Russian Air Force Almanac 2015
Almanac • 2015 By Piotr Butowski ABOUT THE RUSSIAN AIRPOWER ALMANAC 1998 On the following pages, we present a variety of information Soviet air assets had been distributed among the air force, about the modern Russian air force, including its organiza- air defense forces, navy, and ground forces. In 1998, they tion, leadership, aircraft, weapons, deployment, and other were reorganized, and the majority of air defense components capabilities. It has been compiled from open sources inside —surface-to-air missile units, interceptor fighter forces, and and outside of Russia. the radar airspace observation network—were transferred to When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Russia’s air force entered a long decline, as budgets and flying time plummeted and new developments languished. In recent years, though, Russia has begun reinvesting in its airpower. Old systems have been upgraded and new systems are entering service. The Sukhoi T-50 fighter—advertised to be a fifth generation, stealthy analogy to the USAF F-22—is well along in flight test, and first deliveries are a year away. Russia also promises a modern stealth bomber in the early 2020s. In the mean- time, it has ordered several squadrons’ worth of the Su-35S, considered the apex of the Flanker series, and has pledged to put the huge Tu-160 Blackjack bomber back into production. Russia has also ratcheted up its readiness with greater attention to flying time and exercises. Those exer- cises—along with wars against Georgia and Ukraine and aggressive ac- tions near NATO and US airspace, ships, and bases—are to signal that Russia means to aggressively reverse its long military decline.
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