Russian Aerospace Forces

Russian Aerospace Forces
Russian Aerospace Forces
Воздушно-космические силы; Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily
	Emblem of the Russian Aerospace Forces
Founded	1 August 2015 (6 years, 1 month)
Country	Russia
Type	Air and Space force
Role	Air and Space warfare
Size	165,000 personnel (2020)
Part of	Russian Armed Forces
Headquarters	Moscow
Patron	Saint Elijah the Prophet
Colors	Blue, Gold, Gray
March	"Air March" (Russian: "Авиамарш") (official march-past of the Air Force); "14 Minutes Until Launch" (Russian: "14 минут до старта") (official march of the Space Forces)
Anniversaries	Air Force Day (12 August)
Engagements	Intervention in the Syrian Civil War
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	Gen. Sergei Surovikin
First Deputy Commander-in-Chief	Lt. Gen. Viktor Afzalov
Deputy Commander-in-Chief	Lt. Gen. [ru]
Notable; commanders	Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev
Insignia
Flag
Roundel
Patch
Middle emblem
Insignia

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

The Russian Aerospace Forces^[3] (Russian: Воздушно-космические силы, tr. Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily) or VKS (Russian: ВКС) comprise the aerospace branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Russia established the VKS as a new branch of its military 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. The VKS has its headquarters in Moscow.^[4] Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu explained the merger as improving efficiency and logistical support.^[5]

Organisation[]

Sub-branches[]

According to Jane's Information Group, with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces, the new Russian Aerospace Forces consist of three sub-branches:^[6]

Main Command of the Aerospace Forces (*Главное командование* *Воздушно-космическими силами*)
Command Staff
Commander-in-Chief Aerospace Forces (Главнокомандующий Воздушно-космическими силами)		Army general / Colonel general
Chief of the Main Staff - First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces (Начальник Главного штаба — первый заместитель Главнокомандующего Воздушно-космическими силами)		Colonel general / Lieutenant general
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Aerospace Forces (Заместитель Главнокомандующего Воздушно-космическими силами)		Colonel general / Lieutenant general
Chiefs of branches, deputy commanders:
Commander of the Air Force, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Aerospace Forces (Командующий Военно-воздушными силами — заместитель Главнокомандующего Воздушно-космическими силами) Colonel general / Lieutenant general	Commander of the Aerospace and Missile Defense Forces, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Aerospace Forces (Командующий Войсками противовоздушной и противоракетной обороны — заместитель Главнокомандующего Воздушно-космическими силами) Colonel general / Lieutenant general	Commander of the Space Forces, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Aerospace Forces (Командующий Космическими войсками — заместитель Главнокомандующего Воздушно-космическими силами) Colonel general / Lieutenant general
Functional deputy commanders:
Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Aerospace Forces for Military-Political Work (Заместитель Главнокомандующего Воздушно-космическими силами по военно-политической работе) Major general	Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Aerospace Forces for Logistics (Заместитель Главнокомандующего Воздушно-космическими силами по материально-техническому обеспечению) Major general	Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Aerospace Forces for Armaments (Заместитель Главнокомандующего Воздушно-космическими силами по вооружению) Major general

Leadership[]

As of January 2020:
Position	Name	Start date	End date
Commander of the Aerospace Forces	Colonel General Viktor Bondarev	1 August 2015	26 September 2017
	Lieutenant General Pavel Kurachenko (acting)	26 September	22 November 2017
	Colonel General Sergei Surovikin	22 November 2017

First Deputy Commander of the Aerospace Forces (Chief of the General Staff)	Lieutenant General Pavel Kurachenko	1 September 2015	unknown^[6]
	Lieutenant General Viktor Afzalov	unknown
Deputy Commanders of the Aerospace Forces
Commander of the Air Force	Lieutenant General Andrei Yudin	1 September 2015	c. July 2019
Commander of the Air Force	Lieutenant General Sergei Dronov	c. July 2019
	Lieutenant General Viktor Gumyonny	1 September 2015	2018
	Lieutenant General Yury Grekhov	2018
	Colonel General Aleksandr Golovko	1 September 2015^[6]
Deputy Commander for Work with Personnel	Major General Andrei Kazakevich	unknown	unknown
Deputy Commander for Work with Personnel	Major General Aleksandr Maksimtsev	2019
Deputy Commander for Logistics	Lieutenant General Vladimir Trishunkin	unknown	unknown
Deputy Commander for Logistics	Major General Zabit Kheirbekov	unknown
Deputy Commander for Armaments	Colonel Andrei Medvedkov	unknown	unknown
Deputy Commander for Armaments	Major General Sergei Meshcheryakov	unknown

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 Army of Air Forces and Air Defence (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 Defence and Anti-Ballistic Missile 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)

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

Rank group	General/flag officers										Field/senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
Russian Aerospace Forces v t
Russian Aerospace Forces v t			Генера́л а́рмии Generál ármii		Генера́л-полко́вник Generál-polkóvnik		Генера́л-лейтена́нт Generál-leytenánt		Генера́л-майо́р Generál-mayór		Полко́вник Polkóvnik		Подполко́вник Podpolkóvnik		Майо́р Majór		Kапита́н Kapitán		Старший лейтена́нт Stárshiy leytenánt		Лейтенант Leytenant		Mла́дший лейтена́нт Mládshiy leytenánt		Курсант Kursant

Other ranks

Rank group	General/flag officers										Field/senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
Russian Aerospace Forces v t
Russian Aerospace Forces v t	Ста́рший пра́порщик Stárshiy práporshchik			Пра́порщик Práporshchyk			Старшина́ Starshyná		Ста́рший сержа́нт Stárshiy serzhánt		Сержа́нт Serzhánt						Мла́дший сержа́нт Mládshiy serzhánt						Ефре́йтор Efréĭtor				Рядово́й Ryadovóy

References[]

^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2021-04-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Main Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces. Archived 2019-02-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2019-02-02.
^ "Russia establishes Aerospace Forces as new armed service — Defense Minister". Archived from the original on 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
^ Шойгу объявил о создании нового вида ВС - Воздушно-космических сил Archived 2015-08-05 at the Wayback Machine, ria.ru/defense, 3 August 2015
^ 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' [...]."
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Russia creates new Aerospace Force service branch Archived 2015-12-27 at the Wayback Machine, janes.com, 4 August 2015
^ "Air and Missile Defence Forces". Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 23 July 2018.

External links[]

Russian Aerospace Forces official site (English)

[1] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2021-04-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[2] Main Cathedral of Russian Armed Forces. Archived 2019-02-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2019-02-02.

[3] "Russia establishes Aerospace Forces as new armed service — Defense Minister". Archived from the original on 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2017-03-20.

[4] Шойгу объявил о создании нового вида ВС - Воздушно-космических сил Archived 2015-08-05 at the Wayback Machine, ria.ru/defense, 3 August 2015

[5] 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' [...]."

[Janes2015-6] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Russia creates new Aerospace Force service branch Archived 2015-12-27 at the Wayback Machine, janes.com, 4 August 2015

[7] "Air and Missile Defence Forces". Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 23 July 2018.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

show v t list of space forces and space commands
Space forces	China France Iran Russia United States
Space commands	NATO Brazil NORAD (Canada/US) France India Italy Japan Peru Russia South Korea United Kingdom United States
Ranks and insignia of space forces