The most desirable candidate is Colonel General Surovikin
For the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, after it was vacated on Tuesday by Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, according to MK sources, three main candidates are being considered: Commander of the Space Forces, Colonel General Alexander Golovko, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Ministry of Defense, General Lieutenant Igor Makushev, as well as the commander of the Eastern Military District, Colonel General Sergei Surovikin.
Candidate for the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin. Photo: 42msd.livejournal
IN this moment The acting commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces is Lieutenant General Pavel Kuralenko, the first deputy commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces. According to MK, he is also being considered as a successor. However, oddly enough, Sergei Surovikin is still considered the main candidate.
If his appointment takes place, it will become a real sensation: a combined arms general - commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces - this has never happened in history modern Russia. However, it should be borne in mind that Surovikin is considered one of the most experienced and combat generals. He commanded not only the district, but also our military group in Syria, where he gained experience in managing heterogeneous forces, when space forces, air defense systems, aviation, and various ground structures were combined in a single integrated system.
And here I would like to remind you that such appointments - when a commander is appointed to a non-core branch or branch of troops - as a rule, indicate that order needs to be restored in this structure. And this should be done by a person who is not burdened by official and friendly ties in this branch or branch of troops and is capable of looking at the problems there with a fresh, unclouded look.
So, in 1987, after big story With the flyover and landing of the German amateur pilot Matthias Rust on Red Square, major organizational events took place in the army. Then Army General Ivan Moiseevich Tretyak, an outstanding military leader, but who had nothing to do with air defense, was appointed commander-in-chief of the air defense. The troops remembered him as a person involved in the arrangement of military camps throughout the country, which turned out to be very useful for air defense troops, although it was not directly related to the tasks of combat training.
But now, when the tasks of combat training are a priority, the candidacy for the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, according to our sources, is considered exclusively from these positions. And here other candidates for this position are also spoken of as exceptionally honored military leaders.
Lieutenant General Igor Makushev went through all the required steps of the career ladder - from a simple fighter pilot to deputy commander of the air army. In 1985 he graduated from the Chernigov Higher Military aviation school pilots, and in 2006 - the General Staff Academy. He is a sniper pilot and has over 3,000 hours of flight time. Many people remember him from the press conferences of the military department in 2014, where he presented materials from the Ministry of Defense related to the death of the Malaysian Boeing 777 over the Donbass.
Another candidate for commander-in-chief, Colonel General Alexander Golovko, also graduated from the General Staff Academy in 2003. He served in positions from department engineer, station chief, company commander, department head, department head at the Main Center for Testing and Control of Space Facilities named after G.S. Titov to commander of the Space Forces.
Bondarev Viktor Nikolaevich - commander of the 899th Guards Orsha twice Order of the Red Banner Suvorov 3rd degree assault aviation regiment named after F.E. Dzerzhinsky 105th mixed aviation division of the 16th Air Force and Air Defense Army, colonel.
Born on December 7, 1959 in the village of Novobogoroditskoye, now Petropavlovsk region Voronezh region. Russian. Graduated in 1977 high school in Novobogoroditsky.
Since August 1977 - in the USSR Air Force. In 1981 he graduated from the Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School named after V.P. Chkalova. Since 1981 he served in the 44th training aviation regiment, which provided educational process Barnaul Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Kalmanka station, Altai Territory): instructor pilot, senior pilot, flight commander. In 1989 he was sent to study at the academy.
In 1992 he graduated from the command department of the Yu.A. Air Force Academy. Gagarin. Since 1992, he served at the Borisoglebsk flight training center: senior navigator, squadron commander. Then he served as commander of an attack aviation squadron, deputy commander, and from September 1996 to October 2000 - commander of the 899th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment of the 105th Mixed Aviation Division of the 16th Air Force and Air Defense Army, stationed at the Buturlinovka military airfield in Voronezh areas.
Participant in combat operations in the North Caucasus region during the first and second Chechen wars. In the first Chechen war he made over 100 combat missions. In December 1994, during an attack on Dudayev’s positions near the village of Shatoy, the plane of one of the regiment’s pilots was shot down by fire from the ground. Then V.N. Bondarev suppressed the militants' anti-aircraft weapons and, until the rescue helicopter arrived, used fire from the sky to drive the militants away from the pilot's landing site. During the second period Chechen war flew over 300 combat missions against illegal armed bandit groups.
By Presidential Decree Russian Federation No. 709dsp dated April 21, 2000, for courage and heroism shown in the performance of military duty in conditions involving risk to life, to Colonel Bondarev Viktor Nikolaevich awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
From November 2000 to 2002 - deputy commander of the 105th mixed aviation division of the 16th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Voronezh). Graduated in 2004 Military Academy General Staff Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Since June 2004 - commander of the 105th mixed aviation division. Since May 2006 - Deputy Commander, and since June 2008 - Commander of the 14th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Novosibirsk).
From July 17, 2009 - Deputy Commander-in-Chief, from July 15, 2011 - Chief of the General Staff - First Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and from May 6, 2012 to August 1, 2015 - Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force of the Russian Federation. From August 1, 2015 to September 26, 2017 - Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation.
Mastered the L-29, MiG-21, Su-25 and others. Has a total flight time of more than 3000 hours. Was cleared to fly day and night, in any weather conditions. On May 9, 2015, during the aviation part of the military parade in Moscow to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War piloted the Tu-160 aircraft.
On September 26, 2017, he was relieved of his position and dismissed from military service. Prior to this, on September 19, 2017, as a representative from executive body state power Kirov region appointed member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. On September 27, 2017, he was confirmed as Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security.
Lives and works in Moscow.
Military ranks:
Major General (2005);
Lieutenant General (08/09/2012);
Colonel General (08/11/2014).Awarded the Orders “For Services to the Fatherland”, 4th class (2016), Courage (01/04/1995), “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR”, 3rd class (1984), medals, including the Medal of the Order of Merit before the Fatherland" 2nd degree with swords (01/06/1995), as well as orders and medals of foreign countries.
Honored Military Pilot of the Russian Federation (2010).
Candidate of Technical Sciences.
The importance of air power in modern warfare is enormous, and the conflicts of recent decades clearly confirm this. The Russian Air Force is second only to the American Air Force in the number of aircraft. Russian military aviation has a long and glorious history; until recently, the Russian Air Force was a separate branch of the military; in August last year, the Russian Air Force became part of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation.
Russia is undoubtedly a great aviation power. In addition to its glorious history, our country can boast of a significant technological base that allows us to independently produce military aircraft of any type.
Today, Russian military aviation is going through a difficult period of its development: its structure is changing, new aircraft are entering service, and a generational change is taking place. However, the events of recent months in Syria have shown that the Russian Air Force can successfully carry out its combat missions in any conditions.
History of the Russian Air Force
The history of Russian military aviation began more than a century ago. In 1904, an aerodynamic institute was created in Kuchino, and one of the creators of aerodynamics, Zhukovsky, became its director. Within its walls scientific and theoretical work aimed at improving aviation technology.
During the same period, the Russian designer Grigorovich worked on the creation of the world's first seaplanes. The first ones were opened in the country flight schools.
In 1910, the Imperial Air Force was organized, which existed until 1917.
Russian aviation took an active part in the First World War, although the domestic industry of that time lagged significantly behind other countries participating in this conflict. Most of the combat aircraft flown by Russian pilots of that time were manufactured at foreign factories.
But still, domestic designers also had interesting discoveries. The first multi-engine bomber, the Ilya Muromets, was created in Russia (1915).
The Russian air force was divided into air squads, which included 6-7 aircraft. The detachments were united into air groups. The army and navy had their own aviation.
At the beginning of the war, aircraft were used for reconnaissance or adjusting artillery fire, but very quickly they began to be used for bombing the enemy. Soon fighters appeared and air battles began.
The Russian pilot Nesterov made the first aerial ram, and a little earlier he performed the famous “dead loop”.
The Imperial Air Force was disbanded after the Bolsheviks came to power. Many pilots took part in civil war on different sides conflict.
In 1918 new government created its own air force, which took part in the civil war. After its completion, the country's leadership paid great attention to the development of military aviation. This allowed the USSR in the 30s, after large-scale industrialization, to return to the club of the world's leading aviation powers.
New aircraft factories were built, design bureaus were created, and flight schools were opened. A whole galaxy of talented aircraft designers appeared in the country: Polyakov, Tupolev, Ilyushin, Petlyakov, Lavochnikov and others.
In the pre-war period, the armed forces received a large number of new types of aircraft, which were not inferior to their foreign counterparts: MiG-3, Yak-1, LaGG-3 fighters, TB-3 long-range bomber.
By the beginning of the war, Soviet industry had produced more than 20 thousand military aircraft of various modifications. In the summer of 1941, USSR factories produced 50 combat vehicles per day, three months later the production of equipment doubled (up to 100 vehicles).
The war for the USSR Air Force began with a series of crushing defeats - a huge number of aircraft were destroyed at border airfields and in air battles. For almost two years, German aviation had air supremacy. Soviet pilots did not have the proper experience, their tactics were outdated, like most of the Soviet aviation equipment.
The situation began to change only in 1943, when the USSR industry mastered the production of modern combat vehicles, and the Germans had to send their best forces to protect Germany from Allied air raids.
By the end of the war, the quantitative superiority of the USSR Air Force became overwhelming. During the war, more than 27 thousand Soviet pilots died.
On July 16, 1997, by Decree of the President of Russia, the the new kind troops - the Air Force of the Russian Federation. The new structure included troops air defense and the air force. In 1998, the necessary structural changes, was formed Main Headquarters Russian Air Force, a new commander-in-chief has appeared.
Russian military aviation participated in all conflicts in the North Caucasus, in the Georgian war of 2008, in 2019, Russian Aerospace Forces were introduced into Syria, where they are currently located.
Around the middle of the last decade, active modernization of the Russian air force began.
Old aircraft are being modernized, units are receiving new equipment, new ones are being built and old air bases are being restored. The fifth generation fighter T-50 is being developed and is in its final stages.
The pay of military personnel has been significantly increased, today pilots have the opportunity to spend enough time in the air and hone their skills, and exercises have become regular.
In 2008, the reform of the air force began. The structure of the Air Force was divided into commands, air bases and brigades. The commands were created on a territorial basis and replaced the air defense and air force armies.
Structure of the air force of the Russian Air Force
Today, the Russian Air Force is part of the military space forces, the decree on the creation of which was published in August 2019. The leadership of the Russian Aerospace Forces is exercised by the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and direct command is exercised by the Main Command of the Aerospace Forces. The commander-in-chief of the Russian military space forces is Colonel General Sergei Surovikin.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force is Lieutenant General Yudin, he holds the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
In addition to the air force, the Aerospace Forces include space forces, air defense and missile defense units.
The Russian Air Force includes long-range, military transport and army aviation. In addition, the Air Force includes anti-aircraft, missile and radio technical troops. The Russian Air Force also has its own special troops, which perform many important functions: provide reconnaissance and communications, engage in electronic warfare, rescue operations and protection against weapons of mass destruction. The Air Force also includes meteorological and medical services, engineering units, support units and logistics services.
The basis of the structure of the Russian air force are brigades, air bases and commands of the Russian Air Force.
Four commands are located in St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Khabarovsk and Novosibirsk. In addition, the Russian Air Force includes a separate command that manages long-range and military transport aviation.
As mentioned above, the Russian Air Force is second in size only to the US Air Force. In 2010, the strength of the Russian air force was 148 thousand people, about 3.6 thousand different pieces of aircraft were in operation, and about 1 thousand more were in storage.
After the 2008 reform, air regiments turned into air bases; in 2010, there were 60-70 such bases.
The Russian Air Force is assigned the following tasks:
- repelling enemy aggression in the air and outer space;
- protection from air strikes of military and government controlled, administrative and industrial centers, other important infrastructure facilities of the state;
- defeating enemy troops using various types of ammunition, including nuclear;
- conducting intelligence operations;
- direct support for other branches and branches of the Russian Armed Forces.
Military aviation of the Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force includes strategic and long-range aviation, military transport and army aviation, which, in turn, is divided into fighter, attack, bomber, and reconnaissance.
Strategic and long-range aviation is part of the Russian nuclear triad and is capable of carrying different kinds nuclear weapons.
. These machines were designed and built back in the Soviet Union. The impetus for the creation of this aircraft was the development by the Americans of the B-1 strategist. Today, the Russian Air Force has 16 Tu-160 aircraft in service. These military aircraft can be armed with cruise missiles and free-fall bombs. Whether Russian industry will be able to establish serial production of these machines is an open question.
. This is a turboprop aircraft that made its first flight during Stalin’s lifetime. This vehicle has undergone deep modernization; it can be armed with cruise missiles and free-falling bombs with both conventional and nuclear warheads. Currently, the number of operating machines is about 30.
. This machine is called a long-range supersonic missile-carrying bomber. Tu-22M was developed in the late 60s of the last century. The aircraft has variable wing geometry. Can carry cruise missiles and nuclear bombs. The total number of combat-ready vehicles is about 50, another 100 are in storage.
The fighter aviation of the Russian Air Force is currently represented by the Su-27, MiG-29, Su-30, Su-35, MiG-31, Su-34 (fighter-bomber) aircraft.
. This machine is the result of a deep modernization of the Su-27; it can be classified as generation 4++. The fighter has increased maneuverability and is equipped with advanced electronic equipment. Commencement of operation of the Su-35 - 2014. The total number of aircraft is 48 aircraft.
. The famous attack aircraft, created back in the mid-70s of the last century. One of the best aircraft in its class in the world, the Su-25 has participated in dozens of conflicts. Today there are about 200 Rooks in service, with another 100 in storage. This aircraft is being modernized and will be completed in 2020.
. A front-line bomber with variable wing geometry, designed to overcome enemy air defenses at low altitude and supersonic speed. The Su-24 is an obsolete aircraft; it is planned to be written off by 2020. 111 units remain in service.
. The newest fighter-bomber. There are currently 75 such aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force.
Transport aviation of the Russian Air Force is represented by several hundred different aircraft, the vast majority developed in the USSR: An-22, An-124 Ruslan, Il-86, An-26, An-72, An-140, An-148 and others models.
Training aviation includes: Yak-130, Czech aircraft L-39 Albatros and Tu-134UBL.
The largest helicopters remaining in service are the Mi-24 (620 units) and Mi-8 (570 units). These are reliable, but old Soviet cars, which can be used for some time after minimal modernization.
Prospects for the Russian Air Force
Work is currently underway on the creation of several aircraft, some of them are in the final stages.
The main new product, which should soon enter service with the Russian Air Force and significantly strengthen it, is the Russian T-50 fifth-generation front-line aviation complex (PAK FA). The aircraft has already been shown to the general public several times, and prototypes are currently being tested. Information appeared in the media about problems with the T-50 engine, but there was no official confirmation of this. The first T-50 aircraft should enter service in 2019.
Among the promising projects, it is also worth noting the Il-214 and Il-112 transport aircraft, which should replace the outdated Anas, as well as the new MiG-35 fighter, they plan to begin delivering it to the troops this year.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them
Lieutenant General Yudin A.V. born on April 2, 1962 in the city of Armavir Krasnodar region. In 1983 he graduated from the Armavir Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots. He served as a pilot, senior pilot, and flight commander of the Baltic Military District.
In 1989, he was transferred to the Western Group of Forces as a flight commander of a fighter aviation regiment. Since December 1989, deputy commander of the aviation squadron of the 16th Air Army.
Graduated in 1996 Air Force Academy them. Yu.A. Gagarin Moscow Military District.
From 1996 to 2008, he served as an aviation squadron commander, deputy commander of a fighter aviation regiment, commander of a fighter aviation regiment, deputy division commander, and commander of an air defense division of the Far Eastern Military District.
Since 2008, student of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
In 2010, he was appointed head of the Air Force Combat Training Directorate.
Since 2011, Deputy Commander of the Air Force and Air Defense Command of the Eastern Military District.
Since May 2012 - Commander of the Air Force and Air Defense Command of the Southern Military District.
By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation and Order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 389 dated June 11, 2014, the commander of the forces of the Air Force and Air Defense Association of the Southern Military District, Major General Andrei Vyacheslavovich Yudin, was awarded the next military rank Lieutenant General
Since September 2015, he has been appointed to the post of Commander of the Air Force - Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Married. Has three children.
“Independent Military Review” continues to summarize the intermediate results of the reform of the Armed Forces that has been going on in our army and navy over the past three years. The main questions we ask our interlocutors are what has changed during this time in the troops under their command, what unresolved problems remain, and what needs to be done to implement our plans.
Honored military pilot, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, Colonel General Alexander ZELIN, answers the questions of the executive editor of NVO.
FIRST THING - FLIGHTS
– I would like to start our conversation, Alexander Nikolaevich, with a message that arrived on news feeds on the eve of our meeting. It is about what Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov signed with general director to the Sukhoi company by Igor Ozar, a contract for the supply of 92 front-line ones to the Air Force until 2020. What other planes and helicopters and in what quantities will enter service with our aviation before the twentieth year?
I won't name the number, but it's up to a hundred.
– Up to a hundred of each type?
Yes, the figure for the Su-34 has already been announced - this is 92 vehicles. But in total, the Air Force will have 124 such aircraft, and subsequently up to 140 aircraft. In principle, if we talk about the Su-34, we have received the presidential face of this aircraft, but at the same time we continue to increase the combat capabilities of this bomber.
What does it consist of? We are installing a powerful airborne self-defense complex, developing new weapons with new, expanded combat capabilities. Mainly “air-to-surface”, “air-to-radar”, “air-to-ship” and we plan that it will become a carrier of other long-range missiles. Such work is underway, and I believe that this is the platform that is capable of solving this problem - that is, increasing the nuclear deterrent forces within the strategic aviation of the Air Force.
Despite the fact that the supply contract was concluded, I signed the technical conditions for this contract, where I indicated the possibility of further modernization to increase the combat capabilities of this aircraft complex.
– By its effectiveness?
According to its effectiveness and combat capabilities in a unified system of armed struggle, which is now being built by the General Staff, related to the issue of the fashionable concept of network-centric control systems. So that in this control loop with already installed communication means and automated control systems, we solve this problem.
I recently arrived from St. Petersburg, where under my leadership a meeting of the interdepartmental commission on the creation of the A-100 aircraft was held, this topic continues further. There will be a vehicle with such combat capabilities, which will create the ability not only to control crews in the air, but also to target all radio-contrast and other targets on the ground, but it is also expected to control unmanned aircraft from this aircraft.
Such massive planning. With targets for the 2030s. As for other purchases that the Air Force is expected to receive. This is a Su-35 aircraft...
– The contract for it, as I remember, was signed at MAX for 48 cars.
Yes, for this amount, but we will still purchase more. Somewhere up to a hundred units. I am considering this aircraft in conjunction with the Su-30SM aircraft. We are not currently purchasing and do not plan to purchase, although this may not seem unexpected to you, combat training aircraft. We buy combat aircraft with the ability of the machine to conduct flight crew training. The requirements for a combat training aircraft provide for a number of tasks that the pilot performs in the air. For example, the failure system, other problems...
But now the airplane cockpit has changed so much that we can practice all these actions on the ground. On the simulators. Because several multifunctional indicators can replace each other. And talking about the failure of some devices and training the pilot to do without them in the air - this task goes away by itself. We will practice it on complex procedural simulators on the ground.
Understanding that a pilot needs to be taught to fly with failed instruments, but for this purpose we will not create an airplane and do this in the air. This is not economically feasible, since we have many interchangeable multifunctional indicators. One has refused, you can switch to another and receive all the necessary information.
Of course, several multifunctional indicators may fail if the aircraft loses power, but this requires the pilot to perform completely different actions related to piloting.
– If I understand you correctly, you won’t buy the Yak-130?
And in order to implement the tasks with the highly maneuverable Su-35 aircraft, in the future, we plan to purchase Su-30SM aircraft. This aircraft is just as highly maneuverable, double-cabin, but combat-ready, capable of performing any combat missions, but with a crew of two.
Why is that? Because our flight crew staffing ratio is one and a half. And in order to give everyone the opportunity to fly with the current staffing level, the two-cabin aircraft allows the entire flight crew to carry out combat flights. Train with both. Thus, everyone will be constantly in training, and we will fulfill the instructions of the Chief of the General Staff so that we have more than 130 hours of flight time. This is a very real task. When changing the aircraft fleet in tactical aviation, we will solve this problem easily, having two-cabin aircraft in a combat version.
– I wanted to ask you about raids, but I’ll do that a little later. For now, I would like to know from you what will happen to the other planes? For example, with the MiG-31.
The MiG-31 is a wonderful aircraft. He has a great future. We have now decided. According to the list, we have about 300 such aircraft, more precisely, 252 in the Air Force. We plan to have up to 100 such aircraft in service. We decided on its modernization for new tasks in the MiG-31BM variant. We decided that we would modernize the MiG-31BS, and in addition to the MiG-31B, we have a DZ series and a BS series.
We decided that the BS series will remain without in-flight refueling, the DZ - with refueling, and the B - also with in-flight refueling. In this case, a series of remote sensing devices will perform their own special tasks. And we will have up to 100 aircraft. With new weapons, a long-range air-to-air missile, in essence, to realize the combat capabilities of the airborne complex, then a combination of old and modern weapons and new system navigation.
Today we are moving all aviation to a different range. We move from decimeter to meter. All our short-range navigation will switch to this range. This is due, first of all, to the government’s decision to switch all television to digital communications. And in this case we will leave the UHF range. But in this case, we will begin to realize the possibility of landing at any civilian airfield. And from 2014, this possibility will be enshrined in law.
Now not from the budget, but funds are allocated for air navigation services. And from the 14th year we will be exempt from paying for airfield services - for parking and airport services. We will be able to safely fly throughout the entire territory of the Russian Federation, using the entire airfield network, both military and civil aviation. And the MiG-31 is one of the first aircraft that will receive this capability. He also has to fly at high latitudes.
This is an aircraft that is practically designed for autonomous operations outside the radar field - it has such capabilities. Therefore, he must use any airfield he needs. Both beyond the Arctic Circle and in the south of the country. In Kamchatka, Chukotka, the Far East - wherever needed.
The ACS system on it is quite advanced; it allows the aircraft to land with a cloud cover of 50 meters and visibility of about 800 meters. The aircraft equipment allows all this, as does the airfield equipment. And he will solve all the tasks assigned to him very well.
– We talked about the Su-34. But in theory it should eventually replace the Su-24 bomber.
Not in theory, but he actually replaces him.
– What will be the fate of the Su-24 until all the Su-34s arrive?
We have modernized the Su-24 aircraft. And we already have two squadrons of new modernized versions of this machine. This is the Hussar design and development project - we have 24 units in the Far East. And directly in the European part and in the Urals in Shugol, direct modernization according to the Metronome design and development work is underway. It is carried out by the company famous Alexander Nikolaevich Panin.
We can say that we are completely satisfied with the results we obtained on this machine. And we will be engaged in both modernization and reduction of the simple Su-24s that we still have in service. Naturally, they serve out their life cycle, this is an excellent soldier aircraft that solved its problems. And we will supply high-quality aircraft to the troops. Until 2020, we will completely switch to Su-34 aircraft, of which we will have more than 120.
We, in fact, have four commands, a state center - five main base points, where we will create flying groups of 24-28-30 Su-34 aircraft. The Far East is Khurba, this is Chelyabinsk, this is Krymsk and Voronezh and Lipetsk.
– I remember how you and I stood next to each other in Farnborough and watched the F-22 fly. You did not speak very favorably of him then, noticing that he did not live up to those advertising materials that described his unsurpassed merits.
I didn't tell you that then. I said, “You see, I’m smiling. I’m very pleased that he’s flying like that.” We were then standing next to Mikhail Aslanovich Pogosyan, so, apparently, we were not shown all the capabilities that this machine has, but Pogosyan and I realized that our partners were also trying to move to the highly maneuverable parameters that we have.
They denied this fact for a very long time, apparently because there were some technical problems with solving this problem. And secondly, we fly no worse than them. You were convinced of this more than once at MAKS. Both in 2009 and 2011, when they demonstrated the MiG-29 with OVT, the Su-35... I then told Vladimir Putin that we had not even found a name for the maneuvers that our aircraft performs.
– I remembered the F-22 in connection with the T-50. Should it be better than an American fighter?
I already told one of the foreign correspondents: to determine whether it is better or worse, you need to see how the car behaves in the air. At one time we were told that the F-15 was an unsurpassed aircraft. When I studied at our Gagarin Academy, we were told that this was just a “superplane.”
And when fate allowed me to fly the latest modification of this F-15E machine, we flew in Ramshtein with General Kharchevsky - he was in one machine, I was in another, I then realized that even on the MiG-23MA at that time it was possible to fight calmly with this plane. Calmly. Everything is relative. Our proverb comes into play here: “It’s better to see once than to hear a thousand times.”
– But the T-50 is already flying. Three cars, if I'm not mistaken, are being tested.
T-50 flies. The flight characteristics are being tested, we are moving on to testing the on-board complex, and a machine is being built that will be used in combat. Everything is within limits. I say this all the time. There are technical problems. It is clear that when creating such a machine, everything does not go smoothly. But I am pleased with the chief designer Alexander Nikolaevich Davidenko.
When I visit Komsomolsk-on-Amur, I never pass by the workshop where the fighter is assembled. The topic is closed and everything else, but the director, respected Alexander Ivanovich Pekarsh, and I regularly discuss the progress of work on the aircraft. So far there are no fundamental questions.
– That is, everything is going according to schedule.
Yes, Vladimir Putin was there recently, we showed him everything, he asked a lot of questions. And when we begin to use the T-50 for its intended purpose, and it is intended to gain air superiority, this is one of its main tasks - to conquer the combat area, air superiority (in the State Armed Forces we have somewhere up to 60 such vehicles), I believe that only first class pilots will fly these planes.
We understand that this will be a special aircraft, we know where it will be deployed and for what tasks. And let's say, high-class professionals will fly there. This will be an elite unit that will carry out the most responsible and the most difficult tasks and which is capable of fulfilling them. We are not talking about young pilots here. I don’t even set myself such a task.
BTA DEVELOPMENT PLANS
– Our conversation is very interesting and information-rich. But you haven’t yet said a word about military transport aviation, about helicopters. What plans await us here?
There are plans to create a promising long-range aviation complex. We are back to this issue.
– Vladimir Putin also spoke about this in his article.
Yes. Somewhere in the 2030s, we should have a new aircraft in the Air Force with combat capabilities that will adequately allow it to play one of the main roles in the nuclear deterrent forces of the Air Force in the triad of strategic nuclear forces of all Armed Forces.
As for military transport aviation. Here I cannot help but be happy about the decisions that have been made. Here is the restoration of production of the An-124-100 in the An-124-300 variant, and with great leaps and bounds in accordance with the capabilities of the plant, the restoration of production of the An-124-100 is underway.
– Will it be in Voronezh?
We purchase quite a large number of such machines, and it will be our main carrier for the special tasks that I spoke about earlier. Those, for example, refuelers will fly on this machine, which will allow them to carry out refueling tasks with the D-90 engine without changing the flight altitude. Now, for objective reasons, we need to go lower to carry out such an operation. Because of the engine. And with the new economy, we will solve these problems more easily.
Further. I am the chairman of the commission to complete the creation of the An-70 aircraft. I was in Kyiv, we removed all the contradictions that were there. The Ukrainians are assembling the car that they have, and also in June-July they must present it to us, and we must fly. Apparently, we will carry out all the finishing work on the territory of Ukraine in order to promptly eliminate all the shortcomings that, naturally, will appear at this stage. And subsequently, both in Ukraine and in Russia, we will complete R&D work on this aircraft.
– Will they collect it in Omsk?
For now, tentatively in Voronezh. “Antonovites” are very actively interacting with this plant on the An-148 aircraft, there are other projects on the An-158, An-178 - there are established connections there, engineering, technical, organizational and technical, purely organizational, there is mutual understanding. In addition, Voronezh is not so far from Kyiv. And from Kharkov as well. And I think that a short distance will allow them to quickly resolve all issues.
Now about the light military transport aircraft. For now we have settled on the An-140-100 variant. And we do not present him with such a military task of transporting equipment. This aircraft will be designed primarily for transporting personnel and small cargo within districts, which will save both time and fuel. And then we have an intergovernmental agreement and a joint project with India on the creation of a joint military transport aircraft with a payload of up to 20 tons - MTA. We are ready to purchase up to one hundred units of such machines.
The issue of mobility cannot be resolved without military transport aircraft. And I believe that the aircraft fleet for these purposes should be at least 300 aircraft of various classes. Super-heavy, heavy, operational-tactical, light, each to perform its task.
The General Staff set us a task: for those troops that are in the combat composition of the Armed Forces, we need to have aircraft to transport heavy, medium and light brigades. The lung should instantly solve its problems in any corner of the country or abroad, in connection with our international obligations. How? Only using military transport aircraft.
– What about helicopters?
My favorite is army aviation (they say that front-line pilots do not like army aviation - this is a deep misconception). We, like no one else, understand the role and place of army aviation in modern armed conflicts that are occurring and will continue to occur. And the leadership of the Ministry of Defense understands its role. Including the minister and the chief of the General Staff.
We stated that by 2020 we will purchase a thousand helicopters. This includes heavy Mi-26 helicopters in the Mi-26T variant, this is an already established helicopter, we have more than a hundred of them. We are improving and received a modified Mi-8 helicopter, the latest modification of AMTS, MTV-5. Next, we are making an all-weather, round-the-clock helicopter with expanded combat capabilities. Again based on the Mi-8. The industry offers us a transition helicopter between heavy and medium - the Mi-38. This car also has a certain perspective.
– What role will the Mi-38 play?
Mi-38 is a medium helicopter between Mi-26 and Mi-8. These are different engines, different payload. Some states say that the Mi-26 is too heavy and they don’t need it. But with a payload of 12 tons, 15 tons, 8 tons it would be very useful. This is the class this helicopter will be.
Russian Helicopters is working on this problem. We told them: first you create this product, and then we will see for what purposes and what tasks to use it for.
Now about the combat. You know, for a long time there was a debate in the press and among experts about which is better - or. In my opinion, a very competent government decision was made to make both cars. They, in fact, complement each other. Mi-28 as a linear main helicopter on the battlefield.
IN modern conditions, and here I am grateful for the support of the Minister of Defense that all aviation, with the exception of fleet aviation and everything related to solving the tasks of the fleet, is all concentrated in the Air Force. On the one hand, there are more tasks, and on the other, all parochial interests have gone away, especially since the entire administration is now under the leadership of the General Staff. And planning of use, and organization of combat training. I believe that this is a very correct decision made by the leadership of the Ministry of Defense. This is my personal belief. Although, as always, we like some things and don’t like others, but life will tell.
A REVOLUTION AT THE MANAGEMENT LEVEL
– In connection with this remark, we moved on to the important question that I wanted to ask you. How is aviation governed today? It is known that all of it was transferred to the districts or operational-strategic commands, 7 air bases were created, 28 airfields were repaired, and other, frankly speaking, revolutionary transformations were carried out. What are the Air Force Commander-in-Chief and his staff doing now?
I would say so. If the planned control system with instruments and systems is implemented, it will be created automated system control system (ACS), then everything is lined up correctly. Now, in my opinion, we have acted somewhat revolutionaryly on many issues. And these revolutionary steps are acutely felt in planning work. Having not completed the creation of one technically, organizationally, we may have completed it, we have to manually adjust and correct something. But we do not refuse to solve these problems.
I have buttons here on the remote to call all four district commanders. We often talk to them online. And most importantly, combat training remained with the main command of the Air Force. Construction of the species and combat training. And without combat training, what use can there be?
There are disputes. We prove something to each other. I don't think all the issues have been resolved. And the minister talks about this. Yes, we have completed all organizational arrangements. Let's figure it out. If someone is not satisfied with something, prove it, show it, tell it. We'll fix it. Either agree, or come and prove that something is wrong.
We held a meeting today on this issue. I do not criticize the decisions that have been made. Yes, at the decision-making stage I proved my point of view, my vision for solving upcoming problems, somewhere I had to agree, somewhere they listened to me on some issues, but since we are at the stage decisions made, we must fulfill them. Work.
And in matters related to problems technical support control (an automated control system is being created, which is not yet fully operational, but it starts from the Central Command Post of the General Staff), the errors are now being eliminated. The central command posts of the species have been liquidated, but until the automated control system is operational, we have come to the conclusion that the commander-in-chief’s control over the organization and control of combat training must be restored.
Now all decisions have been made, agreed upon and control is being restored. The Chief of the General Staff supported us. But, I think, this control body will become obsolete when other technical means appear that will allow me, as commander-in-chief, to deal online with the main issue - the organization of combat training.
More than 70–80 of our units fly every day. All this needs to be monitored, coordinated, controlled, the Air Force is a species that is constantly on the move and constantly requires control. You didn’t just set a task and forget it, but set a task, then you control how it is performed and control its results. On another it is impossible.
– In continuation of this problem, the question arises with air defense. You transferred not only aviation to the districts, but also air defense brigades to the Aerospace Defense.
We have not transferred all air defense brigades to the Aerospace Defense. We transferred only the central industrial region to East Kazakhstan region. The one that once covered the Moscow Air Defense District, then the Special Forces Command, then the Operational-Strategic Command within the Air Force. In the end, we transferred this USC to the new branch of the Aerospace Defense Forces. And, in fact, they are now engaged in air and missile defense of the Central Industrial Region. Moscow and everything that surrounds it.
The remaining air defense tasks are assigned to district commanders. But again, the main command is responsible for the combat training of these troops. We are preparing troops, we are preparing the entire regulatory framework, methodological framework, we are conducting exercises, preparing troops for exercises and everything else. And district commanders receive troops and use them for their intended purpose. This is such a subtlety.
– Who orders military equipment?
Ordering management. But its ideology is being built by the Air Force Commander-in-Chief.
– That is, you determine how many S-300s, how many S-400s, S-500s are needed... Should you use S-300V or S-300VM?
For now, this ideology belongs to the Air Force. Bye. But we'll see what happens next. I emphasize once again that the VKO troops are dealing with the problems of the Central Industrial Region.
And everything that will be connected with strategic missile defense and theater missile defense will also, naturally, be limited to the leadership of these troops. They will build an ideology here. But in any case, all decisions will be made by the General Staff. Naturally, with the active participation of all species and genera.
Because you can’t talk about air defense without understanding what role aviation and the navy play here, especially in the coastal areas where it plays main role, is a complex task. And it can only be solved by one governing body - the General Staff.
- It's clear. But here the question arises with the air defense of the Ground Forces. Should they also be part of this system or remain under the control of the commanders of combined arms brigades?
There are a lot of opinions on this matter. I believe that in modern conditions, covering troops on the battlefield is the task of the air defense of the Ground Forces. But, besides this, one cannot help but talk about the organic way they fit into other systems. We need to look at our military doctrine. If we plan to conduct military operations outside the Russian Federation, this is one approach. If we say that we will defend ourselves, then this is a different approach.
But they, the air defense troops and the air defense troops of the Ground Forces, complement each other. By task. And you need, naturally, to create unified system air defense department of Russian territory to eliminate all these discrepancies.
On the territory of the district, the commander is in charge, for God's sake. I argued for a very long time on this topic, I argued and told that this was, apparently, a mistake. I don’t want to say whether I’m right or wrong, but I have my own opinion. But all decisions have been made, and we are obliged to implement them.
At the same time, whether we want it or not, this task will be solved from the Central Command Post of the General Staff, and it is one of the main tasks of the strategic actions of the Armed Forces, there is no doubt. And it is written so that the main performer of this task is central authority military administration represented by the General Staff.
As soon as it is completely completed technical management, what we talked about is that network-centric management has been created, then everything will fall into place. And the decision-making system and the organization of decision-making of all strategic actions will naturally fall on a different plane. This is our near future. We see it, we understand it, but it hasn’t arrived yet.
COMBAT TRAINING IS GOING AS PLAN
– You have already touched on this issue. But I asked you to talk more about it a little later. About the pilots' flying hours. I remember the story with Major Troyanov, when he got lost in the sky over the Baltic and was forced to eject over Lithuania. It turned out that his flight time did not exceed seven hours. You said that the goal was to fly 130 hours. How to solve this problem? And further. Is 130 hours only for fighter and attack aircraft or for strategic and military transport aircraft? Are there such standards there too?
No, there is an order from the Minister of Defense on flying hours. They are defined. And depending on the type of aviation, on the position of the pilot different standards raid. For example, the leadership team has a standard that is half or one and a half less than the rest of the pilots; the commander does not need such flight time. Although, due to instructor flights or training flights, management personnel will have much more flying time than an ordinary pilot who is engaged in his personal improvement. And if we talk about Major Troyanov, then I would not blame the pilot so much and remember his raid...
– By the way, how did his fate turn out?
After that incident, he left his flying job. In fact, no organizational or administrative measures were taken against him. And they retained his flying qualifications. Although, in principle, a 1st class pilot could not make such a mistake. But I believe that the main mistake there was in the organization of the flight and in the unsatisfactory organization of management. In essence, the crew was lost and no one was in control. This is what we talked about a little earlier, about the control system.
The control system and the organization of the control system, some do not understand this, and due to the nature of its activity, an airplane does not just fly when it takes off. The plane at all stages, from takeoff to landing, is controlled by people on the ground, controlled by the bodies that are directly responsible for this control. AND aircraft controlled at three measurement points - altitude, azimuth, and so on. And if someone thinks that they can just pick it up and fly somewhere, they are very mistaken and do not understand anything. Moreover, now the whole world has switched to dependent automatic surveillance.
The corresponding means have been deployed in space, on the ground, on aircraft - I saw this, for example, when I was in Japan, at the civil aviation control center. At Tokyo's main airport, planes were seen flying in the skies over Australia. It would seem that there are no ground-based surveillance equipment in this Asia-Pacific space, however, upon request, an aircraft was visible over the fifth continent. This is a huge distance. And the whole world is now switching to this method of airspace control.
Yes, that’s right, we are not giving up radar, location, we will see the aircraft if the pilot turns it on, if he turns it off, we will not see him. But for reliable safety and clear management in peacetime, such a system is essential in order to qualitatively improve flight safety and the aviation management system. Including general aviation.
Now the entire aviation control system in the USA and Europe is built on the fact that the aircraft is still taxiing on the ground, and a signal has already appeared on the locator screens that the application has been passed, the aircraft has been approved, its flight mission has been agreed upon, and it can safely carry out the flight upon notification . According to notification, this is a completely different approach.
But for reliable safety and clear management in peacetime, such a system is absolutely necessary in order to qualitatively improve flight safety and the aviation management system. Including general aviation.
– Well, anyway, if we return to the problem of raids.
Concerning material support, then there are no questions here. I am only concerned about the resource support for planes and helicopters, which are assigned to solve this problem.
- So everything is fine with kerosene?
The presence of kerosene, fuel and lubricants does not bother me at all. Everything is there, these are not those years. Airfields, fuels and lubricants, we even entered into agreements with Gazpromneft-Aero CJSC; we have this network deployed at 12 airfields - so-called outsourcing. It is already at work. The biggest concern is serviceability and resource support. Unfortunately, our Aircraft Repair structure does not respond as pragmatically to all the needs that we need as it should. I still can’t understand what the reason is.
Money has been allocated for repairs and restoration. And considerable ones. If you compare it with the time of the 90s, then significantly. There are financial opportunities, responsibilities are defined, and so are the specifications. Lack of agility and responsibility officials who are required to do this. Unfortunately, only the Air Force Commander-in-Chief, which is responsible for combat training, cares about the serviceability of military equipment. For some reason, our other structures are responsible only for financial flows.
Hence the problems. But if last year we flew about 340 thousand hours, we gave more than 90 hours of flight time for each pilot. This is a different raid - depending on the type and type of aircraft. This year I set a goal, especially for young pilots, to fly at least 100 hours.
Last year, 80% of young people met these standards. Some lieutenants sagged, but not through their own fault, but because there was no resource support. And most importantly, they did not respond in a timely manner to transport them to other units where this problem could be solved. Subsequently, we solved this problem, but they received not 100 hours, but a little more than 50. But this is not five, not seven, not two hours, which was in the 90s.
– But your pilots fly not only to improve individual training, but also, apparently, to solve complex problems as part of exercises in the districts? Do you take part in these events?
Of course, in all large-scale exercises, if you noticed, aviation plays an important role. If not the main one. Everyone is looking at what is happening in the air.
- And in which ones? important exercises will you be taking part this year?
In all. Everything that is planned is all related to aviation. We have an aviation support plan for all events. He has been approved by the Chief of the General Staff, and we take a very active part in all exercises.
WITH CARE FOR PEOPLE
- Question about social problems Air Force. The salaries for pilots were increased two to three times.
We are dealing with them. A unified settlement center was created, it was only the second month when they started paying increased salaries, something somewhere didn’t work. We'll figure it out and fix everything. People understand that they will receive everything that is stated. Not now, but later.
– Has the salary of, for example, a squadron commander increased significantly?
This is comparable to the payments that the pilots received under the 400th order. And this is many times more than it was before the increase. Specific numbers can be clarified so as not to deceive readers.
– What about housing?
A lot of housing has been set up. You drove through Balashikha and saw how much there is. More than 6 thousand apartments. And they are also building in the Moscow region. But this accounting of ours was ruined, it was in the housing and maintenance units, now they have made a single bank. We often have crashes. Every Friday, including yesterday, Nikolai Egorovich Makarov holds a meeting on this issue. I don’t know when this failure will pass, but I’ve already told my friends that if we don’t correct the situation on the ground, starting with the units and above, and we don’t understand what’s happening, then what should we expect from above?! We need to figure it out ourselves at the part level.
Unfortunately, some of the aviation units went to the districts, as we talked about earlier. I, as commander in chief, cannot influence the state of affairs there. But I don’t need to do this work either. There are territorial bodies that are called upon to solve these problems. But one cannot help but say that some officers also treat these issues irresponsibly - the notice has arrived, but they do not draw up the documents. They are delaying time on purpose or through thoughtlessness. They do not submit in full the documents that should be available.
Situations are different. Someone has housing, but is trying to grab more. There are many temptations. The armed forces today are the only structure where people legally receive housing from the state. Official housing has already been planned for the main bases, in fact, we will have seven aircraft base airfields and 14 army aviation base airfields, official housing will be created there. Everything else, whether we want it or not, will eventually become municipal. We will transfer all the towns there.
Another question is to allow the officers - well, he doesn’t want to stay in Morozovsk or Millerovo, where wonderful apartments were built after the withdrawal from the Western Group of Forces, but there is no industry - to go to another place. I believe that this opportunity can be provided to officers. Although, on the other hand, people are provided with housing.
Here we have the village of Zarya, there are also a lot of people who want to get housing in the Moscow region. We were allowed to transfer apartments from service apartments to municipal ones. And the tension here has mostly been resolved. Since I became commander-in-chief, three houses have already been built here. All that remains is to decorate these houses, and 100 people in the main command will find a roof over their heads. Plus parts of the security, and I completely remove the task of official housing.
– Another pressing issue is about education. Including related to the scandal that erupted due to the transfer of the Zhukovsky and Gagarin Academy to Voronezh. What is this connected with and what will happen to the wonderful Aviation Museum, which is located in Monino?
The museum will remain as it was. It will become a branch of the Central Museum of the Armed Forces, and no one will encroach on it in any way.
About the Academy. I've answered this question a lot. Why does such a rich country as the United States of America have only three military universities for officer training? Has anyone asked this question? Why can't they spread a network throughout the country? educational institutions? Why is this so in England?
On behalf of the minister, I and my subordinates, and this famous people- General Kharchevsky, General Gradusov, Colonel Bareev, God willing, will soon be a general - this is the elite of the modern Air Force, we went on a business trip and spent almost a week watching the organization of combat training of the US Air Force. We were in the Pentagon, in all commands, including at the air base in Nelis. By Soviet standards, it can be compared to the base in Mary, where I once served.
We were also in Colorado Springs and at that academy, where 4,000 cadets are simultaneously studying in four courses. And where every year out of 1 thousand graduates 500 become pilots. They recruit 500 from other universities. I studied their experience in great detail, surprisingly, my colleagues also provided me with a training program, even under the heading “Official Literature”, the conversation was absolutely open. And I agree that everything needs to be concentrated in one place. Including financial and material resources.
Yes, where are we losing? The fact is that, for example, it is not possible for all the children from Siberia to come and enroll in a Voronezh university, but this is our task. Organize visiting commissions, conduct competitive tests and find guys who are not only from the European part of Russia, but also from Far East will learn from us. This is the task of the species to engage in the selection of cadets. Including information and propaganda work. Recruit healthy, strong guys, and they are needed in the Air Force. We once joked: they recruit based on health, but ask based on intelligence.
This is a different task. But having a network and wasting money is not wise. Yuri Petrovich Klishin, the former deputy commander-in-chief for armaments, when he got to modern Voronezh, called from there and said: “ Alexander Nikolaevich, I never expected what Vasily Zibrov and his team did there in such a short time" And still this is still not enough. The minister tells me: “ You go to the cadet colleges and see what has been done there. What means have been created to prepare boys? And it’s quite possible to do this».
One more thing. There, near Voronezh, 90 kilometers away Lipetsk, Lipetsk The educational center, which allows for internship and training of officers at the operational-tactical level. All advanced technology is there.
I don't want to offend anyone. But in recent years, our science, including teaching, has aged very well and has fallen behind the modern demands that the past five revolutionary years have presented to us. Especially the last three years. And we, as the press likes to write, continue to fight based on the experience of past wars. But I don’t want to fight based on the experience of past wars.
I have respect for the teaching staff, we really need to preserve it, we need to create some kind of center - we came up with such a proposal to the head of the Department of Education of the Armed Forces, such studies are underway. But, frankly speaking, the training base, with the exception of building “T” (the training building at the Gagarin Academy - V.L.), is as old as this world. And there are all the aircraft simulators that are leaving this life.
Everything new is created in Voronezh. All modern automated control systems, modern simulators, modern... So I graduated from college, I already had MiG-23 and MiG-25, missiles for them and everything else. And we all flew the MiG-21, studied the US and RS2S missiles, which were no longer in the army. That's what the system was like. All the equipment that came to the school at that time was that which had left the troops.
And we say no. We must teach what is and will be in the troops. Now we are finishing training at the school on an advanced training aircraft. This does not apply to the air defense troops, everything there is already modern. They don’t need to fly, they must come to the troops and immediately sit down at the controls of the combat crew and begin combat work.
The pilot's system is different. We give him flying hours and an advanced combat training vehicle. Then he comes to the government center, where we teach him how to fight. And from there - to the troops, where he is already trained and taught everything. And he begins to fly and carry out combat missions using combat-use equipment.
As a young pilot, I was lucky enough to listen to Pavel Stepanovich Kutakhov. I remembered his words for the rest of my life. I was in the 3rd squadron as Lieutenant Zelin. 1976 Marshall took the chalk and began to draw on the board. " This is the task I am sending a first class pilot to perform. To solve another problem, a flight of second class pilots. And I need to send the entire squadron of third-class pilots to this" Even then it was clear what it meant to be a pilot of one class or another, and how pilots should be encouraged to improve their class qualifications. When they paid for class, for clouds, for this, for that...
And now they tell us: guys, we pay you too much. We won't pay for class. I think this is absolutely wrong. The motivation of flight crews is not least related to the assessment of their performance. I don't think that in Soviet time They didn’t think about it and just paid the money.
– We were talking about pilots. But you also have meteorologists, navigators, and weapons specialists. Where to teach them?
All in one Voronezh University. It is planned to create a Military Science Center there or State University for the training of aviation specialists.
– Where are the technicians? TECH specialists?
And the technicians are there. Everything is in Voronezh. Nowadays everyone studies there. All engineering schools who were there, began training there in 2009. Irkutsk, then Stavropol, then Tambov School of Communications... They concentrated everything in one place. Our only branch will be the Krasnodar School, which will train pilots. Flight personnel and combat control officers.
– And foreigners?
And foreigners. Voronezh prepares everything for us personnel, which is related to issues of comprehensive support for aviation activities. Rear, technical. Everything connected with it. We train pilots directly in Krasnodar.
And the academic education, I did not specify, which we received at the Zhukovsky and Gagarin Academy, is being abolished. We are moving to course training. We will not issue a second diploma. We will issue a corresponding document upon completion of the courses. And then for each upcoming position, the officer will be trained specifically in such courses. This will happen in Voronezh and Lipetsk at the operational-tactical level. And accordingly at the Academy of the General Staff.
- The very last question. “Swifts” and “Russian Knights” remain?
Nobody touches them. No one ever had such a thought.
– Will they fly the Yak-130?
On the Yak-130, as soon as we receive them, we will also create a squadron to fly colorfully with smoke, like, say, the “Patrol de France” or “Trice de Color”, others. We often claim that we are the only ones who fly combat aircraft. But in life this is not the case. I traveled around the world and looked.
The Americans fly the Air Force F-16, the Navy flies the F-18, demonstration flights. Previously, the Air Force flew T-50s, but after the entire group crashed, such a serious tragedy, they all switched to F-16s. And naval pilots have flown the F-18 and continue to fly. The Japanese also fly combat aircraft. The South Koreans flew combat ones, but now they have created their own T-50. This is practically the prototype of the F-16, they created a training machine for it. And if I’m not mistaken, Italians buy from them.
When I visited them at their 60th anniversary, I asked them: why don’t you buy our planes? They wrote and asked us to put our T-50 up for tender. Ours immediately refused.
