The 6th Red Banner Leningrad Army of Air and Air Defence Forces (russian: 6-я Краснознамённая Ленинградская армия Военно-воздушных сил и противовоздушной обороны) is an Air Army of the Russian Air Force. The army was first active from 1998 to 2009, and was reformed in 2015. After the war, the

Soviet Air Defence Forces The Soviet Air Defence Forces (russian: войска ПВО, ''voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony'', ''voyska PVO'', ''V-PVO'', lit. ''Anti-Air Defence Troops''; and formerly ''protivovozdushnaya oborona strany'', ''PVO strany'', lit. ''Anti-Air De ...

' main command in the Leningrad area from 1960 was the 6th Independent Air Defence Army. As of 2020 it is the principal frontal aviation formation within the

Western Military District The Western Military District (russian: Западный военный округ, Zapadnyy voyennyy okrug) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction primari ...

of the Russian Armed Forces.

History

Origins

The army traces its lineage back to the formation of the 2nd Air Defence Corps before

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

, the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. The corps provided direct cover for the city, and the

Air Forces of the Leningrad Military District The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

had two fighter aviation divisions for air defense, which became the 7th Fighter Aviation Corps in July. In November, the 2nd Corps was reorganized into the

Leningrad Air Defence Corps Region Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, but on 5 April 1942 it became the Leningrad Air Defence Army. During the Siege of Leningrad between 1941 and 1944, the air defence formations protecting the city claimed more than 1,500 German aircraft destroyed, and covered the

Road of Life The Road of Life () was the set of ice road transport routes across Lake Ladoga to Leningrad during the Second World War. They were the only Soviet winter surface routes into the city while it was besieged by the German Army Group North under ...

across Lake Ladoga. In the fall of 1945, after the end of the war, the army was reorganized into the

16th Special Air Defence Corps 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

, which was redesignated the 16th Air Defence Corps in May 1946 and the 16th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Corps PVO in July 1947. In early 1949, the headquarters of the Leningrad Air Defence Region was formed from the corps headquarters. In August, its anti-aircraft artillery divisions conducted an exercise in which they practiced repelling a large enemy air raid. The region was an air defence region of the 2nd category, and in the spring of 1954 became 1st category, tasked with providing air defense for Leningrad and the

Leningrad Military District The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District ...

. On 1 May 1953, it included four fighter aviation divisions part of the

25th Fighter Air Defence Army Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash th ...

(the 20th, 41st, 44th, and the 50th), three anti-aircraft artillery divisions (the 25th, 29th, and the 42nd), a separate anti-aircraft artillery regiment, and seven separate anti-aircraft artillery battalions. These numbered 33,200 men, 256 fighter aircraft, 950 anti-aircraft guns (including 261 light guns), and 52 radars. In June 1954, the region was reorganized into the

Special Leningrad Air Defence Army Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

, and the 25th Fighter Army abolished with its divisions brought under the direct control of the new army. When surface-to-air missiles were introduced in the air defence forces between 1958 and 1959, four Air Defence Brigades of Special Designation were formed in the army: the 82nd, 83rd, 84th, and 86th, equipped with

S-75 Dvina The S-75 (Russian: С-75; NATO reporting name SA-2 Guideline) is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude air defence system, built around a surface-to-air missile with command guidance. Following its first deployment in 1957 it became one of the most w ...

missiles. These brigades were planned to be controlled by a coordinated missile defence system forming a ring around Leningrad, known as the System-100 Missile Zone. Additionally, the S-75s were to be bolstered by three regiments of long-range multi-target

Dal In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of pu ...

missiles (see :ru:Даль_(зенитный_ракетный_комплекс)), whose formation began in the fall of 1960. The closed military town of Khvoyny was built to house the headquarters of the system.

6th Independent Air Defence Army

In March 1960, the 6th Independent Air Defence Army (6-я отдельная армия ПВО) was formed from the Special Leningrad Air Defence Army. It controlled air defence units in

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 194 ...

, Pskov Oblast, and the

Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic The Estonian SSR,, russian: Эстонская ССР officially the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic,, russian: Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика was an ethnically based adminis ...

. Between 1961 and 1962, the aviation division headquarters were disbanded and their regiments directly subordinated to the army headquarters. The Dal missile program was cancelled in late 1962, and the SAM brigades instead equipped with the

S-125 The S-125 ''Neva/Pechora'' (russian: С-125 "Нева"/"Печора", NATO reporting name SA-3 ''Goa'') is a Soviet surface-to-air missile system that was designed by Aleksei Isaev to complement the S-25 and S-75. It has a shorter effective ra ...

and S-200 missiles. In the spring of 1967, the System-100 Zone was abolished and its units directly subordinate to the army headquarters or the 14th Air Defence Division. On 22 February 1968, the army was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of t ...

in honor of the 50th anniversary of the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

. In early 1978, the 14th Division was transferred to the

Baltic Military District The Baltic Military District () was a military district of the Soviet armed forces in the Baltic states, formed briefly before the German invasion during the World War II. After end of the war the Kaliningrad Oblast was added to the District's con ...

, and in the spring of 1980 the army was reorganized into the 18th Air Defence Corps with the transfer of its fighter units to the Air Forces of the Leningrad Military District. The army was composed of regiments of

interceptor Interceptor may refer to: Vehicles * Interceptor aircraft (or simply "interceptor"), a type of point defense fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft * Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a police car * ...

s and anti-aircraft missiles. It had two major tasks: to protect the most industrialized European part of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

against possible U.S. cruise missile attack from the north via the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

(using

Mikoyan MiG-31 The Mikoyan MiG-31 (russian: link=no, Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft that was developed for use by the Soviet Air Forces. The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a ...

interceptors), and to protect the deployment of

nuclear submarine A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines. Nuclear propulsion, ...

s stationed in the

Kola Peninsula sjd, Куэлнэгк нёа̄ррк , image_name= Kola peninsula.png , image_caption= Kola Peninsula as a part of Murmansk Oblast , image_size= 300px , image_alt= , map_image= Murmansk in Russia.svg , map_caption = Location of Murmansk Oblas ...

(using Su-27

fighters Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to: Combat and warfare * Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict * Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...

). In early 1986, the PVO returned to the organization used during the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, in April 1986, the headquarters of the army was reestablished in Leningrad at 16 Baskov Pereulok from the headquarters of the 18th Corps. The army included the

27th Air Defence Corps The 27th Air Defense Corps () was a corps of the Soviet Air Defense Forces and briefly the Russian Air Defense Forces. Formed in 1960 from the Baltic Air Defense Corps, the corps provided air defense for the Latvian and Lithuanian Soviet Sociali ...

at Riga, the new 54th Air Defence Corps with headquarters at Khvoyny, the 14th Air Defence Division at

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

, which included the 656th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO at

Tapa Airfield Tapa Airfield is an unused air base in Estonia located southwest of Tapa. During the Cold War it was home to the 656th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO (IAP PVO). For most of the time the regiment was part of the 14th Air Defence Division of the ...

in Estonia with MiG-27MLDs from 1978 and the

498th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Training Brigade 498th may refer to: *498th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *498th Nuclear Systems Wing (498 NSW), wing of the United States Air Force based at Ki ...

Opochka Opochka (russian: Опо́чка) is a town and the administrative center of Opochetsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Velikaya River, south of Pskov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: ; 9,902 (2019 estimat ...

. In turn, the 27th Corps of the PVO consisted in 1988 of the: * 54th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO (Vainode, Latvian SSR) (38 Sukhoi Su-27P / UB) * 689th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO ( Nivenskoye, Kaliningrad Oblast) (36 Sukhoi Su-27P / UB) *77th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (Ventspils, Latvian SSR) *85th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR) *158th Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (Liepaya, Latvian SSR) *169th Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (Neman, Kaliningrad Oblast) *183rd Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (Gvardeysk, Kaliningrad Oblast) *205th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (Riga, Latvian SSR) *529th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment (Ukmerge, Lithuanian SSR) *466th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment (Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR) *80th Radio-Technical Brigade (Tukums, Latvian SSR) *81st Radio-Technical Brigade (Pereslavskoye, Kaliningrad Oblast) *5th Radio-Technical Regiment (Paplaka, Latvian SSR) 54th Air Defence Corps included: * 177th Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO (

Lodeynoye Pole Lodeynoye Pole (russian: Лоде́йное По́ле, lit. ''the field of boats'') is a town and the administrative center of Lodeynopolsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Svir River (Lake Ladoga's basin) ...

, Leningrad Oblast) (38

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-23; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is a third-generati ...

MLD) *

180th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO The 180th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (180th Guards IAP) was a military unit of the Red Army Air Force, which took part in the fighting of the Great Patriotic War, and then became part of the Russian Air Defence Forces and finally the Russian ...

at Gromovo-Sakkola, Leningrad Oblast) (31

) *

82nd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade The 82nd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (; Military Unit Number 03214) was a surface-to-air missile brigade of the Soviet Air Defence Forces, Soviet Air Defense Forces and briefly the Russian Air Defence Forces, Russian Air Defense Forces. Active ...

(Lomonosov, Leningrad Oblast) * 83rd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (Zelenogorsk, Leningrad Oblast) * 84th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (Vaganovo, Leningrad Oblast) * 86th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (Tosno-2, Leningrad Oblast) *

204th Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

(Kerstovo, Leningrad Oblast) * 169th Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment (Kornevo, Leningrad Oblast) *

219th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment The 219th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment (; Military Unit Number 06534) was a surface-to-air missile regiment of the Soviet Air Defense Forces during the Cold War and briefly the Russian Air Defense Forces. Active from 1963, the regiment provide ...

( Pervomayskoye-1) *

341st Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment The 341st Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment (; Military Unit Number 25885) was a surface-to-air missile regiment of the Soviet Air Defense Forces during the Cold War which briefly became part of the Russian Air Defense Forces. Active from 1963, the ...

( Lopukhinka-2) *

555th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment The 555th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment (; Military Unit Number 30147) was a surface-to-air missile regiment of the Soviet Air Defense Forces during the Cold War which briefly became part of the Russian Air Defense Forces. Active from 1960, the ...

( Ostrov-2) *

967th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment The 967th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment (; Military Unit Number 22222) was a surface-to-air missile regiment of the Soviet Air Defense Forces during the Cold War which briefly became part of the Russian Air Defense Forces. It traced its lineage ...

(

Tikhvin Tikhvin (russian: Ти́хвин; Veps: ) is a town and the administrative center of Tikhvinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on both banks of the Tikhvinka River in the east of the oblast, east of St. Petersburg. Tikhvin ...

) * 46th Radio-Technical Brigade (Khvoyny)

Russian Air Force

The Army was reformed within the Russian Air Force on June 1, 1998, from the

76th Air Army The 76th Air Army was a unit of the Soviet Air Forces from 1949–1980, and again from 1988–98. As the 13th Air Army, it was originally formed on 25 November 1942 and based on air units of the Leningrad Front. 13th Air Army's initial components ...

of the VVS and the 6th Independent Air Defence Army, both headquartered in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. Its new title was the 6th Army of Air Forces and Air Defence. The 6th Army had responsibility for the

. General Lieutenant Gennadiy A. Torbov was appointed commander of the army by a presidential decree of 6 April 2000. He replaced Lt-Gen Anatoliy Basov, who retired due to age. Its commanding officer was General Lieutenant Vladimir Sviridov from June 2005 until at least 2007. Economic stringency and the reduction of the threat led to drastic cuts in the formation, as previously the 6th and 10th Independent Air Defence Armies, which covered the area, had twelve fighter regiments between them. 10th Independent Air Defence Army appears to have disbanded on 1 December 1994. The 518th Fighter Aviation Regiment at

Talagi Airport Talagi Airport ( Russian: Аэропорт Архангельск (Тала́ги) имени Ф.А. Абрамова) is an international airport serving Arkhangelsk, Russia, located 11 kilometers outside the city. In 2001 it had 105,797 passe ...

disbanded in 1998. The 174th and

470th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment The 470th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (470 GIAP) was a regiment of the Russian Air Force. It drew much of its traditions and history from the previous 169th Fighter Aviation Regiment and the 63rd Guards Vilensky Order of Kutuzov Fighter Aviati ...

s, at

Monchegorsk Monchegorsk (russian: Мончего́рск) is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula, south of Murmansk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 52,242 ( 2002 Census); 68,652 ( 1989 Census). Name Th ...

and

Afrikanda air base Afrikanda is a military air base in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located just north of the village of the same name. Though it is built for fighter operations with 30 revetments, it has largely served the interceptor aircraft role. Western i ...

, both disbanded on September 1, 2001. There was also formerly the 72nd Fighter Regiment at

Amderma Amderma (russian: Амдерма, lit. ''a walrus rookery'' in Nenets) is a rural locality (a settlement) in Zapolyarny District of Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the coast of Kara Sea, near the Vaygach Island, from Naryan-Mar, t ...

and the 641st Fighter Aviation Regiment at Rogachevo ( Sukhoi Su-27s). On 13 September 2005, the army was awarded the honorific Leningrad in honor of the actions of its predecessor units in the Siege of Leningrad. From 2001 to 2009, the Kilpyavr airfield was home to the 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, created on the basis of 941st Fighter Aviation Regiment, which had received all the regalia of the 470th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. In 2009, 9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment was transferred from Karelia to the Besovets airbase, where it was merged with the 159th and 177th Fighter Regiment airfields Besovets and Lodeynoye Pole, respectively. In 2009 the army was disestablished and reorganised as the 1st Air and Air Defence Forces Command. Major General Alexander Duplinsky took command in February 2014; he was promoted to lieutenant general in February 2016. On 1 August 2015 the army was reformed from the 1st Air and Air Defence Forces Command as the 6th Leningrad Air and Air Defence Forces Army. By a

Decree of the President of Russia A Decree of the President of the Russian Federation (russian: Указ Президента Российской Федерации; ''Ukaz Prezidenta Rossiyskoy Federatsii'') or Executive Order (Decree) of the President of Russia is a legal act ( ...

dated

September 13 Events Pre-1600 * 585 BC – Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victories over the Sabines, and the surrender of Collatia. * 509 BC – The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on Rome's Capitoline Hi ...

, 2005, for mass heroism and courage, fortitude and courage shown by the personnel of the army during the Great Patriotic War to protect the skies of Leningrad, and given its merits in peacetime, the army was given the honorary name "Leningrad".

Structure 2007

*Headquarters, 6th Army of Air Forces and Air Defence -

** 21st Air Defence Corps -

Severomorsk Severomorsk (russian: Северомо́рск), known as Vayenga () until April 18, 1951, is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Severomorsk is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. The town is located on the coast o ...

***9th Guards Vilnius Fighter Aviation Regiment - HQ at Kilp-Yavr (Poliarnyi) - Su-27; (see :ru:Гвардейский Виленский ордена Кутузова III степени истребительный авиационный полк). Formed 18 March 1943 as 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. ***458th Fighter Aviation Regiment - HQ at Savatiya (Kotlas) -

MiG-25 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-25; NATO reporting name: Foxbat) is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that is among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by th ...

U, MiG-31; *** 531st Nevel-Berlin Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment *** 1528th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment —

Severodvinsk Severodvinsk ( rus, Северодвинск, p=sʲɪvʲɪrɐdˈvʲinsk) is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina, west of Arkhangelsk, the administrative center of the oblast. As of the ...

*** 583rd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment —

Olenegorsk, Murmansk Oblast Olenegorsk (russian: Оленего́рск, lit. ''reindeer mountain'') is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located north of the Arctic Circle, south of Murmansk. Population: 25,166 ( 2002 Census); History The railway station of Olenya ...

*** 145th Radiotechnical Brigade —

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near ...

*** 5th Radiotechnical Brigade — Dalny Zelentsy,

** 54th Air Defence Corps - HQ at Taytsy ***177th Fighter Aviation Regiment - HQ at Lodeynoye Pole (air base) - Su-27; ***

159th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment The 159th Guards Fighter Aviation Novorossiysk Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Regiment (159th Guards IAP) (Military Unit Number 52906) was a military unit of the Red Army Air Force, which participated in the Second World War. Today it is a regim ...

- HQ at

Besovets Airport Petrozavodsk Airport (russian: Аэропорт Петрозаводск, krl, Petroskoin lendoazema, fi, Petroskoin lentoasema; ; ex: Besovets, Petrozavodsk-2) is a joint civil-military airport in Russia located northwest of Petrozavodsk in ...

- Su-27; ***196th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment ***?th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Regiment ** 149th Composite Aviation Division ***67th Bomber Aviation Regiment - HQ at

Siverskiy Siversky (russian: Си́верский) is an types of inhabited localities in Russia, urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Gatchinsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, on the bank of the Oredezh River. Its population was The banks ...

-2 -

Su-24 The Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, twin-engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for its crew of two. It was ...

; ***722nd Bomber Aviation Regiment - HQ at

Smuravyevo Smuravyevo (Russian: Смуравьёво) (also Gdov or Smurav'yevo) is a former airbase of the Russian Air Force and former closed city in Pskov Oblast, Russia. Location This medium-sized base is located 14 km northeast of Gdov, 63 km ...

(Gdov) - Su-24; **98th Guards Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment - HQ at

Monchegorsk (air base) Monchegorsk Air Base is a military air base in Murmansk Oblast, Russia located 13 km northeast of Monchegorsk and 11 miles southwest of Olenya (air base). Work on the air base began in the early 1950s, and by 1957 it was identified on Amer ...

- MiG-25RB/U, Su-24MR; **87th Aviation Base - HQ at Levashevo -

An-12 The Antonov An-12 ( Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has many variants. For more than th ...

An-26 The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.Gordon, Yefim. Komissarov, Dmitry & Sergey. "Antonov's Turboprop Twin ...

Mi-8 The Mil Mi-8 (russian: Ми-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. It is now produced by Russia. In addition t ...

Tu-134 The Tupolev Tu-134 (NATO reporting name: Crusty) is a twin-engined, narrow-body jet airliner built in the Soviet Union for short and medium-haul routes from 1966 to 1989. The original version featured a glazed-nose design and, like certain ot ...

; (ex 138th Independent Composite Air Regiment) **Army Aviation Component ***147th Independent Helicopter Squadron of Electronic Warfare - HQ at Pushkin - Mi-8PPA; ***332nd Independent Helicopter Regiment for Battle Control - HQ at Pribylovo - Mi-8, Mi-24; ***85th Independent Helicopter Squadron - HQ at Alakurtti - Mi-8, Mi-24. * 1080th Mixed Aviation Base (смешанная авиационная база) — Gromovo,

Priozersky District Priozersky District (russian: Приозерский район) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #50-oz district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and bor ...

An-72 The Antonov An-72 (NATO reporting name: Coaler) is a Soviet/Ukrainian transport aircraft, developed by Antonov. It was designed as an STOL transport and intended as a replacement for the Antonov An-26, but variants have found success as commer ...

An-30 The Antonov An-30 (NATO reporting name: Clank), is a development of the An-24 designed for aerial cartography. Development The first aerial survey version of the Antonov An-24 was designed by the Beriev OKB and designated An-24FK. The FK sto ...

, * 714th Base for Reserve Helicopters — Kasimovo —

, Mi-24 * 396th Centre for Special and Physical Preparations — St Petersburg

Structure 1st Air and Air Defence Forces Command 2009-2015

* 1st Air and Space Defence Brigade (with

S-300PM The S-300 (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) is a series of long range surface-to-air missile systems developed and operated by the former Soviet Union, now fielded by the militaries of Russia and Ukraine as well as several other former Easte ...

, S-300PS) —

* 2nd Air and Space Defence Brigade (with S-300PM) — Khvoyny * 6961st Air Base ( Su-27, Su-27UB) — Besovets (Бесовец) * 6964th Guards Vistula Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Air Base (with

M, Su-24MP)—

(Мончегорск) * 6965th Air Base (with

, Mi-24) —

Vyazma Vyazma (russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast, and Mozhaysk. Thr ...

(Вязьма) * 7000th Guards Borisov-Pomerania Twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov Air Base (with SU-24M, Su-24MP,

Su-34 The Sukhoi Su-34 (russian: Сухой Су-34; NATO reporting name: Fullback) is a Soviet-origin Russian twin-engine, twin-seat, all-weather supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber/ strike aircraft. It first flew in 1990, intended for the Sovi ...

) —

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on ...

The 1st Air and Air Defence Forces Command was only active from 2009 to 2015.

Structure: 2019/2020

6th Air and Air Defence Forces Army HQ (St.Petersburg): * 105th Guards Composite Aviation Division (Voronezh) **

( Petrozavodsk Airport, Karelia) (Two Squadrons: Su-35S) ** 790th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Khotilovo) (Two Squadrons:

MiG-31 The Mikoyan MiG-31 (russian: link=no, Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft that was developed for use by the Soviet Air Forces. The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a ...

; One Squadron: Su-35) ** 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (Kursk) (Two Squadrons:

Su-30 The Sukhoi Su-30 (russian: Сухой Су-30; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter ...

SM) ** 47th Composite Aviation Regiment (Voronezh) (Two Squadrons:

) ** 4th Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron (Shatalovo) (

MR) * Naval Aviation (drawn from 132nd Mixed Aviation Division - Kaliningrad) ** 689th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (Two Squadrons: Sukhoi Su-27P - planned to re-equip with the Su-35) ** 4th Independent Naval Attack Aviation Regiment (One Squadron:

SM; One Squadron: Su-24M) * 2nd Air Defence Division (St. Petersburg region) ** 1488th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment ( Zelenogorsk -

S-400 The S-400 Triumf (russian: link=no, C-400 Триумф – Triumf; translation: Triumph; NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler), previously known as the S-300 PMU-3, is a mobile, surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed in the 1990s by Russ ...

SAM system) ** 1489th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment ( Vaganovo - S-400/

Pantsir The Pantsir (russian: Панцирь, translation="Carapace") missile system is a family of self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery systems. Starting with the Pantsir-S1 (russian: Панцирь-С1, NAT ...

SAM systems) ** 1490th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment ( Ulyanovka - S-400 SAMs) ** 500th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (

Gostilitsy Gostilitsy (russian: Гости́лицы) is a village and the administrative center of Gostilitskoye Rural Settlement in Lomonosovsky District, Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located several kilometers west of the town of Petergof. Gostilitsy is no ...

- S-400/Pantsir SAMs) ** 1544th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (

Vladimirsky Lager Vladimirsky Lager (russian: Влади́мирский Ла́герь) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, rural locality (''mestechko'') in Strugo-Krasnensky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia. Administratively, it is subordinated to the ...

- S-400 SAMs) * 32nd Air Defence Division ** 42nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Izhitsy - S-300PM2 surface-to-air missile system) ** 108th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (

- S-300PM2 SAMs) * 44th Air Defence Division of the Baltic Fleet (

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...

region) ** 183rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (

Gvardeysk Gvardeysk ( rus, Гварде́йск, p=ɡvɐrˈdʲejsk, a=RU-Gvardejsk.ogg), known prior to 1946 by its German name ( lt, Tepliava; pl, Tapiawa/Tapiewo), is a town and the administrative center of Gvardeysky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, R ...

- S-400/S-300/Pantsir SAMs) ** 1545th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Kruglovo - S-400 SAMs) Also seemingly part of the army are the 15th Brigade of Army Aviation at the former

Russian Naval Aviation The Russian Naval Aviation ( rus, Авиация Военно-морского флота России, r=Aviatsiya Voenno-morskovo Flota Rossii) is the air arm of the Russian Navy, a successor of Soviet Naval Aviation. The Russian Navy is divid ...

base at Ostrov, the 332nd Independent Guards Helicopter Regiment (332-й отдельный гвардейский вертолётный полк, V/Ch 12633 (Pushkin, St Petersburg, with 12

Mil Mi-28 The Mil Mi-28 ( NATO reporting name "Havoc") is a Russian all-weather, day-night, military tandem, two-seat anti-armor attack helicopter. It is an attack helicopter with no intended secondary transport capability, better optimized than the Mi ...

N, 10

Mil Mi-35M The Soviet and later Russian Mil Mi-24 helicopter has been produced in many variants, as described below. History In 1966, Soviet aircraft designer Mikhail Mil created a mock-up design of a new helicopter (derived from the Mil Mi-8) which was m ...

, and 12 Mil Мi-8MТV); and the 440th Independent Helicopter Regiment. The 52nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (at

Shaykovka Shaykovka (russian: Шайковка; State airfields index: ЬУБЙ), also given variously as Kirov Shaykovka, Anisovo Gorod, Anisovo Gorodishche, Shaykovo, Shajkovka, Gorodische, Chaikovka, is an airbase of the Russian Air Force in Kaluga Oblas ...

air base equipped with

Tupolev Tu-22M The Tupolev Tu-22M (russian: Туполев Ту-22М; NATO reporting name: Backfire) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1960s. According to some ...

3 "Backfire" bombers) is also based within the boundaries of the Western Military District but is subordinate to the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of Russian Long Range Aviation.

Notes

Air Forces Monthly ''Air Forces Monthly'' is a military aviation magazine published by Key Publishing, and based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. It was established in 1988. It provides news and analysis on military aviation, technology and related topics ...

, July & August 2007 issues. *