The elite unit and a separate type of army units of the Russian Federation include airborne units. They are included in the reserve of the Commander-in-Chief of the State, and 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 aircraft. For landing, a variety of land, water or air transport is used. Let's study in more detail the arsenal of these parts, their purpose and structure.
Purpose
Since October 2016, Colonel-General Serdyukov has been in charge of the unit in question. The main purpose of the Airborne Forces is to respond behind enemy lines, carry out deep raids, capture valuable objects, disorientate 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 candidates who meet high selection criteria, including not onlyphysical form, but also psychological stability. The armament of the Airborne Forces, as well as the creation of the structure itself, was developed back in the thirties of the last century. By the beginning of World War II, five corps were deployed, each of which numbered about 10 thousand people. The official date of the creation of the airborne troops of the Russian Federation is May 12, 1992.
Historic 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, which was part of an ordinary motorized rifle division. It is worth noting that the first experience of landing a combat group by parachute was practiced a year earlier. Then, during the siege of the Tajik city of Garam, a detachment of Red Army soldiers landed by air and successfully released the settlement.
After a couple of years, a special brigade of special response was formed. In 1938, it was renamed the 201st Airborne Detachment. The development of the Airborne Forces in the Soviet Union took place quite rapidly and rapidly. The first parachute landing of the new organization was practiced in the Kiev military district (1935). A year later, the event was repeated in an even larger format at the training ground in Belarus. Invited observers, including those from abroad, were amazed at the scale of the exercise and the skill of the fighters.
Since 1939, the units were at the disposal of the main command. They were assigned the tasks of delivering various kinds of strikes behind enemy lines, followed by coordinated actions with other types of troops. First real combatSoviet paratroopers gained experience in 1939 (the battle for Khalkhin Gol). Later, these units performed well in the Finnish war, Afghanistan, the hot spots of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina.
World War II period
Before the start of the war, the weapons of the Airborne Forces, as well as the personnel themselves, were used to confront Nazi Germany. In the spring of 1941, five corps of the forces under consideration were deployed in the western regions of the country, and later the same number of brigades were created. Shortly before the start of the invasion, a special "Airborne Forces Directorate" was formed, each corps of which belonged to the elite units. The armament included not only small arms 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 in 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 the not very good training of paratroopers.
A company of the Airborne Forces, the composition and armament of which was not at the highest level, participated in the defense of Moscow with a further counteroffensive. The brigades on Vyazma and during the crossing of the Dnieper also showed themselves brilliantly.
Further development
AutumnIn 1944, the Soviet airborne troops were transformed into a single guards army. At the last stage of the war, airborne units took part in the liberation of Prague, Budapest and many other cities. Already after the victory, in 1946, the landing units were introduced into the ground forces, subordinate 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, the confrontation in the Cold War regime had already begun between the two superpowers - the USSR and the USA. The armament and equipment of the Airborne Forces was actively developed, taking into account not only defensive actions, but also with the expectation of the possibility of carrying out sabotage and offensive actions. Particular emphasis was placed on strengthening the firepower of the units. Arsenal includes:
- Light armored vehicles.
- Artillery systems.
- Special road transport.
- Military transport aviation.
Wide-body aircraft were capable of transporting 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 with just one run.
Another reformation
In the 60s of the last century, a new type of air assault units (DShCh) was created, which practically did not differ from the main "elite", but obeyed the commandmain groups of troops. Such a move by the Government of the USSR was due to tactical plans being prepared by strategists in case of a full-scale war. One of the options for a possible confrontation is the elimination of enemy defenses with the help of massive landings landed behind enemy lines.
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 the DShCh. 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 from 1979. In this confrontation, the paratroopers had to deal mainly with counter-guerrilla warfare, without parachute landings. This tactic is determined by the specifics of the area. Combat operations were prepared with the help of vehicles, armored vehicles or helicopters.
Features
Armament and equipment of the Russian Airborne Forces often served to guard at various border outposts and checkpoints in "hot spots". As a rule, the assigned tasks corresponded to their intended purpose in cooperation with the ground forces. If we talk about Afghanistan, it can be noted that here the reinforcement of the airborne troops was carried out by supplying units with artillery and armored self-propelled installations.
Restructuring
The nineties became a serious test not only for the Airborne Forces. The armament and equipment of the entire army of that period was obsolete, many army units were reorganized andclosed. The number of paratroopers has decreased significantly, all remaining units have come under the control of the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation. Aviation units became part of the Russian Air Force.
Such transformations have significantly reduced the effectiveness and mobility of airborne groups. In 1993, the army branch 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 combat operations of the airborne forces of Russia are connected with both Chechen campaigns, the Ossetian, Georgian conflicts. Special forces also participated in peacekeeping organizations (Yugoslavia, Kyrgyzstan).
Composition and structure
The structure of the airborne troops includes several main units:
- Air units.
- Assault squads.
- Mountain groups focused on combat missions in mountainous areas.
Currently, four full-fledged divisions use the weapons of the Russian Airborne Forces. Their composition:
- Guards Air Assault Division 76, deployed in Pskov.
- 98th Guards Airborne Unit stationed in Ivanovo.
- Mountain Novorossiysk Airborne Assault Division No. 7.
- The 106th Guards Airborne Unit stationed in Tula.
Regiments and brigades:
- Separate Guards Airborne Brigade stationed in Ulan-Ude.
- A special task force is stationed in the capital of Russiacode number 45.
- Separate Guards Unit No. 56 stationed in Kamyshin.
- Assault Brigade No. 31 in Ulyanovsk.
- Separate airborne detachment in Ussuriysk (No. 83).
- 38th Separate Guards Signal Regiment in the Moscow Region (village of Medvezhye Ozera).
Interesting information
In 2013, the creation of the 345th Assault Airborne Brigade in Voronezh was officially announced. Soon, the formation was postponed to 2017-2018. There is unconfirmed information indicating that another airborne battalion is deployed on the Crimean peninsula. Later, it is planned to transfer the division to its base, which is stationed in Novorossiysk.
In addition to combat units, the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation include several educational institutions that train personnel for the specified type of troops. 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
Russian airborne units use not only combined arms, but also special ammunition designed specifically for this kind of troops. Most of the modifications of weapons and vehicles were developed back in the period of the Soviet Union. However, there are many options created for the future, most recently.
The most recognizable and frequently used representative of the equipment of the Russian Airborne Forces is the BMD-1/2 airborne combat vehicle. Thisthe equipment was produced under the USSR, is intended for landing by parachute and landing method. The machines are obsolete, but 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 the BMD. Among them:
- The fourth variation, adopted in 2004. The machine is produced in a limited series, there are 30 standard copies and 12 units with an additional index "M" in service.
- BTR-82A armored personnel carriers (12 modifications).
- Crawler armored personnel carrier BTR-D. In the list of weapons of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation, this is the most common vehicle (over 700 pieces). It was adopted back in 1974 and is considered obsolete. He should be replaced at the "post" by the 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, about 30 of which were mass-produced.
- The list of weapons of the Russian Airborne Forces continues with the anti-tank system of the 2S-25 self-propelled unit type, similar to the Robot installation (BTR-RD), Metis anti-tank missile systems.
- ATGM "Bassoon", "Cornet", "Competition".
Portable and towed implements
Here, the following effective and high-precision devices should be noted:
- Self-propelled artillery installation "Nona". The weapons are presented in quantities of more than 350 pieces, and are distinguished by high technical performance.
- Model D-30. This tool is represented by more thanthan 150 units, the “company” is made up of similar analogues like “Nona-M1” and “Tray”.
- The air defense devices include portable missile systems "Verba", "Igla", "Strela".
Nuances
In addition to these weapons, the Russian Airborne Troops operate the Skrezhet anti-aircraft guns (BTR-3D), as well as towed self-propelled guns of the ZU-23-2 type. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the division of the armed power of the once great country began. This process did not pass and the airborne troops. The composition of these units was updated and formed only in 1992. This group included all units stationed on the territory of the former RSFSR and several divisions stationed in some other post-Soviet republics. The emblem was approved in 2004.
