Airborne units are an elite unit and a separate variety of army units of the Russian Federation. They are included in the reserve of the Commander-in-Chief of the State, report directly to the Commander of the Airborne Forces. The armament of the troops is very diverse, ranging from knives and pistols to self-propelled vehicles and airplanes. For landing, a variety of land, water or air transport is used. We study in more detail the arsenal of these parts, their purpose and structure.
Destination
Since October 2016, the leading position of the unit in question has been Colonel General Serdyukov. The main mission of the Airborne Forces is to respond behind enemy lines, carry out deep raids, capture valuable objects, disorientation of the enemy through sabotage and the elimination of certain bridgeheads. Airborne troops are, first of all, an effective tool for conducting offensive military operations.
Only eligible candidates who meet high selection criteria, including not only physical form, but also psychological stability, fall into these elite units. The armament of the airborne forces, as well as the creation of the structure itself, was developed in the thirties of the last century. By the beginning of World War II, five corps were deployed, each of which amounted to about 10 thousand people. The official date for the creation of the airborne troops of the Russian Federation is May 12, 1992.
Historical moments
The first armament of the Airborne Forces appeared along with the creation of the corresponding military department in the USSR (1930). At first it was a small detachment, part of the regular motorized rifle division. It is worth noting that the first experience of parachuting a combat group was practiced a year earlier. Then, during the siege of the Tajik city of Garam, a detachment of Red Army troops landed in the air and successfully released the village.
A couple of years later, a special response team was formed. In 1938, it was renamed the 201st airborne squad. The development of the Airborne Forces in the Soviet Union took place rather rapidly and rapidly. The first parachute landing of the new organization was worked out in the Kiev military district (1935). A year later, the event was repeated in an even larger format at the training ground of Belarus. Invited observers, including those from abroad, were amazed at the scale of the exercises and the skill of the fighters.
Since 1939, units were at the disposal of the main command. They were tasked with delivering various kinds of attacks in the rear of the enemy, with subsequent coordinated actions with other types of troops. The Soviet paratroopers gained their first real combat experience in 1939 (the battle for Khalkhin Gol). Later, these units showed themselves well in the Finnish war, Afghanistan, and hot spots in Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina.
WWII period
Before the start of the war, the armament of the airborne forces, as well as the personnel themselves, was sent to confront fascist Germany. In the spring of 1941, five corps of the forces under consideration were deployed in the western regions of the country; later, the same number of brigades were created. Shortly before the invasion, a special "Airborne Troops Command" was formed, each corps of which belonged to elite units. The armament consisted not only of rifle equipment, but also artillery with amphibious tanks.
The categories of troops under consideration made a significant contribution to the victory over the Nazi invaders. Despite the fact that the Airborne Forces are focused on offensive operations with a minimum of heavy weapons, at the very beginning of the war their role was clearly underestimated. They did a lot, both at the start of the confrontation, and during the elimination of sudden enemy breakthroughs and the release of the encirclement of Soviet military units. This practice, unfortunately, contributed to high losses and unjustified risk, along with not very well trained paratroopers.
The company of airborne forces, the composition and armament of which was not at the highest level, participated in the defense of Moscow with a further counterattack. Brigades in Vyazma and during the crossing of the Dnieper also showed themselves brilliantly.
Further development
In the fall of 1944, the Soviet airborne troops were transformed into a single guard army. At the last stage of the war, airborne units took part in the liberation of Prague, Budapest and many other cities. After the victory, in 1946, the airborne units were introduced into the ground forces, subordinated to the Minister of Defense of the USSR.
In 1956, the groups in question took part in the suppression of the Hungarian uprising, and also played a key role in the territory of another country of the former socialist camp - Czechoslovakia. At that time, a confrontation had already begun in the Cold War regime between two superpowers - the USSR and the USA. The armament and equipment of the Airborne Forces was actively developed, taking into account not only defense actions, but also with the expectation of the possibility of sabotage and offensive actions. Particular emphasis was placed on enhancing the firepower of units. The arsenal includes:
- Light armored vehicles.
- Artillery systems.
- Special road transport.
- Military transport aircraft.
Wide-body aircraft were able to transport not only large groups of personnel, but also heavy combat vehicles. In the late 80s, the equipment of these troops made it possible to parachute 75 percent of the personnel in just one call.
The next reformation
In the 60s of the last century, a new type of air assault units was created, which practically did not differ from the main "elite", but they obeyed the command of the main groups of troops. Such a move by the USSR Government was due to tactical plans being prepared by strategists in the event of a full-scale war. One of the possible confrontations is the elimination of enemy defenses with the help of massive landings landed in the rear of the enemy.
In the 80s of the twentieth century, the Ground Forces of the Soviet Union included 14 assault landing groups, along with 20 battalions and 22 separate brigades of infantry fighting forces. The armament of the Russian airborne forces, as well as the units themselves, actively and effectively proved themselves in the Afghan war, in which Soviet troops took part since 1979. In this confrontation, the paratroopers had to deal mainly with counter-guerrilla warfare, without parachute landings. This tactic is due to the specifics of the area. Combat operations were prepared using vehicles, armored vehicles or helicopters.
Features
The armament and equipment of the Russian Airborne Forces often served as security guards at various border outposts and roadblocks in “hot spots”. As a rule, the tasks assigned corresponded to the mission in cooperation with the ground forces. If we talk about Afghanistan, it can be noted that here the strengthening of the airborne troops was carried out by supplying units with artillery and armored self-propelled units.
Restructuring
The nineties were a serious test, not only for the Airborne. The armaments and equipment of the entire army of that period are morally obsolete; many army units were reorganized and closed. The number of paratroopers decreased significantly, all remaining units were subordinated to the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation. Aviation units were included in the general structure of the air forces of Russia.
Such transformations significantly reduced the efficiency and mobility of the Airborne Forces. In 1993, the branch of the army under consideration included six divisions, the same number of air assault brigades and two regiments. In 1994, they created a special regiment (special forces No. 45), which was based in Kubinka near Moscow. Further military operations of the airborne forces of Russia are associated with both Chechen campaigns, Ossetian, Georgian conflicts. Also, special forces participated in peacekeeping organizations (Yugoslavia, Kyrgyzstan).
Composition and structure
The structure of the airborne troops includes several main units:
- Air parts.
- Assault squads.
- Mountain groups focused on combat missions in the highlands.
At present, four full-fledged divisions use the weapons of the Russian Airborne Forces. Their composition:
- Guards Airborne Assault Division No. 76, deployed in Pskov.
- The 98th guards airborne unit located in Ivanovo.
- Mountain Novorossiisk Airborne Assault Division No. 7.
- The 106th Guards Airborne Unit stationed in Tula.
Shelves and brigades:
- A separate guards airborne brigade is deployed in Ulan-Ude.
- In the capital of Russia, a special forces group is located under code number 45.
- Separate guard unit No. 56, stationed in Kamyshin.
- Assault brigade number 31 in Ulyanovsk.
- Separate airborne squad in Ussuriysk (No. 83).
- The 38th Separate Guards Communication Regiment in the Moscow Region (the settlement of Bear Lakes).
Interesting information
In 2013, officially announced the creation of the 345th assault brigade of landing in Voronezh. Soon the formation was postponed to 2017-2018. There is unconfirmed information indicating that another landing battalion was deployed on the Crimean peninsula. Later, it is planned to transfer the division to its base, which is deployed in Novorossiysk.
In addition to combat units, several educational institutions that train personnel for this type of troops are included in the composition of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation. One of the most popular and sought after institutions is the Ryazan Higher School. This list also includes the Tula and Ulyanovsk Suvorov educational institutions, as well as the cadet corps in Omsk.
Armament and military equipment of the Airborne Forces
The airborne units of Russia use not only combined arms, but also special ammunition designed specifically for this kind of troops. Most modifications of weapons and machines developed in the period of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, there are many options created for the future, most recently.
The most recognizable and often used representative of the Russian Airborne Forces is the BMD-1/2 landing vehicle. This technique was released in the USSR, it is intended for landing by parachute and landing method. Machines are outdated, however, they are reliable and efficient.
What's new?
Modern weapons of the Russian Airborne Forces are represented by several modernized types of equipment based on BMD. Among them:
- The fourth variation, adopted in 2004. The machine was released in a limited series, in service there are 30 standard copies and 12 units with an additional index "M".
- Armored personnel carriers BTR-82A (12 modifications).
- Tracked armored personnel carrier BTR-D. In the list of weapons of the Russian Airborne Forces, this is the most common vehicle (over 700 pieces). It was adopted in the distant 1974, is considered obsolete. His “post” should be replaced by BTR-MDM. However, in this vein, development is moving very slowly.
- "Shell". This is a prototype of an armored personnel carrier of a peculiar configuration, of which about 30 pieces are serially produced.
- The list of weapons of the Russian Airborne Forces is continued by the anti-tank system of the self-propelled 2S-25 type, similar installations "Robot" (BTR-RD), anti-tank missile systems "Metis".
- ATGM “Bassoon”, “Cornet”, “Competition”.
Portable and towed guns
The following effective and high-precision devices should be noted here:
- Self-propelled artillery mount Nona. Weapons are represented in an amount of more than 350 pieces, characterized by high technical indicators.
- Model D-30. This gun is represented by more than 150 units, the "company" to him are similar analogues of the type "Nona-M1" and "Tray".
- Air defense devices include the Verba, Igla, and Strela portable missile systems.
