Russian Air Force
Organizational Context and Command
Since 1 August 2015, the Russian Air Force has been a component of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), created by merging the Air Force, Aerospace Defense Troops, and the space arm. The VKS headquarters is in Moscow. As of October 2023, Colonel General Viktor Afzalov is publicly reported as the Commander-in-Chief of the VKS. The note "Commander: Lieutenant General Sergey Dronov" does not align with those reports; Sergey Dronov is a Colonel General and has served as First Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Chief of the Main Staff of the VKS. Unit names and subordination in the listings correspond to the VKS framework rather than a separate post-2015 Air Force command.
8th Special Purpose Aviation Division (military unit 42829)
Mission: special-purpose aviation supporting Ministry of Defense tasking, including transport, special flights, and support to test/flight operations. Its primary operating location is widely reported as Chkalovsky airfield, Moscow Oblast, placing it near central defense institutions and research/test centers. Specific aircraft inventories and internal regiment structures are not fully disclosed in public sources.
Army Aviation Training and R&D at Torzhok: 344th Center and 92nd R&D Squadron
The 344th Center for Combat Employment and Retraining of Army Aviation (military unit 45095) is based at Torzhok, Tver Oblast. It develops tactics, conducts crew conversion, and provides advanced training on Russian Army Aviation helicopters. Open sources consistently associate this center with Mi-24PN, Mi-8MT/MTV-2/MTV-5, Mi-28N, Ka-52, and Mi-26. The 92nd Special Purpose Helicopter Research and Development Squadron (military unit 45095-A), equipped with Mi-8/Mi-8AMTSh, conducts trials and special-purpose flights in support of the center’s R&D and combat-training mission.
Fixed-Wing Training Network (Krasnodar Higher Military Pilot Aviation School)
The Krasnodar Higher Military Pilot Aviation School (KVVAUL) oversees multiple training aviation bases. The 209th Training Aviation Base (military unit 14254) at Borisoglebsk is associated with Yak-130 and L-39 advanced jet trainers; Su-25 aircraft have been used historically for attack-phase training. The 219th Training Aviation Base is widely reported at Armavir and operates L-39 for intermediate training. The 221st Training Air Base at Balashov trains transport-aviation crews on An-26/An-72 and Mi-8. The 272nd Training Aviation Base (military unit 55661), associated with KVVAUL, employs L-39 at facilities that include Yeisk in Krasnodar Krai. Exact aircraft counts at each base vary over time with deliveries and retirements.
Helicopter Pilot Training: 339th Training Aviation Base (military unit 21965)
The 339th Training Aviation Base is subordinate to the Syzran Higher Military Aviation School, the principal VKS institution for helicopter pilot training. It is associated with Ansat-U, Mi-8T, and Ka-226 training helicopters. Training activity is distributed across Syzran and affiliated training airfields in the Volga region, covering initial through advanced rotorcraft training, instrument procedures, and basic tactical skills.
Fighter Combat Employment Training: 116th Center
The 116th Fighter Aviation Combat Use Training Center is associated with MiG-29SMT and MiG-29UB variants and conducts advanced combat-employment training. Its activities are widely linked to the Astrakhan region (Privolzhsky) training complex, which supports live-fire and large-force exercises. The center’s syllabus covers weapons employment, tactics development, and instructor pilot preparation for frontline fighter units.
Additional Training and Education Units
The 35th Junior Aviation Specialists School (military unit 15542) trains enlisted and junior technical personnel for aviation specialties such as airframe, powerplant, and armament. The 357th Air Force Training Center (military unit 27898) and the 339th Air Force Training Base (military unit 15566) appear in open sources, but detailed locations and program scopes are not comprehensively disclosed. The 874th Radio-Technical Troops Specialists Training Center (military unit 30790) prepares radar and radio-technical troops personnel who support airspace surveillance and air/missile-defense networks.
Technical Bases, Arsenals, and Storage
The 38th Air Force Arsenal (military unit 21228) performs receipt, storage, maintenance, and issue of aviation munitions in accordance with Ministry of Defense standards. The 1488th Technical Base (military unit 58172), identified as an air-defense equipment storage facility, and the 1494th Technical Base (military unit 63002) provide depot-level storage and preservation of air-defense and aviation materiel. The 3754th Central Aviation Technical Base (military unit 13830) functions as a central depot for aviation technical equipment with roles that can include acceptance checks, refurbishment, and redistribution. A dedicated Aviation Equipment Storage Department for MiG-29 airframes is noted; such entities preserve airframes and components and serve as sources of spares. Specific stock levels, exact site layouts, and full addresses are not publicly released.
Maintenance, Engineering, and Support
An Air Force Repair and Maintenance Base (military unit 23476) provides scheduled and corrective maintenance for aircraft and ground support equipment at the intermediate depot level. An Air Force Engineer Base (military unit 36713) is referenced, but its designation is uncertain; engineer formations typically handle airfield construction and maintenance, power and utilities support, and explosive-ordnance engineering tasks. The Air Force Separate Engineer Battalion (military unit 30114) represents a mobile engineering unit that can deploy for airfield works and contingency repair. Detailed site locations for these support units are not comprehensively published.
Communications and Radio Facilities
Air Force Receiving and Telegraphic Radio Centers (military units 23452 and 66213) operate fixed communications nodes that provide long-range radio, message handling, and network services for VKS command and control. The 136th Separate Air Force Communications Regiment (military unit 41427) is listed, though the designation is marked as uncertain; communications regiments typically sustain wired, radio, and satellite links for headquarters and major bases. These units underpin the operational connectivity of air, air-defense, and space elements; detailed equipment configurations and exact sites are generally not disclosed in public sources.
Airworthiness Test and Evaluation
An Air Force Aeronautical Test Center (military unit 52527) is listed; public documentation on this specific unit number is limited. For context, the main state flight-test organization of the Ministry of Defense is the 929th State Flight Test Center named after V.P. Chkalov at Akhtubinsk (military unit 15650). The entry provided likely refers to a Ministry of Defense test and evaluation element, but precise naming, location, and subordination for military unit 52527 are not confirmed in open sources, and further detail cannot be provided.
Site Dispersion and Notable Locations
The formations listed cluster at well-known VKS hubs: Moscow Oblast (e.g., Chkalovsky for special-purpose aviation), Tver Oblast (Torzhok for army-aviation training), Voronezh Oblast (Borisoglebsk for fixed-wing training), Krasnodar Krai (Armavir and Yeisk for L-39 training), Saratov Oblast (Balashov for transport-aviation training), and Astrakhan Oblast (Privolzhsky training complex for fighter employment). These associations are drawn from widely reported public information on the named units and their typical garrisons; precise coordinates, facility layouts, and internal security arrangements are not publicly released.
Data Confidence, Ambiguities, and Classification Notes
Several entries are flagged with question marks, indicating uncertain designations in open sources (e.g., the 136th Separate Air Force Communications Regiment and an Air Force Engineer Base). Military unit numbers (v/ch) are often reassigned during reorganizations; the VKS underwent major structural changes from 2009 to 2015 and subsequent adjustments. Where equipment types are cited, they reflect publicly reported associations and may not represent current on-hand inventories. Information that is not publicly available or is classified—such as exact addresses, stock levels, command-and-control configurations, or detailed manning—cannot be provided.