December 23 - Day of Long-Range Aviation of the Aerospace Forces
On December 10 (23), 1913, the Ilya Muromets heavy four-engine bomber of Russian design and construction took off for the first time. Exactly one year later, on December 10 (23), 1914, the Military Council of the Russian Army ordered the formation of the first squadron of such aircraft. This date is considered the birthday of the long-range bomber aviationboth Russian and global.
In 1999, in accordance with the order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, December 23 became a professional holiday - the Day of Long-Range Aviation of the Air Force (since 2015 - the Air and Space Forces).
Since its formation, Russian, Soviet and Russian Long-Range Aviation has come a long way. New airships and weapons for them appeared regularly, tactics of combat use were developed and improved. The personnel repeatedly had to participate in various wars and operations.
The combat path of the Russian Long-Range Aviation began already in 1915. Aircraft "Ilya Muromets" of the first squadron regularly made sorties and bombed the enemy's rear. Despite the imperfection of the design and the difficulties associated with it, these bombers showed the potential of long-range aviation and the need for its further construction and development.
In the interwar period, a full-scale construction of a new kind of troops began. New units and formations were formed, for which modern bombers with high performance were built. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Long-Range Aviation had become a serious force.
Already in the first hours of the war, on June 22, 1941, the Long-Range Aviation of the Red Army began to strike at the Nazi troops. Just a few weeks later, in early August, long-range bombers bombed Berlin for the first time. Until the very end of the Great Patriotic War, long-range aviation pilots destroyed objects behind enemy lines, helping our troops at the front.
In the post-war period, a new stage in the development of Soviet long-range aviation began. Jet planes and bombers with intercontinental flight range were created and mastered. In addition, it was the airships that became the first carriers of the newly created atomic weapons, and the construction of strategic nuclear forces began with them.
During the Cold War, Long-Range Aviation regularly performed patrols in remote strategically important areas. The crews were ready to respond to the aggression of a potential enemy and use weapons. Long-range bombers made a significant contribution to the overall deterrence processes and helped to keep the peace.
Long-range aviation of the Air Force, not without problems, survived the difficult period after the collapse of the USSR, but restored its capabilities and continues to develop. In recent years, regular patrolling has resumed, and in addition, equipment is being modernized and new models are being created.
In modern stories The long-range aviation of the Aerospace Forces again has to solve real combat missions. Since 2015, Russian bombers have regularly targeted terrorists in Syria. In recent months, the crews have been actively involved in the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, using various models of aviation weapons for this.
Long-range aviation remains the most important component of the Aerospace Forces and the Russian Army as a whole. It maintains and increases its potential, and also demonstrates its capabilities in real operations. Its contribution to national security cannot be overestimated.
The Military Review team congratulates all military personnel and veterans of the Long-Range Aviation of the Aerospace Forces on their professional holiday!
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