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Annex 3 · 89 and the Transport Aviation Command will stay subordinated to the high command. All the rest remains under the military districts. 320 Jane’s World Air Forces reported that: Russia’s long-range air force has had its mission changed from nuclear deterrence to conventional strike against point targets in support of counter-insurgency operations. In 2005, the division took delivery of the first examples of the new Kh-101 conventional stealthy air-launched cruise missile and augmented its fleet with a pair of upgraded Tu-160 bombers able to carry and deliver laser-guided bombs. 321 While counter-insurgency operations were mentioned as a motive for the rolechange, it is obvious that these long-range weapon systems can reach anywhere in Europe. According to its mission and tasks the Air Force’s Aviation is divided into long-range, front-line, military transport and army aviation, which in turn include bomber, attack, fighter, reconnaissance, transport and special aircraft. The core of the Air Force’s combat element is composed from air bases and brigades of the Air Defence. 322 Air Force’s divisional/regimental echelons have been supplanted by Air Base unit establishments, with the majority of these possessing three subordinate squadrons. In addition, a number of former Naval Aviation elements have been (and are still being) reassigned to the Air Force (these include Su-27 and MiG-31 interceptor units, Tu-22M medium-range bomber units and at least two major air bases in the Kaliningrad region). Many of the changes have been accomplished simply by transferring aircraft. This process of consolidation permits closure of a substantial number of airfields. 323 The 1 st Command of Air Force and Air Defence consists of the following formations: • Headquarters is located in Voronezh, and the 7000 th AFB in Voronezh is the main air base, 324 • 1 st air-space defence brigade (Severomorsk) • 2 nd air-space defence brigade (St. Petersburg) • 6961 st aviation base (Petrozavodsk) (Sukhoi Su-27) 320 Gorenburg, 2011. 321 IHS Jane’s World Air Forces, “The Engels-Based Bomber Force, Which Includes Examples of the Tu-22M 'Backfire', Tu-95MS 'Bear' and Tu-160 ‘Blackjack’”, 27.11..2012. 322 McDermott, 2012b. 323 IHS Jane’s World Air Forces, “Russia”, 27 November 2012. 324 Gavrilov, 2009.
90 · The Development of Russian Military Policy and Finland • 6964 th aviation base (Monchegorsk, Murmansk Oblast) (Sukhoi Su- 24M, Su-24MP) • 6965 th aviation base (Viaz’ma, Smolensk Oblast) (Mil Mi-8, Mi-24) • 7000 th aviation base (Voronezh) (Sukhoi Su-24M, Su-24MP, Su-34). 325 The inventory of the Russian Air Force may have included around 5000 fixed and rotary wing air craft before the military reform. 326 The number of aircraft left in the Air Force and Army Aviation after the reform, has not been disclosed. The plan was to reduce them by no less than a third. 327 A significant portion of the assets are apparently beyond repair. IISS Military Balance 2012 lists about 1 800 fixed wing aircraft and 1 000 rotary wing aircraft as combat capable. 328 The Swedish Defence Research Establishment FOI has presented even lower numbers and predicts that the number of aircraft will continue to diminish until 2020, when equipment from the Soviet era is finally phased out. 329 Selected air units of Russia’s Western military district have started preparations to return to abandoned Arctic airfields, the commander of the district’s aviation Maj. Gen. Igor Makushev said on Wednesday 30 May 2012. The military airfields in the Arctic were used extensively in the Soviet era, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 they have been generally mothballed. “We will start reopening airfields on Novaya Zemlya and in Naryan-Mar as early as this summer (2012),” Makushev told a news conference in Saint Petersburg. Plans for 2013 include the reopening of a military airfield on Graham Bell Island, which is part of Franz Josef Land. 330 These plans turn out to have been more political than based on real plans and are to be considered premature. Ex-commander of the Air Force Vladimir Mikhailov says that it is too early to talk about a base of jet fighters in the Arctic. “In the current situation we don’t need any base there. First we have to deal with all the problems on the main land, and only then, when we are “tougher”, we will move on to Novaya Zemlya”. 331 This does not, however, reverse Russia’s plans to strengthen her military means to protect its political and economic interests in the Arctic region by 325 Gorenburg, 2011c. 326 The numbers were calculated from the order of battle lists given by Jane’s, but they probably do not represent the situation as of November 2012 accurately, since detailed figures have not been disclosed after Russia stopped CFE Treaty implementation and data sharing in 2007. See IHS Jane’s World Air Forces, “Russia”. 327 Lavrov, 2011, p. 59. 328 IISS, 2012, p. 197. 329 Carlsson & Norberg, 2012, pp. 111 – 112. 330 Melnikov, 2012; IHS Jane’s World Air Forces, “Russia.” 331 Pettersen, 2013.
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIAN MILITARY
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Stefan Forss, Lauri Kiianlinna, Per
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CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i 1 INTR
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The powerful revi
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The current ground forces east and
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v Comparisons in which Finland’s
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Strategian laitos Maanpuolustuskork
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