What long-range aviation does the country need
Commander of the Long-Range Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash, at the end of last year, spoke about the tasks of this type of force for 2023. According to him, these tasks will be solved during the participation of Long-Range Aviation in a special military operation in Ukraine. This is the main feature of their implementation in the coming year.
As emphasized in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the main tasks for Long-Range Aviation for 2023 remain maintaining a high level of combat readiness, combat training, serviceability of aviation equipment and weapons, as well as the development of new and modernized military equipment.
Currently, Long-Range Aviation in the structure of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation is represented as a separate command of Long-Range Aviation. But it was not always so. At different periods in the history of this type of force, Long-Range Aviation (in particular, in 1988) included three air armies of the Supreme High Command for Strategic Purposes - the 30th, 37th and 46th.
Currently, long-range aviation is a component of Russia's strategic nuclear forces. But, unfortunately, the fewest.
Let's see how the combat and numerical strength, the organizational and staffing structure of Long-Range Aviation, as well as the aviation weapons that are on its equipment, meet the requirements of the time.
BATTLE AND MANNER
At present, the combat composition of Long-Range Aviation is as follows.
22nd heavy bomber division (22nd tbad, permanent base airfield - Engels, Saratov region) consisting of two regiments - 121st heavy bomber aviation regiment (121st tbap, permanent base airfield - Engels) and 184th heavy bomber aviation regiment (184th tbap, permanent base airfield - Engels). The combat strength of the 121st tbap is seven Tu-160M and nine Tu-160, the combat strength of the 184th tbap is 18 Tu-95MS.
52nd heavy bomber aviation regiment (52nd tbap, permanent base airfield - Shaykovka, Kaluga region). The combat strength of the 52nd tbap is 23 Tu-22M3 vehicles.
326th heavy bomber aviation division (326th tbad, permanent base airfield - Ukrainka, Amur region) as part of two regiments - 79th heavy bomber aviation regiment (79th tbap, permanent base airfield - Ukrainka) and 182nd heavy bomber aviation regiment (182nd tbap, permanent base airfield - Ukrainka). The combat strength of the 79th tbap is 14 Tu-95MS vehicles. The combat strength of the 182nd tbap is 16 Tu-95MS vehicles.
200th heavy bomber aviation regiment (200th tbap, permanent base airfield - Belaya, Irkutsk region). The combat strength of the 200th tbap is 15 Tu-22M3 vehicles.
444th heavy bomber aviation regiment (444th tbap, permanent base airfield - Belaya, Irkutsk region). The combat strength of the 444th tbap is 14 Tu-22M3 vehicles.
203rd separate aviation regiment of tanker aircraft (203rd OAPZ, permanent base airfield - Dyagilevo, Ryazan Region). The composition of the 203rd OAPZ is 12 Il-78M aircraft and six Il-78 aircraft.
According to some open data, in total, the Long-Range Aviation currently has 17 Tu-160 aircraft, 60 Tu-95MS aircraft, and about 60 Tu-22M3 aircraft. At the same time, it should be noted that data in open sources on the number of strategic and long-range bombers in long-range aviation are very contradictory. And how many of these aircraft are serviceable and fully ready for combat use is far from clear. For example, according to other open data, today there are only 58 serviceable vehicles in the combat composition of the DA - 30 Tu-95MS units, 16 Tu-160 units, 12 Tu-22M3 units.
Let's be honest and frank, it's quite sparse. The combat strength of many heavy bomber aviation regiments does not reach the established authorized strength - 18-20 vehicles. Naturally, in such a composition, Long-Range Aviation does not in any way pull on an operational association (the air army of the Supreme Strategic High Command). And for these reasons, it cannot conduct air operations characteristic of Long-Range Aviation.
For example, the US Air Force currently has 20 Northrop B-2A Spirit strategic bombers, 61 Rockwell B-1B Lancer strategic bombers, and 70 Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers, for a total of 151 aircraft. It is planned to replace them with about a hundred promising B-21 Raider strategic bombers.
PERSPECTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL AND STAFF STRUCTURE
In order to bring the Long-Range Aviation Command to the operational level, reorganize it into the air army of the Supreme High Command (VGK) for strategic purposes and give it the ability to conduct air operations of Long-Range Aviation, the combat strength must be increased at least several times.
Most importantly, it is advisable to do this only on the basis of modernized Tu-95MSM, Tu-160M and Tu-22M3 vehicles. And at the same time, to form at least one regiment equipped with PAK DA (a promising aviation complex for Long-Range Aviation).
In this case, the strategic air army of the Supreme High Command will be able to fully solve the following tasks using only conventional weapons:
- hit enemy aircraft at airfields, destroy its fuel and ammunition depots;
- carry out the destruction of objects of the military industry, systems of state and military administration;
- to defeat the operational and strategic reserves, as well as enemy air defense systems.
To do this, at least the following units and formations must be included in the strategic air army of the Supreme High Command:
- one heavy bomber aviation regiment on new generation strategic bombers (PAK DA);
- one heavy bomber aviation division equipped with Tu-160M strategic bombers (two regiments of 20 aircraft each, 40 vehicles in total);
- two heavy bomber aviation divisions (two regiments each, more than 80 Tu-22M3M long-range bombers in total);
- 22nd heavy bomber aviation division (with bringing the combat strength of the regiments to at least 18 vehicles);
- 326th heavy bomber aviation division (with bringing the combat strength of the regiments to 18 vehicles);
- three heavy bomber aviation regiments (52nd tbap, 200th tbap, 444th tbap) on Tu-22M3 aircraft (with the number of aircraft in each regiment brought up to the established state);
- 203rd separate aviation regiment of tanker aircraft (in addition to it, form at least three more aviation regiments of tanker aircraft (each with 20 aircraft), and in total have at least 80 Il-78 aircraft).
That is, in the future, the combat strength of Long-Range Aviation should include at least 260 combat aircraft and at least 80 tanker aircraft.
In addition, long-range aviation cannot be fully combat-ready if it does not include specialized electronic warfare aircraft. And you need to have about one such aircraft per squadron, that is, about 20–25 aircraft in total.
If such figures seem clearly unrealistic to someone, an alternative should be indicated here: either we have Long-Range Aviation with appropriate operational and strategic capabilities, or we only indicate its presence.
Of course, such a combat and numerical strength of Long-Range Aviation, at best, can be achieved - and this is with the most optimistic forecasts - no earlier than 2030. But at least such plans should be included in the corresponding plans for the development of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and in state armament programs.
AIRCRAFT WEAPONS
The range of aviation weapons for strategic and long-range bombers must be substantially increased. First of all, this concerns large-caliber free-fall aviation bombs (3-9 tons and more).
These include, for example, the three-ton FAB-3000M-54 and the five-ton FAB-5000M-54. The only carrier of the FAB-3000M-54 and FAB-5000M-54 is currently the Tu-22M3 long-range bomber.
Russia is also developing a high-powered aviation vacuum bomb (AVBPM). According to official data, the total mass of the AVBPM product exceeds 7.5–8 tons. The explosive mass of this ammunition is 7100 kg, the TNT equivalent is 44 tons.
Among other things, a significant part of the Long-Range Aviation fleet is intended only for the combat use of cruise missiles. At the same time, strategic bombers are not equipped for bombing with conventional free-fall bombs. There is reason to believe that this shortcoming of Long-Range Aviation must be decisively eliminated, and this will significantly increase its combat capabilities in a war using only conventional weapons.
First of all, it is necessary to revise upwards the means of destruction for Tu-22M3M type bombers - from guided and gliding free-fall bombs (JDAM type) to long-range cruise missiles. One Kh-32 air-to-surface cruise missile for the Tu-22M3M will obviously not be enough.
As for the number of air-launched cruise missiles for Long-Range Aviation in the arsenals, it is necessary to reach such a quantitative level that this branch of the Aerospace Forces could reach an operational-strategic result in its first air operation.
Long-range aviation has been and remains the most important component of the Aerospace Forces of the RF Armed Forces, both in terms of their tasks and their special capabilities. It seems that for its development it is necessary to make qualitatively different efforts than at present. One can only hope that the plans for the modernization of DA fully meet today's realities.
https://nvo-ng-ru.translate.goog/realty/2023-01-26/1_1222_aviation.html?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en
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