| Military Transport Aviation (Cold War – 1998/9) 61st Air Army (1998/9 – 2009) Military Transport Aviation (2009–) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1955–1998 1998–2009 2009– |
| Country | Soviet Union,Russia |
| Branch |  Russian Air Force |
| Type | Military transport aircraft formation |
| Size | 9 regiments |
| Anniversaries | 1 June |
TheMilitary Transport Aviation Command (Russian:Кома́ндование вое́нно-тра́нспортной авиа́ции (ВТА) — Komandovaniye voyenno-transportnoy aviatsii (VTA)) was a major component of the formerSoviet Air Forces, active from the Cold War period, through the dissolution of the Soviet Union, to 1998–1999. In 1999–2009 it was reduced in status to the 61stAir Army of the Supreme High Command (61 Vozdushnaya Armiya VGK). The 61st Air Army itself was initially formed on 10 January 1949 by renaming the3rd Air Army. In 2009 the 61st Air Army was renamed the Command of Military Transport Aviation.[1] Its headquarters is located inMoscow.
The VTA traces its history to the formation of the first transport aviation unit in theLeningrad Military District on 1 June 1931.[2] In 1955–56 air transport units were removed from theSoviet Airborne Troops and the VTA itself was created.[3]
In 1988 the VTA included six separate regiments (194th Guards Bryanskiy Red Banner Military-Transport Aviation Regiment im. N.F. Gastello atFergana, probably associated with the105th Guards Vienna Airborne Division,[4] 334, 374 OVTAP atKlokovo, 566 VTAP, and unidentified regiments at Ulyanovsk andKirovakan) and six divisions with a total of 18 military transport aviation regiments.[5] Holm and Feskovet al. 2004 disagree on multiple regiments' identity and stationing.[6] The divisions were the3rd Guards Military Transport Aviation Division (VTAD) atVitebsk (103rd Guards, 110, 235, 239th Regiments), the6th Military Transport Aviation Division atKryvyi Rih (Krivoy Rog) (37th, 338th Regiments), the 7th Division atMelitopol with the 25th Guards, 369th (Dzhankoy), and 708th Regiments, the 8th Division atChkalovsky,Shchyolkovo,Moscow Oblast, (70th, 353rd, and 354th OSNAZ regiments), the12th Military Transport Aviation Division atMigalovo, which traced its heritage to the 12th Bomber Aviation Division of the World War II period, and had three regiments, including the 8th, 81st, and a regiment atKlin. The final division was the 18th Guards 'Taganrogskaya Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov' Military Transport Aviation Division atShaulyai, which traced its history to the wartime 6th Guards Bomber Aviation Division, and had three regiments (117th, 128th Guards, 196th). Regiments of the 18th VTAD, according to Holm included the 128th Guards VTAP atPanevėžys Air Base, and the 600th VTAP atKėdainiai in theLithuanian SSR.
The main aircraft the 61st Air Army used was theIl-76Candid (about 220) andAn-22Cock; or the medium transportAn-12Cub. The Russian Air Force began in 2002 to upgrade its Il-76MD transport aircraft, but this is a slow process, only two aircraft being modernized in 2005. According to the modernisation programme, 12 Il-76 aircraft are due to be modernised before 2010, to the Il-76MD-90 variant.
The '18th Guards Taganrogskaya Red Banner orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Military-Transport Aviation Division' was Military Unit no. 18380.[12] It was activated in June 1942 from the 4th Reserve Air Group, as the 270th Bomber Aviation Division. On 23.10.43 it was renamed 6th Guards Bomber Aviation Division. At the end of theSecond World War it was serving with the1st Air Army.
Organisation May 1945:
Organisation 1955:
On 10 July 1964 it was renamed 11th Guards Military-Transport Aviation Division. In April 1966 finally it was renamed 18th Guards Military-Transport Aviation Division.
| Air Armies (1942–1949) | |
|---|---|
| Additional Air Armies formed (1949–1992) | |
