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Russian Aerospace Forces
Воздушно-космические силы
Emblem of the Russian Aerospace Forces
Founded	1 August 2015; 9 years ago (2015-08-01)
Country	Russia
Type	Air and space force
Role	Aerial warfare Space warfare Missile defense
Size	165,000 personnel (2020)
Part of	Russian Armed Forces
Headquarters	Arbat District, Moscow
Colors	Light Blue   Dark Blue   Gold   Silver
March	"Air March" (Russian: "Авиамарш") (official march-past of the Air Force) "14 Minutes Until Launch" (Russian: "14 минут до старта") (official march of the Space Forces)
Anniversaries	Air Force Day (12 August)
Engagements	Intervention in the Syrian Civil War 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Website	Official website
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces	Colonel General Viktor Afzalov
First Deputy Commander-in-Chief	Lieutenant General Aleksandr Maksimtsev
Insignia
Flag
Roundel
Patch
Middle emblem
Insignia

Russian Armed Forces
Ministry of Defence
Staff
General Staff of the Armed Forces
Services (vid)
Russian Ground Forces Russian Aerospace Forces Russian Navy
Independent troops (rod)
Strategic Rocket Forces Russian Airborne Forces
Special operations force (sof)
Special Operations Forces
Other troops
Logistical Support
Military districts
Leningrad Military District Moscow Military District Southern Military District Central Military District Eastern Military District
History of the Russian military
Military history of Russia History of Russian military ranks Military ranks of the Soviet Union
v t e

The Russian Aerospace Forces (Russian: VKS) or Russian Air and Space Forces comprise the aerial, space warfare, and missile defence branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It was established on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force (VVS) and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces (VVKO), as recommended by the Ministry of Defence to improve efficiency and logistical support. The VKS is headquartered in Moscow.

Organisation

Branches

With the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces, the Russian Aerospace Forces is a unified command consisting of the following branches:

• Air Force
• Air and Missile Defense Forces
• Space Forces

Leadership

Order of Battle

The Aerospace Forces are organised in air armies.

Air Forces High Command (Главное командование ВВС) (Moscow)

• Units directly subordinated to the High Command (Части центрального подчинения ВВС)
• operationally subordinated to the High Command:
  • Military Transport Aviation Command (Командование военно-транспортной авиации) (Moscow)
  • Long-Range Aviation Command (Командование дальней авиации) (Moscow)
• operationally subordinated to the Western Military District:
  • 6th Leningrad Red Banner Army of Air Forces and Air Defence (6-я Ленинградская Краснознамённая армия ВВС и ПВО) (Saint Petersburg)
• operationally subordinated to the Southern Military District:
  • 4th Red Banner Army of Air Forces and Air Defence (4-я Краснознамённая армия ВВС и ПВО) (Rostov-on-Don)
• operationally subordinated to the Central Military District:
  • 14th Red Banner Army of Air Forces and Air Defence (14-я Краснознамённая армия ВВС и ПВО) (Yekaterinburg)
• operationally subordinated to the Eastern Military District:
  • 11th Red Banner Army of Air Forces and Air Defence (11-я Краснознамённая армия ВВС и ПВО) (Khabarovsk)
• operationally subordinated to the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command:
  • 45th Air and Air Defence Forces Army (45-я Армия ВВС и ПВО) (Severomorsk-2) - uniquely the aviation units of the 45th Army belong administratively to the Naval Aviation and the ground-based missile air defence units belong to the Air Forces air defence branch.

Air Defence and Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence Forces Command (Командование войск ПВО-ПРО) (Moscow)

• 1st Order of Lenin Air and AntiRocket Defence Army (Special Purpose) (1-я ордена Ленина армия противовоздушной и противоракетной обороны (особого назначения)) (Balashikha, Moscow Oblast) - air cover of the Moscow area.
  • 4th Air Defence Division "Hero of the Soviet Union Lt.-Gen. B. P. Kirpikov" (4-я дивизия ПВО имени Героя Советского Союза генерал-лейтенанта Б.П. Кирпикова) (Dolgoprudny, Moscow Oblast) (armed with the S-300PM/PS and the S-400 missile systems)
  • 5th Air Defence Division (5-я дивизия ПВО) (Petrovskoe, Moscow Oblast) (armed with the S-300PM and the S-400 missile systems)
  • 9th Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence Division (9-я дивизия ПРО) (Sofrino, Moscow Oblast) (armed with the A-135 anti-ballistic missile system)

Space Forces Command (Командование космических войск) (Krasnoznamensk, Moscow Oblast)

• 15th Aerospace Forces Army (Special Purpose) (15-я армия Воздушно-космических сил (особого назначения)) (Krasnoznamensk)
• 1st State Test Cosmodrome of the Russian Federation Ministry of Defence "Plesetsk" (1-й Государственный испытательный космодром Министерства обороны Российской Федерации «Плесецк»)
• Space Forces Arsenal (Арсенал космических войск) (Znamenka-1 village, Tambov Oblast)

Ranks and rank insignia

Officer ranks

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Russian Aerospace Forces v t e
			Генера́л а́рмии Generál ármii		Генера́л-полко́вник Generál-polkóvnik		Генера́л-лейтена́нт Generál-leytenánt		Генера́л-майо́р Generál-mayór		Полко́вник Polkóvnik		Подполко́вник Podpolkóvnik		Майо́р Majór		Kапита́н Kapitán		Старший лейтена́нт Stárshiy leytenánt		Лейтенант Leytenant		Mла́дший лейтена́нт Mládshiy leytenánt

Other ranks

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Russian Aerospace Forces v t e
	Ста́рший пра́порщик Stárshiy práporshchik			Пра́порщик Práporshchyk			Старшина́ Starshyná		Ста́рший сержа́нт Stárshiy serzhánt		Сержа́нт Serzhánt						Мла́дший сержа́нт Mládshiy serzhánt						Ефре́йтор Efréĭtor				Рядово́й Ryadovóy

See also

• Russian Naval Aviation
• Strategic Missile Forces
• United States Department of the Air Force
  • United States Air Force
  • United States Space Force

Notes

1. Russian: Воздушно-космические силы, ВКС, romanized: Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily, VKS

References

1. "Russian Armed Forces: Military Modernization and Reforms" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. 20 July 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
2. "Russia establishes Aerospace Forces as new armed service — Defense Minister". Archived from the original on 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
3. "6 Dead in Fire at Russian Aerospace Defense Research Institute – State Media". The Moscow Times. 21 April 2022.
4. Compare: Russia establishes Aerospace Forces as new armed service — Defense Minister Archived 2016-05-13 at the Wayback Machine, tass.ru, 3 August 2015. - "'The formation of the Aerospace Forces by combining the Air Force and the Aerospace Defense Force is the optimal option for improving the system of the country's aerospace defense,' Shoigu said. 'Now the single command unites aviation, air defense and anti-missile defense troops, space forces and means of the armed forces' ."
5. Шойгу объявил о создании нового вида ВС - Воздушно-космических сил Archived 2015-08-05 at the Wayback Machine, ria.ru/defense, 3 August 2015
6. ^ Russia creates new Aerospace Force service branch Archived 2015-12-27 at the Wayback Machine, janes.com, 4 August 2015
7. "Воздушно-космические силы". structure.mil.ru. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
8. "Демин Андрей Геннадьевич". structure.mil.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-07-26.
9. ^ "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 11 марта 2010 года № 293 "О военной форме одежды, знаках различия военнослужащих и ведомственных знаках отличия"". rg.ru (in Russian). Российской газеты. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2021.

External links

• Russian Aerospace Forces official site (English)

v t e Leadership of the Russian Aerospace Forces
Commanders-in-Chief	Viktor Bondarev Pavel Kurachenko Sergey Surovikin Viktor Afzalov
Chiefs of the Main Staff and First Deputy Commanders-in-Chief	Pavel Kurachenko Viktor Afzalov Aleksandr Maksimtsev

• Russian Aerospace Forces
• 2015 establishments in Russia
• Military units and formations established in 2015
• Military of Russia
• Russian military aviation
• Space units and formations