The history of Soviet military aviation began in 1918. USSR Air Forces were formed simultaneously with the new ground army. In the years 1918-1924. they were called the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet, in 1924-1946. - The Air Force of the Red Army. And only after the Great Patriotic War did the familiar name of the USSR Air Force appear, which remained until the collapse of the Soviet state.
The origins
The first concern of the Bolsheviks after they came to power was the armed struggle with the "whites." The civil war and unprecedented bloodshed could not do without the forced construction of a strong army, navy and aircraft. At that time, aircraft were still outlandish; their mass operation began somewhat later. The Russian Empire left a single division as a legacy of Soviet power, consisting of models called Ilya Muromets. These S-22s became the basis of the future USSR Air Force.
In 1918, there were 38 air squads in the Navy, and 83 in 1920. In the Civil War, about 350 aircraft were deployed. The then leadership of the RSFSR did everything to preserve and exaggerate the royal aeronautical legacy. The first Soviet commander in chief of aviation was Konstantin Akashev, who held this position in 1919-1921.
Symbolism
In 1924, the future flag of the USSR Air Force was adopted (at first it was considered the aerodrome flag of all aviation formations and units). The background became the sun. In the middle was a red star, inside it was a sickle and a hammer. At that time, other recognizable symbols appeared: silver soaring wings and propeller blades.
As a flag of the USSR Air Force, the flag 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, the Russian Air Force received a similar flag. The differences are insignificant: a red star, a sickle and a hammer disappeared, an anti-aircraft gun appeared.
Development in the 1920-1930s
The warlords of the Civil War period 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 a holistic statehood did it become possible to begin a normal reorganization of aviation. In 1924, the Worker-Peasant Red Air Fleet was renamed the Air Force of the Red Army. A new Air Force Office has appeared.
Bomber aviation was reorganized into a separate unit, within the framework of which the most advanced heavy-bombing and light-bombing squadrons were formed at that time. In the 1930s, the number of fighters increased significantly, and the share of scouts, on the contrary, decreased. The first multi-purpose aircraft appeared (such as the R-6, designed by Andrei Tupolev). These aircraft could equally effectively perform the functions of bombers, torpedo bombers and long-range escort fighters.
In 1932, the armed forces of the USSR replenished with a new type of airborne troops. Airborne troops have their own transport and intelligence equipment. Three years later, contrary to the tradition prevailing during the Civil War, new military ranks were introduced. Now the pilots in the Air Force automatically became officers. Everyone left the walls of their native colleges and flight schools with the rank of junior lieutenant.
By 1933, the Soviet Air Force received new models of the I series (from I-2 to I-5). These were biplane fighters designed by Dmitry Grigorovich. In the first fifteen years of its existence, the Soviet military aviation fleet replenished 2.5 times. The share of imported cars was reduced to a few percent.
Air Force holiday
In the same 1933 (according to the decree of the Council of People's Commissars) the day of the USSR Air Force was established. As a holiday date in the Council of People's Commissars chose August 18. Officially, the day was timed to the end of the annual summer combat training. By tradition, the holiday began to be combined with various competitions and competitions in aerobatics, tactical and fire training, etc.
USSR Air Force Day was used to popularize civil and military aviation among the Soviet proletarian masses. The celebrations on the occasion of a significant date were attended by representatives of industry, Osoaviahim and the Civil Air Fleet. The center 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 countries. The holiday could not do without the participation of Joseph Stalin, members of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) and the government.
Change again
In 1939, the USSR Air Force experienced another reformatting. Their former brigade organization was replaced by a more modern division and regimental. In carrying out the reform, the Soviet military leadership wanted to achieve increased aviation efficiency. After the transformation in the Air Force, a new main tactical unit appeared - the regiment (it consisted of 5 squadrons, which totaled from 40 to 60 aircraft).
On the eve of World War II, the share of assault and bomber aircraft was 51% of the total fleet. Also, the composition of the USSR Air Force included fighter and reconnaissance units. There were 18 schools operating in the country, within the walls of which new personnel were trained for Soviet military aviation. Teaching methods have been gradually modernized. Although at first the viability of Soviet personnel (pilots, navigators, technicians, etc.) lagged behind the corresponding indicator in the capitalist countries, year after year this abyss became less and less significant.
Spanish experience
For the first time after a long break, the USSR Air Force aircraft were tested in combat during the Spanish Civil War, which began in 1936. The Soviet Union supported the friendly "left" government, which fought against the nationalists. Not only military equipment, but also volunteer pilots went from the USSR to Spain. The I-16, which managed to show itself much more efficiently than the Luftwaffe aircraft, did their best.
The experience gained by Soviet pilots in Spain was invaluable. Not only the arrows, but also air reconnaissance learned a lot of lessons. Specialists who returned from Spain quickly advanced in service; by the beginning of World War II, many of them had become colonels and generals. In time, the overseas campaign coincided with the unleashing of large Stalinist purges in the army. Repression affected aviation. The NKVD got rid of many people who fought with the "whites".
The Great Patriotic War
Conflicts of the 1930s showed that the USSR Air Force is in no way inferior to the European. However, a world war was approaching, and an unprecedented arms race unfolded in the Old World. Well-proven in Spain, I-153 and I-15 by the time the German attack on the USSR had already become obsolete. The outbreak of World War II turned into a catastrophe for Soviet aviation. The enemy forces invaded the territory of the country unexpectedly, due to this surprise they got a serious advantage. Soviet airfields on the western borders were subjected to devastating bombing. In the first hours of the war, a huge number of new aircraft were destroyed, which did not have time to leave their hangars (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 cars, thus responding to the technical challenges of the enemy.
Most of all in those terrible four years, the Il-2 attack aircraft and the Yak-1 fighters were released. These two models together accounted for about half of the domestic aircraft fleet. The success of Yak was due to the fact that this aircraft turned out to be a convenient platform for numerous modifications and improvements. The original model, which appeared in 1940, was changed many times. Soviet designers did everything so that the Yaks did not lag behind the German Messerschmitts in their development (the Yak-3 and Yak-9 appeared in this way).
By the middle of the war, parity was established in the air, and a little later, Soviet aircraft even began to surpass enemy vehicles. Other famous bombers were created, including the Tu-2 and Pe-2. The red star (the USSR / Air Force sign drawn on the fuselage) became for German pilots a symbol of danger and the upcoming 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 unit, subordinate to the Supreme High Command Headquarters, played a crucial role throughout the remaining war years. Air armies began to form with him. These formations included all front-line aviation.
A significant amount of resources was invested in the development of repair infrastructure. New workshops had to quickly repair and return damaged aircraft to battle. The Soviet field repair network became one of the most effective among all such systems that arose during the Second World War.
The key air battles for the USSR were air clashes during the battle of Moscow, Stalingrad and the Kursk. Indicative figures: in 1941, about 400 aircraft participated in 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 was increasing at an ever-increasing rate. In total, during the war, the USSR industry forces produced about 17 thousand aircraft, and 44 thousand pilots were trained in flight schools (27 thousand died). The legends of World War II were Ivan Kozhedub (gained 62 victories) and Alexander Pokryshkin (he won 59 victories).
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 affected not only aviation, but the entire defense sphere. Although World War II ended, the world continued to be in a tense state. A new confrontation began - this time between the Soviet Union and the United States.
In 1953, the USSR Ministry of Defense was created. The country's defense industry continued to expand. New types of military equipment appeared, and aviation also 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 advent of jet aircraft
The first landmark post-war novelty was the jet aircraft tested in 1946. She 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 the performance of the previous generation models.
For several years, the experience accumulated by Soviet aviation during the Great Patriotic War was generalized. The 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. Any little thing (the pilot's flying jacket, the smallest device on the control panel) gradually took on modern forms. For better firing accuracy on airplanes, advanced radar systems were installed.
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 on the proximity to the state border. According to the same scheme, aviation (long-range and front-line) continued to be classified. In the same 1946, the airborne troops, formerly part of the Air Force, were allocated to an independent formation.
Faster than sound
At the turn of the 1940-1950s, advanced Soviet jet aircraft began to develop the most inaccessible regions of the country: the Far North and Chukotka. Long-distance flights were made due to 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 strategic long-range bomber, was designed. Another turning point in the development of the Soviet Air Force was the entry into their arsenal of nuclear weapons. The introduction of new technologies today is best judged by the expositions of aviation museums, including those located in the “aircraft capital of Russia” Zhukovsky. Even things like the USSR Air Force costume 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, obsolete attack aircraft were disbanded. In the meantime, new air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles appeared on the Air Force armament.
In the late 1960s, third-generation models were constructed (for example, MiG-25 fighters). These machines could already fly at speeds three times the speed of sound. The MiG modifications in the form of high-altitude reconnaissance and interceptor fighters were launched into serial production. These aircraft have significantly improved take-off and landing performance. In addition, the new items featured multi-mode operation.
In 1974, the first Soviet vertical take-off and landing aircraft (Yak-38) were constructed. Inventory and equipment of pilots changed. The flight jacket became more convenient and helped to feel comfortable even in conditions of extreme overloads at ultrahigh speeds.
Fourth generation
The latest Soviet aircraft were deployed on the territory of the Warsaw Treaty Organization countries. Aviation did not take part in any conflicts for a long time, but demonstrated its capabilities in large-scale exercises, such as the Dnieper, Berezina, Dvina, etc.
In the 1980s, Soviet fourth-generation aircraft appeared. These models (Su-27, MiG-29, MiG-31, Tu-160) differed by an order of magnitude in improved maneuverability. Some of them are still in service with the Russian Air Force.
The latest technology at that time revealed its potential in the Afghan war, which was blazing in 1979-1989. Soviet bombers had to operate in conditions of strict secrecy and constant anti-aircraft fire from the ground. About one million sorties were completed during the Afghan campaign (about 300 helicopters and 100 aircraft were lost). In 1986, the development of fifth-generation military aviation projects began . The most important contribution to these undertakings was made by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. However, due to the deterioration of the economic and political situation, work was suspended, and projects were frozen.
Last chord
Perestroika was marked by several important processes. Firstly, relations between the USSR and the USA have finally improved. The Cold War ended, and now the Kremlin had no 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 began.
In the late 1980s, the withdrawal of Soviet troops began not only from Afghanistan, but also from countries of the already socialist camp. Exceptional in scale was the withdrawal of the Soviet Army from the GDR, where its powerful forward group was located. Hundreds of aircraft 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 pass and 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 another 11 union republics (the Baltic states did not take part in the division).