Page 73 - AirForces Monthly - Issue 381 (December 2019)

Russia’s airborne

renaissance

Above: Airborne assault, Russian style: with palls of smoke rising behind it,
Mi-26 RF-93035/‘90 Blue’ departs the battlefield. Each of the new-look army

aviation brigades (Brigada Armeyskoy aviatsii, Br AA) includes two squadrons
of combat-transport helicopters (Mi-8, Mi-26) and two of attack helicopters
(Ka-52, Mi-28N, Mi-35M). Dmitri Sribnyi Left: An unusual rear three-quarter
aspect of Ka-52 RF-13439/‘62 Red’, carrying B-8 pods for 80mm rockets
as well as external fuel tanks. The combat helicopter has provision for four
underwing fuel tanks, each of 540-litre capacity. Dmitri Sribnyi Below: Among the
support assets involved in the manoeuvres was An-12BK RF-90917/‘17 Red’
(00347308), being refuelled at Chelyabinsk/Shagol. Around 65 An-12s remain
in Russian military service as auxiliary transports, assigned to composite air
regiments or squadrons, together with other transport types. Dmitriy Pichugin

Yurginsky in the Kemerovo region). (10,700 Russian servicemen and exercise, VKS helicopters played
Use was also made of foreign up to 2,250 foreign personnel), an active role. Rotorcraft delivered
training areas in Kazakhstan and also included activities at the assault groups to the battlefield,
and Kyrgyzstan and of Russia’s Totsky and Adanak training ranges deploying them both by landing
201st Military Base in Tajikistan. in the European part of Russia. and using the fast-roping technique.
According to Russian Deputy The scenario of this particular Around 40 helicopters were
Defence Minister Colonel General phase of the exercise saw involved in deploying the troops,
Alexander Fomin, the overall hostilities begin when ‘terrorist with examples of the Mi-24P and
scenario envisaged a hypothetical armed formations’ attacked the Mi-8MTV-5/AMTSh helping lift a
state emerging in southwest allied troops’ positions. Friendly brigade of paratroopers. As well
Russia with a leadership that ground forces sought to repel the as bringing all-terrain vehicles and
shared the extremist ideas of enemy offensive and engaged their crews direct to the battlefield,
leaders of international terrorist them using up to 250 tanks, 450 heavy Mi-26 helicopters also
organisations. Fomin explained: armoured personnel carriers transported UAZ jeeps with 120mm
“The imaginary country having an and up to 200 artillery pieces mortars, plus Niva pickups with
advanced army makes attempts and multiple rocket launchers. 82mm mortars, AGS-17 grenade
to exert pressure, including Air support for the ground forces’ launchers and Kord heavy machine
military pressure, on Russia. The combat operations was provided guns. Using external slings,
escalation of tensions eventually by the Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Mi-8AMTSh helicopters delivered
evolves into an armed conflict.” Sily Rossiyskoy Federatsii (VKS, 122mm D-30 howitzer batteries
Russian Aerospace Forces), to the landing area, complete
Donguz finale including long-range Tu-22M3 with ammunition. Air support
The culmination of the manoeuvres bombers, Su-24M and Su-34 for this phase of the operation
took place on September 20 at strike aircraft (24 aircraft in total), was provided by Mi-24P, Mi-28N
the Donguz training ground in the Su-25SM attack aircraft, Su-24MR and Ka-52 combat helicopters.
presence of Russian President reconnaissance aircraft and Su-35S In total, around 80 helicopters
Vladimir Putin and President of fighters. Meanwhile, the People’s participated in this stage.
Kyrgyzstan Sooronbai Jeenbekov, Liberation Army Air Force brought Perhaps the most remarkable
as well as officials and military 28 aircraft to Russia, among them part of the exercise was the large-
attachés from many other countries. H-6 long-range bombers, JH-7 scale participation of airborne
Units from the seven foreign strike aircraft and J-11 fighters. troops – most of them from the
nations involved in Tsentr-2019 331st Guards Airborne Regiment
worked directly alongside the Aerial assault – including around 2,000 soldiers
Russian military at the training After air strikes against the and officers. Standard military
ground. According to official advancing enemy, the allied ground equipment was dropped in the
accounts, this main phase of the forces proceeded to eliminate the enemy’s rear areas, 80 Il-76
exercise involved 12,950 troops enemy troops. In this part of the airlifters being tasked with this

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