The Russian Air Force is divided into fighter, assault, bomber, reconnaissance, special and transport aviation. Each of these divisions has its own specific purpose. In addition, they include long-range, military transport, operational-tactical and army aviation. It is about her that will be discussed in this article.
The history of the emergence of a new kind of troops
It is generally accepted that the history of Russian army aviation dates back to the creation of the first helicopter squadron in Serpukhov in 1948. However, it would be a mistake to ignore the combat path covered by the Russian and Soviet military aviation during the previous wars.
It is known that back in 1909, several foreign-made aircraft appeared in service with the tsarist army. They received their baptism of fire during the First World War. At the same time, the first private enterprises producing aircraft and aircraft engines were created in Russia. By 1917 there were about twenty.
Despite the fact that combat vehicles were usedmainly for reconnaissance and bombing, much of the experience of those years formed the basis for the subsequent creation of army aviation. Basically, the need for its appearance became apparent during the battles of the Great Patriotic War.
Tasks facing army aviation
Modern army aviation serves to solve the widest range of operational and tactical tasks. During combat operations, it strikes, hitting the enemy's manpower, as well as tanks, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles. In addition, it provides fire support for ground troops and reconnaissance.
Due to the role that army aviation plays in the course of hostilities, combined arms units, units and formations have the opportunity to significantly increase their operational mobility. It is of particular importance for providing communications and controlling the actions of ground troops, as well as for mining, evacuation, search and rescue of the wounded.
Army aviation brigades are also used in the fight against a certain category of enemy air forces. Practice shows that their use is especially effective when performing tasks related to the destruction of low-flying aircraft and helicopters. They are also indispensable for suppressing air defense systems.
Assignment of attack helicopters
Army aviation of Russia is based on units equipped with helicopters of various types and modifications. According to their purpose, they are divided into three categories:military-transport, transport-combat and combat. Let's take a closer look at each of them.
Combat, or, as they are also called, attack helicopters, equipped with various types of weapons and perform a wide range of operational tasks. They are responsible, in particular, for the fight against armored vehicles, as well as enemy tanks and the defeat of small-sized ground targets. In the course of operations, they also deliver air strikes on military units, escort military transport helicopters and, in the event of an air enemy, fight him.
Aerial reconnaissance and surveillance is an important area of use for combat helicopters, in which target locations are transmitted to ground fire weapons, as well as bombers or attack aircraft.
Units of transport and combat vehicles
The next category of helicopters, which is part of the Russian army aviation, is transport and combat vehicles. They are designed to provide everything necessary for ground troops, delivery and landing of troops, as well as various rescue operations and evacuation of the wounded. In addition, their task may include the installation of minefields and destruction of ground targets.
What are military transport helicopters?
And finally, the last group is military transport helicopters. These are, as a rule, medium and heavy vehicles intended for the transfer of personnel units to specified areas, as well asdelivery of arms and ammunition. Transported cargo can be placed both inside the helicopter and with the help of an external suspension. Machines of this type are also used for landings and various search and rescue operations.
Modernization of army aviation in the post-Soviet period
As follows from the data published by military observers, most of the helicopter fleet of the Russian Air Force was created before the collapse of the USSR and passed into today's army by inheritance. This includes Mi-24 attack helicopters that have proven themselves in local military conflicts, Mi-26 heavy transport vehicles and a number of other aircraft that surpass their foreign counterparts in a number of technical characteristics.
The beginning of a large-scale modernization of military equipment, in which the army aviation of the Russian Federation was also involved, began in 2000. In addition to the fact that during this period a large number of new modifications of machines that were previously in service appeared, several fundamentally new models were put into production. Among them, a special place was occupied by attack multi-purpose helicopters Ka-52, as well as MI-28N. Currently, they are among the combat vehicles that form the basis of the power of the Russian army aviation.
High combat readiness of flight units
The combat effectiveness of this type of troops, which manifested itself in the difficult years of the Afghan conflict, did not decrease in the nineties either, despite all the economic difficulties. The crews of helicopters of the Russian Air Force performed their duty with honor during operations carried out inChechnya, as well as in a number of other "hot spots". Everywhere they showed an example of high professionalism and readiness to fulfill any combat mission assigned to them.
In the early 2000s, there was a trend towards a widespread decrease in tension, which caused local conflicts, often escalating into military clashes. This made it possible to make efforts to re-equip the flight units and improve the skills of their personnel. Large-scale military exercises began to be held regularly throughout the country, in which army aviation also took part. Photos of such training flights are given in the article.
The operation in Syria, which became a combat test
The participation of Russian pilots in a large-scale anti-terrorist operation launched in Syria became a real test of combat skills. Despite the fact that the actions are carried out not against the regular army, but against scattered gangs, they are fraught with extreme risk and require high skill and coordination of actions from all participants.
Special complexity is created by the qualitatively increased level of enemy air defense systems and difficult climatic conditions in which tasks have to be solved. It was these factors that caused losses among the personnel of Russian units.
Army aviation of foreign countries
Helicopters were used similarly in the armed forces of other major states of the world. For example, in the United States, a special Army Aviation Corps has been created, armed withwhich, in addition to conventional cars, there are also unmanned aerial vehicles. Its purpose is to conduct joint combat operations with infantry, armored and airborne formations.
According to official figures published in 2007, the helicopter fleet of the US Army Aviation consisted of about 4,200 combat vehicles. At present, this information is certainly outdated, but it also gives an idea of the importance attached to this type of troops overseas. The same can be said about the armed forces of Germany and England, where, along with multi-purpose helicopters, various types of transport aircraft are used.
