Russian Airborne: on the verge of a possible
The Russian Armed Forces in mid-July 2018 held regular exercises of the airborne troops. These paratrooper exercises have become one of the largest in Russia over the past 20 years. To conduct exercises, three aviation the regiment stationed in the Pskov, Orenburg and Rostov regions, transferred soldiers and military equipment thousands of kilometers from home. Large-scale paratrooper exercises took place in the Ryazan region.
In large-scale exercises in the Ryazan region, more than a thousand military personnel, dozens of military transport aircraft, various armored vehicles and artillery were involved. As part of the exercises, the paratroopers stormed the enemy's airfield, freed settlements, and also forced the Oka in its narrowest place, not far from Ryazan. Also, as part of the exercise, the BTR-MD “Shell” tracked armored personnel carrier was dropped. This combat vehicle is being tested in the military with the 2015 of the year, the landing of an armored personnel carrier with the landing force was considered successful.
According to Andrei Serdyukov, commander of the Airborne Forces of Russia, X-YUMX military transport aircraft Il-47MDM, more than 76 personnel and 1200 units of equipment, were parachuted during paratroop landing. Everything that the Russian defense industry can offer paratroopers today was demonstrated in the sky, on land and on land. Separate pride - parachutes of the new generation. According to the instructor of the Center for Special Parachute Training of the Russian Ministry of Defense Alexei Yushkovsky, the kit includes a parachute system, a helmet, oxygen equipment, a cargo container, a navigation system.
However, according to Izvestia journalists, these exercises have demonstrated both the possibilities and the obvious limits of the capabilities of modern Russian airborne troops. At this time, there are two airborne and two airborne assault divisions, as well as four airborne assault brigades, a separate special-purpose brigade, and a number of training and auxiliary units. At the same time, all combat units in both air assault and airborne units are fully trained for parachute landing, and paratroop units and subunits are equipped with special airborne assault vehicles - airborne BTR, airborne combat vehicles, etc.
At the same time, the structure of the Russian military air force today is about 120 military transport aircraft IL-76 - these machines are the main ones during the parachute landing of Russian airborne troops. In the recently completed training exercises, 47 of such aircraft were involved, which were enough to land less than an airborne regiment, including two battalions with armored vehicles. Proceeding from this, it can be noted that the entire fleet of Il-76 military transport aircraft will be enough to land less than two regiments with all the standard set of weapons and military equipment for one flight using the parachute method.
The problem of the lack of aviation technology for parachute landing of airborne units existed and was realized even in Soviet times. According to military experts, in order to parachute the landing of only one Soviet airborne division, it was necessary to raise into the sky at least 5 military transport aviation divisions. Given the quantitative composition of the military transport aviation of the USSR Air Force, the parachute landing of one division was the limit of their capabilities in the event of a large-scale armed conflict, while taking into account possible opposition from the enemy.
In practice, paratroopers in the post-war years, with the exception of a whole series of tactical episodes, were not used in the Soviet Union. In this plan, the operations of the Airborne Forces - in Czechoslovakia in the 1968 year and in Afghanistan in the 1979 year, which were carried out with the use of a landing landing, were most famous. In the course of the subsequent war in Afghanistan, as well as the two Chechen wars, the airborne units were either used as airborne assault formations, disembarking from helicopters, or as ordinary infantry, moving on trucks, armored vehicles or on foot.
In comparison with foreign armies, the Russian Federation currently has the most numerous and prepared parachute units. Their number clearly exceeds the capacity of the fleet of military transport aircraft. This state of affairs raises certain questions about the effectiveness of budget spending, given the high cost of parachute training for personnel and specialized amphibious equipment for the Russian budget. At the same time, the significant limitations that are imposed on the combat capabilities of the landing craft, lead to the fact that, when operating on the ground as ordinary infantry, the paratroopers' units are quite inferior to the motorized infantry, who have not only greater firepower, but also a greater range of weapons and weapons available to them military equipment.
It is not possible to change the current state of affairs with the lack of landing facilities in the foreseeable future. This would require a multiple increase in the number of helicopter transport units - for the transfer of air assault units and an increase in the number of military transport aircraft. This problem has been understood for quite some time. At the same time, the traditional high political weight of the Airborne Forces of Russia (since the beginning of the 1990-s) hinders the radical reformation of this kind of troops and forces them not to touch the existing structure. At the same time, plans for a significant reduction in the Airborne Forces with their transfer to the ground forces were being hatched at a time when the Russian Defense Ministry was headed by Anatoly Serdyukov, and the Chief of General Staff was Nikolai Makarov. Their plans were never realized.
At the same time, the need to reduce military spending in the Russian budget requires a review of the current state of affairs. Taking into account the capabilities of the Russian military transport aviation and its quantitative composition, the optimal number of paratrooper units is estimated at 1-2 regiments, while they do not need specialized armored vehicles with the possibility of landing: the most likely tactical assaults during local wars and conflicts do not imply parachute throwing military equipment. If necessary, armored vehicles, up to the main combat tanks, can be transferred to airfields in the traditional landing way, for which the presence of BTR-D and BMD is optional.
At the same time, airborne assault units should form the basis of the airborne troops, which will be used as part of the interspecific groupings of troops. This would reduce the combat strength of the Russian Airborne Forces to one division, including the 1-2 paratroopers and the 1-2 airborne assault regiments, as well as four airborne assault brigades of regional subordination. Taking into account the fact that various units of special forces and marine units of the Russian Navy also have airborne assault training, this will still require a substantial increase in the transport capabilities of the Russian Air Force. However, such reinforcement is already possible to carry out in a very reasonable time and with reasonable monetary costs, which would allow the most efficient use of all available amphibious units. At the same time, taking the existing structure of the Armed Forces and the political weight of the Airborne Forces as part of them, one must be aware that such radical changes are unlikely in the foreseeable future, they are unlikely to be solved by anyone, Izvestia notes.
Despite this, the revision of the role and capabilities of the Airborne Forces in modern Russia is still underway. The airborne troops are increasingly viewed as elite, best-trained and equipped with quick-response units that can replace infantry units in combat conditions. In fact, we are talking about elite infantry, which, among other things, has the necessary level of parachute training. It is in this context that the reinforcement of airborne units by tank subunits carried out in the past few years should be considered.
According to Major General Viktor Kupchishin, Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces for Work with Personnel, the firepower of the airborne troops will be significantly enhanced by reorganizing the tank companies into full-fledged tank battalions. About this on Thursday, 26 July, the general told reporters "Interfax". According to him, the task of reforming tank companies into tank battalions has been set by the leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry and no one doubts that it will be successfully implemented. Already in 2018, the Russian Airborne Forces will receive the upgraded main battle tanks T-72B3, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke about this at the beginning of March. In addition to tanks, paratroopers will receive in 2018 more than 30 upgraded artillery systems, BMD-4М, BTR-MDM and howitzer D-30. Receiving a tank battalion, the airborne assault brigades become even closer to the motorized infantry, which also have one tank battalion in their staff.
According to Shoigu, in the airborne forces in 2018, it is planned to complete the formation of three tank battalions, EW units and unmanned aerial vehicles. According to Andrei Krasov, deputy head of the defense committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, tank battalions will increase the combat capabilities of the paratroopers. Of course, the Airborne Forces remain mobile, but among the tasks that are assigned to them today, there are also actions as part of or as separate land groups. According to Krasov, the T-72B3 tanks, which will receive the Russian Airborne Forces, if necessary, can also be transferred by rail and sea transport.
Information sources:
https://iz.ru/767550/ilia-kramnik/granitcy-vozmozhnostei
https://www.1tv.ru/news/2018-07-13/348636-masshtabnye_ucheniya_vdv_prohodyat_v_ryazanskoy_oblasti
http://www.militarynews.ru/story.asp?rid=1&nid=486853
In large-scale exercises in the Ryazan region, more than a thousand military personnel, dozens of military transport aircraft, various armored vehicles and artillery were involved. As part of the exercises, the paratroopers stormed the enemy's airfield, freed settlements, and also forced the Oka in its narrowest place, not far from Ryazan. Also, as part of the exercise, the BTR-MD “Shell” tracked armored personnel carrier was dropped. This combat vehicle is being tested in the military with the 2015 of the year, the landing of an armored personnel carrier with the landing force was considered successful.
According to Andrei Serdyukov, commander of the Airborne Forces of Russia, X-YUMX military transport aircraft Il-47MDM, more than 76 personnel and 1200 units of equipment, were parachuted during paratroop landing. Everything that the Russian defense industry can offer paratroopers today was demonstrated in the sky, on land and on land. Separate pride - parachutes of the new generation. According to the instructor of the Center for Special Parachute Training of the Russian Ministry of Defense Alexei Yushkovsky, the kit includes a parachute system, a helmet, oxygen equipment, a cargo container, a navigation system.
However, according to Izvestia journalists, these exercises have demonstrated both the possibilities and the obvious limits of the capabilities of modern Russian airborne troops. At this time, there are two airborne and two airborne assault divisions, as well as four airborne assault brigades, a separate special-purpose brigade, and a number of training and auxiliary units. At the same time, all combat units in both air assault and airborne units are fully trained for parachute landing, and paratroop units and subunits are equipped with special airborne assault vehicles - airborne BTR, airborne combat vehicles, etc.
At the same time, the structure of the Russian military air force today is about 120 military transport aircraft IL-76 - these machines are the main ones during the parachute landing of Russian airborne troops. In the recently completed training exercises, 47 of such aircraft were involved, which were enough to land less than an airborne regiment, including two battalions with armored vehicles. Proceeding from this, it can be noted that the entire fleet of Il-76 military transport aircraft will be enough to land less than two regiments with all the standard set of weapons and military equipment for one flight using the parachute method.
The problem of the lack of aviation technology for parachute landing of airborne units existed and was realized even in Soviet times. According to military experts, in order to parachute the landing of only one Soviet airborne division, it was necessary to raise into the sky at least 5 military transport aviation divisions. Given the quantitative composition of the military transport aviation of the USSR Air Force, the parachute landing of one division was the limit of their capabilities in the event of a large-scale armed conflict, while taking into account possible opposition from the enemy.
In practice, paratroopers in the post-war years, with the exception of a whole series of tactical episodes, were not used in the Soviet Union. In this plan, the operations of the Airborne Forces - in Czechoslovakia in the 1968 year and in Afghanistan in the 1979 year, which were carried out with the use of a landing landing, were most famous. In the course of the subsequent war in Afghanistan, as well as the two Chechen wars, the airborne units were either used as airborne assault formations, disembarking from helicopters, or as ordinary infantry, moving on trucks, armored vehicles or on foot.
In comparison with foreign armies, the Russian Federation currently has the most numerous and prepared parachute units. Their number clearly exceeds the capacity of the fleet of military transport aircraft. This state of affairs raises certain questions about the effectiveness of budget spending, given the high cost of parachute training for personnel and specialized amphibious equipment for the Russian budget. At the same time, the significant limitations that are imposed on the combat capabilities of the landing craft, lead to the fact that, when operating on the ground as ordinary infantry, the paratroopers' units are quite inferior to the motorized infantry, who have not only greater firepower, but also a greater range of weapons and weapons available to them military equipment.
It is not possible to change the current state of affairs with the lack of landing facilities in the foreseeable future. This would require a multiple increase in the number of helicopter transport units - for the transfer of air assault units and an increase in the number of military transport aircraft. This problem has been understood for quite some time. At the same time, the traditional high political weight of the Airborne Forces of Russia (since the beginning of the 1990-s) hinders the radical reformation of this kind of troops and forces them not to touch the existing structure. At the same time, plans for a significant reduction in the Airborne Forces with their transfer to the ground forces were being hatched at a time when the Russian Defense Ministry was headed by Anatoly Serdyukov, and the Chief of General Staff was Nikolai Makarov. Their plans were never realized.
At the same time, the need to reduce military spending in the Russian budget requires a review of the current state of affairs. Taking into account the capabilities of the Russian military transport aviation and its quantitative composition, the optimal number of paratrooper units is estimated at 1-2 regiments, while they do not need specialized armored vehicles with the possibility of landing: the most likely tactical assaults during local wars and conflicts do not imply parachute throwing military equipment. If necessary, armored vehicles, up to the main combat tanks, can be transferred to airfields in the traditional landing way, for which the presence of BTR-D and BMD is optional.
At the same time, airborne assault units should form the basis of the airborne troops, which will be used as part of the interspecific groupings of troops. This would reduce the combat strength of the Russian Airborne Forces to one division, including the 1-2 paratroopers and the 1-2 airborne assault regiments, as well as four airborne assault brigades of regional subordination. Taking into account the fact that various units of special forces and marine units of the Russian Navy also have airborne assault training, this will still require a substantial increase in the transport capabilities of the Russian Air Force. However, such reinforcement is already possible to carry out in a very reasonable time and with reasonable monetary costs, which would allow the most efficient use of all available amphibious units. At the same time, taking the existing structure of the Armed Forces and the political weight of the Airborne Forces as part of them, one must be aware that such radical changes are unlikely in the foreseeable future, they are unlikely to be solved by anyone, Izvestia notes.
Despite this, the revision of the role and capabilities of the Airborne Forces in modern Russia is still underway. The airborne troops are increasingly viewed as elite, best-trained and equipped with quick-response units that can replace infantry units in combat conditions. In fact, we are talking about elite infantry, which, among other things, has the necessary level of parachute training. It is in this context that the reinforcement of airborne units by tank subunits carried out in the past few years should be considered.
According to Major General Viktor Kupchishin, Deputy Commander of the Airborne Forces for Work with Personnel, the firepower of the airborne troops will be significantly enhanced by reorganizing the tank companies into full-fledged tank battalions. About this on Thursday, 26 July, the general told reporters "Interfax". According to him, the task of reforming tank companies into tank battalions has been set by the leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry and no one doubts that it will be successfully implemented. Already in 2018, the Russian Airborne Forces will receive the upgraded main battle tanks T-72B3, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke about this at the beginning of March. In addition to tanks, paratroopers will receive in 2018 more than 30 upgraded artillery systems, BMD-4М, BTR-MDM and howitzer D-30. Receiving a tank battalion, the airborne assault brigades become even closer to the motorized infantry, which also have one tank battalion in their staff.
According to Shoigu, in the airborne forces in 2018, it is planned to complete the formation of three tank battalions, EW units and unmanned aerial vehicles. According to Andrei Krasov, deputy head of the defense committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, tank battalions will increase the combat capabilities of the paratroopers. Of course, the Airborne Forces remain mobile, but among the tasks that are assigned to them today, there are also actions as part of or as separate land groups. According to Krasov, the T-72B3 tanks, which will receive the Russian Airborne Forces, if necessary, can also be transferred by rail and sea transport.
Information sources:
https://iz.ru/767550/ilia-kramnik/granitcy-vozmozhnostei
https://www.1tv.ru/news/2018-07-13/348636-masshtabnye_ucheniya_vdv_prohodyat_v_ryazanskoy_oblasti
http://www.militarynews.ru/story.asp?rid=1&nid=486853
Information