Aerospace defense brigades. Russian Aerospace Defense Forces

Space Force

From the history of creation

Space Force The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were created in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of March 24, 2001.

The first military formations for space purposes were formed in 1955, when by decree of the USSR government it was decided to build a research site, which later became the world-famous Baikonur Cosmodrome.

In 1957, in connection with preparations for the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite, the Command and Measurement Complex for Spacecraft Control was created (now the Main Test Center for Testing and Control of Spacecraft named after G.S. Titov, GITSIU KS). In the same year, in the city of Mirny, Arkhangelsk region, construction began on a test site intended for launches of R-7 intercontinental ballistic missiles - the current Plesetsk cosmodrome.

On October 4, 1957, the launch and control units of spacecraft carried out the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite "PS-1", and on April 12, 1961 - the launch and control of the flight of the world's first manned spacecraft "Vostok" with cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on board. Subsequently, all domestic and international space programs were carried out with the direct participation of military units in launching and controlling spacecraft.

In 1964, to centralize work on the creation of new assets, as well as to quickly resolve issues of using space assets, the Central Directorate of Space Assets (TSUKOS) of the USSR Ministry of Defense was created. In 1970, TsUKOS was reorganized into the Main Directorate of Space Facilities (GUKOS) of the Ministry of Defense. In 1982, GUKOS and the units subordinate to it were withdrawn from the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) and subordinated directly to the Minister of Defense.

In 1992, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 27, 1992, the Military Space Forces (VKS) of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation were created, which included the Baikonur Cosmodrome, spacecraft launch units of the Plesetsk test site, and the Main Test Center for testing and control of space assets. Colonel General Vladimir Ivanov was appointed the first commander of the Aerospace Forces.

In 1997, according to the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 16, “in accordance with the needs of defense and security, as well as the real economic capabilities of the country,” the Russian Aerospace Forces merged with the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) and the Missile and Space Defense Forces (RKO) of the Air Defense Forces.

In 2001, in connection with the increasing role of space assets in the military and national security system of Russia, the country's top political leadership decided to create a new type of military force on the basis of formations, formations and units for launching and controlling spacecraft, as well as RKO troops, allocated from the Strategic Missile Forces. Space Forces. On March 26, 2002, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation presented a personal standard to the commander of the Space Forces.

On October 3, 2002, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Space Forces Day was introduced, celebrated annually on October 4.

    The Russian Space Forces are designed to solve the following tasks:
  • detection of the beginning of a missile attack on the Russian Federation and its allies;
  • combating enemy ballistic missiles attacking the defended area;
  • maintaining the established composition of orbital constellations of military and dual-use spacecraft and ensuring their use for their intended purpose;
  • control over outer space;
  • ensuring the implementation of the Russian Federal Space Program, international cooperation programs and commercial space programs.
    The Space Forces included:
  • Rocket and Space Defense Association (RKO)
  • State test cosmodromes of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Baikonur, Plesetsk and Svobodny
  • Main Test Center for Testing and Control of Spacecraft named after G.S. Titov
  • department for depositing cash settlement services
  • military educational institutions and support units.

    The RKO association includes missile attack warning (MAW), missile defense and space control (SSC) units. It is armed with radar, radio engineering, optical-electronic, and optical means, which are controlled from one center and operate according to a single plan in real time using a single information field.

    Management of orbital constellations of spacecraft is carried out by the Main Test Center named after. G.S. Titova. The state test cosmodromes Plesetsk, Svobodny and Baikonur are intended to create, maintain and replenish the domestic orbital constellation of spacecraft.

    Space Forces facilities are located throughout Russia and beyond its borders. Abroad, they are deployed in Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.

    As of the end of 2007, the Russian orbital constellation consisted of 100 spacecraft. Of these, 40 satellites are for defense purposes, 21 are dual-use (capable of simultaneously solving military, socio-economic and scientific problems) and 39 spacecraft for scientific and socio-economic purposes. Since 2004, it has increased one and a half times.

    The Space Forces are armed with satellites for specific reconnaissance (optical-electronic and radar reconnaissance), radio-electronic control (radio and electronic reconnaissance), communications (Cosmos, Globus and Rainbow series) and a global satellite navigation system for troops ( "Hurricane" series). The launch of satellites into a given orbit is provided by light (Start-1, Kosmos-3M, Cyclone-2, Cyclone-3), medium-sized (Soyuz-U, Soyuz-2, "Zenit") and heavy ("Proton-K", "Proton-M") classes.

    The main cosmodrome for launching military and dual-use spacecraft is the Plesetsk cosmodrome. It is based on technical and launch complexes for space rockets "Molniya-M", "Soyuz-U", "Soyuz-2", "Cyclone-3", "Cosmos-3M", "Rokot".

    The space forces use the means of the ground-based automated spacecraft control complex (NAKU KA): command and measurement systems "Taman-Baza", "Fazan", radar "Kama", quantum-optical system "Sazhen-T", ground-based receiving and recording station " Nauka M-04", radar stations "DON-2N", "Dnepr", "Daryal", "Volga", radio-optical complex for recognition of space objects "KRONA", optical-electronic complex "OKNO".

    The structure of the Space Forces includes military educational institutions: Military Space Academy (VKA) named after. A.F. Mozhaisky (St. Petersburg), Pushkin Military Institute of Radio Electronics of the Space Forces named after. Air Marshal E.Ya. Savitsky (Pushkin), Moscow Military Institute of Radio Electronics of the Space Forces (Kubinka), Peter the Great Military Space Cadet Corps (St. Petersburg).

    From July 4, 2008 to December 1, 2011, the commander of the Space Forces is Major General Oleg Nikolaevich Ostapenko.

    With the formation of the Aerospace Defense Forces in Russia, the Space Forces ceased to exist. The aerospace defense forces were formed on the basis of the Space Forces and the troops of the operational-strategic command of the aerospace defense.

    The creation of the Aerospace Defense Forces was required to combine the forces and assets responsible for ensuring the security of Russia in space and from space with military formations that solve the problems of air defense (air defense) of the Russian Federation. This was caused by the objective need to integrate, under a single leadership, all forces and means capable of fighting in the air and space spheres, based on modern world trends in armament and rearmament of leading countries towards expanding the role of aerospace in ensuring the protection of state interests in the economic, military and social spheres.

    Aerospace Defense Forces facilities are located throughout Russia - from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, as well as beyond its borders. Missile attack warning and space control systems are deployed in neighboring countries - Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

      Commanders of the Aerospace Defense Forces:
    • From December 1, 2011 to November 9, 2012 - Colonel General Oleg Nikolaevich Ostapenko.
    • Since November 9, 2012, acting Lieutenant General Valery Mikhailovich Ivanov.
    • Since December 24, 2012 - Major General Alexander Valentinovich Golovko.

    Organizational structure of the aerospace defense forces

    • Aerospace Defense Forces
    • Command of the Aerospace Defense Forces
      • Space Command (SC):
      • Main Test Space Center named after. G.S. Titova
      • Air and Missile Defense Command (Air Defense and Missile Defense):
      • Air Defense Brigades
      • Missile Defense Joint
      • State Test Cosmodrome "Plesetsk" (GIC "Plesetsk")
      • Separate scientific research station (Kura test site)
    • Arsenal

    Aerospace Defense Troops (VVKO)- a separate branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, created by decision of President Dmitry Medvedev. The first duty shift of the command post of the Aerospace Defense Forces took up combat duty on December 1, 2011.

      These troops include:
    • Main Missile Attack Warning Center (Missile Attack Warning System);
    • Main center for space reconnaissance (Space Control Center);
    • Main Test Space Center named after German Titov;
    • Air and Missile Defense Command (Air Defense and Missile Defense) (Operational-Strategic Command of Aerospace Defense), consisting of an air defense brigade (former troops of the Operational-Strategic Command of Aerospace Defense and the Special Forces Command of the Moscow Air Defense District) and missile defense formations defense;
    • State Test Cosmodrome Plesetsk (1st State Test Cosmodrome), including a separate scientific research station (Kura test site). Kura Missile Range - test site of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces;
    • Arsenal (a military institution for storing, repairing and assembling, accounting, issuing weapons and ammunition to troops, as well as for carrying out work on their assembly, repair and production of some parts for them).

    Main missile attack warning center
    (Missile Warning System)

    Missile attack warning system (MAWS)- a special comprehensive system for warning the leadership of a state about the enemy’s use of missile weapons against the state and repelling its surprise attack.

    Designed to detect a missile attack before the missiles reach their targets. It consists of two echelons - ground-based radars and an orbital constellation of early warning system satellites.

    History of creation

    The development and adoption of intercontinental ballistic missiles in the late 1950s led to the need to create means of detecting the launches of such missiles in order to eliminate the possibility of a surprise attack.

    The Soviet Union began building a missile attack warning system in the early 1960s. The first early warning radar stations were deployed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their main task was to provide information about a missile attack for missile defense systems, and not to ensure the possibility of a retaliatory strike. The first radars detected missiles after they appeared from behind the local horizon or, using the reflections of radio waves from the ionosphere, “looked” beyond the horizon. But, in any case, the maximum achievable power of such stations and the imperfection of technical means for processing the received information limited the detection range to two to three thousand kilometers, which corresponded to a warning time of 10 - 15 minutes before arrival to the territory of the USSR.

    In 1960, in the USA, the AN/FPS-49 radar (developed by D.C. Barton) for a missile attack warning system was adopted into service in Alaska and Great Britain (replaced only after 40 years of service with newer radars).

    In 1972, the USSR developed the concept of an integrated missile attack warning system. It included ground-based above-the-horizon and over-the-horizon radar stations and space assets and was capable of ensuring the implementation of a retaliatory strike. To detect ICBM launches as they pass through the active part of the trajectory, which would provide maximum warning time, it was planned to use early warning satellites and over-the-horizon radars. Detection of missile warheads in later sections of the ballistic trajectory was provided using a system of over-the-horizon radars. This separation significantly increases the reliability of the system and reduces the likelihood of errors, since different physical principles are used to detect a missile attack: registration of infrared radiation from the operating engine of a launching ICBM by satellite sensors and registration of the reflected radio signal using radar.

    USSR missile attack warning system

    Missile attack warning radar

    Work on the creation of a long-range detection radar began after the 1954 decision of the USSR Government to develop proposals for the creation of a missile defense system for Moscow. Its most important elements were to be the radar for detecting and determining with high accuracy the coordinates of enemy missiles and warheads at a distance of several thousand kilometers. In 1956, by the Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR “On Missile Defense” A.L. Mints was appointed one of the chief designers of the DO radar and in the same year, research began in Kazakhstan on the reflective parameters of the ballistic missile warheads launched from the Kapustin Yar test site.

    The construction of the first early warning radars was carried out in 1963 - 1969. These were two radars of the Dnestr-M type, located in Olenegorsk (Kola Peninsula) and Skrunda (Latvia). In August 1970 the system was put into service. It was designed to detect ballistic missiles launched from the United States or from the Norwegian and North Seas. The main task of the system at this stage was to provide information about a missile attack for the missile defense system deployed around Moscow.

    In 1967 - 1968, simultaneously with the construction of radars in Olenegorsk and Skrunda, the construction of four Dnepr-type radars (a modernized version of the Dnestr-M radar) began. Nodes were selected for construction in Balkhash-9 (Kazakhstan), Mishelevka (near Irkutsk), and Sevastopol. Another one was built at the site in Skrunda, in addition to the Dnestr-M radar already operating there. These stations were supposed to provide a wider coverage area of ​​the warning system, expanding it to the North Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.

    At the beginning of 1971, a missile attack warning system command post was created on the basis of the early warning command post in Solnechnogorsk. On February 15, 1971, by order of the USSR Minister of Defense, a separate anti-missile surveillance division began combat duty.

    The concept of a missile attack warning system developed in 1972 provided for integration with existing and newly created missile defense systems. As part of this program, the Danube-3 (Kubinka) and Danube-3U (Chekhov) radars of the Moscow missile defense system were included in the warning system. In addition to the completion of the construction of the Dnepr radar in Balkhash, Mishelevka, Sevastopol and Skrunda, it was planned to create a new radar of this type at a new node in Mukachevo (Ukraine). Thus, the Dnepr radar was to become the basis of a new missile attack warning system. The first stage of this system, which included radars at the nodes in Olenegorsk, Skrunda, Balkhash-9 and Mishelevka, began combat duty on October 29, 1976. The second stage, which included radars at the nodes in Sevastopol and Mukachevo, was put on combat duty January 16, 1979.

    In the early 70s of the last century, new types of threats appeared - ballistic missiles with multiple and actively maneuvering warheads, as well as strategic cruise missiles that use passive (false targets, radar decoys) and active (jamming) countermeasures. Their detection was also made difficult by the introduction of radar signature reduction systems (Stealth technology). To meet the new conditions, in 1971 - 1972, a project for a new early warning radar of the Daryal type was developed. In 1984, a station of this type was handed over to the state commission and entered combat duty in Pechora, Komi Republic. A similar station was built in 1987 in Gabala, Azerbaijan.

    Space echelon early warning system

    In accordance with the design of the missile attack warning system, in addition to over-the-horizon and over-the-horizon radars, it was supposed to include a space echelon. It made it possible to significantly expand its capabilities due to the ability to detect ballistic missiles almost immediately after launch.

    The lead developer of the space echelon of the warning system was the Central Research Institute "Kometa", and the Design Bureau named after them was responsible for the development of spacecraft. Lavochkina.

    By 1979, a space system for early detection of ICBM launches consisting of four US-K spacecraft (the Oko system) was deployed in highly elliptical orbits. To receive, process information and control the spacecraft of the system, an early warning control center was built in Serpukhov-15 (70 km from Moscow). After flight development tests, the first generation US-K system was put into service in 1982. It was intended to monitor continental missile-prone areas of the United States. To reduce exposure to background radiation from the Earth, reflections of sunlight from clouds, and glare, the satellites observed not vertically downward, but at an angle. To achieve this, the apogees of the highly elliptical orbit were located over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. An additional advantage of this configuration was the ability to observe the basing areas of American ICBMs on both daily orbits, while maintaining direct radio communication with the command post near Moscow or with the Far East. This configuration provided conditions for observation of approximately 6 hours per day for one satellite. To ensure round-the-clock surveillance, it was necessary to have at least four spacecraft in orbit at the same time. In reality, to ensure reliability and reliability of observations, the constellation had to include nine satellites. This made it possible to have the necessary reserve in case of premature failure of satellites. In addition, the observation was carried out simultaneously by two or three spacecraft, which reduced the likelihood of issuing a false signal from illumination of the recording equipment by direct sunlight or sunlight reflected from clouds. This configuration of 9 satellites was first created in 1987.

    In addition, since 1984, one US-KS spacecraft (Oko-S system) has been placed in geostationary orbit. It was the same basic satellite, slightly modified to operate in geostationary orbit.

    These satellites were positioned at 24° west longitude, providing surveillance of the central part of the United States at the edge of the visible disk of the Earth. Satellites in geostationary orbit have a significant advantage - they do not change their position relative to the Earth and can provide constant support to a constellation of satellites in highly elliptical orbits.

    The increase in the number of missile-hazardous areas made it necessary to ensure the detection of ballistic missile launches not only from the continental United States, but also from other areas of the globe. In this regard, the Central Research Institute "Kometa" began to develop a second-generation system for detecting ballistic missile launches from continents, seas and oceans, which was a logical continuation of the "Oko" system. Its distinctive feature, in addition to placing a satellite in geostationary orbit, was the use of vertical observation of rocket launches against the background of the earth's surface. This solution allows not only to register the fact of missile launch, but also to determine the azimuth of their flight.

    The deployment of the US-KMO system began in February 1991 with the launch of the first second-generation spacecraft. In 1996, the US-KMO (“Oko-1”) system with a spacecraft in geostationary orbit was put into service.

    Russian missile attack warning system

    As of October 23, 2007, the early warning system orbital constellation consisted of three satellites - 1 US-KMO in geostationary orbit (Kosmos-2379 launched into orbit on 08/24/2001) and 2 US-KS in a highly elliptical orbit (Cosmos-2422 launched into orbit on 07/21/2001) .2006, Cosmos-2430 launched into orbit on October 23, 2007). On June 27, 2008, Kosmos-2440 was launched.

    To ensure the solution of the problems of detecting ballistic missile launches and communicating combat control commands to the strategic nuclear forces (Strategic Nuclear Forces), it was planned to create a Unified Space System (USS) on the basis of the US-K and US-KMO systems.

    At the beginning of 2012, the planned deployment of high factory readiness radar stations (VZG radar) "Voronezh" is being carried out with the aim of forming a closed missile attack warning radar field at a new technological level with significantly improved characteristics and capabilities. Currently, new VZG radars have been deployed in Lekhtusi (one meter), Armavir (two decimeter), and Svetlogorsk (decimeter). The construction of a dual meter VZG radar complex in the Irkutsk region is progressing ahead of schedule - the first segment of the south-eastern direction has been put on experimental combat duty, the complex with a second antenna sheet for viewing the eastern direction is planned to be put on OBD in 2013. Work on creating a unified space system (USS) is entering the home stretch.

    Early warning stations of Russia on the territory of Ukraine

    In December 2005, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko announced the transfer to the United States of a package of proposals regarding cooperation in the rocket and space sector. After their formalization into the agreement, American specialists will have access to space infrastructure facilities subordinate to the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU), including two Dnepr radar stations of the missile attack warning system (MAWS) in Sevastopol and Mukachevo, information from which is transmitted to SPRN central command post in Solnechnogorsk.

    Unlike early warning radars located in Azerbaijan, Belarus and Kazakhstan, leased by Russia and maintained by Russian military personnel, Ukrainian radars have not only been owned by Ukraine since 1992, but have also been maintained by the Ukrainian military. Based on an interstate agreement, information from these radars, which monitor outer space over Central and Southern Europe, as well as the Mediterranean, is sent to the central command post of the early warning system in Solnechnogorsk, subordinate to the Russian Space Forces. For this, Ukraine received $1.2 million annually.

    In February 2005, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense demanded that Russia increase the payment, but Moscow refused, recalling that the 1992 agreement was for 15 years. Then, in September 2005, Ukraine began the process of transferring the radar station to the subordination of the NSAU, with a view to re-registering the agreement in connection with the change in the status of the radar station. Russia cannot prevent American specialists from accessing the radar. At the same time, Russia would have to rapidly deploy new Voronezh-DM radars on its territory, which it did, putting nodes on duty near Krasnodar Armavir and Kaliningrad Svetlogorsk.

    In March 2006, Ukrainian Defense Minister Anatoly Gritsenko said that Ukraine would not lease two missile attack warning stations in Mukachevo and Sevastopol to the United States.

    In June 2006, the General Director of the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU), Yuriy Alekseev, said that Ukraine and Russia agreed to increase the service fee in the interests of the Russian side for the radar stations in Sevastopol and Mukachevo “one and a half times” in 2006.

    Currently, Russia has abandoned the use of stations in Sevastopol and Mukachevo. The leadership of Ukraine decided to dismantle both stations over the next 3 - 4 years. The military units serving the stations have already been disbanded.

    Main space reconnaissance center
    (Space Control Center)

    Main center for space reconnaissance (GC RKO) is an element of the Space Control System (SCCS), which is part of the Russian Missile and Space Defense Army (RKO). The SKKP serves to provide information support for the state's space activities and counter the space reconnaissance means of potential adversaries, assess the dangers of the space situation and communicate information to consumers.

      Performed tasks:
    • detection of space objects in geocentric orbits;
    • recognition of space objects by type;
    • determination of the time and area of ​​possible fall of space objects in emergency situations;
    • identification of dangerous approaches along the flight path of domestic manned spacecraft;
    • determination of the fact and parameters of spacecraft maneuver;
    • notification of overflights of foreign reconnaissance spacecraft;
    • information and ballistic support for the actions of active anti-missile and anti-space defense systems (ABM and PKO);
    • maintaining a catalog of space objects (Main System Catalog - GCS);
    • assessment of the performance of funds and SKKP;
    • control of the geostationary region of space;
    • analysis and assessment of the space situation.

    History of education

    On March 6, 1965, the Directive of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (VPVO) was signed on the formation of a “Special Central Control Commission Cadre” on the basis of the 45th Specialized Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense (SNII MO). This day has been the birthday of the Central Committee of the Red Cross since 1970. In April 1965, the government made a decision to build a complex of technological buildings for the Central Committee for Communal Use and Control in the Noginsk district of the Moscow region, which was named Noginsk-9. On October 7, 1965, the “Cadre of the Special Central Control Commission” was assigned the number - military unit No. 28289. The first temporary staff of the “Cadre of the Special Central Control Commission” was put into effect on April 27, 1965. November 20, 1965 - the first order in the history of the Central Control Commission was signed, which stated , that Lieutenant Colonel V.P. Smirnov took temporary command of the “Cadre of the Special Central Command and Control Commission.” At the end of 1965, Colonel N.A. Martynov, who graduated with a gold medal from the Academy of the General Staff, was appointed head of the Central Control Commission; Lieutenant Colonel V.P. Smirnov became the chief engineer. On October 1, 1966, based on a directive from the General Staff, the “Cadre of the Space Control Center” unit was transformed into the “Space Control Center”, removed from the 45th SNII MO and transferred to the command of the commander of military unit 73570.

    Air and Missile Defense Command (Air Defense and Missile Defense)
    (Operational-Strategic Aerospace Defense Command)

    Operational-Strategic Command of Aerospace Defense (USC VKO)- the operational-strategic command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, intended for the strategic defense of Russia from threats from the air and from space. The headquarters is in the city of Balashikha (Moscow region). On December 1, 2011, on the basis of the USC VKO and the Russian Space Forces, a new branch of the military was created - the Aerospace Defense Forces.
    The only commander during the existence of the structure was Lieutenant General Valery Ivanov; on November 8, 2011, he was dismissed from the post of commander of the USC VKO troops and appointed first deputy commander of the Aerospace Defense Forces.

    Story

    USC VKO was formed during the military reform of 2008-2010 on the basis of the Special Purpose Command of the Moscow Air Defense District, disbanded on July 1, as well as a number of other structures of the Air Force and Space Forces of Russia.

      The USC East Kazakhstan region includes the following systems:
    • air defense (air defense)
    • reconnaissance and warning of aerospace attack
    • missile defense (BMD)
    • space surveillance.

      It is planned that over time, all forces and means intended for the strategic defense of the country from threats from both the air and space will be under a single command.

      The basis of the subsystem for reconnaissance and warning of an aerospace attack, as well as the subsystem for destroying aerospace attack means of foreign states, will be formations and units of aviation and air defense forces of the Air Force and missile and space defense troops from the space forces.

      At the same time, maintaining all units of the troops in a state of full combat readiness and timely execution of commands given from above will continue to be the responsibility of the previous headquarters and command structures: for example, the Air Force in the case of fighter-interceptors or the KV in the case of anti-missile defenses. However, operational management, as well as decision-making on the use of this or that type of weapon, will be in charge of the Joint Command.

      State Test Cosmodrome Plesetsk

      Plesetsk Cosmodrome (1st State Test Cosmodrome)- Russian cosmodrome. Located 180 kilometers south of Arkhangelsk not far from the Plesetskaya railway station of the Northern Railway. The total area of ​​the cosmodrome is 176,200 hectares.

      The administrative and residential center of the cosmodrome is the city of Mirny. The number of personnel and population of the city of Mirny is approximately 28 thousand people. The territory of the cosmodrome belongs to the municipal formation of the Mirny urban district, bordering the Vinogradovsky, Plesetsk and Kholmogorsky districts of the Arkhangelsk region.

      The Plesetsk cosmodrome is a complex scientific and technical complex that performs various tasks both in the interests of the Russian Armed Forces and for peaceful purposes.

        It contains:
      • launch complexes with launch vehicles;
      • technical complexes for the preparation of space rockets and spacecraft;
      • multifunctional refueling and neutralization station (FNS) for refueling launch vehicles, upper stages and spacecraft with rocket fuel components;
      • 1473 buildings and structures;
      • 237 energy supply facilities.
        The main units placed in the starting structure are:
      • Launch table;
      • Cable filling tower.

      From the 1970s until the early 1990s, the Plesetsk cosmodrome held the world leadership in the number of rocket launches into space (from 1957 to 1993, 1,372 launches were carried out from here, while only 917 were launched from Baikonur, which was in second place).

      However, since the 1990s, the annual number of launches from Plesetsk is less than from Baikonur. Russia carried out 28 launches of launch vehicles in 2008, maintaining first place in the world in the number of launches and surpassing its own figure for 2007. Most (19) of the 27 launches were carried out from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, six from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. One space launch was carried out from the Yasny launch base (Orenburg region) and the Kapustin Yar test site (Astrakhan region). In 2008, the United States conducted 14 launches of launch vehicles, including four shuttles. China launched 11 rockets into space, Europe - six. Other countries have carried out three or fewer launches. In 2007, Russia carried out 26 launches, the USA - 19, China - 10, the European Space Agency - 6, India - 3, Japan - 2.

      Among the currently operating cosmodromes, Plesetsk is the northernmost cosmodrome in the world (if you do not count sites for suborbital launches as cosmodromes). Situated on a plateau-like and slightly hilly plain, the cosmodrome covers an area of ​​1762 km², stretching from north to south for 46 kilometers and from east to west for 82 kilometers with a center having geographic coordinates of 63°00′ N. w. 41°00′ E. d. (G) (O).

      The cosmodrome has an extensive network of roads - 301.4 km and railways - 326 km, aviation equipment and a first-class military airfield, allowing the operation of aircraft with a maximum landing weight of up to 220 tons, such as Il-76, Tu-154, communications equipment , including space.

      The railway network of the Plesetsk cosmodrome is one of the largest departmental railways in Russia. From the Gorodskaya railway station, located in the city of Mirny, passenger trains depart daily on several routes. The length of the farthest of them is about 80 kilometers.

      Kura Missile Range- test site of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces. Located on the Kamchatka Peninsula, near the village of Klyuchi, 500 km north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, in a swampy, deserted area on the Kamchatka River. The main purpose is to receive the warheads of ballistic missiles after test and training launches, control the parameters of their entry into the atmosphere and the accuracy of the hit.

      The test site was established on April 29, 1955 and was initially codenamed “Kama”. A Separate Scientific Testing Station (ONIS) was formed, formed on the basis of Research Institute No. 4 in the village of Bolshevo, Moscow Region. The development of the training ground began on June 1, 1955 with the help of a separate radar battalion assigned to it. In a short time, the military town of Klyuchi-1, a network of roads, an airfield and a number of special structures were built.

      Currently, the test site continues to function, remaining one of the most closed facilities of the Strategic Missile Forces. The following are stationed at the training ground: military unit 25522 (43rd Separate Scientific Testing Station), military unit 73990 (14th separate measuring complex), military unit 25923 (military hospital), military unit 32106 (aviation commandant's office), military unit 13641 ( separate mixed aviation squadron). More than a thousand officers, warrant officers, contract soldiers and about 240 conscripts serve at the training ground.

      To monitor the test site, the United States maintains a permanent observation station, Eareckson Air Station (former Shemya airbase), 935 kilometers from the test site, on one of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The base is equipped with radars and aircraft to monitor hits at the training ground. One of these radars, "Cobra Dane", was created in 1977 at Shemya specifically for this purpose.

      On June 1, 2010, the test site was withdrawn from the Strategic Missile Forces and included in the structure of the Space Forces.

Russia. This time we will talk about Aerospace Forces

And we'll start with the most pleasant thing. When is Aerospace Forces Day celebrated?

Aerospace Forces Day

U Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation very little experience of existence. They arose on August 1, 2015 with the unification of the Air Force (Air Force) and Aerospace Defense Forces (ASD)

The Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces presents the Battle Banner of the Aerospace Forces

Taking into account the merits of the personnel in the defense of the country, by decree of the President of our country, a professional holiday of the Air Force was adopted back in 2006. Their day is considered to be August 12.

And since the Aerospace Forces now include the Air Force, this same day is considered a holiday!

The combination of forces led to the necessary combination of the air and space spheres as adjacent areas for more convenient control over them. The creation of these forces is due to the situation on the world stage, changes in the rearmament of other states, and the increasing importance of the space sector for military-economic and social progress.

Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces is Colonel General Sergei Vladimirovich Surovikin, in office since November 22, 2017. He commanded the last stage of a group of Russian troops during the Syrian military mission.

Composition of the Aerospace Forces

VKS structure consists of 3 types:

  • Air Force,
  • Space Forces,
  • Air and missile defense troops.

The Air Force is represented by several branches:

  • Long-range aviation;
  • Frontline aviation;
  • Military transport aviation;
  • Anti-aircraft missile forces;
  • Radio technical troops;

U Long-Range Aviation their purpose is expressed by the elimination of air and sea targets, command posts and communication connections of the opposing side.

The DA units are armed with strategic bombers and Tu-160 and Tu-95MS missile carriers, and Tu-22M3 long-range aircraft. The aircraft are equipped with maximum and medium range cruise missiles X-55 and X-22 on their sides; in addition, they are armed with aerial bombs (including nuclear ones).

White Swan TU-160 strategic bomber-missile carrier of the aerospace forces of the Russian Federation

Frontline aviation- is obliged to provide cover for the Ground Forces. It contains:

Front-line bomber and attack aviation - its arsenal includes Su-24M, Su-25, Su-30, Su-35 aircraft. On board they are equipped with a set of aerial bombs, guided and unguided missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and air cannons.

Su-30 multi-role fighter 4+ generation

Reconnaissance aircraft– conducts general reconnaissance during flight. The Su-24MRs in their arsenal are equipped with reconnaissance complexes.

The purpose of Fighter Aviation is to counter air attacks and opposing targets in the air. They are armed with Su-27, Su-33, MiG-25, MiG-29, MiG-31 fighter aircraft, equipped on board with air-to-air missiles and air cannons.

"Fox Hound" MiG-31 supersonic high-altitude all-weather interceptor fighter

Army aviation– specifically provide cover for the Ground Units, supply the rear and front. Equipped with airplanes and helicopters: Mi-8, Mi-24, Ka-50, Ka-52, Su-24M, Su-25, Su-30, Su-35, providing fire cover. Equipped with air-to-ground guided missiles, unguided rockets, aircraft guns, and bombs on board. In addition, AA is supplemented by Mi-8 transport helicopters and An-26 aircraft.

"Alligator" Attack helicopter Ka-52

Military transport aviation– lands manpower and equipment, provides rear transportation and technical support in war situations on water and land. They are armed with strategic aircraft An-124 “Ruslan”, An-22 “Antey”, long-range aircraft Il-76, An-12, and medium-range aircraft An-26.

Anti-aircraft missile forces– protect military forces and points from air threats of the opposing side. They are armed with short, medium and long range anti-aircraft missile systems - Osa, Buk, S-75, S-125, S-300, S-400.

Radio technical troops– engaged in identifying air threats from opposing forces. Identification, notification of management, pursuit of identified objects, control and management support of flights.

Space Force

They are engaged in maintaining the security of our state in the space sector.

As a separate branch of the military, it existed in the RF Armed Forces from 2001 to 2011. From December 1, 2011, they were transformed into the Aerospace Defense Forces. And 08/01/2015 are considered a branch of the military that is part of the Aerospace Forces.

KVs are armed with: satellites for specific reconnaissance, electronic control, communications and a global system of satellite military navigation.

Air and Missile Defense Troops

Formed in 1914. In their current form, they represent air defense-missile defense brigades and have primary purposes:

countering ballistic and aerodynamic threats.

Purpose of the Aerospace Forces

Military space forces have their own tasks, namely:

  • countering air attacks and protective measures against attacks on top-level military command posts of the state, administrative and political points, industrial and economic territories, valuable infrastructure and economic facilities of the state and military formations;
  • destruction of military points of the opposing side using conventional and nuclear means of destruction;
  • air support for all its units during an armed conflict;
  • studying the space sphere, identifying possible dangers in that area, and neutralizing them if they arise;
  • launching spacecraft, maintaining civilian and military satellites, obtaining the necessary military information;
  • maintaining the satellite system in a certain quantity and ready for use.

Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria

First combat experience

The first combat experience was the Syrian military mission, which was highly praised by the country's leadership. Aerospace Forces personnel were involved in the Syrian conflict in large numbers and many were awarded high government awards. Even world analysts highly appreciated the quality of the actions of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

During control surveillance of Syrian territory, a constellation of satellites was used to carry out visual and electronic reconnaissance, in addition, to provide radio communications.

There were reports of the use of Orlan and Granat drones.

Achievements of VKS

At some cultural events and during demonstration flights at any air show, the Russian Aerospace Forces usually present the aerobatic teams “Russian Knights” and “Swifts”.

Their skill delights visitors to those show programs. Often the impression of the flights seen encourages young men to choose this military service. This is evidenced by surveys of flight school cadets who saw virtuosos of piloting skills.

A similar and most famous event has been taking place at the MAKS air show for more than two decades, which anyone can visit.

Representatives Russian Aerospace Forces clearly demonstrate their professional skills.

Aerospace Defense Forces

The Aerospace Defense Forces (ASD) are a fundamentally new branch of the military, which is designed to ensure the security of Russia in the aerospace sphere.

Middle emblem of the Aerospace Defense Forces

Aerospace defense troops solve a wide range of tasks, the main of which are:

Providing senior levels of management with reliable information about the detection of ballistic missile launches and warning of missile attacks;

Defeat the warheads of a potential enemy's ballistic missiles attacking important government facilities;

Protection of control points (CP) of the highest echelons of state and military command, groupings of troops (forces), the most important industrial and economic centers and other objects from attacks by enemy aerospace attack weapons (ASCA) within the affected zones;

Monitoring space objects and identifying threats to Russia in and from space, and, if necessary, countering such threats;

Launching spacecraft into orbit, controlling military and dual-purpose (military and civil) satellite systems in flight and using individual of them in the interests of providing the troops (forces) of the Russian Federation with the necessary information;

Maintaining the established composition and readiness for use of military and dual-use satellite systems, means of launching and controlling them, and a number of other tasks.

HISTORY OF CREATION

Aerospace Defense Forces

In accordance with the decision of the President of the Russian Federation, from December 1, 2011, a new branch of the military was created in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - the Aerospace Defense Forces (VVKO).

The Aerospace Defense Forces are formed on the basis of formations and military units of the Space Forces, as well as troops of the operational strategic command of the aerospace defense of the Air Force.

The creation of the Aerospace Defense Forces was dictated by the objective need to combine forces and assets responsible for ensuring the security of Russia in space and from space, with military formations responsible for the air defense of the country, in order to create a unified aerospace defense system.

The first units and institutions for launching and controlling spacecraft (SV) began to be created in our country in 1955 with the decision to build a test site for intercontinental ballistic missiles in Kazakhstan (now the Baikonur Cosmodrome).

In connection with the preparation for the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite in 1957, a Command and Measurement Complex for spacecraft control was created. In the same year, construction began in the Arkhangelsk region of a test site intended for launches of R-7 intercontinental ballistic missiles (now the Plesetsk cosmodrome).

On October 4, 1957, the launch and control units of the spacecraft carried out the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite "PS-1", and on April 12, 1961 - the launch and control of the flight of the world's first manned spacecraft "Vostok" with cosmonaut Yu.A. Gagarin. Subsequently, all domestic and international space programs were carried out with the participation of associations, formations and units of spacecraft launch and control.

To organize the management of space activities in 1960, the 3rd Directorate of the Main Directorate of Missile Weapons was formed in the USSR Ministry of Defense, which in 1964 was transformed into the Central Directorate of Space Facilities (TSUKOS) of the Ministry of Defense, and in 1970 - into the Main Directorate Directorate of Space Facilities (GUKOS) of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In 1982, GUKOS and the units subordinate to it were withdrawn from the Strategic Missile Forces and subordinated directly to the USSR Minister of Defense - the Directorate of the Chief of Space Facilities of the Ministry of Defense was created.

In August 1992, the Military Space Forces of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation were created, which included the Baikonur, Plesetsk cosmodromes and, since 1994, the Svobodny cosmodrome, as well as the Main Test Center for Testing and Control of Space Facilities (GITSIU KS), the Military Engineering Space Academy and 50th Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Since 1957, spacecraft launch and control units and institutions have provided launch and flight control of more than 3,000 spacecraft, carry out tasks to ensure national security in the space sector, and take part in the implementation of all joint international manned projects and projects for fundamental research of deep space. In close cooperation with a wide cooperation of scientific and industrial organizations, flight tests of more than 250 types of spacecraft for military, socio-economic and scientific purposes were carried out.

Manned flights, exploration of the Moon, Mars, Venus, complex experiments in outer space, the launch of an unmanned spacecraft of the reusable orbital complex "Buran", the creation of an international space station - this is not a complete list of achievements of domestic cosmonautics, to which military formations for space purposes made a significant contribution.

Soyuz-2 launch vehicle on the launch pad

At the same time, the combat path of “space in uniform” was not limited to launches and control of spacecraft. With the beginning of the era of space exploration, the need arose to monitor the launches of potential enemy missiles and space objects, control their movement, assess their condition, and warn about possible emergency situations in space. There was a threat of the enemy using weapons from space. Therefore, in the early 1960s. The first samples of missile attack warning systems (MAW), space control systems (SSC), and missile defense systems (ABM) began to be created.

Optical-electronic space monitoring complex OEC "Window"

The most productive period in the history of domestic military space activity was the period of the 1970s–1980s, when scientific, technical and production groundwork was laid in rocket and space technology for decades to come, which is still being implemented today. Space warning, reconnaissance, communications, and navigation systems were created and put into service. The orbital group became permanently operational and began to be actively used in the interests of solving problems and ensuring the daily activities of the Armed Forces. PRN and missile defense systems were put on combat duty.

Radar station of high factory readiness "Voronezh-DM"

All these and many other domestic and international space programs have been carried out for more than 50 years with the direct participation of military units for launching and controlling spacecraft and military formations of missile and space defense (RKO), on the basis of which the Space Forces were created in 2001. At the same time, it was taken into account that space forces and means, forces and means of the RKO have a single sphere of problem solving - space, as well as close cooperation of industrial enterprises, ensuring the creation and development of weapons.

Over the 10-year period of active activity, the Space Forces conducted and ensured more than 230 launches of launch vehicles, which launched more than 300 spacecraft for military, dual, socio-economic and scientific purposes into orbit. Among them are communications, navigation, cartography, remote sensing, telecommunications, scientific apparatus, etc.

Space control equipment provided warnings of more than 900 dangerous approaches of space objects to the international space station.

The duty forces of the Main Test Center for Testing and Control of Spacecraft named after G.S. Titov conducted about 2.5 million sessions of spacecraft control.

The inclusion of air defense forces and means into the Aerospace Defense Forces, dating back to the period of the First World War, when, to cover the most important centers of the country, the to create air defense for the capital of Russia - Petrograd and its environs. Even then, it included anti-aircraft artillery batteries, air crews, and a network of air surveillance posts.

The organizational structure of the air defense forces (since 1928 - air defense) developed with the development of military aviation. Since 1924, the formation of anti-aircraft artillery regiments began for air defense.

On May 10, 1932, the Red Army Air Defense Directorate was created. Separate brigades, divisions, and air defense corps have been formed. On November 9, 1941, the air defense forces of the country acquired the status of an independent branch of the military. In January 1942, air defense aviation was organized within them. The branches of air defense troops, in addition to fighter aircraft, were anti-aircraft artillery and air surveillance, warning and communications troops.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Air Force and Air Defense Forces included operational-strategic formations: air armies, fronts and air defense armies. During the war years, the Air Defense Forces destroyed more than 64 thousand enemy aircraft in air battles, anti-aircraft fire and at airfields.

Currently, air defense formations and military units are units of constant combat readiness. They include anti-aircraft missile and radio engineering units. They are designed to protect command posts of the highest echelons of state and military command, groupings of troops (forces), the most important industrial and economic centers and other objects from attacks by enemy aerospace attacks within the affected zones.

Radio technical equipment and systems of automation equipment for radar complexes and stations of medium, high and low altitudes are intended for conducting radar reconnaissance of enemy air and issuing radar information about the air situation within the radar field to higher command and control bodies and other branches of the Armed Forces and branches of the military, to combat control points means of aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces and electronic warfare when they solve problems in peacetime and wartime.

Currently, the air defense forces are armed with anti-aircraft missile systems and systems, which constitute the main firepower in the air defense (aerospace) defense system. Modern Russian anti-aircraft missile systems S-300, S-400, and the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun system are capable of destroying various air targets, including hitting ballistic missile warheads.


Aerospace Defense Forces perform tasks to protect Russian aerospace space

Air defense brigade personnel are on combat duty around the clock to protect the airspace over the capital region and the Central Industrial Region of the country. About 140 objects of government administration, industry and energy, transport communications, and nuclear power plants are protected by the forces and means of anti-aircraft missile and radio engineering units of the air defense forces.

The creation of the Aerospace Defense Forces was caused by the objective need to integrate, under unified leadership, all forces and assets capable of fighting in the aerospace sphere, based on modern global trends towards expanding the role of aerospace in ensuring the protection of vital state interests in the economic, military and social spheres.

On December 1, 2011, formations and military units of the Space Forces, together with military formations of the operational strategic command of the East Kazakhstan region, became part of a new branch of the military - the Aerospace Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Today, the Aerospace Defense Forces are a modern, dynamically developing, high-tech branch of the military that ensures the defense and security of the state in aerospace.

The objects of the Aerospace Defense Forces are located throughout Russia - from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, as well as beyond its borders. Facilities of missile attack warning and space control systems are deployed in neighboring countries - Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

On December 1, 2011, the Aerospace Defense Forces, in cooperation with the air defense forces and means of the military districts, took up combat duty with the task of protecting the country’s territory from attacks by aerospace attack weapons.

Structure of the Aerospace Defense Forces:

Command of the Aerospace Defense Forces

Space Command (SC)

Main Test Space Center named after. G.S. Titova

Main missile attack warning center

Main space reconnaissance center

Air and Missile Defense Command (Air Defense and Missile Defense)

– Air Defense Brigades

– Missile Defense Joint

State Test Cosmodrome "Plesetsk" (GIC "Plesetsk")

Separate scientific research station (Kura test site)

Arsenal

Major milestones

Military Space Defense Forces:

1955

The first military units for space purposes were formed in connection with preparations for the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite (NIIP No. 5 - now the Baikonur State Test Cosmodrome, created on June 2, 1955, the annual holiday is June 2).

1957

A center for command and measurement complexes was formed (now the Main Test Center for Testing and Control of Spacecraft named after G.S. Titov, GITSIU KS, annual holiday - October 4) to ensure testing of launched and control of the first experimental spacecraft and cosmonaut flights.

On October 4, 1957, the world's first artificial Earth satellite (PS-1) was launched.

On July 15, the first ICBM compound “Angara facility” was created (now the State Test Cosmodrome “Plesetsk”, the annual holiday of the cosmodrome).

1960

To create favorable conditions for the implementation of a long-term military space program, the formation of the first management body within the Strategic Missile Forces - the third directorate of the GURVO. Kerim Alievich Kerimov was appointed the first head of the department.

Kerimov Kerim Alievich (born in 1919). In 1944, after graduating from the Artillery Academy. F.E. Dzerzhinsky served in the system of the Main Directorate of Armament of Guards Mortar Units. After the war, he participated as part of a group of Soviet specialists in the collection and study of German rocket technology. After returning, he worked in the 4th Directorate of the GAU: senior officer, head of department, deputy head of department. During this period, he made a great contribution to the organization of orders for the first serial rocketry.

In March 1965, he was appointed head of the Main Directorate for Space Issues of the USSR Ministry of General Engineering. Subsequently, he was appointed chairman of the State Commission for flight testing of manned spacecraft and cosmonaut launches. He was awarded the military rank of lieutenant general. For his active work in the field of cosmonautics development, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes, and was awarded a number of orders and medals of the USSR.

For reference: by the end of the 50s - the beginning of the 60s, the organizational structure of space units included a test department, separate engineering and testing units and a test site measuring complex at the Baikonur test site, a command and measurement complex center and 12 separate scientific measurement points.

1961

On March 4, 1961, the B-1000 anti-missile with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, developed in an experimental design bureau under the leadership of Academician P.D. Grushin, for the first time in the world, the warhead of a domestic R-12 ballistic missile launched from the Kapustin Yar test site was destroyed in flight.

1964

To centralize work on the creation of new assets, as well as to quickly resolve issues of using space assets, the Central Directorate of Space Assets (TSUKOS) of the Ministry of Defense was created (stationed in Moscow). Its chief was Major General K.A. Kerimov.

1965

The Central Directorate of Space Facilities (TSUKOS) of the Ministry of Defense was headed by Major General A.G. Karas.

Karas Andrey Grigorievich (1918-1979). Colonel General, laureate of the USSR State Prize (1970), head of GUKOS (1970-1979).

In the Armed Forces since 1938. Graduated from the Odessa Artillery School. Participant of the Great Patriotic War. After the war he graduated from the Academy. F.E. Dzerzhinsky. In missile units since May 1951: head of the staff department, deputy chief, chief of staff of the Kapustin Yar test site, chief of staff of the Baikonur test site, scientific consultant of the 4th Central Research Institute of Defense, head of the command and measurement complex (1959). Since 1965 - head of TsUKOS (GUKOS).

1966

On March 17, the first launch of the Vostok-2 space rocket with the Cosmos-112 spacecraft was carried out from the NIIP MO (now the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome).

1967

In 1967, in accordance with the directives of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces of January 31 and March 30, the Directorate of the Commander of the Anti-Missile Defense (BMD) and Anti-Space Defense Forces (PKO) was formed.

1968

In 1968, flight design tests of the PKO “IS” complex began and on November 1, 1968, for the first time in the world, the task of intercepting and destroying the I-2M target spacecraft using a two-orbit interception method was successfully completed.

1970

To develop space assets in the interests of all branches of the USSR Armed Forces, the national economy and scientific research, TsUKOS was reorganized into the Main Directorate of Space Assets (GUKOS) of the Ministry of Defense.

1979

GUKOS was headed by Major General A.A. Maksimov.

Maksimov Alexander Alexandrovich (1923-1990). Colonel General, Hero of Socialist Labor (1984), laureate of the Lenin (1979) and State Prize (1968) of the USSR, head of space assets (1986-1990).

Participant of the Great Patriotic War. After the war, he graduated from the F.E. Dzerzhinsky Artillery Academy in 1952. He served in the military representative office at the S.P. design bureau. Korolev, then in the 4th Directorate of the GAU. As work on space assets expanded, A.A. Maksimov received new appointments: deputy chief, first deputy, chief of GUKOS (1979). In 1986, he was appointed head of space assets of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

1982

GUKOS and the units subordinate to it were withdrawn from the Strategic Missile Forces and subordinated directly to the USSR Minister of Defense, since the volume of tasks being solved had increased significantly.

Branch 4 of the Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation was transformed into the 50th Central Research Institute of KS and is subordinate directly to the head of GUKOS.

On October 1, the directorate of the missile defense and anti-aircraft defense forces was reorganized into the command of the missile and space defense forces (RKO).

August 1992

A logical step was the creation of the Military Space Forces (VKS) of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, which included the Baikonur Cosmodrome, spacecraft launch units at the Plesetsk test site, and the GITSIU KS. Colonel General V.L. Ivanov was appointed the first commander of the Aerospace Forces (the Office of the Commander of the Aerospace Forces was stationed in Moscow).

Ivanov Vladimir Leontievich (born in 1936). Colonel General, Commander of the Military Space Forces (1992-1997), Doctor of Military Sciences (1992).

In 1958 he graduated from the Caspian Higher Naval School named after S.M. Kirov and was appointed to the missile unit (Plesetsk) as crew chief. After successfully graduating from the command department of the F.E. Dzerzhinsky Military Engineering Academy in 1971, he was appointed commander of a missile regiment, then deputy commander and commander of a missile division, deputy chief and chief of the Plesetsk cosmodrome.

On March 1, 1996, the State Test Cosmodrome “Svobodny” was created as part of the Aerospace Forces, the annual holiday of the cosmodrome.

1997

March 4 - the first launch of a space rocket (RKN "Start-1.2" with the Zeya spacecraft) from the State Test Cosmodrome "Svobodny".

The Aerospace Forces and RKO troops became part of the Strategic Missile Forces to increase the efficiency of military space activities. However, the integration goals were not achieved. In addition, a number of serious problems arose due to an attempt, in a purely mechanical way, to combine in one branch of the Armed Forces a strike group of ground-based strategic nuclear forces and military-space formations that provide space information to the highest levels of government of the country and the Armed Forces.

2001

In connection with the negative results of integration and the increasing role of space assets in the system of military and national security of Russia, the country's top political leadership decided to create, on the basis of associations, formations and spacecraft launch and control units allocated from the Strategic Missile Forces, as well as RKO troops, a new type of force - Space troops (Office of the Commander of the Space Forces is stationed in Moscow)

By decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated March 28, Colonel General Anatoly Nikolaevich Perminov was appointed commander of the Space Forces.

On June 1, the Space Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were formed and began to carry out their assigned tasks.

2002

On March 26, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation presented a personal standard to the commander of the Space Forces.

On October 3, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1115, Space Forces Day was introduced, celebrated annually on October 4.

2003

On April 5, President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin visited the headquarters of the Space Forces.

On April 12, President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin got acquainted with the activities of the A.F. Mozhaisky Military Space Academy (St. Petersburg), where in one of the laboratories of the main military educational institution of the Space Forces he held a communication session with the crew of the international space mission stations.

2004

On the basis of the branch of the Military Space Academy named after A.F. Mozhaisky, the Pushkin Military Institute of Radio Electronics of the Space Forces named after Air Marshal E.Ya. Savitsky was created (Pushkin, Leningrad Region).

On February 17, during a strategic command and staff training of the Russian Armed Forces, Russian President V.V. Putin arrived at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, where on February 18 he was present at the launch of the Molniya-M launch vehicle with a military spacecraft.

By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 337 of March 10, Lieutenant General Vladimir Aleksandrovich Popovkin was appointed commander of the Space Forces.

On March 15, the optical-electronic complex “Window”, part of the outer space control system, was put on combat duty.

On April 3, at the Main Test Center for Testing and Control of Space Facilities (GITSIU KS) named after G.S. Titov (Krasnoznamensk, Moscow Region), a meeting was held between the Presidents of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin and the French Republic J. Chirac. During a visit to the command post of the GITSIU KS, the commander of the Space Forces, Lieutenant General V.V. Popovkin, reported to the heads of both states on the composition of the Space Forces, the tasks they solve and the control system for the orbital constellation of Russian spacecraft, as well as on the directions of international cooperation in the field of space in regarding France.

On April 30, by order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 125, the Flag of the Space Forces was approved.

On May 9, the combined battalion of the Moscow Military Institute of Radio Electronics of the Space Forces represented the Space Forces for the first time as part of a parade squad on Red Square.


Flag of the Aerospace Defense Forces

The flag of the Aerospace Defense Forces is a rectangular, double-sided blue panel. In the center of the cloth there is a small emblem of the Aerospace Defense Forces (a stylized contour image of a silver launching space rocket against the background of a stylized globe. The rocket is depicted in the form of a vertical acute triangle. The image of the globe is divided by four horizontal stripes: the first on top is dark blue, the second - white, the third - blue, the fourth - red. In the upper part of the ellipse there are two symmetrical triangular segments in the lower part of the rocket image - a red quadrilateral with an inner lower corner).

The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is 2:3. The ratio of the width of the emblem to the length of the flag is 1:2.


Large emblem of the Aerospace Defense Forces

The elements of the emblem symbolize:

a stylized, contour image of a silver launching space rocket against the background of a stylized image of the globe - the achievements of the Russian Federation in the field of exploration and control of outer space in order to strengthen the country's defense capability and ensure the activities of the branches and branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the interests of preserving peace and maintaining general security;

the colors of the small emblem - the spheres of activity of the Aerospace Defense Forces: dark blue - the universe, white - space, blue - air, red - Earth;

two symmetrical triangular segments - a spacecraft control antenna and a space control antenna;

the red quadrangle at the bottom of the rocket image is the flame of the launching rocket;

two “Perunov” arrows, clamped in the eagle’s right paw, pointing downwards – the implementation of missile defense by the Aerospace Defense Forces;

a silver rod topped with a stylized image of a rocket and an element of a spacecraft control antenna - spacecraft launches and control of the orbital group;

emblem of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - the Aerospace Defense Forces belong to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation;

a pattern in the form of a wreath - the courage and valor of the military personnel of the Aerospace Defense Forces.

The Aerospace Defense Forces (VVKO) solve a wide range of tasks, the main of which are:

  • providing senior management levels with reliable information about the detection of ballistic missile launches and warning about a missile attack;
  • defeating the warheads of ballistic missiles of a potential enemy attacking important government facilities;
  • protection of control points (CP) of the highest echelons of state and military command, groupings of troops (forces), the most important industrial and economic centers and other objects from attacks by enemy aerospace attack weapons (ASCA) within the affected zones;
  • monitoring space objects and identifying threats to Russia in space and from space, and, if necessary, countering such threats;
  • launching spacecraft into orbit, controlling military and dual-purpose (military and civil) satellite systems in flight and using individual of them in the interests of providing the troops (forces) of the Russian Federation with the necessary information;
  • maintaining military and dual-use satellite systems, their launch and control means in the established composition and readiness for use.

The creation of the Aerospace Defense Forces was required to combine the forces and assets responsible for ensuring Russia's security in and from space with military formations responsible for the country's air defense (air defense). This was caused by the objective need to integrate, under a single leadership, all forces and means capable of fighting in the air and space spheres, based on modern world trends in armament and rearmament of leading countries towards expanding the role of aerospace in ensuring the protection of state interests in the economic, military and social spheres.

On December 1, 2011, the Aerospace Defense Forces, in cooperation with the forces and air defense systems of military districts, took up combat duty with the task of protecting the country’s territory from attacks by aerospace attack weapons.

With the commissioning of the VVKO in Russia, the Space Forces ceased to exist. Aerospace defense was created on the basis of the Space Forces, as well as the troops of the operational-strategic command of the aerospace defense.

VVKO facilities are located throughout the Russian Federation - from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka - as well as beyond its borders. In neighboring countries - Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan - objects of missile attack warning and space control systems are deployed.

IN composition of the Aerospace Defense Forces includes:

  • Space Command;
  • Air and Missile Defense Command;
  • Plesetsk cosmodrome.

The space command includes the forces and means of space control systems, orbital constellation control, as well as missile attack warning systems.

Aerospace defense forces and means

On missile attack warning system (MAWS) assigned the task of receiving and issuing warning information about a missile attack to state and military control points, generating the necessary information for the missile defense system and issuing data on space objects to the space control system.

Currently, the missile attack warning system provides complete control of all missile-hazardous directions.

Missile defense system carries out target detection and destruction of warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with anti-missile missiles, eliminating the detonation of their charges.

Space control system (SSC) is unique. Only two powers can control space - Russia and the USA. The main catalog of the KKP system of the Russian Federation contains information about almost 9 thousand space objects.

The forces and means of the command post, in interaction with the information means of the PRN, missile defense systems and other information systems, perform the tasks of monitoring outer space and issuing information about the space situation to control points of state and military leadership. The system determines the characteristics and purpose of all spacecraft, as well as the composition of orbital constellations of space systems of Russia and foreign countries with their recognition.

The aerospace defense troops are equipped with launch vehicles, command and measurement systems, radar stations, and optical-electronic systems.

Conclusions

  1. The Aerospace Defense Forces are a new branch of the military that is part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
  2. Aerospace defense troops ensure control of outer space.
  3. The main tasks of the Aerospace Defense Forces include the destruction of enemy ballistic missiles attacking facilities and troops in defended areas.
  4. The Aerospace Defense Forces perform reconnaissance functions, collecting the necessary information for our country's missile defense.

Questions

  1. What is the main purpose of the Aerospace Defense Forces?
  2. Which cosmodromes of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation can you name?
  3. What are the tasks of the Aerospace Defense Forces?
  4. Why is control of outer space using the forces and means of the Aerospace Defense Forces so important for the Russian Federation? Justify your answer.

Quests

  1. Prepare a report on the forces and means of the country's missile and space defense.
  2. Using special literature, prepare a report about the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
Editor's response

On October 4, Russia celebrates Space Forces Day. The holiday is timed to coincide with the launch day of the first artificial Earth satellite PS-1 (Simple Satellite-1). It was launched into orbit on October 4, 1957 by an R-7 launch vehicle from the 5th research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense, which later became known as the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The spacecraft was a ball with a diameter of 58 centimeters, weighed 83.6 kilograms, and was equipped with four whip antennas 2.4 and 2.9 meters long. The successful launch of the world's first satellite became a revelation in the annals of astronautics, including military ones.

Emblem of the Aerospace Defense Forces. Photo: ommons.wikimedia.org

AiF.ru talks about what the space forces do, their composition and the history of their origin.

Tasks

Space Forces are a branch of the military within the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation. Their main tasks are:

  • a warning to the country's top military-political leadership about a missile attack;
  • missile defense of the city of Moscow;
  • control of outer space;
  • creation, deployment, maintenance of the domestic orbital constellation and control of spacecraft for military, dual, socio-economic and scientific purposes.

Composition of the space forces:

  • Space Forces Command;
  • Main missile attack warning center;
  • Main center for space reconnaissance;
  • Directorate for the Introduction of New Systems and Complexes of the Space Forces;
  • Missile defense formations;
  • Main Test Center named after German Titov;
  • State test cosmodrome Plesetsk.

The number of personnel of the Aerospace Defense Forces of the Russian Federation is 165,000 people.

Orbital constellation

As of September 2015, the Russian orbital satellite constellation is the second in the world and consists of 149 devices. Together with the orbital constellations of the CIS countries - 167 devices.

For comparison, the United States has the largest orbital constellation, which owns 446 artificial satellites. In third place is China with 120+ satellites. India maintains 40+ operational Earth imaging satellites in polar orbits.

Pilots during an exercise to test the combat readiness of the Aerospace Defense Forces, the 1st Air Force and Air Defense Command of the Western Military District at the Baltimore airfield in Voronezh. Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Utkin

Names

  • Central Directorate of Space Facilities (TSUKOS) of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces) (1964-1970),
  • Main Directorate of Space Facilities (GUKOS) of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces) (1970-1981),
  • Main Directorate of Space Facilities (GUKOS) of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (1981-1986),
  • Office of the Chief of Space Facilities (UNKS) of the USSR Ministry of Defense (1986-1992),
  • Military Space Forces (VKS) (1992-1997),
  • as part of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) (1997-2001),
  • Space Forces (SF) (2001-2011),
  • Aerospace Defense Forces (VVKO) (from December 1, 2011 - August 1, 2015),
  • Space Forces (HF) of the Aerospace Forces (since August 1, 2015).

Major General, Commander of the Aerospace Defense Forces (VKO) Alexander Golovko. Photo: RIA Novosti / Mikhail Klimentyev

Commanders

1964-1965 — K.A.-A. Kerimov
1965-1979 — A. G. Karas
1979-1989 — A. A. Maksimov
1989-1996 — V. L. Ivanov
2001-2004 — A. N. Perminov
2004-2008 — V. A. Popovkin
2008-2011 — O. N. Ostapenko
2012 — V. M. Ivanov- acting temporarily
from December 2012 — A. V. Golovko

Educational institutions

The training of officers for the space forces is carried out by:

  • Military Space Academy named after A.F. Mozhaisky,
  • Military Academy of Aerospace Defense named after Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov.

Story

The first space units were formed in 1955 as part of the artillery of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command (RVGK), when by decree of the USSR Government it was decided to build a research site.

In 1964, to centralize work on the creation of new assets, as well as to quickly resolve issues of using space assets, the Central Directorate of Space Assets (TSUKOS) of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces) was created. In 1970, it was reorganized into the Main Directorate of Space Facilities (GUKOS) of the Strategic Missile Forces.

In 1986, GUKOS was transformed into the Office of the Chief of Space Facilities of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Military personnel of the Aerospace Defense Forces greet Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during the parade dedicated to the 68th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War on Red Square. Photo: RIA Novosti / Vladimir Ostapkovich

In 1992, the Office of the Chief of Space Facilities was transformed into a branch of centrally subordinate forces - the Military Space Forces (VKS).

In 1997, the Military Space Forces, in order to increase the efficiency of command and control and save the defense budget, were included in the Strategic Missile Forces.

In connection with the increasing role of space assets in the system of military and national security of Russia, a presidential decree in 2001 created an independent branch of the force - the Space Forces - on the basis of formations, formations and launch and missile launch units allocated from the Strategic Missile Forces. At the same time, it was taken into account that space forces and means, forces and means of the RKO have a single sphere for solving problems - space, as well as close cooperation between industrial enterprises, ensuring the creation and development of weapons.



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