‘Burnt Skies of Afghanistan: Military Aviation in the Afghan War' by Viktor Markovsky "Afghanistan" – a firm word, deeply rooted into our minds inevitably portraying another firm word - war. Indeed, we’re talking about a country that fought for decades without interruption. The Soviet Union’s invasion in Afghanistan started in December 1979, and it ended up being the most extensive military conflict that involved Soviet soldiers after WWII. This war brought down a generation, and whether we like it or not, the word “Afghan” is excessively related to war and conflict. The war happening at the southern borders of the former Soviet Union is far from being over. Things weren’t always like this though ... For many years, the Soviet Union and Afghanistan were strongly connected; there once was a friendly, mutual relation between the two. It was in 1919 when Afghanistan gained independence, and in that same year, Russia first recognized its sovereignty. In the postwar years, Afghanistan was ruled by King Zahir Shah and Daoud Khan, his successor, who had great respect for the Soviet Union, considering it a reliable ally. Afghanistan worked for many years with the Soviet specialists. There were roads and enterprises built, as well as various exchanges of goods that brought many benefits to the Soviet Union. Things like blankets, galoshes, and even trucks were traded between the two countries; surprisingly, the Soviet Union was extremely grateful for all the things sent, considering it was considered an impoverished neighboring country. On the other side, items like kitchen utensils and missiles belonging to the Afghan army were of Russian origin. URSS had the best officers, and the whole Soviet army was packed with experts and advisers who helped develop the finest combat techniques, and thus sharpen and organize the service. There was a “leap into socialism” proclaimed in 1978 when Afghanistan’s relations with the Soviet Union were destroyed. The April Revolution brought along significant changes that led to bloody struggles for power, massive repression and executions. The party that called itself the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) went to work with the Bolsheviks, thus destroying “the reactionary clergy, merchants and feudal lords"; they relocated in an Islamic country with centuries-old customs and traditions under the guise of "democratic reforms." Hafizullah Amin, one of the leaders of the PDPA and great admirer of Stalin brought into the discussion a radical way of solving the problem: "There are ten thousand landowners in our country. We will destroy them, and the issue has been resolved. " In the absence of a dictatorship, an army of more than 100,000 people was put together - 650 tanks and 150 combat aircrafts (Air Force possessed then MiG-17, MiG-21, Su-7 and IL-28). However, it was not enough for Kabul, which started facing growing resistance and endless revolt from the opposition. Even more tyranny and repression followed – 12,000 people had to be executed, many of them were from the military. In the spring and summer of 1979 there was nothing but rebellion and revolt. Kabul forces tried their best but couldn’t keep the situation under control. The most notable uprising happened in March, at a garrison in Herat where many Soviet advisers were killed – they were the first victims of the war between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union asked for urgent assistance from partners and allies, and they received troops and weaponry almost weekly. “To support the revolution”, the rulers of Afghanistan needed at least two Soviet divisions, landing parts, Spetsnaz brigades, combat helicopters, crews for combat equipment, personal security battalions and even divisions of the Soviet militia. Additional points were required for the “construction of socialism”, in addition to armor, artillery and helicopter gunships; there was an urgent need to “send napalm and gas bombs” and attack rebellious villages. The Soviet government remained pretty calm, and it didn’t interfere too much. Military assistance and armament supply was limited, and advisors were sent to deal with the Afghan military. In spite of this measure, in the autumn of 1979 things got out of control – throughout the country there were imminent clashes with the opposition forces and the rebel tribes. December 23, 1979 - a "Pravda" message says: "Recently, the Western, especially the Americans, spread some rumors that an intervention of the Soviet Union had targeted Afghanistan. Allegedly, the Afghans entered Soviet "combat troops." All this was of course, pure fiction. "However, the order to invade had already been given. A few days later, LI Brezhnev explained in an interview his need to "prevent Afghanistan from becoming an imperialist military foothold at the southern border of the Soviet Union.” The Kremlin’s choice for a military solution had negative effects for various reasons: they wanted to improve the geopolitical environment, by expanding the number of countries with a socialist orientation and an ideological conviction, thus supporting a “revolutionary process”. Belief in "the only correct doctrine" and the truth of forces pushed the Soviet government to the decree - "to send to Afghanistan limited military contingents to undertake tasks that require the help of the Government of Afghanistan. These tasks had to assist Afghanistan in repelling foreign aggression. "Along the way, the advanced detachment of the Marines was instructed to get rid of the most odious part of the government in Kabul, government suspected for wanting to "surrender the country to the Americans." After sending the troops, the Kremlin didn’t want Afghanistan, already engulfed in a civil war, to notice that they had to involve Soviet soldiers and officers. The operation itself, seemed grandiose; yet, it was nothing but a set of mobilization measures and redeployment of the army. The military intervention experienced in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, instilled confidence in the success of the troops. But this time, it played an evil role - the army was in the middle of a conflict, where the foreign military presence had provoked increased insurgency, directed primarily against the Soviet troops; the ignorance portrayed toward the local customs and traditions of the East degraded the situation, many times multiplying enemy ranks. At the next meeting of the CPSU Central Committee, in June 1980, it was proclaimed: "Bravery, the only true, the only wise step taken towards Afghanistan, was perceived with fulfillment by every Soviet man." Kremlin strategists thought about another historical experience – which was not bound by the success of the three Anglo-Afghan wars, whose outcome is still at the end of the last century summarizes British Ferrier: "An alien who happens to get to Afghanistan, will be under the special protection of the sky, if you come out healthy, intact and with a head on your shoulders. “Following his footsteps, soldiers and officers of the 40th Army move south... MiG – 21 Among the aircrafts transferred to Afghanistan during the Soviet troops, the most widespread were the fighters. At the start of January 1980, there were only helicopters approved - "for aerial work" in the Army Aviation. The presence of the 40th Army’s fighter aircrafts was triggered by fear of countermeasures on the West’s side. "Aggressive imperialism - officially read "legend"- eager to set on the slopes of the Hindu Kush missiles aimed at the Soviet Union" - so the possibility of a direct collision with the Americans and their allies was taken seriously; on this matter, in a memorandum of the Central Committee of the CPSU it was stated: "... we have to deal with the combined forces of the United States and other NATO countries, China and Australia." Afghanistan’s neighboring Muslim states are ruled out as they could come to the rescue of their “brothers of faith”. Based on these forecasts, an operation to "help the people of Afghanistan in their struggles against foreign aggression" was built. For air cover of the 40th Army, there was an anti-aircraft missile brigade included, and from the DRA airfields, the first fighter and bomber-fighter aircraft flew; they were part of the MiG-21 squadron. The fighter aircrafts belonged to the 115-th Guards. IAP, based on the Kokayty airfield and commanded by Lt. Col. P. Nikolaev. Their colleagues served with the 136th FBAR from Chirchik in Uzbekistan. Leadership in the army was carried out by Colonel VP Shpak, the 40th Army’s deputy commander of the air force. The transfer was carried out in the nearby airfield (Kokayty, which was positioned behind the mountain, about fifty kilometers from the border). The airfield was meant to handle a relatively small force, limiting the involvement of local aviation units from the forces that existed in Turkestan and in the Central Asian Military District (TurkVO and CAMD). The same thing applied to the whole 40th Army, with the exception of airborne units. Just in case a high alert was given, the remaining parts of the Air Force and Air Defense - including the most remote military districts, had to be prepared to protect "the southern borders". They had a heavy interceptor prepared called Tu-128, which came from the north. At first, they attracted dedicated flights as part of the 34th Mixed Air Corps, which was included in the TurkVO and sent to Afghanistan by the Soviet troops according to the Directive Defense Ministry and General Staff № 312/12/001, which was in charge of guiding the troops in December 24, 1979. This guidance document, signed by the Minister of Defense of the USSR, DF Ustinov and by the Chief of Staff, NV Ogarkov, identified specific objectives for the implicated parties. Within the document, it was also uncovered an explanation to the need of making another move: "In view of the military-political situation in the Middle East, which had the Afghan government deeply involved, a decision was taken.