The airborne troops of Russia are the most important component of the armed forces and, in this regard, must show the highest combat effectiveness. At the moment, the Airborne Forces are quite capable of solving all assigned tasks; in the future, they must maintain their potential. To maintain and build up combat effectiveness, various changes are proposed at the organizational level and in the field of material. All such plans, which can affect the structure and capabilities of the Airborne Forces, allow us to talk about the implementation of a real reform.
Exercise experiment
In September last year, the Vostok-2018 exercise took place, in which all the main structures of the army, including the airborne troops, were involved. As part of the main stage of practical actions at the Tsugol test site, the Airborne Forces conducted an important experiment. The 31st Guards Separate Airborne Assault Brigade tested in practice a new organizational structure designed to improve the efficiency of combat work. According to domestic media reports, the first transformations in the brigade began in 2017, and at last year's exercises they were tested in the context of large-scale maneuvers.
Some details of the experiment are known. As part of the 31st Guards Oshbr, two new airmobile battalions appeared, which were equipped with light equipment, including unarmored ones. During the experiment, the brigade was reassigned one combat and three transport helicopter squadrons from the air force. With the help of helicopters of a number of models, it was possible to carry out the landing, and their transfer to the subordination of the brigade simplified the interaction.
Based on the results of the experiment at Vostok-2018, conclusions should be drawn that determine the further development of individual formations and the Airborne Forces as a whole. The first conclusions are already known. The reassignment of Air Force squadrons to the Airborne Forces headquarters increases the efficiency of their joint work in combat, but complicates service for organizational reasons. In this regard, there was a proposal to form their own aviation units in the Airborne Forces. The appearance of such units will allow the landing troops to solve some of the tasks independently and without the help of other types of troops.
While we are talking about the creation of one separate helicopter brigade. It may include 4-5 squadrons on multipurpose, transport and transport-combat helicopters of various types. The formation of new units in the Airborne Forces will begin this year. How exactly their fleet will be built is unknown. The purchase of new helicopters is possible, but the transfer of machines from the Air Force cannot be ruled out.
Last year, the command of the Airborne Forces indicated other ways of developing the ground component. The issue of creating anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense units included in the general control system of the battlefield was considered. However, so far, detailed data on the development of air defense and missile defense have not appeared. Probably, such information will be announced in the near future.
5th Division and 1st Artillery Brigade
Several weeks ago, the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel-General Andrei Serdyukov, revealed part of the current plans. In an interview for Krasnaya Zvezda, he spoke about the formation of a new unit. He noted that the total number of troops is constantly growing - this is one of the measures within the framework of the implemented Concept for the construction and development of the Airborne Forces. The concept also provides for the improvement of the organizational structure.
Now in the Airborne Forces there are four airborne and airborne assault divisions and the same number of airborne assault brigades. Until 2025, a new airborne division will appear in the troops. The formation of a new artillery brigade is also planned. The reform of special-purpose and support units has not been reported. Perhaps the planned changes will not affect them. The same applies to the educational institutions of the Airborne Forces.
Predictions can be made regarding the equipping of new units and formations. The Fifth Airborne Division is unlikely to be fundamentally different from the existing formations in terms of structure and material part. The future artillery brigade is of much greater interest in this context. It is quite possible that new models of self-propelled artillery will enter its armament, while they are at different stages of development work.
Equipment park
The current programs for the modernization and renewal of the army, including the airborne troops, provide for the massive purchase of a variety of weapons and equipment. In recent years, the Airborne Forces entered service with a number of modern models, mass-produced in the required quantities. In the foreseeable future, the fleet of airborne forces will be replenished with new products of various kinds - almost all such samples are already known to the general public.
Since 2016, deliveries of tracked armored personnel carriers BTR-MDM and BMD-4M airborne combat vehicles have continued. The Nona self-propelled guns are being modernized. Also in the Airborne Forces, tank units have been formed, equipped with the main battle tanks T-72B3. The development of armored cars and vehicles with various equipment continues. Attention is paid not only to combat vehicles, but also to reconnaissance and control equipment. So, all new designs have modern means of communication. It is proposed to receive data about the enemy using UAVs of a number of types and reconnaissance radar stations.
According to the current State Armaments Program, in effect until 2020, the share of modern models in the Russian armed forces should reach 70%. A few days ago, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu indicated that by now this parameter has reached 63.7% in the Airborne Forces. Thus, in the very near future, the landing troops will fulfill the assigned task, and their fleet of equipment and weapons will reach the required degree of novelty.
This year, units of the Airborne Forces will conduct military tests of a number of promising combat vehicles. First of all, it is necessary to test the new version of the Sprut-SDM1 self-propelled anti-tank gun. It is also expected to start testing artillery systems created under the Sketch program. This is a self-propelled gun "Phlox", as well as a self-propelled mortar "Drok". It is expected that the Lotus self-propelled gun will be tested.
The anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense units planned to be formed need appropriate weapons that meet the characteristic requirements of the Airborne Forces. As a supplement and then replacement of existing samples, the airborne airborne air defense system "Ptitselov" is now being developed. According to known data, this machine will be maximally unified with other airborne equipment. It is planned to bring it for testing next year.
The future separate aviation brigade will operate helicopters of various types. To solve the typical tasks of the Airborne Forces, it needs both the Mi-24 or Ka-52 combat helicopters, as well as the multipurpose Mi-8 and heavy transport Mi-26. It is not yet clear how exactly the brigade's fleet of equipment will be formed. For her, the Ministry of Defense can order new vehicles, but it is also possible to transfer finished equipment from the units of other combat arms. It is also possible to "rent": the Airborne Forces will temporarily receive other people's helicopters, which will then be replaced with new equipment and returned to the owners.
Problems and solutions
The current plans of the command of the Airborne Forces and the armed forces as a whole are aimed at increasing the combat effectiveness and getting rid of existing problems. Indeed, so far not everything is perfect in the airborne troops, and some features of the current situation may worsen the overall potential of the troops.
One of the main problems of the Airborne Forces still remains a rather high proportion of old models of weapons and equipment. So, in the field of armored combat vehicles, products of previous models, developed several decades ago, still prevail. So, according to known data, the number of BMD-4M airborne combat vehicles in units has already exceeded 200 units, but the old BMD-2 remains the most massive example of this class - there are five times more of them. A similar situation is observed with the fleet of armored personnel carriers, which are based on old BTR-D.
It should be noted that the problem of obsolescence of equipment in the Airborne Forces is already being actively addressed. Due to modernization, the potential of the existing equipment is maintained, and in parallel, the construction of new models is underway. Thus, the achievement of the share of new technology in 70% and the further growth of this parameter is only a matter of time.
The second characteristic problem of the Airborne Forces is interaction with military transport aviation. The Air Force has a large fleet of transport aircraft of various models, but not all of them can be involved in the tasks of transporting and dropping troops. In addition, not every domestic transporter can carry airborne armored vehicles. Finally, the BTA has other tasks in addition to ensuring the work of the Airborne Forces. All this, to a certain extent, complicates the planning of joint operations.
However, it is not yet entirely clear whether the current state of affairs in the VTA is considered a problem for the Airborne Forces. In the course of recent combat training events, the landing party did not have to face serious transport problems. The Air Force allocated the required number of aircraft for the transfer and disembarkation of troops, and, apparently, other directions did not suffer from this.
At the same time, measures have been taken that affect other transport operations. In the Airborne Forces, it is planned to form its own aviation units, which will also be armed with transport helicopters. This will allow the landing party to move and receive air support without the need for interaction with other branches of the military.
The creation of squadrons on attack and transport-combat helicopters will also reduce the dependence of the Airborne Forces on the air force and relieve them of organizational problems. However, it is obvious that the appearance of the landing troops of their own helicopters does not exclude the need for interaction with front-line aviation.
Upgrading troops
To date, the Russian airborne forces are a very serious force capable of starting work in a given area in the shortest possible time. However, there are certain problems that need to be addressed, and further development is needed to maintain and build the required capacity.
The current modernization is based on the Airborne Forces Development Concept, drawn up several years ago. This document takes into account the threats and challenges of the present time and the foreseeable future, and, taking them into account, suggests ways of restructuring the airborne forces. Simultaneous work in several directions is envisaged.
For several years now, the renewal of the material part has been going on, carried out through the supply of new products and samples of all the necessary types and classes. In addition, new systems are being developed to replace existing ones or to accommodate entirely new niches. The results of the modernization of the Airborne Forces in the field of the material part are clearly visible, and in the future these processes will continue.
The existing organizational structure needs to undergo some changes. It is planned to create a number of subdivisions and formations of various kinds. First of all, it is necessary to increase the number of airborne divisions, as well as to form a separate artillery brigade. A separate helicopter brigade for transport and combat purposes will appear this year. In the future, the formation of air defense and missile defense formations is expected.
In parallel with the formation of new connections, it is proposed to change the structure of existing ones. Now, on the basis of one of the airborne assault brigades, a new version of the structure is being worked out. It has already shown its potential in the context of large-scale exercises, and is likely to be introduced everywhere soon.
Thus, the Ministry of Defense and the command of the airborne troops continue to implement the approved Concept for the development of this type of troops in order to increase its combat effectiveness. The work is simultaneously going in several directions, from the purchase of new samples to the formation of new connections and the restructuring of old ones. All this allows us to consider the current processes not just modernization, but a real reform of the Airborne Forces. However, their significance does not depend on the term used.
The proposed and ongoing reform will have positive consequences for both the airborne forces and the entire Russian army. The Airborne Forces are already capable of solving the assigned combat missions in the conditions of a modern armed conflict, and the ongoing activities will allow maintaining and increasing such capabilities in the future. According to the results of these works, by the middle of the next decade, the Russian Airborne Forces will seriously change and become stronger.
