| Russian Aerospace Defence Forces | |
|---|---|
| Войска воздушно-космической обороны Voyska vozdushno-kosmicheskoy oborony | |
 Great emblem of the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces | |
| Active | 1 December 2011–1 August 2015 |
| Country | Russian Federation |
| Type | Space force |
| Anniversaries | 4 October (Space Forces Day) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Aleksandr Golovko |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
| Middle emblem |  |
| Insignia |  |
TheRussian Aerospace Defence Forces (VVKO)[1] (Russian:Войска воздушно-космической обороны (ВВКО),romanized: Voyska vozdushno-kosmicheskoy oborony (VVKO))[2] was a branch of theRussian Armed Forces responsible for aerospace defence, operation of Russian militarysatellites and thePlesetsk Cosmodrome. It was established on 1 December 2011 and dissolved on 1 August 2015.Russian Space Forces was reestablished on 1 August 2015 to replace it.[3]
The Aerospace Defence Forces was first commanded by former Space Forces commanderColonel GeneralOleg Ostapenko, who was promoted to Deputy Minister of Defence in November 2012.[4][5] In December 2012,Aleksandr Golovko was appointed the new commander.[6] Although it is officially translated asaerospace in English,[7] some Russian writers translate it as "air and space" instead.[4][8]
On 1 August 2015, theRussian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces were merged to form theRussian Aerospace Forces.[9][10]
The Russian Aerospace Defence Forces duties for space defense are now with theRussian Space Forces under the umbrella of the new Russian Aerospace Forces. The RADF today only provides air defense responsibilities.
| Russian Armed Forces |
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| Staff |
| Services (vid) |
| Independent troops (rod) |
| Special operations force (sof) |
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| History of the Russian military |
The Aerospace Defence Forces trace their heritage to the Space Operations Section, Strategic Operations Branch of the Supreme High Command Reserve Artillery, formed in 1955, and transformed into the Space Services Central Administration of theStrategic Rocket Forces in 1964 (and later the Chief Space Operations Directorate in 1972).
In 1967 the Anti-Missile and Space Defence Forces were formed (Russian:войска противоракетной и противокосмической обороны [ПРО и ПКО],romanized: Voyska Protivoraketnoy i Protivokosmicheskoy Oborony [PRO i PKO]) under Artillery Lieutenant General Yu. Votintsev.[11] They were reorganised as the Ministry of Defence Space Service Units in 1982, and were expanded to include the Chief Space Operations Directorate in 1986.
In 1991 the Soviet Union was broken up. TheRussian Armed Forces were established on 7 May 1992, enabling the creation of Russian Space Forces later that year on 10 August. They were merged with the Strategic Missile Troops in 1996, but were reformed in 2001.
In 2006PresidentVladimir Putin agreed with the idea of a new "Air and Space Defence Concept" from 2016, but without the implication that it would be a separate service. In 2008Aleksandr Zelin argued that the missile defence and space defence forces should be merged into theAir Force.[8]
On 30 November 2010 PresidentDmitry Medvedev said that air and space defence services would be under a single strategic command and theGeneral Staff andMinistry of Defence had decided it would be on the basis of theSpace Forces. In April 2011 the then Space Forces commander Oleg Ostapenko said that concept for the future system had been approved. The service was created by the presidential decree "On changes to the composition of the Russian Armed Forces until January 1, 2016" which has not been published.[8]
Thus, on 1 December 2011, the Space Forces became the Aerospace Defence Forces, fusing all space and some air defence components into one joint service. On 1 August 2015, the ADF was merged with the Russian Air Force to form theRussian Aerospace Forces, by orders of President Putin, and upon the recommendation of the Minister of DefenseSergei Shoigu. It is today a service speciality corps within the Aerospace Forces with responsibility for the aerospace defense of Russian territory.
Until 12 August 2015 the Aerospace Defence Forces was organized into 2 commands: the Air and Space Defence Command; and the Space Command. The structure was as follows:[4][7][8]
In early March 2014, spokesman of the forces said the aerospace defences would include a space -and ground-based intelligence- gathering and missile early warning network, an air and space defence command, a VKO command-and-control structure, and a logistics support branch. Deputy Defence Minister Yury Borisov said on that month that the military would invest 2 trillion rubles ($55.3 billion) in building up its aerospace defence weapons over the next six years to ensure they are capable of thwarting existing and future types of air and space attacks.
The Aerospace Defence Forces had locations across Russia and bases in someCommonwealth of Independent States countries such asearly warning radars inAzerbaijan (until December 2012),Kazakhstan andBelarus, and theOkno facility inTajikistan. For a more detailed list of air bases now used by theRussian Aerospace Forces, seeList of Soviet Air Force bases
Until 2015 the VKO used the following facilities for aerospace defence operations, with the merger of the Air Force it also now handles the operations of Russia's hundreds of air defense bases and air defense units as well.
Early warning of missile attack:
Space surveillance:
Missile defence:
Satellite Systems:
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| Генера́л а́рмии Generál ármii | Генера́л-полко́вник Generál-polkóvnik | Генера́л-лейтена́нт Generál-leytenánt | Генера́л-майо́р Generál-mayór | Полко́вник Polkóvnik | Подполко́вник Podpolkóvnik | Майо́р Majór | Kапита́н Kapitán | Старший лейтена́нт Stárshiy leytenánt | Лейтенант Leytenant | Mла́дший лейтена́нт Mládshiy leytenánt | Курсант Kursant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ста́рший пра́порщик Stárshiy práporshchik | Пра́порщик Práporshchyk | Старшина́ Starshyná | Ста́рший сержа́нт Stárshiy serzhánt | Сержа́нт Serzhánt | Мла́дший сержа́нт Mládshiy serzhánt | Ефре́йтор Efréĭtor | Рядово́й Ryadovóy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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