11th Air Force and Air Defense Army
Organizational Overview
The 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army is a formation of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) within the Eastern Military District, responsible for air operations and air defense across Russia’s Far East. The formation integrates combat aviation, army aviation, transport and special-mission assets, and air defense command elements to provide regional air superiority, strike, reconnaissance, airlift, and support functions. Headquarters: Khabarovsk (military unit 10253).
Headquarters and Command Elements
Command and control are centered at the headquarters in Khabarovsk (military unit 10253). The provided listing identifies Lieutenant General Vladimir Kravchenko as the commander. An additional headquarters/command-post element of the 11th Air and Air Defense Army is identified as military unit 07144; no publicly available open-source details confirming its structure or location were identified. Leadership assignments can change and should be verified against current official Ministry of Defense releases.
Fighter Aviation: 120th Separate Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (military unit 63559)
The 120th Separate Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment is listed with 24 Su-30SM multirole fighters. Mission sets include air defense alert (interception), air superiority, defensive counter-air, and precision strike depending on weapons loadouts. The Su-30SM is a twin-seat multirole platform fielded by the VKS and is widely used in Far Eastern formations for both air policing and combat training tasks.
Assault Aviation: 266th Separate Assault Aviation Regiment
The 266th Separate Assault Aviation Regiment is listed with 24 Su-25 and 6 Su-25UB. The unit is temporarily redeployed due to ongoing construction works at its home station (location not specified in the provided data). The Su-25 family provides close air support, battlefield interdiction, and armed reconnaissance; the Su-25UB is a two-seat trainer and operational conversion variant that can also perform limited combat tasks.
Tactical Reconnaissance: 799th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron (military unit 78019)
The 799th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron is listed with 12 Su-24MR tactical reconnaissance aircraft. The Su-24MR is a dedicated reconnaissance variant equipped for imagery and electronic reconnaissance; typical employment includes route reconnaissance, target acquisition, and post-strike assessment in support of operational and tactical commanders.
Transport and Special-Mission Aviation: 35th Separate Transport Mixed Aviation Regiment (military unit 35471) and Mixed Aviation Squadron (military unit 35471-2)
The 35th Separate Transport Mixed Aviation Regiment is listed with 8 An-12, 7 An-26, 2 Tu-134, 1 Tu-154, and 1 Il-20M. Its Mixed Aviation Squadron is listed with 2 An-12, 5 An-26, and 4 Mi-8AMTSh-VA. These assets provide intra-theater airlift, personnel transport, airborne insertion, aeromedical evacuation, and special-mission support. The Il-20M is a signals/electronic intelligence and reconnaissance platform, and the Mi-8AMTSh-VA is a cold-weather optimized variant of the Mi-8AMTSh adapted for Arctic and Far Eastern climates.
Army Aviation Brigade: 18th Army Aviation Brigade (military unit 42838) and Separate Helicopter Detachment (military unit 42838-2)
The 18th Army Aviation Brigade is listed with 18 Ka-52, 22 Mi-8AMTSh, and 6 Mi-26, with an associated separate detachment of 4 Mi-8AMTSh. The brigade provides attack, assault lift, and heavy transport capabilities. Ka-52 is an attack helicopter employed for anti-armor and close air support; Mi-8AMTSh is an assault transport and utility platform; Mi-26 is a heavy-lift helicopter capable of transporting outsized loads.
Helicopter Regiments: 112th Separate Helicopter Regiment (military unit 78081) and 319th Separate Helicopter Regiment (military unit 13984)
The 112th Separate Helicopter Regiment is listed with 20 Mi-24P, 32 Mi-8AMTSh, and the presence of Mi-28NM (quantity not specified). The 319th Separate Helicopter Regiment is listed with 22 Ka-52 and 20 Mi-8AMTSh. These regiments provide distributed attack and lift capacity; the Mi-24P is a gunship variant, the Mi-28NM is an upgraded attack helicopter with enhanced avionics relative to earlier Mi-28 variants, and the Ka-52 is an attack helicopter optimized for reconnaissance-strike roles.
Inventory Summary (as provided)
By unit: 120th Separate Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (military unit 63559): 24 Su-30SM. 266th Separate Assault Aviation Regiment: 24 Su-25 and 6 Su-25UB. 799th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron (military unit 78019): 12 Su-24MR. 35th Separate Transport Mixed Aviation Regiment (military unit 35471): 8 An-12, 7 An-26, 2 Tu-134, 1 Tu-154, 1 Il-20M. Mixed Aviation Squadron of the 35th Regiment (military unit 35471-2): 2 An-12, 5 An-26, 4 Mi-8AMTSh-VA. 18th Army Aviation Brigade (military unit 42838): 18 Ka-52, 22 Mi-8AMTSh, 6 Mi-26. Separate Helicopter Detachment (military unit 42838-2): 4 Mi-8AMTSh. 112th Separate Helicopter Regiment (military unit 78081): 20 Mi-24P, 32 Mi-8AMTSh, Mi-28NM (quantity not specified). 319th Separate Helicopter Regiment (military unit 13984): 22 Ka-52, 20 Mi-8AMTSh. Unidentified headquarters/command-post element (military unit 07144): no equipment information provided. Headquarters of the 11th Air Force and Air Defense Army: military unit 10253, Khabarovsk. No aggregate totals are calculated here to avoid potential double-counting between the 35th Regiment and its Mixed Aviation Squadron.
Geographic Disposition and Strategic Relevance
With its headquarters in Khabarovsk and units distributed across the Russian Far East, the 11th Air and Air Defense Army underpins airspace control and regional defense along the Northeast Asian approaches. The listed fighter, assault, reconnaissance, transport, and army aviation assets collectively support air defense, strike, reconnaissance, mobility, and support missions in Khabarovsk and Primorsky regions and adjacent areas of the Eastern Military District.
Air Defense Integration (PVO)
As an Air Force and Air Defense formation, the army includes surface-to-air missile and radiotechnical units that provide radar surveillance and long-range air defense, typically employing systems from the S-300 and S-400 families in Far Eastern deployments. Specific air defense order-of-battle elements are not included in the provided listing and are therefore not detailed here.
Infrastructure and Basing Considerations
The noted temporary redeployment of the 266th Separate Assault Aviation Regiment due to construction indicates ongoing airfield infrastructure work within the army’s basing network. The mix of fixed-wing transports (An-12, An-26, Tu-134, Tu-154) and rotary-wing assets (Mi-8AMTSh variants, Mi-26) supports operations from both developed airbases and dispersed or austere sites, which is consistent with operational requirements in the Far East’s climate and geography.
Data Gaps and Verification Notes
All unit designations, military unit numbers, and aircraft quantities in this analysis reflect the provided listing. Where quantities are not specified (e.g., Mi-28NM within the 112th Separate Helicopter Regiment) or where a unit’s structure and location are not publicly documented (e.g., military unit 07144), further detail cannot be provided. Equipment holdings and deployments can change due to rotations, maintenance, modernization, and operational tasking; only the enumerations above are used, and no unverified assumptions are made.