VDV
Encyclopedia
The Russian Airborne Troops
or VDV (from "Vozdushno-Desantnye Voiska", Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска = ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) is a military branch
of service of the Russian Military
, on par with the Strategic Rocket Forces
and the Russian Space Forces. First formed before World War II, the force undertook two significant airborne operations and a number of smaller jumps during the war and for many years after 1945 was the largest airborne force in the world. Their motto is "Nobody but us".
for the desantno-shturmoviye batal′ony , the airmobile assault battalions, and by the Russian Naval Infantry in voyenno-morskoy desant , an amphibious landing
. The airborne, air-assault, and amphibious troops of all services are referred to as desantniki, which literally means ‘those who land’. The term desant is defined by Radzievskii as:
The concept of desant is linked with the Russian doctrinal emphasis on flanking maneuver
s.
. They then formed up to ten Airborne Corps with numerous Independent Airborne Brigades, with most or all achieving "Guards"
status. 9th Guards Army was eventually formed with three Guards Rifle Corps (37th, 38th, and 39th) being of Airborne divisions. At the end of the war they were reconstituted as Guards Rifle Divisions.
The Soviet airborne forces were mostly used as 'leg' infantry during the war. Only a few small airborne drops were carried out in the first desperate days of Operation Barbarossa
, in the vicinity of Kiev, Odessa
, and the Kerch peninsula. The two significant airborne operations of the war were the Vyazma operation of February–March 1942, involving 4th Airborne Corps, and the Dnepr/Kiev operation of September 1943, involving a temporary corps formation consisting of 1st, 3rd, and 5th Airborne Brigades.
HQ 9th Guards Army was redesignated Headquarters Airborne Forces soon after the war ended. The units of the Army were removed from the order of battle of the Air Forces of USSR and assigned directly to the Ministry of Armed Forces of USSR.
The creation of the post-war Soviet Airborne Forces owe much to the efforts of one man, Army General Vasily Filipovich Margelov, so much so that the abbreviation of VDV in the Airborne Forces is sometimes waggishly interpreted as "Войска дяди Васи", "Troops of Uncle Vasya".
The 37th, 38th, and 39th Corps survived for a while, and in 1946 the force consisted of five corps (the 8th and 15th had been added) and ten divisions:
However the force was eventually reduced to seven Airborne Divisions, with an Independent Airborne regiment and up to sixteen Air Assault Brigades.
Airborne units of two divisions (7th and 31st Guards) were used during Soviet operations in Hungary during 1956, and the 7th Guards division was used again during 1968 operations in Czechoslovakia. The first experimental air assault brigade – the 1st Airborne [Airmobile/Air Assault] Brigade – was apparently activated in 1967/1968 from parts of the 51st Guards Parachute Landing Regiment (PDP) (Tula), after the Russian had been impressed by the American experiences in Vietnam.
By the 1980s there were seven airborne divisions in the VDV (including one training) and several independent brigades, regiments and battalions although only two divisions were capable of being deployed for combat operations in the first wave against NATO employing assets of the Transport Aviation of the Military Air Forces and the Aeroflot
.
There was also a mistaken Western belief, either intentional Soviet deception or stemming from confusion in the West, that an Airborne Division, reported as the 6th, was being maintained in the Far East in the 1980s. This maskirovka division was then 'disbanded' later in the 1980s, causing comment within Western professional journals that another division was likely to be reformed so that the Far East had an airborne presence. The division was not listed in V.I. Feskov et al.'s The Soviet Army during the period of the Cold War, (2004) and the nearest division ever active, the 99th Guards Airborne Svirsk Red Banner Division based at Ussuriysk
, was broken up to form separate air assault brigades (parts of the 11th, 13th, and 83rd Brigades) in 1973.
In accordance with a directive of the General Staff,from August 3, 1979, to December 1, 1979, the 105th Guards Vienna Airborne Division was disbanded. From the division remained in the city of Fergana
the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment
(much stronger than the usual regimental size) with the separate 115th military-transport aviation squadron. The rest of the personnel of the division were reassigned to fill out other incomplete airborne units and formations and to the newly formed air assault brigades. Based on the 351st Guards Parachute Regiment, 105th Guards Vienna Airborne Division, the 56th Guards Separate Air Assault Brigade was formed in para Azadbash (district Chirchik) Tashkent Oblast, Uzbek SSR
.
In 1989, the Airborne Forces consisted of:
With the demise of the Soviet Union
, the number of VDV divisions has shrunk from seven to four, as well as one brigade and the brigade-sized training centre:
The 11th Air Assault Brigade in the Central Militray District (former Siberian Military District
) and the 56th Air Assault Regiment in the Southern Military District (former North Caucasus Military District
) are partially infantry formations reporting directly to the military district
s they are stationed in. The VDV's training institute is the Ryazan
Institute for the Airborne Troops named for General of the Army V.F. Margelov. In addition, in the mid-late 1990s, the former 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment
was stationed in Gudauta
, Abkhazia
AR, Georgia. It later became the 10th Independent Peacekeeping Airborne Regiment. The unit was further designated the 50th Military Base.
In the early 1990s, General Pavel Grachev
, the first Russian Defence Minister, planned for the VDV to form the core of the planned Mobile Forces. This was announced in Krasnaya Zvezda
('Red Star,') the Ministry of Defence
's daily newspaper, in July 1992. However, the Mobile Forces plan never eventuated. The number of formations available for the force was far less than anticipated, since much of the Airborne Forces had been 'nationalised' by the republics their units had been previously based in, and other arms of service, such as the GRU and Military Transport Aviation, who were to provide the airlift component, were adamantly opposed to ceding control of their forces.
After an experimental period, the 104th Parachute Regiment of 76th Airborne Division became the first Russian ground forces regiment that was fully composed of professional soldiers (and not of "srochniki" – the conscripted soldiers aged eighteen). It was announced that the 98th Airborne Division is also earmarked for contract manning, and by September 2006, it was confirmed that 95% of the units of the 98th Division had shifted to contract manning.
The VDV divisions are equipped with armoured fighting vehicles, artillery and anti-aircraft guns, trucks and jeeps. Thus VDV units possess superior mobility and firepower with these vehicles. Each division has both regiments equipped with them and their derivatives. (Each division used to have three regiments, but the 106th was the last, and lost its third regiment in 2006.) With the reduction in forces after 1991, the 61st Air Army, Russia's military air transport force, has enough operational heavy transport aircraft to move one airborne division, manned at peacetime standards, in two-and-a-half lifts. The single independent brigade, the 31st at Ulyanovsk
, however, is not equipped with its own armor or artillery and may be equivalent to Western airborne troops, in that it functions as light infantry and must walk when reaching their destination. The 31st was the former 104th Guards Airborne Division.
VDV troops participated in the rapid deployment of Russian forces stationed in Bosnian city Ugljevik
, in and around Pristina
airport during the Kosovo War
. They also were deployed in Chechnya
as an active bridgehead for other forces to follow.
Russian airborne troops had their own holiday during the Soviet era, which continues to be celebrated on the 2nd of August.
One of their most prized distinguishing marks is their Telnyashka
shirt (another, maybe even more emblematic, is a blue beret. VDV soldiers are often called "blue berets").
Notable former Airborne Forces officers include Aleksandr Lebed
, who was involved in responses to disorder in the Caucasus republics in the last years of the Soviet Union
, and Pavel Grachev
who went on to become the first Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation. PRIDE heavyweight mixed martial arts
fighter Sergei Kharitonov, went to the Airborne Troops academy in Ryazan', and remains on active duty
with the Russian Airborne Troops.
Since 2008, women have been allowed to serve in the VDV, in combat positions, including as officers, after finishing the academy.
On 26 May 2009 Lieutenant-General Vladimir Anatolevich Shamanov
became the new commander of the VDV, replacing Lieutenant-General Valeriy Yevtukhovich who was being discharged to the reserve. Shamanov is twice decorated as a "Hero of Russia" for his combat role in the campaigns in Chechnya. His previous posts are the chief of the combat training directorate and commander of the 58th Army. His most recent post was chief of the main combat training directorate. General Shamanov and the acting commander of the 106th Airborne Division were severely injured in a car crash on 30 October 2010. The general's driver was killed.
On 28 January 2010, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the VDV's air components had been placed under the VVS.
Under the 2008 reform programme
, the four existing two-regiment divisions should have been transformed into 7-8 air-assault brigades. However once general Shamanov became CinC of the VDV, it was decided to keep the original structure. The divisions have been beefed up and there are now four independent airborne/air-assault brigades, one for each military district. The 332nd School for Praporshchiks of the VDV in Moscow was disbanded in December 2009 (also under the 2008 reform programme, all praporshchik
(WO) posts in the Russian Armed Forces have been eliminated).
Personal firearms and crew served weapons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN-94 AN-94] assault rifles
Armoured Vehicles
Unlike the rest of the mechanized units, which use variety of APC
s and IFVs such as the BMP series, BTR series and MT-LB, the VDV uses exclusively BMD family vehicles. There are over 1,800 armored fighting vehicles, mostly BMD-1
(since 1969) and BMD-2
(since 1985). There were also over 100 BMD-3 (1990) that were partially upgraded to BMD-4 level. All of them are amphibious, moving at around 10 km/h in water. BMD-4 is also capable of full, continuous fire while in the deep water, unlike any other vehicle with such heavy weaponry (100mm gun and 30mm auto cannon).
There is also a turret-less variant of the BMD-1, the BTR-D
, which is used as troop carrier and severs as the basis for specialised versions such as anti-tank, command and signals. The BTR-D will partially be replaced by the new multi-purpose APC BTR-MD "Rakushka" that will also come in several different versions. As part of the 2011 state defence order (GOZ), 10 BMD-4M and 10 "Rakushka's" have been ordered, but according to the VDV's CinC General Colonel Shamanov, Kurganmashzavod did not give a guarantee it would produce them.
Artillery
The airborne self-propelled artillery guns ASU-57
and ASU-85
have been withdrawn. They had light armour and limited anti-tank capability, but provided invaluable fire support for paratroopers behind enemy lines (the caliber of the gun is the number next to ASU designation in mm).
Also withdrawn were the multiple rocket launch systems RPU-14 (8U38) of 140mm and the BM-21V "Grad-V" (9P125) of 122mm on GAZ-66, as well as the 85mm gun SD-44
.
Today the VDV operates the following systems:
Other Vehicles
The VDV is equipped with numerous types of airborne capable trucks and jeeps, for example the Ural-4320
, the GAZ-66V
and the UAZ-3151
for transporting cargo, specialist crews and equipment (e.g. mortars, ammunitions), but not infantry (all fighting paratroopers are transported in armoured vehicles). Currently the GAZ-66 is being replaced by the KAMAZ-43501-VDV 4x4
.
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
or VDV (from "Vozdushno-Desantnye Voiska", Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска = ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) is a military branch
Military branch
Military branch is according to common standard the subdivision of the national armed forces of a sovereign nation or state...
of service of the Russian Military
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...
, on par with the Strategic Rocket Forces
Strategic Rocket Forces
The Strategic Missile Troops or Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or RVSN RF , transliteration: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii, literally Missile Troops of Strategic Designation of the Russian Federation) are a military branch of the Russian...
and the Russian Space Forces. First formed before World War II, the force undertook two significant airborne operations and a number of smaller jumps during the war and for many years after 1945 was the largest airborne force in the world. Their motto is "Nobody but us".
Definition
The word desánt, as used in the Vozdushno-Desantnye Vojska, is a borrowing of the French descente (‘debarkation’ or ‘landing’). It is also used by the Russian Ground ForcesRussian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and required reforms to professionalize the force...
for the desantno-shturmoviye batal′ony , the airmobile assault battalions, and by the Russian Naval Infantry in voyenno-morskoy desant , an amphibious landing
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
. The airborne, air-assault, and amphibious troops of all services are referred to as desantniki, which literally means ‘those who land’. The term desant is defined by Radzievskii as:
Troops intended for landing, or which have already landed on enemy-occupied territory for the purpose of conducting combat operations. According to the transportation method used, a landing force may be amphibious, airborne, or combined; and according to its scale and purpose, such a force may be strategic, operational, or tactical.
The concept of desant is linked with the Russian doctrinal emphasis on flanking maneuver
Flanking maneuver
In military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
s.
Interwar and World War II
Originally formed in the Soviet Union during the mid 1930s, they were massively expanded during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. They then formed up to ten Airborne Corps with numerous Independent Airborne Brigades, with most or all achieving "Guards"
Russian Guards
Guards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
status. 9th Guards Army was eventually formed with three Guards Rifle Corps (37th, 38th, and 39th) being of Airborne divisions. At the end of the war they were reconstituted as Guards Rifle Divisions.
The Soviet airborne forces were mostly used as 'leg' infantry during the war. Only a few small airborne drops were carried out in the first desperate days of Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, in the vicinity of Kiev, Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, and the Kerch peninsula. The two significant airborne operations of the war were the Vyazma operation of February–March 1942, involving 4th Airborne Corps, and the Dnepr/Kiev operation of September 1943, involving a temporary corps formation consisting of 1st, 3rd, and 5th Airborne Brigades.
List of Airborne Corps 22 June 1941
Source soldat.ru forums.- 1st Airborne Corps: Major General Usenko Matvei Alekseyevich (on 23 June – October 1941 year)
Colonel, 19 January 1942 Major General Zholudev Victor Grigorevich (on December 15, 1941 – July 1942)
Major General Alexander Peter Alekseyevich (September – December 1942). - 2nd Airborne Corps:
Major General Kharitonov Fedor Mikhaylovich (23 June – 9 September 1941)
Colonel Gubarevich Joseph Ivanovich (May – October 1941)
Colonel, since 1942 Major General Tikhonov Mikhail Fedorovich (September 1941 – May 1942). - 3rd Airborne Corps:
Major General Glazunov Vasiliy Afanasevich (June 23 – 29 August 1941)
Colonel Travnikov Nikolai Grigorevich (September 1941 – March 1942)
Colonel Afanasev Fedor Alexandrovich (February – July 1942). - 4th Airborne Corps:
Major General Zhadov Aleksey Semenovich (23 June – 2 August 1941)
Colonel, 19 January 1942 Major General Levashev Aleksey Fedorovich (November 1941 – February 23, 1942)
Colonel, 13 May 1942 Major General Kazankin Alexander Fedorovich (23 February 1942 – December 1942).
- 5th Airborne Corps:
Major General Bezuglyy Ivan Semenovich (June – October 1941)
Colonel Gur'yev Stepan Savelevich (3 October 1941 – August 1942)
Colonel Afanasev Fedor Alexandrovich (August – November 1942)
Major General of Shore Duty Parafilo Terenty Mikhaylovich (25 November – December 1942) - 6th Airborne Corps:
Major General Pastrevich Alexander Ivanovich (October 1941 – August 1942)
Major General Kirzimov Alexander Ilyich (August – December 1942) - 7th Airborne Corps:
Colonel, since 1942 Major General Gubarevich Joseph Ivanovich (October 1941 – August 1942)
Major General Lyapin Peter Ivanovich (August – December 1942). - 8th Airborne Corps:
Colonel, 1942 Major General Glazkov Vasiliy Andreevich (October 1941 – August 1942)
Colonel Konev Ivan Nikitin (29 August – December 1942). - 9th Airborne Corps:
Major General Bezuglyy Ivan Semenovich (October 1941 – March 30, 1942, “for the use of combat aircraft for personal purposes, the non-fulfillment within the required period of the orders of the military council VDV (Airborne Troops) about the transfer of aircraft to other formations” removed from the held post, and is from June lowered in the service rank to Colonel)
Colonel, since 1942 Major General Denisenko Mikhail Ivanovich (March – August 1942)
Colonel Mamontov Aleksey Georgievich (18 August – 29 October 1942)
Major General Travnikov Nikolai Grigorevich (October 29 – December 1942). - 10th Airborne Corps
Colonel, 1942 Major General Ivanov Nikolai Petrovich (November 1941 – August 1942)
Major General Kapitokhin Alexander Grigorevich (August 29 – December 1942).
Airborne Corps formed during World War II
During October 1944 the three Guards Airborne Corps were formed into the Independent Guards Airborne Army. In December this Army was renamed into the 9th Guards Army.- 37th Guard Svirsk Airborne Corps (19 January – 9 August 1944, and from 30 December 1944, 37th Guards Rifle Corps):
General Lieutenant Mironov Pavel Vasilyevich (19 January 1944 – May 1946)- 98th Guards Svirsk Rifle Division98th Guards Airborne DivisionThe 98th Guards Airborne Division is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, stationed in Ivanovo. It took part in the 2008 South Ossetian War....
- 99th Guards Svirsk Rifle Division
- 103rd Guards Rifle Division (see :ru:103-я гвардейская стрелковая дивизия; formed from 13th Guards Airborne Division (2nd formation))
- 98th Guards Svirsk Rifle Division
- 38th Guard Airborne Corps:
Major General, from November 5, General Lieutenant Kapitokhin Alexander Grigorevich (August 9, 1944 year – March 25, 1945)
General Lieutenant Utvenko Alexander Ivanovich (26 March 1945 – July 1946)- 104th Guards Rifle Division
- 105th Guards Rifle Division
- 106th Guards Rifle Division
- 39th Guard Airborne Corps:
General Lieutenant Tikhonov Mikhail Fedorovich (August 1944 – June 1945).- 100th Guards Rifle Division
- 107th Guards Rifle Division
- 114th Guards Rifle Division (from 14th Guards Airborne Division (2nd formation))
Postwar
The creation of the post-war Soviet Airborne Forces owe much to the efforts of one man, Army General Vasily Filipovich Margelov, so much so that the abbreviation of VDV in the Airborne Forces is sometimes waggishly interpreted as "Войска дяди Васи", "Troops of Uncle Vasya".
The 37th, 38th, and 39th Corps survived for a while, and in 1946 the force consisted of five corps (the 8th and 15th had been added) and ten divisions:
- 8th Airborne Corps (103rd and 114th Divisions). The 114th Airborne Division was established in 1946 on the basis of the similarly numbered Rifle Division in Borovukha (just east of SlutskSlutskSlutsk is a town in Belarus, located on the Sluch River south of Minsk. As of 2010 its population is of 61,400).-Geography:The town is situated in the south-west of its Voblast, not too far from from the city of Soligorsk.-History:...
) in the Belarussian SSR. The Division was disbanded in 1956, with two of its regiments (the 350th and 357th) joining the 103rd Guards Airborne Division. - 15th Airborne Corps (the 76th and 104th Divisions),
- 37th Airborne Corps (the 98th and 99th in Primorsky KraiPrimorsky KraiPrimorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
) - 38th Airborne Corps (105th and 106th at TulaTula, RussiaTula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
), - 39th Airborne Corps at Belaya Tserkov in Ukraine (the 100th and 107th Divisions (Chernihiv, disbanded 1959))
However the force was eventually reduced to seven Airborne Divisions, with an Independent Airborne regiment and up to sixteen Air Assault Brigades.
Airborne units of two divisions (7th and 31st Guards) were used during Soviet operations in Hungary during 1956, and the 7th Guards division was used again during 1968 operations in Czechoslovakia. The first experimental air assault brigade – the 1st Airborne [Airmobile/Air Assault] Brigade – was apparently activated in 1967/1968 from parts of the 51st Guards Parachute Landing Regiment (PDP) (Tula), after the Russian had been impressed by the American experiences in Vietnam.
By the 1980s there were seven airborne divisions in the VDV (including one training) and several independent brigades, regiments and battalions although only two divisions were capable of being deployed for combat operations in the first wave against NATO employing assets of the Transport Aviation of the Military Air Forces and the Aeroflot
Aeroflot
OJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
.
There was also a mistaken Western belief, either intentional Soviet deception or stemming from confusion in the West, that an Airborne Division, reported as the 6th, was being maintained in the Far East in the 1980s. This maskirovka division was then 'disbanded' later in the 1980s, causing comment within Western professional journals that another division was likely to be reformed so that the Far East had an airborne presence. The division was not listed in V.I. Feskov et al.'s The Soviet Army during the period of the Cold War, (2004) and the nearest division ever active, the 99th Guards Airborne Svirsk Red Banner Division based at Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk is a city in Primorsky Krai, Russia, located in the fertile valley of the Razdolnaya River, north of Vladivostok and about from both the Chinese border and the Pacific Ocean. Population: -Medieval history:...
, was broken up to form separate air assault brigades (parts of the 11th, 13th, and 83rd Brigades) in 1973.
In accordance with a directive of the General Staff,from August 3, 1979, to December 1, 1979, the 105th Guards Vienna Airborne Division was disbanded. From the division remained in the city of Fergana
Fergana
Fergana is a city , the capital of Fergana Province in eastern Uzbekistan, at the southern edge of the Fergana Valley in southern Central Asia, cutting across the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan...
the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment
345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment
The 345th Guards Airborne Regiment of the Soviet Airborne Troops was active from 1944 to 1998. It was formed on 30 December 1944 at Lapichi, Osipovichi district, Mogilev Oblast, in the Byelorussian SSR...
(much stronger than the usual regimental size) with the separate 115th military-transport aviation squadron. The rest of the personnel of the division were reassigned to fill out other incomplete airborne units and formations and to the newly formed air assault brigades. Based on the 351st Guards Parachute Regiment, 105th Guards Vienna Airborne Division, the 56th Guards Separate Air Assault Brigade was formed in para Azadbash (district Chirchik) Tashkent Oblast, Uzbek SSR
Uzbek SSR
The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Uzbek SSR for short, was one of the republics of the Soviet Union since its creation in 1924...
.
In 1989, the Airborne Forces consisted of:
- 7th Guards Cherkassy Airborne Division (HQ Kaunas FortressKaunas FortressKaunas Fortress is the remains of a fortress complex in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was constructed and renovated between 1882 and 1915 to protect the Russian Empire's western borders, and was designated a "first-class" fortress in 1887...
, Lithuanian SSRLithuanian SSRThe Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
) - 76th Guards Chernigov Airborne Division (PskovPskovPskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
, RSFSR) - 98th Guards Svir Airborne Division98th Guards Airborne DivisionThe 98th Guards Airborne Division is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, stationed in Ivanovo. It took part in the 2008 South Ossetian War....
(Bolgrad & KishinevChisinauChișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
, Moldovan SSR) - 103rd Guards Airborne Division (VitebskVitebskVitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
, Belorussian SSR) The division was established in Belarus in 1946 on the basis of the similarly-numbered Rifle Division. In 1956 the 350th and 357th regiments joined the division from the disbanded 114th Guards Airborne Division. In December 1979 elements of the division were transferred to Afghanistan. During the fighting in Afghanistan the division was awarded the Order of LeninOrder of LeninThe Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
and the Order of the Red BannerOrder of the Red BannerThe Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
. - 104th Guards Airborne Division (KirovabadKirovabadKirovabad can refer to:* The former name of Ganja, the second largest city in Azerbaijan.* The former name of Panj or Pyandzh a city in Tajikistan.* Kirovabad pogrom - pogrom in Kirovabad formerly Ganja....
, Azerbaijan SSRAzerbaijan SSRThe Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Azerbaijan SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union....
) - 106th Guards Airborne Division (TulaTula, RussiaTula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
, RSFSR) - 242nd District Training Centre of the Airborne Forces242nd Training CentreThe 242nd Training Centre of the Airborne Forces is a brigade-sized training formation of the Russian Airborne Troops.To prepare sergeants and junior specialists for airborne units in accordance with a directive of the Commander Soviet Ground Forces, the 4th Training Airborne Division was formed...
(GaižiūnaiGaižiūnaiGaižiūnai is a village in Jonava district municipality, Lithuania. It is situated on the Taurosta River, tributary of Neris, about southeast of Jonava and northeast of Kaunas. The railroad from Šiauliai forks into Kaunas and Vilnius near the village...
/JonavaJonavaJonava is the ninth largest city in Lithuania with a population of ca 35,000.It is located in Kaunas County in central Lithuania, north east of Kaunas, the second-largest city in Lithuania. It is served by Kaunas International Airport. The largest fertilizer factory in the Baltic states is...
, Lithuanian SSRLithuanian SSRThe Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
) created from the 44th Training Airborne Division. However, the divisional banner was retained. The division's full designation in Russian was 44 воздушно-десантная Овручская Краснознаменная орденов Суворова и Богдана Хмельницкого дивизия – 44th Airborne Ovruch Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Bogdan Khmelnitsky Division) with three training regiments. The division was established in Pskov in October 1960 as the 4th Airborne Division, and according to some sources, it was given the Fighting Banner of the 111th Guards Rifle Division (the wartime 4th Guards Airborne Division), although the Division and its regiments were not guards units. After the formation of the division was relocated to Lithuania, where it received the number 44. - 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment345th Independent Guards Airborne RegimentThe 345th Guards Airborne Regiment of the Soviet Airborne Troops was active from 1944 to 1998. It was formed on 30 December 1944 at Lapichi, Osipovichi district, Mogilev Oblast, in the Byelorussian SSR...
(GudautaGudautaGudauta is a town in Abkhazia and a centre of the eponymous district. It is situated on the Black Sea, 37 km northwest to Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia....
, Georgian SSR) - 11th Air Assault Brigade
- 13th Air Assault Brigade
- 14th, 21st, 23rd, 35th, 36th (Garbolovo, Leningrad MD), 37th, 38th, 39th80th Airmobile Regiment (Ukraine)The 80th Airmobile Regiment is an airmobile formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The regiment is part of the 13th Army Corps.-History:...
, 40th79th Airmobile Brigade (Ukraine)The 79th Airmobile Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Airmobile Forces.Brigade is located in Mykolaiv.For their transport the Brigade uses UAZ fitted with DShK anti-aircraft machine gun, 2B14 Podnos 82mm mortar, SPG-9D, AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher....
, 56th, 83rd, 95th, 100th Air Assault Brigades - 171st Independent Communications Brigade (Medvezhi Ozera, Moscow Military DistrictMoscow Military DistrictThe Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
, RSFSR)
After the Fall of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the number of VDV divisions has shrunk from seven to four, as well as one brigade and the brigade-sized training centre:
- 7th Guards Air Assault (Mountain) Division 7th Guards Airborne DivisionThe 7th Guards Airborne-Assault Division is a military formation of the Russian Airborne Troops. Its soldiers fought in Eastern Europe in World War II, after which they were based in Kaunas, Lithuania. During the Cold War period the division served in the suppression of the Hungarian and Czech...
in NovorossiyskNovorossiyskNovorossiysk is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is the country's main port on the Black Sea and the leading Russian port for importing grain. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the Hero City. Population: -History:... - 76th Guards Air Assault Division in PskovPskovPskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
- 98th Guards Airborne Division98th Guards Airborne DivisionThe 98th Guards Airborne Division is an airborne division of the Russian Airborne Troops, stationed in Ivanovo. It took part in the 2008 South Ossetian War....
in IvanovoIvanovoIvanovo is a city and the administrative center of Ivanovo Oblast, Russia. Population: Ivanovo has traditionally been called the textile capital of Russia. Since most textile workers are women, it has also been known as the "City of Brides"... - 106th Guards Airborne Division in TulaTula, RussiaTula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
- 31st Guards Airborne Brigade in UlyanovskUlyanovskUlyanovsk The city is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin , for whom it is named.-History:Simbirsk was founded in 1648 by the boyar Bogdan Khitrovo. The fort of "Simbirsk" was strategically placed on a hill on the Western bank of the Volga River...
- 242nd Training Centre242nd Training CentreThe 242nd Training Centre of the Airborne Forces is a brigade-sized training formation of the Russian Airborne Troops.To prepare sergeants and junior specialists for airborne units in accordance with a directive of the Commander Soviet Ground Forces, the 4th Training Airborne Division was formed...
of the VDV in OmskOmsk-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes... - 45th Detached Reconnaissance Regiment45th Detached Reconnaissance Regiment45th Guards Separate Reconnaissance Regiment of VDV is a special reconnaissance and special operations unit within the Russian Airborne Troops, and based in Moscow....
in KubinkaKubinkaKubinka is a town in Odintsovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Setun River, west of Moscow. Population: Kubinka was the location of the Soviet Union's tank proving grounds, and today is the home of the Kubinka Tank Museum... - 1182nd Guards Artillery Regiment
- 38th Signal Regiment
The 11th Air Assault Brigade in the Central Militray District (former Siberian Military District
Siberian Military District
The Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was divided between the two newly formed Central and Eastern Military Districts.- History :...
) and the 56th Air Assault Regiment in the Southern Military District (former North Caucasus Military District
North Caucasus Military District
The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla....
) are partially infantry formations reporting directly to the military district
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
s they are stationed in. The VDV's training institute is the Ryazan
Ryazan
Ryazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
Institute for the Airborne Troops named for General of the Army V.F. Margelov. In addition, in the mid-late 1990s, the former 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment
345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment
The 345th Guards Airborne Regiment of the Soviet Airborne Troops was active from 1944 to 1998. It was formed on 30 December 1944 at Lapichi, Osipovichi district, Mogilev Oblast, in the Byelorussian SSR...
was stationed in Gudauta
Gudauta
Gudauta is a town in Abkhazia and a centre of the eponymous district. It is situated on the Black Sea, 37 km northwest to Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia....
, Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
AR, Georgia. It later became the 10th Independent Peacekeeping Airborne Regiment. The unit was further designated the 50th Military Base.
In the early 1990s, General Pavel Grachev
Pavel Grachev
Pavel Sergeyevich Grachev , sometimes transliterated as Grachov, is a retired Russian Army General and the former Defence Minister of the Russian Federation; in 1988 he was declared the Hero of the Soviet Union...
, the first Russian Defence Minister, planned for the VDV to form the core of the planned Mobile Forces. This was announced in Krasnaya Zvezda
Krasnaya Zvezda
Krasnaya Zvezda is an official newspaper of Soviet and later Russian Ministry of Defence. It was founded on January 1, 1924. Today its official designation is "Central Organ of the Russian Ministry of Defence."...
('Red Star,') the Ministry of Defence
Russian Ministry of Defence
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation exercises operational leadership of the armed forces of Russia.The Russian Minister of Defence is the nominal commander of all the armed forces, serving under the president of the Russian Federation, in whom executive authority over the military is...
's daily newspaper, in July 1992. However, the Mobile Forces plan never eventuated. The number of formations available for the force was far less than anticipated, since much of the Airborne Forces had been 'nationalised' by the republics their units had been previously based in, and other arms of service, such as the GRU and Military Transport Aviation, who were to provide the airlift component, were adamantly opposed to ceding control of their forces.
After an experimental period, the 104th Parachute Regiment of 76th Airborne Division became the first Russian ground forces regiment that was fully composed of professional soldiers (and not of "srochniki" – the conscripted soldiers aged eighteen). It was announced that the 98th Airborne Division is also earmarked for contract manning, and by September 2006, it was confirmed that 95% of the units of the 98th Division had shifted to contract manning.
Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk The city is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin , for whom it is named.-History:Simbirsk was founded in 1648 by the boyar Bogdan Khitrovo. The fort of "Simbirsk" was strategically placed on a hill on the Western bank of the Volga River...
, however, is not equipped with its own armor or artillery and may be equivalent to Western airborne troops, in that it functions as light infantry and must walk when reaching their destination. The 31st was the former 104th Guards Airborne Division.
VDV troops participated in the rapid deployment of Russian forces stationed in Bosnian city Ugljevik
Ugljevik
Ugljevik is a municipality and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The municipality located in the eastern foothills of Mount Majevica, in picturesque countryside, where wondrous and beautiful mountain starts descending towards the flatlands of Semberija, to which it is tied more than any other...
, in and around Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
airport during the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
. They also were deployed in Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
as an active bridgehead for other forces to follow.
Russian airborne troops had their own holiday during the Soviet era, which continues to be celebrated on the 2nd of August.
One of their most prized distinguishing marks is their Telnyashka
Telnyashka
A telnyashka is a dark color and white striped, sleeveless or not, undershirt, which is an iconic uniform of the Russian Navy, the Russian Airborne Forces and the Russian Naval Infantry , initially by Soviet predecessors of these troops...
shirt (another, maybe even more emblematic, is a blue beret. VDV soldiers are often called "blue berets").
Notable former Airborne Forces officers include Aleksandr Lebed
Aleksandr Lebed
Alexander Ivanovich Lebed was a Russian lieutenant-general and politician. He placed third in the 1996 Russian presidential election, with 14.5% of the vote nationwide. He later served as Russia's Secretary of the Security Council and as governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia's second largest region...
, who was involved in responses to disorder in the Caucasus republics in the last years of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and Pavel Grachev
Pavel Grachev
Pavel Sergeyevich Grachev , sometimes transliterated as Grachov, is a retired Russian Army General and the former Defence Minister of the Russian Federation; in 1988 he was declared the Hero of the Soviet Union...
who went on to become the first Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation. PRIDE heavyweight mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
fighter Sergei Kharitonov, went to the Airborne Troops academy in Ryazan', and remains on active duty
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
with the Russian Airborne Troops.
Since 2008, women have been allowed to serve in the VDV, in combat positions, including as officers, after finishing the academy.
On 26 May 2009 Lieutenant-General Vladimir Anatolevich Shamanov
Vladimir Shamanov
Vladimir Anatolyevich Shamanov is a Lieutenant General in the Russian Army, the commander of the Russian Airborne Troops since May 2009 and a former Russian politician...
became the new commander of the VDV, replacing Lieutenant-General Valeriy Yevtukhovich who was being discharged to the reserve. Shamanov is twice decorated as a "Hero of Russia" for his combat role in the campaigns in Chechnya. His previous posts are the chief of the combat training directorate and commander of the 58th Army. His most recent post was chief of the main combat training directorate. General Shamanov and the acting commander of the 106th Airborne Division were severely injured in a car crash on 30 October 2010. The general's driver was killed.
On 28 January 2010, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the VDV's air components had been placed under the VVS.
Under the 2008 reform programme
2008 Russian military reform
Significant reforms of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were announced in October 2008 under Defence Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov, and major structural reorganisation began in 2009...
, the four existing two-regiment divisions should have been transformed into 7-8 air-assault brigades. However once general Shamanov became CinC of the VDV, it was decided to keep the original structure. The divisions have been beefed up and there are now four independent airborne/air-assault brigades, one for each military district. The 332nd School for Praporshchiks of the VDV in Moscow was disbanded in December 2009 (also under the 2008 reform programme, all praporshchik
Praporshchik
Praporshchik is a rank in the Russian military.-Imperial Russia:Praporshchik was originally a name of a junior commissioned officer rank in the military of the Russian Empire equivalent to ensign...
(WO) posts in the Russian Armed Forces have been eliminated).
Armament and equipment
- AK-74MAK-74The AK-74 is an assault rifle developed in the early 1970s in the Soviet Union as the replacement for the earlier AKM...
and AKS-74AK-74The AK-74 is an assault rifle developed in the early 1970s in the Soviet Union as the replacement for the earlier AKM...
assault rifles, and AKS-74U special purpose and self-defence carbine (5.45x39mm). - RPK-74, light weight machinegun (5.45x39mm).
- PKMPK machine gunThe PK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. The PK machine gun was introduced in the 1960s and replaced the SGM and RPD machine guns in Soviet service...
, general purpose machinegun (7.62x54mm). - 6P41 "Pecheneg"Pecheneg machine gunPKP "Pecheneg" is a Russian machine gun chambered for the 7.62 x 54 mm round. It is a modernised PK machine gun. The Pecheneg is said to be more accurate than all its predecessors due to a heavier, non-removable forced air cooling barrel with radial cooling ribs and a handle which eliminates the...
general purpose machinegun (7.62x54mm), currently replacing PKM as general purpose machinegun throughout the Russian Armed Forces. - Dragunov SVD, sniper rifle (7.62x54mm).
- Dragunov SVUDragunov SVUThe OTs-03 SVU is a bullpup configuration of the SVD sniper rifle. The SVU was developed to meet the needs of the security forces of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, such as OMON. The SVU was first seen in usage in the First Chechen War...
, modified SVD in bullpup configuration and its variants are in a limited use. - GP-25 and GP-30GP-30The GP-30 Obuvka , GP-25 Kostyor and BG-15 Mukha are Russian under barrel grenade launchers for the AK-series of assault rifle. They were first seen by the west in 1984 during the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. The initial version was designated BG-15, and was fitted under the barrel of AK-74...
, under-barrel 40mm grenade launchers for fragmentation and gas grenades. - AGS-17 PlamyaAGS-17The AGS-17 Plamya is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher currently in production in the Russian Federation and in service worldwide.-Description:...
(Flame), 30mm automatic grenade launcher. - RPO-A "Shmel" (Bumblebee), infantry rocket flamethrower, or the older RPO "Rys".
- RPG-7RPG-7The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
anti-tank rocket launcher, or more modern systems such as the RPG-22RPG-22The Soviet RPG-22 Netto is a one-shot disposable anti-tank rocket launcher first deployed in 1985, based on the RPG-18 rocket launcher, but firing a larger 72.5 mm fin stabilised projectile. The weapon can be prepared to fire in around 10 seconds, and can penetrate 400 mm of armour, 1.2 meters of...
. - 2B14 "Podnos"2B14 PodnosThe 2B14 Podnos is a Russian 82mm mortar. The 2B14 was designed in early 1980s as a light indirect fire weapon for the use of airborne and other light infantry forces. Despite the intent to field the 2B14 with light infantry units, the 2B14 appears to have been fielded with regular motor rifle...
82mm mortar or the older M-37M82-PM-37The M-37 is a Soviet 82 millimeter calibre mortar designed by B.I. Szayrin and accepted into service in 1937. The design of the M-37 is based on the earlier French Brandt mle 27/31 mortar with Russian modifications.... - 9K38 "Igla" man-portable SAM system, or the more modern 9K338 "Igla-S".
- 9K111 "Fagot" and 9K115 "Metis" man-portable anti-tank systems.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN-94 AN-94] assault rifles
Armoured Vehicles
Unlike the rest of the mechanized units, which use variety of APC
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
s and IFVs such as the BMP series, BTR series and MT-LB, the VDV uses exclusively BMD family vehicles. There are over 1,800 armored fighting vehicles, mostly BMD-1
BMD-1
The BMD-1 is a Soviet airborne amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle, which was introduced in 1969 and first seen by the West in 1970. BMD stands for Boyevaya Mashina Desanta . It can be dropped by parachute and although it resembles the BMP-1 it is in fact much smaller...
(since 1969) and BMD-2
BMD-2
The BMD-2 is a Soviet airborne infantry fighting vehicle, which was introduced in 1985. It is a variant of BMD-1 with a new turret and some changes done to the hull. BMD stands for Boyevaya Mashina Desanta...
(since 1985). There were also over 100 BMD-3 (1990) that were partially upgraded to BMD-4 level. All of them are amphibious, moving at around 10 km/h in water. BMD-4 is also capable of full, continuous fire while in the deep water, unlike any other vehicle with such heavy weaponry (100mm gun and 30mm auto cannon).
There is also a turret-less variant of the BMD-1, the BTR-D
BTR-D
The BTR-D is a Soviet airborne multi-purpose tracked armoured personnel carrier which was introduced in 1974 and first seen by the West in 1979 during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. BTR-D stands for Bronetransportyor Desanta . It is based on BMD-1 airborne IFV...
, which is used as troop carrier and severs as the basis for specialised versions such as anti-tank, command and signals. The BTR-D will partially be replaced by the new multi-purpose APC BTR-MD "Rakushka" that will also come in several different versions. As part of the 2011 state defence order (GOZ), 10 BMD-4M and 10 "Rakushka's" have been ordered, but according to the VDV's CinC General Colonel Shamanov, Kurganmashzavod did not give a guarantee it would produce them.
Artillery
The airborne self-propelled artillery guns ASU-57
ASU-57
The ASU-57 was a small, lightly constructed Soviet assault gun specifically designed for use by Soviet airborne divisions. From 1960 it was replaced by the ASU-85.-Development history:...
and ASU-85
ASU-85
The ASU-85 is a soviet-designed airborne self-propelled gun of the Cold War Era. From 1959 it replaced the open-topped ASU-57 in service but was in its turn replaced by the BMD-1 from 1969.-Development history:...
have been withdrawn. They had light armour and limited anti-tank capability, but provided invaluable fire support for paratroopers behind enemy lines (the caliber of the gun is the number next to ASU designation in mm).
Also withdrawn were the multiple rocket launch systems RPU-14 (8U38) of 140mm and the BM-21V "Grad-V" (9P125) of 122mm on GAZ-66, as well as the 85mm gun SD-44
85 mm divisional gun D-44
The 85-mm divisional gun D-44 was a Soviet divisional 85-mm calibre field artillery gun used after World War II. It was designed as the replacement for the 76 mm divisional gun M1942 . The gun is no longer in front-line service with the Russian Ground Forces, although some 200 of the Chinese Type...
.
Today the VDV operates the following systems:
- 2S9 Anona2S9 AnonaThe 2S9 NONA is a self-propelled 120 mm mortar designed by the Soviet Union and entering service in 1981...
120mm self-propelled gun-mortar. - 2S25 Sprut-SD2S25 Sprut-SDThe 2S25 Sprut-SD is a self-propelled tank destroyer or light tank, built on the BMD-3 chassis. Designed for use by the Russia VDV airborne forces it is light and highly mobile.-Development:...
125mm self-propelled artillery/anti-tank gun based on BMD-3 hull. - D-30 (2A18) 122mm howitzer and anti-tank weapon, towed by truck, not amphibious, unique capability to make 360 degree turns as it is deployed on tripod
- ZU-23-2ZU-23-2The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23 mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for Zenitnaya Ustanovka - anti-aircraft mount.-Development history:...
23mm air-defence gun, is either mounted on the BTR-D, or can be towed by a jeep or truck as it has wheels. Since 2011, some ZU-23s are being replaced by the Strela-10M3.
Other Vehicles
The VDV is equipped with numerous types of airborne capable trucks and jeeps, for example the Ural-4320
Ural Automotive Plant
The Ural Automotive Plant is a major manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks in Russia. It was established in 1941, when the ZiS factory was evacuated from Moscow during the World War II, and is now part of the GAZ group.-External links:* on GAZ website...
, the GAZ-66V
GAZ
GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod , translated as Gorky Automobile Plant , started in 1932 as NAZ, a cooperation between Ford and the Soviet Union. It is one of the largest companies in the Russian automotive industry....
and the UAZ-3151
UAZ
UAZ , Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod is an automobile manufacturer based in Ulyanovsk, Russia which manufactures off-road vehicles, buses and trucks. It is best known for its Model 469 jeep, which has seen wide use as a military vehicle in Russia and around the world...
for transporting cargo, specialist crews and equipment (e.g. mortars, ammunitions), but not infantry (all fighting paratroopers are transported in armoured vehicles). Currently the GAZ-66 is being replaced by the KAMAZ-43501-VDV 4x4
Kamaz
KAMAZ is a Russian truck manufacturer located in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russian Federation. KAMAZ opened their doors in 1976...
.
Gallery
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Sources
- Austin, Greg, & Muraviev, Alexey D., Red Star East: The Armed Forces of Russia in Asia, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2000 http://www.questia.com/library/book/red-star-east-the-armed-forces-of-russia-in-asia-by-greg-s-austin-alexey-d-muraviev.jsp
- Bonn, Keith E.(ed.), Slaughterhouse: The handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005
- Brinkster.com VDV at Brinskster.com
- Isby, David C., Weapons and tactics of the Soviet Army, Jane's Publishing Company, London 1988
- KMS Ltd in association with "RYAZAN" International Airborne and Special Forces Veterans Organisation RUSSIAN VDV
- Schofield, Carey, The Russian Elite: Inside Spetsnaz and the Airborne Forces, Stackpole/Greenhill, 1993
- Simpkin, Richard, Red Armour: An examination of the Soviet Mobile Force Concept, Brassey's Defence Publishers, London, 1984
- Staskov, Lt. Gen. N.V., 1943 Dnepr Airborne Operation: Lessons and Conclusions, Military Thought, Vol. 12, No.4, 2003 (in Russian)
External links
- Unofficial website of VDV Russian Only
- Official web site of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation In Russian
- "Desantura" Russian Mostly and Theme for foreign colleagues Russian & English
- Association of VDV veterans Russian Only
- History of VDV on pobeda.ru Russian Only
- SovietArmyStuff.com – Uniforms, Equipment, Badges, Patches and More "English site"