The air forces of Russia are divided into fighter, assault, bomber, reconnaissance, special and transport aircraft. Each of these units has its own, strictly defined 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 the Russian army aviation dates back to the creation in 1948 of the first helicopter squadron in Serpukhov. However, it would be a mistake to ignore the military path traveled by Russian and Soviet military aircraft during the previous wars.
It is known that as early as 1909, several foreign-made aircraft appeared in service with the tsarist army. They received their baptism of fire during the First World War. At that time, the first private enterprises producing aircraft and aircraft engines were created in Russia. By 1917, there were already about twenty of them.
Despite the fact that combat vehicles were mainly used 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 World War II.
Challenges for 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, with its help, fire support is provided for ground troops and reconnaissance is ongoing.
Thanks to the role that army aviation plays in the course of hostilities, combined arms units, units and formations are able to significantly increase their operational mobility. Of particular importance, it acquires to provide communications and control the actions of ground forces, as well as during 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 in the performance of tasks related to the destruction of low-flying aircraft and helicopters. They are indispensable for the suppression of air defense systems.
Assignment of attack combat helicopters
The Russian Army Aviation is based on units equipped with helicopters of various types and modifications. According to their purpose, they are divided into three categories: military transport, military transport and combat. Let us dwell on each of them.
Combat, or, as they are also called, attack helicopters, are equipped with various types of weapons and perform a wide range of operational tasks. They are assigned, in particular, the fight against armored vehicles, as well as enemy tanks and the defeat of small-sized ground targets. In the course of operations, they strike air strikes at military units, escort military transport helicopters, and in the event of an air adversary fight them.
An important area of application for combat helicopters is aerial reconnaissance and surveillance, in which data on the whereabouts of targets are transmitted to ground-based fire weapons, as well as to bombers or attack aircraft.
Transport Vehicle Units
The next category of helicopters, which is part of the Russian Army Aviation, is military transport vehicles. They are designed to provide all the necessary ground troops, delivery and landing, as well as various kinds of rescue operations and the evacuation of the wounded. In addition, their task may include the installation of minefields and the destruction of ground targets.
What are military transport helicopters?
And finally, the last group consists of military transport helicopters. These are, as a rule, medium and heavy vehicles, designed for the transfer of personnel to assigned areas, as well as the delivery of weapons and ammunition. The transported goods can be placed both inside the helicopter and with the help of an external suspension. Machines of this type are also used for landing 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 the 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 Russian army aviation was 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 taken by multi-purpose attack helicopters Ka-52, as well as MI-28N. Currently, they are among the military vehicles that make up the basis of the power of Russian army aviation.
High combat readiness of flight units
The combat readiness of this type of troops, which manifested itself in the difficult years of the Afghan conflict, did not decrease also in the nineties, despite all the economic difficulties. The Russian Air Force helicopter crews honorably performed their duty during operations conducted in Chechnya, 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 tendency toward a widespread decrease in tension, which caused local conflicts, which often turned into military clashes. This allowed us to make efforts to reequip 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.
Operation test in Syria
A real test of combat training was the participation of Russian pilots in the large-scale anti-terrorist operation launched in Syria. Despite the fact that actions are conducted not against the regular army, but against scattered gangs, they are fraught with extreme risk and require all participants to be highly trained and coordinated.
Particular difficulty is created by a qualitatively increased level of enemy air defense equipment and difficult climatic conditions in which it is necessary to solve the assigned tasks. It was these factors that caused losses among the personnel of Russian units.
Army aviation of foreign countries
Helicopters have received a similar application in the armed forces of other large states of the world. For example, in the United States, a special Army Aviation Corps has been created, in service with which, in addition to conventional vehicles, there are also unmanned aerial vehicles. Its purpose is to conduct joint combat operations with infantry, armored and airborne formations.
According to official data published in 2007, the helicopter fleet of the American Army aviation totaled about 4,200 combat vehicles. Currently, this information is certainly outdated, but it also gives an idea of the importance that this kind of troops overseas attach to. The same can be said about the armed forces of Germany and England, where, along with multi-purpose helicopters, transport aircraft of various types are used.