Soviet Air Force

History

One of first big tests of the VVS came in 1936 with the Spanish Civil War, where the latest aircraft designs were put to the test by up-to-date German aircraft. Early victories by the I-16 fighter were squandered because of the limited use of that fighter. German Bf-109ss arriving later in the war secured air superiority for the Nationalist cause.

In 1939, the VVS used its bombers to attack Finland, but the losses inflicted on them by the relatively small Finnish army showed the shortcomings of these forces, mainly due to the Great Purge in the 30's.

The main reason of the great amount of aircraft lost was the lack of modern tactics, but time to improve them was short, because the German offensive of 1941 (Operation Barbarossa) pushed the airforce into a defensive position, while being confronted with more modern German aircraft.

As with many allied countries in the Second World War the Soviet Union received western aircraft by lend-lease.

During the Cold War the VVS was divided into three segments: Dal'naya Aviatsiya (Strategic Aviation), or DA, focused on long-range bombers; Frontovaya Aviatsiya (Frontal Aviation), or FA, focused on battlefield air defense, close air support, and interdiction; and the Voenno Transportsiya Aviatsiya (Military Transport Aviation)which controlled all transport aircraft. The Voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony (Air Defense Forces), or Voyska PVO, which focused on air defense and interceptor aircraft, was then a separate and distinct service within the Soviet military organization.

The Russian Navy has its own independent air arm as well, the Aviatsiya Voenno Morskogo Flota (Naval Aviation), or AV-MF.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991 the aircraft and personnel of the Soviet VVS were divided among the newly independent states. Russia received the majority of these forces, approximately 40% of the aircraft and 65% of the manpower, with these forming the basis for the new Russian Federation Air Force

Inventory 1987

VVS

The VVS Aircraft inventory of 1987 comprised:

1210 interceptorss -
420 MiG-23 Flogger
:305 MiG-25 Foxbat
:240 Su-15 Flagon
:5 Su-27 Flanker
:80 Tu-128 Fiddler
:65 Yak-28 Firebar
:95 MiG-31 Foxhound

AWACS aircraft -
7 Tu-126 Moss
:1 A-50 Mainstay (Il-76 based)

Soviet Air Force

165 strategic bombers, -
150 Tu-95 Bear
:15 M-4 Bison

550 medium bombers -
155 Tu-22M Backfire
:260 Tupolev Tu-16 Badger
:135 Tu-22 Blinder

2780 fighterss -
490 MiG-21 Fishbed
:1570 MiG-23 Flogger
:105 MiG-25 Foxbat
:260 Su-15 Flagon
:20 Tu-128 Fiddler
:20 Yak-28 (Yak-28)Firebar
:275 MiG-29 Fulcrum
:30 MiG-31 Foxhound
:10 Su-27 Flanker

2835 attack aircraft -
130 MiG-21 Fishbed
:830 MiG-27 Flogger
:895 Su-7/Su-17 Fitter
:770 Su-24 Fencer
:210 Su-25 Frogfoot

50 tankers -
30 M-4 Bison
:20 Tupolev Tu-16 Badger

658 tactical reconnaissance and ECM aircraft -
65 MiG-21 Fishbed
:195 MiG-25 Foxbat
:165 Su-17 Fitter
:65 Su-24 Fencer
:195 Yak-28 Brewer

260 strategic reconnaissance and ECM aircraft -
115 Tupolev Tu-16 Badger
:15 Tu-22 Blinder
:4 Tu-95 Bear
:102 Yak-28 Brewer
:24 MiG-25 Foxbat

3050 helicopters

1500 trainers and training helicopters

576 transport aircraft -
55 An-22 Cock
:210 An-12 Cub
:310 Il-76 Candid
:2935 civilian and other transport aircraft, usually Aeroflot aircraft which were easily converted