archived 2015-12-27 at the Wayback Machine, janes.com, 4 August 2015
7. "Воздушно-космические силы". structure.mil.ru. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
8. "Демин Андрей Геннадьевич". structure.mil.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-07-26.
9. "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 11 марта 2010 года № 293 "О военной форме одежды, знаках различия военнослужащих и ведомственных знаках отличия"". rg.ru (in Russian). Российской газеты. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2021.

External links

• Russian Aerospace Forces official site (English)