In Russia, January 22 is officially celebrated as Air Defense Aviation Day, starting in 1996. On this day in 1942 during the Great Patriotic War the formation of the first air defense fighter corps began January 22, 2016, 11:42
In Russia, January 22 is officially celebrated as Air Defense Aviation Day, starting in 1996. On this day in 1942, during the Great Patriotic War, the formation of the first air defense fighter corps began. Fighter aircraft sometimes played a decisive role in air battles. IN peacetime Aviation was transferred either to the Air Force or to the Air Defense Department. Since 1998, the Air Force and Air Defense Forces have merged.
On January 22, the Russian Air Force celebrates Aviation Day against air defense. January 22 was declared an annual holiday of air defense aviation by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces (October 25, 1996). It was on this day that the formation of the first air defense fighter corps began by Order of the People's Defense Committee of the USSR No. 056 dated January 22, 1942. During the Great Patriotic War, fighter aviation was one of the main branches of air defense forces and the main means of combating enemy aircraft at distant approaches to cover targets. During this period, the flight crews carried out about 170 thousand sorties and destroyed more than 4 thousand enemy aircraft in air battles and at airfields.
Several times over the years, air defense aviation was transferred from the Air Defense Forces to the Air Force and back. After the unification of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces into one branch of the Armed Forces in 1998, as an independent branch of aviation, air defense aviation ceased to exist, but fighter air groups remained, which continue today under a single command in Military air force ah effectively carry out tasks for the defense of Russian airspace.
Aviation of the first air defense fighter corps / Photo: pro-samolet.ru
One of the main components of operational-tactical aviation, the most maneuverable branch of aviation in the Air Force is fighter aviation. These days, more than 60 crews of interceptor aircraft are on round-the-clock combat duty and can destroy any object that violates Russian airspace. Interceptor aircraft, which are in service with fighter aviation, guard our air borders from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka and have the ability to ensure the interception of enemy aircraft before the launch line of cruise missiles.
MiGG-3 from the Second World War / Photo: i.ytimg.com
Today, air defense aviation is one of the main and most maneuverable branches of the Russian air defense forces. IN different years Air defense aviation units were armed with such aircraft as MiGG-1, MiGG-3, Yak-1, Yak-7, Yak-9, LaGG-3, La-5, La-7 and others. At the end of the 40s, air defense aviation was armed with MiG-9, Yak-15 jet fighters, in the 50s - MiG-15, -17, -19, Yak-25 with on-board radar devices and air-to-air guided missiles. . In the 60s, supersonic fighters Su-9, -11, -15, Yak-28P entered the air defense aviation, then new generations of MiG-25, -31, Su-27 aircraft with high flight-tactical characteristics. Today, the main fighters in service with air defense aviation are the MiG-31 and Su-27 aircraft of various modifications.
Fighters of two generations / Photo: pro-samolet.ru
MiG-31 are aircraft that are the fastest and highest altitude interceptors in the world, operating in a front of up to 1000 km. They are being replaced by the MiG-31BM - an improved modification of the MiG-31, which can fly at altitudes of more than twenty thousand meters, at a speed almost three times higher than sound. The aircraft has the ability to simultaneously track up to 10 air targets, 6 of which can be simultaneously fired upon and hit. In the future, until 2020, it is planned to replenish the Air Force aviation units with more than sixty modernized MiG-31BM aircraft.
Almost all branches of the military in Russia have their own holidays. They have such a special day and troops air defense. And today we want to tell you about what date Air Defense Day will be celebrated in 2019, as well as about the history of the creation and development of air defense troops in our country.
On May 31, 2006, the President of Russia signed a decree “On the establishment professional holidays And memorable days in the Armed Forces Russian Federation" In accordance with this Decree, Air Defense Day in Russia is celebrated annually on the second Sunday of April.
This holiday was first established in the Soviet Union. In 1975, February 20, the Presidium Supreme Council The USSR issued a decree according to which it was prescribed that this professional military holiday should be celebrated annually on April 11. Thus, the enormous contribution made by air defense soldiers to the Victory over Nazi Germany, as well as their outstanding achievements in strengthening the defense capability of our homeland. However, a little later, in 1980, it was considered more appropriate to move this holiday to a weekend and Air Defense Day began to be celebrated on the second Sunday in April. This tradition continues today. Air Defense Day in 2019 will be celebrated on April 10.
How the air defense forces were born
The history of the creation of air defense troops is inextricably linked with the emergence of aviation in many countries. Airplanes appeared that were used in military campaigns - it was necessary to defend against them. The first anti-aircraft gun was produced at the Putilov plant in St. Petersburg back in 1914. It was developed by the Russian designer F. F. Lender with the participation of artillery officers V. V. Tarnovsky and P. A. Glazkov. However, by the beginning of the First World War, the Russian armed forces did not have time to create full-fledged units to combat air targets specifically. This deficiency had to be quickly filled by already conducting military operations. General Staff began to form special Russian units and arm them with 75mm naval guns, as well as 76.2 mm field artillery pieces, from which it was possible to shoot at air targets, both airplanes and airships. And in order for the results of this shooting to be more accurate, special optical instruments. In particular, the Russian inventor Ya.N. Perepelkin proposed his own lead angle device, on the basis of which A.M. Ignatiev later created his own cannon sight, very advanced for those times.
On December 13, 1915, the Government issued a Decree on the formation of four separate light batteries for firing at enemy air targets. In addition, in order to defend Petrograd from the air from 1914 to 1917, a special air detachment was created, which consisted of about 200 aircraft. This can be considered the birth of our country’s air defense forces.
After education Soviet Union work in this direction continued actively. Air Defense Day in 2019 is another reason to remember what important role These troops played during the Second World War. When the Great Patriotic War began, European territory The USSR had 13 air defense military districts. However, their command was largely decentralized, and the air defense forces at that time did not have their own fighter aircraft. Of course, the Soviet Union had fighter aircraft, but it was subordinate to another military department - the Air Force.
With the outbreak of the war, it became clear that such a situation was unacceptable. This was especially evident in the first months of hostilities, which showed the important role aviation plays in defeating ground targets. Therefore, fighters - I-15, I-16 and I-153 - began to enter air defense service. And although they were no different high speed, however, this made it possible to significantly protect our cities from enemy air attacks. Then the air defense forces received MiG-3, Yak-1, Yak-3 and Yak-9 fighter-interceptors, as well as foreign fighters supplied to us by our allies under Lend-Lease.
During the Great Patriotic War, anti-aircraft artillery continued to develop. By the beginning of 1945, there were already 61 anti-aircraft guns on all fronts. artillery division RVGK, 192 anti-aircraft artillery regiment small caliber, 97 separate divisions RVGK, which had about 11 thousand anti-aircraft guns in its arsenal.
Air Defense Day - continuation of the legend
Active development air defense troops continued already in post-war years. However, until 1958 they were not an independent branch of the military. The management of combat forces and air defense systems continued to remain fragmented. Only in 1957, after the next joint exercise of the military districts, the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov made a report in which he clearly proved the need to create a new type of Ground Forces - the Air Defense Forces. And already on August 16, 1958, the Minister of Defense signed the corresponding order No. 0069. Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of Artillery V.I., was appointed Chief of the Air Defense Ground Forces. Kazakov, who led them until 1965.
The Office of the Chief of Air Defense Troops of the Ground Forces was created in the Main Command of the Ground Forces. In military districts, armies and army corps, combined arms formations and units, the position of chief of air defense troops is being introduced. One of the first regiment commanders in 1958-1959 were A.Ganzha and S.Mukhanov.
As regiments of a new type of troops began to form, it was necessary to train personnel, for which a special unit was formed near Kharkov training center. The military personnel were trained here for six months. After which they faced exams at the State Training Ground of the Air Defense Forces near Astrakhan.
Continued to improve and develop military equipment. By the early 70s of the last century, the air defense forces were armed with the Krug, Kub, Strela-1, Osa anti-aircraft systems and the Strela-2 man-portable anti-aircraft missile system (MANPADS). Russian warriors Air defense forces took an active part in many local armed conflicts in accordance with treaties of friendship and cooperation. In the period 1980-1989. the personnel of the air defense troops of the SV carried out combat missions as part of limited contingent Soviet troops on the territory of the Republic of Afghanistan. In service modern troops Air defense systems include such systems as S-300V, Buk-M1, Tor-M1, Osa-AKM, Tunguska-M1. Regularly exhibited at international exhibitions, this technique successfully competes with most Western analogues. Military personnel Ground Forces Russian air defense is ready to protect the airspace of our country at any moment.
The Day of the Russian Air Defense Forces is one of the most important professional holidays in Russian troops. On what date will Air Defense Day be celebrated in 2017 and how this holiday appeared - in our article.
Russian Air Defense Day in 2017
People who are always on duty - day and night, on holidays and on weekdays - are soldiers and officers of the air defense forces. The service of these brave people is in many ways similar to the border service: their main task became the protection of our country’s air borders. And in honor of one of the most important branches of the military, a special holiday was established - Air Defense Day, celebrated annually on the second Sunday of April.
History of air defense troops
The history of the air defense forces goes back a little over a hundred years and dates back to the turn of the 20th century, during the First World War. The need for this kind of troops arose with the advent of balloons and airships, which began to be used for military purposes.
To protect their own troops from enemy actions from above, they began to use machine guns and mobile rapid-fire cannons - they used them to shoot down enemy airships when approaching the location of a military unit. So, in 1914, the first battery of guns was formed, whose task was to track and shoot down aircraft. And the first “anti-aircraft guns” - anti-aircraft guns, a full-fledged anti-aircraft weapon, appeared a year later - in 1915. Based on airships and balloons, their own air surveillance system was created, designed for early detection of enemy aircraft. However, due to the weakness of weapons, air defense did not develop during the First World War. However, it was during the First World War that the basic principles of air defense were formed: all-round defense, increased fire at sites of probable attack, and readiness for round-the-clock combat operations.
Second world war became a real test and a true baptism of fire for air defense. The need to prevent countless enemy air attacks made these troops perhaps the most needed in the army. With the development of aviation rear areas ceased to be a safe zone - air raids could not be contained by infantry or tank units. The introduction of aircraft into the army significantly expanded the area of ongoing combat operations. In order to ensure the security of the rear, it was necessary to improve air defense. Thus, wax parts were allocated to a person whose task was to maintain the “purity of the sky.”
Of course, the weapons have also changed. Weak and low-power cannons and machine guns were replaced by anti-aircraft systems and automatic systems early detection of enemy air forces, and instead of single detachments, air defense forces began to form special units with trained fighters. During the war years, air defense grew from a rather primitive security system into a large-scale, high-tech structure, constituting an important part of the Russian defense forces.
Orders and dates
On February 20, 1975, the merits of the air defense troops were noted throughout the country - then the Soviet Union. The Supreme Presidium of the USSR established a new public holiday in honor of this type of troops - Air Defense Day. According to the signed Decree, this holiday was supposed to be celebrated on April 11. However, five years later - in 1980 - a new order made the date of the holiday “floating”: Air Defense Day began to be celebrated on the second Sunday in April.
In our time, this date was confirmed by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation. The Day of the Russian Air Defense Troops is celebrated annually on the second Sunday of the second spring month- that is, in the first half of April. In 2017, we celebrate Air Defense Day on the 9th.
On the second Sunday of April, according to established tradition, Russia celebrates the Day of Air Defense Forces. Officially, the holiday appeared in the Russian Federation on the basis of Presidential Decree No. 549 of May 31, 2006.
In the calendar of domestic military holidays there is another date associated with. However, it is necessary to distinguish between these two holidays, since in the second case we are talking specifically about military air defense, and the holiday is celebrated in December.
The history of the emergence of air defense troops is directly related to the emergence air fleet. As soon as airplanes, balloons and airships began to be used for reconnaissance and attacking targets from the air, the need immediately arose to effectively counter this kind of military activities. And the first units, which can safely be attributed to the prototype of air defense, appeared more than a hundred years ago, actively developing during the First World War.
The first anti-aircraft guns (guns for hitting air targets) began to appear in Germany, Italy, and France. By 1915, such weapons began to be used by Russian Empire. We are talking primarily about 8-K (Tarnovsky-Lender) anti-aircraft guns with a caliber of 76.2 mm, and we are talking specifically about their combat use. The first training firing at air targets in Russia was carried out in last decade XIX century. Tarnovsky-Lender guns were often mounted on trucks and used for air defense major cities, including Moscow.
Air defense forces received full development during the Great Patriotic War. The results of the actions of air defense troops are difficult to overestimate. Throughout the war Soviet troops The air defense destroyed huge enemy forces, and anti-aircraft guns were used not only to attack air targets, but were often used in ground confrontations. The statistics speak for themselves: more than 7.5 thousand enemy aircraft, more than 1 thousand tanks, 1.5 thousand guns.
As part of the anti-aircraft military formations A considerable number of representatives of the fair sex served. They shot down enemy planes over Kyiv, Minsk, Leningrad and Stalingrad, in the area Kursk Bulge and on the approaches (on approach) to Moscow. 75 girls served in the 1077th anti-aircraft artillery regiment, which defended Stalingrad. The memories of Soviet anti-aircraft gunners have been preserved. From the memoirs of M.Yu. Ziganshina:
I went to the front as part of the first echelon. He arrived in Stalingrad. She served in an anti-aircraft artillery regiment. My duties included determining the altitude of enemy aircraft and their course. According to my information, the anti-aircraft gunners opened fire on the planes (...) We fought to the death. I especially remember one of the battles. In one hour, our artillery shot down 16 enemy aircraft. I was wounded in Stalingrad, and there I was awarded the medal “For Courage”. There were many such effective battles. In one of them, the regiment destroyed 14 aircraft and a lot of enemy manpower.
In Stalingrad (Volgograd), the feat of military personnel representing the air defense forces is immortalized, including in the form of the name of Zenitchikov Street.
Robert Rozhdestvensky dedicated his ballad to the feat of female anti-aircraft gunners. Vladimir Leontyev’s YouTube channel publishes a reading of a poem by Robert Rozhdestvensky by Elena Ustimenko (a graduate of the department acting skills Novosibirsk Theater Institute):
Only 30 years after the end of the Great Patriotic War, the day of the Air Defense Forces appeared in the calendar of military holidays of the USSR. The corresponding decree was signed by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 20, 1975. And April 11 was chosen as the holiday date. And five years later, the Day of the Air Defense Forces was designated on the 2nd Sunday of April, and it was in this form that the holiday was documented in the Russian Federation, which actually demonstrates the connection between generations and the preservation military traditions in our country.
And after the end of the Great Patriotic War, the need to develop air defense troops was extremely urgent. Thanks to outstanding domestic designers, new air defense systems began to appear, which, as they improved, stood in defense air borders Russia. They still stand today.
And now these are the Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems of various modifications, S-400 Triumph, and other air defense systems that have become widely known in the world. It is well known that the S-400 Triumph air defense system is deployed not only on the territory of the Russian Federation, but also at the Khmeimim airbase in the Syrian Arab Republic. This is an excellent counter-argument for those who continue to harbor plans in their minds to carry out a provocation against the Russian air base, from which to help Syrian army Russian military planes and helicopters take off in the fight against international terrorism.
The Ministry of Defense plans to receive the latest S-500 anti-aircraft missile systems in 3-4 years, the characteristics of which are of interest, according to for obvious reasons, is already high, and not only in Russia itself.
Radio technical units of the air defense forces are equipped with radar complexes and stations such as “Radioluch”, “Sopka”, “Sky” and “Sky-M”.
