The Russian Aerospace Defence Forces (VVKO)
( rus, Войска воздушно-космической обороны (ВВКО), Voyska vozdushno-kosmicheskoy oborony (VVKO))
was a branch of the
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...
responsible for aerospace defence, and the operation of Russian military
satellites and the
Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Plesetsk Cosmodrome ( rus, Космодром «Плесецк», r=Kosmodrom "Plesetsk", p=kəsmɐˈdrom plʲɪˈsʲet͡sk) is a Russian spaceport located in Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and approximately 200&n ...
. It was established on 1 December 2011 and replaced the
Russian Space Forces
The Russian Space Forces ( rus, Космические войска России, Kosmicheskie voyska Rossii, KV) are a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, that provides aerospace warning, air and space sovereignty, and other related protect ...
.
The Aerospace Defence Forces was first commanded by former Space Forces commander
Colonel General
Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...
Oleg Ostapenko
Oleg Nikolayevich Ostapenko ( rus, Олег Николаевич Остапенко, uk, Олег Миколайович Остапенко, born 3 May 1957) is the former director of Roscosmos, the federal space agency, retired Colonel General ...
, who was promoted to Deputy Minister of Defence in November 2012.
In December 2012,
Aleksandr Golovko
Aleksandr Valentinovich Golovko ( rus, Александр Валентинович Головко, uk, Олександр Валентинович Головко; born 29 January 1964) is a Russian colonel general in the Russian military and c ...
was appointed the new commander.
Although it is officially translated as
aerospace
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...
in English,
it covers both attacks from the air and from (outer) space, and some Russian writers translate it as "air and space" instead.
On 1 August 2015, the
Russian Air Force
" Air March"
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 12 August
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles =
, decorations =
, bat ...
and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces were merged to form the
Russian Aerospace Forces
The Russian Aerospace Forces or Russian Air and Space Forces ( rus, Воздушно-космические силы, r=Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily) or VKS ( rus, ВКС}) comprise the air and space branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Fe ...
.
The Russian Aerospace Defence Forces duties for space defense are now with the
Russian Space Forces
The Russian Space Forces ( rus, Космические войска России, Kosmicheskie voyska Rossii, KV) are a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, that provides aerospace warning, air and space sovereignty, and other related protect ...
under the umbrella of the new Russian Aerospace Forces. The RADF today only provides air defense responsibilities.
History
The Aerospace Defence Forces trace their heritage to the Space Operations Section, Strategic Operations Branch of the Supreme High Command Reserve Artillery, formed in 1955, and transformed into the Space Services Central Administration of the
Strategic Missile Forces
The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF; russian: Ракетные войска стратегического назначения Российской Фед ...
in 1964 (and later the Chief Space Operations Directoriate in 1972).
In 1967 the Anti-Missile and Space Defence Forces were formed ( rus, войска противоракетной и противокосмической обороны
РО и ПКОVoyska Protivoraketnoy i Protivokosmicheskoy Oborony
RO i PKO}) under Artillery Lieutenant General Yu. Votintsev.
They were reorganised as the Ministry of Defence Space Service Units in 1982, and were expanded to include the Chief Space Operations Directorate in 1986.
In 1991 the Soviet Union was broken up. The
Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...
were established on 7 May 1992, enabling the creation of Russian Space Forces later that year on 10 August. They were merged with the Strategic Missile Troops in 1996, but were reformed in 2001.
In 2006
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
agreed with the idea of a new "Air and Space Defence Concept" from 2016, but without the implication that it would be a separate service. In 2008
Aleksandr Zelin
Alexander Nikolayevich Zelin (russian: Александр Николаевич Зелин; born 6 May 1953) served as Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force from 9 May 2007 until 27 April 2012. Zelin holds the Air Force rank of colonel-ge ...
argued that the missile defence and space defence forces should be merged into the
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
.
On 30 November 2010 President
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
said that air and space defence services would be under a single strategic command and the
General Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
and
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
had decided it would be on the basis of the
Space Forces
A space force is a military branch of a nation's armed forces that conducts military operations in outer space and space warfare. The world's first space force was the Russian Space Forces, established in 1992 as an independent military service. ...
. In April 2011 the then Space Forces commander Oleg Ostapenko said that concept for the future system had been approved. The service was created by the presidential decree "On changes to the composition of the Russian Armed Forces until January 1, 2016" which has not been published.
Thus, on 1 December 2011, the Space Forces became the Aerospace Defence Forces, fusing all space and some air defence components into one joint service. On 1 August 2015, the ADF was merged with the Russian Air Force to form the
Russian Aerospace Forces
The Russian Aerospace Forces or Russian Air and Space Forces ( rus, Воздушно-космические силы, r=Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily) or VKS ( rus, ВКС}) comprise the air and space branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Fe ...
, by orders of the President of Russia
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
, and upon the recommendation of the Minister of Defense
Sergei Shoigu
Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, ; tyv, Сергей Күжүгет оглу Шойгу, translit=Sergey Kyzhyget oglu Shoygu, . (russian: Сергей Кужугетович Шойгу; born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician who has served as ...
. It is today a service speciality corps within the Aerospace Forces with responsibility for the aerospace defense of Russian territory.
Organisation
![Voronezh-m-radar-lekhtusi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Voronezh-m-radar-lekhtusi.jpg)
Until 12 August 2015 the Aerospace Defence Forces was organized into 2 commands: the Air and Space Defence Command; and the Space Command. The structure was as follows:
*
Space Command
A space command is a military organization with responsibility for space operations and warfare. A space command is typically a joint organization or organized within a larger military branch and is distinct from a fully independent space force. ...
( rus, Космическое командование (KK)):
**153rd
Main Trial Centre for Testing and Control of Space Means named after G.S. Titov at
Krasnoznamensk Krasnoznamensk (russian: Краснознаменск) is the name of several types of inhabited localities in Russia, urban localities in Russia:
*Krasnoznamensk, Kaliningrad Oblast, a town in Krasnoznamensky District of Kaliningrad Oblast
*Krasnoz ...
( rus, Главный испытательный центр испытаний и управления космическими средствами имени Германа Титова)
**820th
Main Centre for Missile Attack Warning
The 820th Main Centre for Missile Attack Warning ( rus, Главный центр предупреждения о ракетном нападении (Гцпрн), GTsPRN) is the Russian early warning network against ballistic missile attack. It ...
(SPRN) ( rus, центр предупреждения о ракетном нападении (цпрн)) in
Solnechnogorsk
Solnechnogorsk (russian: Солнечного́рск, lit. ''sunny mountain town'') is a town and the administrative center of Solnechnogorsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Moscow–St. Petersburg Highway and the Moscow ...
**821st
Main Space Surveillance Centre
The 821st Main Centre for Reconnaissance of Situation in Space ( rus, Главный центр разведки космической обстановки, GTsRKO) is the headquarters of the Russian military's space surveillance network, SKKP. ...
(SKKP) ( rus, центр контроля космического пространства (цккп)) in
Noginsk
Noginsk (russian: Ноги́нск) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Noginsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located east of the Moscow Ring Road on the Klyazma River. Population:
History
Fo ...
-9, Moscow Oblast.
***
Dunay-3U radar
***
Krona space object recognition station
Krona space object recognition station ( rus, Радиооптический комплекс распознавания космических объектов «Крона», Radiooptichesky Kompleks raspoznavaniya kosmicheskikh obektov "Krona ...
,
Zelenchukskaya
Zelenchukskaya (russian: Зеленчу́кская; krc, Зеленчук, ''Zelençuk'') is a rural locality (a ''stanitsa'') and the administrative center of Zelenchuksky District of the Karachay–Cherkess Republic, Russia,Appendix to Law ...
, Karachay-Cherkessia
***
Krona-N
Krona-N ( rus, Радиолокационный комплекс "Крона-Н", Radiolokatsionny kompleks Krona-N) is a Russian military complex which uses radar to analyse satellites and other spacecraft. It is located in Nakhodka in the Russia ...
, Nakhodka, Primorsky Krai
***
Moment space surveillance complex
Moment ( rus, Момент, from la, momentum, meaning in en, short time) is a Russian military space surveillance complex. It is used to monitor radio emissions from space craft and satellites, a form of electronic intelligence gathering. It ...
, movable
***
Okno
Okno ( rus, Окно meaning window) is a Russian space surveillance station located in Nurak in Tajikistan. It is run by the Russian Space Forces and is part of the Centre for Outer Space Monitoring. It is located above sea level in the Sanglok ...
, Tajikistan
***
Okno-S, Primorsky Krai
*Air and Space Defence Command ( rus, Командование противовоздушной и противоракетной обороны (К ПВО И ПРО)):
**9th Missile Defence Division (
A-135 anti-ballistic missile system
The A-135 (renamed to A-235) (NATO: ABM-4 Gorgon) is a Russian anti-ballistic missile system deployed around Moscow to intercept incoming warheads targeting the city or its surrounding areas. The system was designed in the Soviet Union and entere ...
) in
Pushkino
**4th Missile Defence Brigade in
Dolgoprudny
Dolgoprudny (russian: Долгопру́дный, ) is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located about north of Moscow city center. The town's name is derived from Russian "" (''dolgy prud'', lit. "long pond")—a long and narrow pond situated in t ...
**5th Missile Defence Brigade in
Vidnoye
Vidnoye ( rus, Ви́дное, p=ˈvʲidnəɪ) is a city and the administrative center of Leninsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located south of Moscow city limits. Population:
History
Rastorguyevo summer cottage community was est ...
**6th Missile Defence Brigade in
Rzhev
Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa (town), Tver Oblast, Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It ...
*
State Testing Plesetsk Cosmodrome ( rus, Государственный испытательный космодром «Плесецк» (ГИК «Плесецк»))
**
Kura Test Range
Kura Missile Test Range ( rus, Ракетный полигон Кура́), originally known as ''Kama'', is a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile impact area located in northern Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Far East. It is the destinatio ...
In early March 2014, spokesman of the forces said the aerospace defences would include a space -and ground-based intelligence- gathering and missile early warning network, an air and space defence command, a VKO command-and-control structure, and a logistics support branch. Deputy Defence Minister Yury Borisov said on that month that the military would invest 2 trillion rubles ($55.3 billion) in building up its aerospace defence weapons over the next six years to ensure they are capable of thwarting existing and future types of air and space attacks.
''The Aerospace Defence Forces had locations across Russia and bases in some
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
countries such as
early warning radar
An early-warning radar is any radar system used primarily for the long-range detection of its targets, i.e., allowing defences to be alerted as ''early'' as possible before the intruder reaches its target, giving the air defences the maximum t ...
s in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
(until December 2012),
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
and
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
, and the
Okno
Okno ( rus, Окно meaning window) is a Russian space surveillance station located in Nurak in Tajikistan. It is run by the Russian Space Forces and is part of the Centre for Outer Space Monitoring. It is located above sea level in the Sanglok ...
facility in
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
. For a more detailed list of air bases now used by the
Russian Aerospace Forces
The Russian Aerospace Forces or Russian Air and Space Forces ( rus, Воздушно-космические силы, r=Vozdushno-kosmicheskiye sily) or VKS ( rus, ВКС}) comprise the air and space branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Fe ...
, see
List of Soviet Air Force bases
This List of Soviet Air Force bases shows the state of the Soviet Air Force and Russian Air Force during the last decade of the Cold War to the mid-1990s. Dates shown indicate years during which units and aircraft were known to be at that airb ...
''
Facilities
Until 2015 the VKO operated the following facilities for aerospace defence operations, with the merger of the Air Force it also now handles the operations of Russia's hundreds of air defense bases and air defense units as well.
Early warning of missile attack:
:
Voronezh radar
Voronezh radars (russian: РЛС Воронеж) are the current generation of Russian early-warning radar, providing long distance monitoring of airspace against ballistic missile attack and aircraft monitoring. The first radar, in Lekhtusi ne ...
at
Lekhtusi,
Armavir,
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 ...
,
Mileshevka,
Yeniseysk
Yeniseysk ( rus, Енисейск, p=jɪnʲɪˈsʲejsk) is a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. Population: 20,000 (1970).
History
Yeniseysk was founded in 1619 as a stockaded town—the first town on the Yenisei ...
,
Barnaul
Barnaul ( rus, Барнау́л, p=bərnɐˈul) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative centre of Altai Krai, Russia, located at the confluence of the Barnaulka and Ob Rivers in the West Siberian Plain. As ...
:
Daryal radar
The Daryal-type radar () (NATO: Pechora) is a Soviet bistatic early-warning radar. It consists of two separate large active phased-array antennas separated by around to . The transmitter array is and the receiver is in size. The system is a ...
at
Pechora
Pechora (russian: Печо́ра; kv, Печӧра, ''Pećöra'') is a town in the Komi Republic, Russia, located on the Pechora River, west of and near the northern Ural Mountains. The area of the town is . Population:
History
Pechora was ...
:
Volga radar at
Hantsavichy
:
Dnepr radar Dnepr may refer to:
*Dnieper, a river flowing through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea
* Dnepr (motorcycle), a Ukraininan motocycle brand
*Dnepr (rocket)
The Dnepr rocket (russian: Днепр, translit=Dnepr; uk, Дніпро, trans ...
at
Balkhash,
Irkutsk
Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and mn, Эрхүү, ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 617,473 as of the 2010 Census, Irkutsk is ...
and
Olenegorsk
:
Oko
OKO ( rus, ОКО, r=, literally means eye, also an abbreviation for Ob'yedinonnyye Kristallom Osnovaniya ( rus, Oбъединённые Кристаллом Oснования, r=, literally means Foundations Bound by a Crystal)) is a complex o ...
early warning satellites
Space surveillance:
:
Okno
Okno ( rus, Окно meaning window) is a Russian space surveillance station located in Nurak in Tajikistan. It is run by the Russian Space Forces and is part of the Centre for Outer Space Monitoring. It is located above sea level in the Sanglok ...
in Tajikistan
:
Krona in Zelenchukskaya and Nakhodka
:
RT-70
There are three radio telescopes designated RT-70, all in countries that were once part of the former Soviet Union, all with similar specifications: 70m dishes and an operating range of 5–300 GHz. The Yevpatoria telescope has also been used ...
in
Yevpatoria
Yevpatoria ( uk, Євпаторія, Yevpatoriia; russian: Евпатория, Yevpatoriya; crh, , , gr, Ευπατορία) is a city of regional significance in Western Crimea, north of Kalamita Bay. Yevpatoria serves as the administrative ...
(since the
2014 Crimean crisis
In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War.
The Revolution of Dign ...
, the status of
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, and thus of the city of Yevpatoria which is located on Crimea, is
under dispute between Russia and Ukraine; Ukraine and the majority of the international community considers Crimea and Yevpatoria an integral part of Ukraine, while Russia, on the other hand, considers Crimea and Yevpatoria an integral part of Russia
UKRAINE REPORTS RUSSIAN MILITARY ACTIVITY ON CRIMEA BORDER
, Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
(8 August 2016)
Ukraine crisis timeline
, BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
UN General Assembly adopts resolution affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity
, China Central Television
China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...
(28 March 2014)) and Galenki
Galyonki (russian: Галёнки) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Oktyabrsky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia. Population:
History
It was founded in 1880.Приморский крайисполком. "Приморский край. ...
(together with Roscosmos)
Missile defence:
:A-135 anti-ballistic missile system
The A-135 (renamed to A-235) (NATO: ABM-4 Gorgon) is a Russian anti-ballistic missile system deployed around Moscow to intercept incoming warheads targeting the city or its surrounding areas. The system was designed in the Soviet Union and entere ...
:Don-2N radar
The Don-2N radar (, NATO: Pill Box) is a large missile defense and early warning active electronically scanned array radar outside Moscow, and a key part of the Russian A-135 anti-ballistic missile system designed for the defense of the capital ...
Satellite Systems:
:Liana
A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ta ...
space reconnaissance and target designation system (2 satellites of electronic reconnaissance 14F145 "Lotus-C1")
Ranks and rank insignia
;Officer ranks
;Other ranks
See also
*Air Force Space Command
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 ...
*Zhukov Air and Space Defense Academy
The Zhukov Air and Space Defense Academy, or formally the Military Academy of Air and Space Defence named after Marshal of the Soviet Union G. K. Zhukov (russian: Военная академия воздушно-космической оборон ...
*Main Centre for Missile Attack Warning
The 820th Main Centre for Missile Attack Warning ( rus, Главный центр предупреждения о ракетном нападении (Гцпрн), GTsPRN) is the Russian early warning network against ballistic missile attack. It ...
References
{{Use British English, date=January 2014
2011 establishments in Russia
Military of Russia
Military units and formations established in 2011
Space warfare