The history of Soviet military aviation began in 1918. The USSR Air Force was formed simultaneously with the new land army. In 1918-1924. they were called the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet, in 1924-1946. - Air Force of the Red Army. And only after the Great Patriotic War did the usual name of the USSR Air Force appear, which remained until the collapse of the Soviet state.
Origins
The first concern of the Bolsheviks after they came to power was the armed struggle against the "whites". Civil war and unprecedented bloodshed could not do without the accelerated construction of a strong army, navy and air force. At that time, aircraft were still curiosities; their mass operation began somewhat later. The Russian Empire left a single division, consisting of models called "Ilya Muromets", as a legacy to Soviet power. These S-22s became the basis of the future Soviet Air Force.
In 1918, there were 38 squadrons in the air force, and in 1920 - already 83. About 350 aircraft were involved in the Civil War fronts. The leadership of the then RSFSR did everything to preserve and exaggerate the tsarist aeronauticalheritage. The first Soviet commander-in-chief of aviation was Konstantin Akashev, who held this position in 1919-1921.
Symbolics
In 1924, the future flag of the USSR Air Force was adopted (at first it was considered the airfield flag of all aviation formations and detachments). The background of the cloth was the sun. In the middle was a red star, inside it was a hammer and sickle. At the same time, other recognizable symbols appeared: silver soaring wings and propeller blades.
As the flag of the USSR Air Force, the cloth was approved in 1967. The image has become extremely popular. They did not forget about him even after the collapse of the USSR. In this regard, already in 2004, a similar flag was received by the Air Force of the Russian Federation. The differences are insignificant: the red star, the hammer and sickle have disappeared, and the anti-aircraft gun has appeared.
Development in the 1920s-1930s
Military leaders of the period of the Civil War had to organize the future armed forces of the USSR in conditions of chaos and confusion. Only after the defeat of the "white" movement and the creation of an integral statehood did it become possible to begin a normal reorganization of aviation. In 1924, the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Air Fleet was renamed the Air Force of the Red Army. A new Air Force Directorate has appeared.
The bomber aviation was reorganized into a separate unit, within which the most advanced heavy bomber and light bomber squadrons were formed at that time. In the 1930s, the number of fighters increased significantly, while the proportion of reconnaissance aircraft, on the contrary, decreased. Appearedthe first multi-purpose aircraft (such as the R-6, designed by Andrey Tupolev). These machines could equally effectively perform the functions of bombers, torpedo bombers and long-range escort fighters.
In 1932, the armed forces of the USSR were replenished with a new type of airborne troops. The Airborne Forces had their own transport and reconnaissance equipment. Three years later, contrary to the tradition established during the Civil War, new military ranks were introduced. Now pilots in the Air Force automatically became officers. Everyone left the walls of their native schools and flight schools with the rank of junior lieutenant.
By 1933, new models of the "I" series (from I-2 to I-5) entered service with the USSR Air Force. These were biplane fighters designed by Dmitry Grigorovich. During the first fifteen years of its existence, the Soviet military aviation fleet was replenished by 2.5 times. The share of imported cars dropped to a few percent.
Air Force Holiday
In the same 1933 (according to the decision of the Council of People's Commissars) the day of the USSR Air Force was established. August 18 was chosen as a holiday date in the Council of People's Commissars. Officially, the day was timed to coincide with the end of the annual summer combat training. By tradition, the holiday began to be combined with various competitions in aerobatics, tactical and fire training, etc.
The USSR Air Force Day was used to popularize civil and military aviation among the Soviet proletarian masses. Representatives of industry, Osoaviakhim and the Civilair fleet. The centerpiece of the annual celebration was the Mikhail Frunze Central Airfield in Moscow.
Already the first events attracted the attention of not only professionals and residents of the capital, but also numerous guests of the city, as well as official representatives of foreign states. The holiday could not do without the participation of Joseph Stalin, members of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) and the government.
Changes again
In 1939, the USSR Air Force experienced another reformatting. Their former brigade organization was replaced by a more modern divisional and regimental one. Carrying out the reform, the Soviet military leadership wanted to achieve an increase in the efficiency of aviation. After the transformation in the Air Force, a new main tactical unit appeared - the regiment (it included 5 squadrons, which in total ranged from 40 to 60 aircraft).
On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, the share of attack and bomber aircraft was 51% of the total fleet. Also, the composition of the USSR Air Force included fighter and reconnaissance formations. There were 18 schools operating on the territory of the country, within the walls of which new personnel for the Soviet military aviation were trained. Teaching methods were gradually modernized. Although at first the solvency of Soviet personnel (pilots, navigators, technicians, etc.) lagged behind the corresponding indicator in the capitalist countries, year after year this gap became less and less significant.
Spanish experience
For the first time after a long break, USSR Air Force aircraft were testedin a combat situation during the Spanish Civil War, which began in 1936. The Soviet Union supported the friendly "left" government that fought the nationalists. Not only military equipment, but also volunteer pilots went from the USSR to Spain. I-16s showed themselves best of all, they managed to show themselves much more efficiently than the Luftwaffe aircraft did.
The experience that Soviet pilots got in Spain turned out to be invaluable. Many lessons were learned not only by shooters, but also by aerial reconnaissance. The specialists who returned from Spain quickly advanced in their careers; by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, many of them became colonels and generals. In time, the campaign abroad coincided with the unleashing of the great Stalinist purges in the army. The repression also affected aviation. The NKVD got rid of many people who fought with the "whites".
The Great Patriotic War
The conflicts of the 1930s showed that the USSR Air Force was in no way inferior to the European ones. However, a world war was approaching, and an unprecedented arms race unfolded in the Old World. The I-153 and I-15, which had proven themselves in Spain, had already become obsolete by the time the German attack on the USSR. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War generally turned into a disaster for Soviet aviation. The enemy forces invaded the territory of the country unexpectedly, due to this suddenness they gained a serious advantage. Soviet airfields near the western borders were subjected to devastating bombardments. In the first hours of the war, a huge number of new aircraft were destroyed, which did not have time to leave theirhangars (according to various estimates, there were about 2 thousand of them).
The evacuated Soviet industry had to solve several problems at once. Firstly, the USSR Air Force needed a quick replenishment of losses, without which it was impossible to imagine an equal fight. Secondly, throughout the war, designers continued to make detailed changes to new machines, thus responding to the technical challenges of the enemy.
Most of all in those terrible four years, Il-2 attack aircraft and Yak-1 fighters were produced. These two models together accounted for about half of the domestic aircraft fleet. The success of the Yak was due to the fact that this aircraft proved to be a convenient platform for numerous modifications and improvements. The original model, which appeared in 1940, has been modified many times. Soviet designers did everything to ensure that the Yaks did not lag behind the German Messerschmitts in their development (this is how the Yak-3 and Yak-9 appeared).
By the middle of the war, parity was established in the air, and a little later, Soviet aircraft began to outperform enemy aircraft. Other famous bombers were also created, including the Tu-2 and Pe-2. The red star (a sign of the USSR / Air Force drawn on the fuselage) became for German pilots a symbol of danger and the approaching heavy battle.
Fighting the Luftwaffe
During the Great Patriotic War, not only the park was transformed, but also the organizational structure of the Air Force. In the spring of 1942, long-range aviation appeared. This compound, subordinate to the Headquarters of the SupremeThe High Command played a crucial role throughout the remaining war years. Together with him, air armies began to form. Education data included all front-line aviation.
A significant amount of resources was invested in the development of repair infrastructure. New workshops were supposed to quickly repair and return damaged aircraft to combat. The Soviet field repair network became one of the most efficient among all such systems that arose during the Second World War.
The key air battles for the USSR were air clashes during the battle for Moscow, Stalingrad and on the Kursk salient. Indicative figures: in 1941, about 400 aircraft took part in the battles, in 1943 this figure grew to several thousand, by the end of the war, about 7,500 aircraft were concentrated in the Berlin sky. The fleet has grown at an ever-increasing pace. In total, during the war, the forces of industry of the USSR produced about 17 thousand aircraft, and 44 thousand pilots were trained in flight schools (27 thousand died). Ivan Kozhedub (he won 62 victories) and Alexander Pokryshkin (he won 59 victories) became the legends of the Great Patriotic War.
New Challenges
In 1946, shortly after the end of the war with the Third Reich, the Air Force of the Red Army was renamed the Air Force of the USSR. Structural and organizational changes have affected not only aviation, but the entire defense sector. Although the Second World War ended, the world continued to be in a state of tension. A new confrontation has begunthis time between the Soviet Union and the USA.
In 1953, the Ministry of Defense of the USSR was established. The country's military-industrial complex continued to expand. New types of military equipment appeared, and aviation changed. An arms race began between the USSR and the USA. All further development of the Air Force was subject to a single logic - to catch up and overtake America. The design bureaus of Sukhoi (Su), Mikoyan and Gurevich (MiG) entered their most productive period of activity.
The emergence of jet aircraft
The first epoch-making post-war novelty was the jet aircraft tested in 1946. It replaced the old outdated piston technology. The first Soviet jet aircraft were the MiG-9 and Yak-15. They managed to overcome the speed mark of 900 kilometers per hour, that is, their performance was one and a half times higher than that of the previous generation models.
For several years, the experience accumulated by Soviet aviation during the Great Patriotic War was summarized. Key problems and pain points of domestic aircraft were identified. The process of modernization of equipment has begun to improve its comfort, ergonomics and safety. Every little thing (the pilot's flight jacket, the smallest device on the control panel) gradually took on modern forms. For better shooting accuracy, aircraft began to install advanced radar systems.
Airspace security has become the responsibility of the new air defense forces. The advent of air defense led to the division of the territory of the USSR into several sectors, depending onproximity to the state border. Aviation continued to be classified according to the same scheme (long-range and front-line). In the same 1946, the airborne troops, formerly part of the Air Force, were separated into an independent formation.
Faster than sound
At the turn of the 1940s-1950s, improved Soviet jet aviation began to develop the most inaccessible regions of the country: the Far North and Chukotka. Long-distance flights were made because of another consideration. The military leadership of the USSR was preparing the military-industrial complex for a possible conflict with the United States, located on the other side of the world. For the same purpose, the Tu-95, a long-range strategic bomber, was designed. Another turning point in the development of the Soviet Air Force was the introduction of nuclear weapons into their arsenal. The introduction of new technologies today is best judged by the expositions of aviation museums, located, among other things, in the “aircraft capital of Russia” Zhukovsky. Even such things as the Soviet Air Force suit and other equipment of Soviet pilots clearly demonstrate the evolution of this defense industry.
Another milestone in the history of Soviet military aviation was left behind when in 1950 the MiG-17 was able to exceed the speed of sound. The record was set by the famous test pilot Ivan Ivashchenko. Soon the obsolete attack aircraft was disbanded. Meanwhile, the Air Force has new air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles.
At the end of the 1960s, third generation models were designed (for example,MiG-25 fighters). These machines could already fly at three times the speed of sound. MiG modifications in the form of high- altitude reconnaissance and interceptor fighters were launched into serial production. These aircraft have significantly improved takeoff and landing characteristics. In addition, the novelties were multi-mode in operation.
In 1974, the first Soviet vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (Yak-38) were designed. The inventory and equipment of the pilots changed. The flight jacket became more comfortable and helped to feel comfortable even in conditions of extreme Gs at ultra-high speeds.
Fourth Generation
The newest Soviet aircraft were stationed on the territory of the countries of the Warsaw Pact. Aviation did not take part in any conflicts for a long time, but demonstrated its capabilities at large-scale exercises such as Dnepr, Berezina, Dvina, etc.
In the 1980s, fourth-generation Soviet aircraft appeared. These models (Su-27, MiG-29, MiG-31, Tu-160) differed by an order of magnitude improved maneuverability. Some of them are still in service with the Air Force of the Russian Federation.
The latest technology at that time revealed its potential in the Afghan war that flared in 1979-1989. Soviet bombers had to operate in conditions of strict secrecy and constant anti-aircraft fire from the ground. During the Afghan campaign, about a million sorties were made (with the loss of about 300 helicopters and 100 aircraft). In 1986 begandevelopment of fifth generation military aviation projects. The most important contribution to these undertakings was made by the Sukhoi design bureau. However, due to the deteriorating economic and political situation, work was suspended and projects were frozen.
Last chord
Perestroika was marked by several important processes. First, relations between the USSR and the USA have finally improved. The Cold War ended, and now the Kremlin did not have a strategic adversary, in the race with which it was necessary to constantly build up its own military-industrial complex. Secondly, the leaders of the two superpowers signed several landmark documents, according to which joint disarmament started.
At the end of the 1980s, the withdrawal of Soviet troops began not only from Afghanistan, but also from the countries of the already socialist camp. Exceptional in scale was the withdrawal of the Soviet Army from the GDR, where its powerful advanced grouping was located. Hundreds of planes went home. Most remained in the RSFSR, some were transported to Belarus or Ukraine.
In 1991, it became clear that the USSR could no longer exist in its former monolithic form. The division of the country into a dozen independent states led to the division of the formerly common army. This fate did not escape aviation. Russia received about 2/3 of the personnel and 40% of the equipment of the Soviet Air Force. The rest of the inheritance went to 11 more union republics (the B altic states did not take part in the partition).
