Day of the Air Force (Air Force Day) of Russia. Aviation Day in Russia is celebrated not only by pilots and pilots

Flag of the Air Force of the USSR. The one in the heart .......

Yesterday, through Odnoklassniki, I received congratulations from my classmate at the military school. He congratulated me on the start of the holiday week. At the same time, it was quite logical to note that if the overwhelming majority of representatives of, so to speak, ordinary professions have only one holiday a year, then military aviators have two of them :-). This week begins with one holiday, with Sunday 12th oh, and the other ends, in Sunday 19th.

I somehow did not attach any importance to this before. Probably because he never lived in Russia since it became a separate independent state. As they say, my homeland is the Soviet Union. And then we, the army, had only one aviation day... The one that was installed by Stalin in 1933. Then it was the day of August 18.

Since then Day of the air fleet of the USSR celebrated every third Sunday in August. Moreover, this holiday was more associated with the 18th. There was also the day of Aeroflot (more precisely, the civil air fleet) - the second Sunday in February, but then we did not consider it ours (in general, and rightly so) and many did not even hear about it.

Then Aeroflot Day in 1988 was canceled and combined with the August day of aviation... And three years later, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Socialism, so plainly and unbuilt, has sunk into oblivion ... Then everything collapsed around, starting with the economy and ending with long-term historical and spiritual traditions.

Unfortunately, Soviet aviation did not escape this fate (and not only military, but also civilian). The losses that she suffered probably cannot be compared even with the losses during the hostilities. Especially in the second half of the 90s and early 2000s.

It was painful and bitter to look at all this. Every even slightly positive action and every, even a small movement forward, was perceived with great hope. And now, it seems, these hopes are beginning to come true.

Our well-deserved, now, just like once in the first years of its existence, Russian aviation, who always had many victories and outstanding achievements, begins to spread her wings again.

On August 12, exactly 100 years ago, the first military aviation unit was officially formed by a tsarist decree. This is how the Russian Air Force was born. And since May 31, 2006, by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, this day has become an official holiday, Happy Air Force(has the status of a memorable day). An absolutely correct and logical solution :-).

As you can see, all good things come back :-). Russian aviation is beginning to restore its former power and perfection. I really want to believe that this process will only accelerate and go in the right direction, which means there is and will be something to celebrate. And we will definitely do it :-).

Now, after all, we have two holiday dates: the 12th and the 19th following it (officially approved, by the way, in 1992 by the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation). Air Force Day and Russian Air Fleet Day. And I don't even know if it is necessary to divide them. It's all simple to me Aviation Day.

And today, on the eve of these two big holidays, I want to congratulate everyone on the 100th anniversary of our glorious Air Force and on the upcoming Day of the Russian Air Force.

I congratulate everyone who had and has great happiness (just like that!) To touch the mysteries of the fifth ocean, those for whom the sky has become a second home, and its gentle blueness and snow-white light clouds are their favorite flowers in life.

Congratulations to all who are "on you" with powerful, heavy and, sometimes, formidable machines. Thanks to your work on the ground, which is often very difficult and even ungrateful, airplanes take to the air and there they turn into the lungs of heavenly birds :-).

Happy Holidays to everyone who creates the most sophisticated modern aircraft, builds them at giant factories, who in one way or another ensure the possibility of daily flight work for Russian aviation.

Happy holidays to all aviators, past, present and future. Although, of course, there are no former aviators, as well as former officers….

Congratulations to everyone who understands, who remembers, who knows ...

The Air Force will celebrate its 100th anniversary on August 12. However, the Day of the Air Force was not always celebrated in Russia on this day, the date has changed four times in the history of the country. The former commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force, General of the Army Pyotr Deinekin, spoke about this.

"At the beginning of the last century, at the dawn of aviation, Russian pilots celebrated the day of the air fleet in accordance with the decree of Nicholas II, who appointed the celebration of the Day of the air fleet on August 2 on the Day of the Holy Prophet Elijah," Deinekin told RIA Novosti. Now August 2 is the day of the Airborne Forces.

Deinekin said that in 1924, the deputy of the Revolutionary Military District, Mikhail Frunze, postponed the celebration for the air fleet to July 14 - when the day of the storming of the Bastille is celebrated. On August 18, 1933, Stalin announced the creation of an aviation industry in the Soviet Union and established August 18 as the day of the Air Fleet.

"This holiday became truly nationwide, was widely celebrated throughout the country. Party and government leaders came to the air parades in Tushino, the entire airfield in Tushino and the banks of the Moskva River were filled with jubilant Muscovites," the general added.
Deinekin told how the current date for the celebration of Air Force Day was set - August 12. According to him, a delegation of the Russian Air Force in 1995 visited South Africa for the 75th anniversary of the Air Force of this country. During this trip, South African Air Force Chief of Staff James Creel asked Deinekin, "How old is your Air Force?"

“I thought: this is a question. And I“ sailed away. ”I replied that when in the west the first pilots bravely chirped in the sky on the first whatnot, Russian pilots had already conquered the ocean on four-engine airplanes, flying from St. Petersburg to Kiev and back on airplanes." Ilya Muromets ". We are older than you in aviation, I said then," the ex-commander-in-chief continued.

After this trip, documents were found in the archives confirming that it was on August 12, 1912 that an order was issued for the military department, in which, by the decision of the emperor, all issues of military aviation were entrusted to the main directorate of the General Staff. "We sent these documents to the administration of President Boris Yeltsin. And he issued a decree, which approved the day of the Air Force on August 12," Deinekin said.

The former Air Force commander-in-chief noted the achievements of the Russian pilots. For example, the Russian pilot Pyotr Nesterov was the first in the world to perform the so-called loophole; at the beginning of the First World War, he conducted the first air battle in which he rammed the enemy. The first controlled spin was performed by the Russian pilot Konstantin Artsiulov, the grandson of the artist Aivazovsky. Seven pilots became the first Heroes of the Soviet Union for rescuing the crew of the Chelyuskin icebreaker sunk in the ice. During the Great Patriotic War, Soviet pilots were able to win air supremacy in the fight against the Luftwaffe in fierce battles and end the war in the skies of Berlin. 2,400 "Stalin's falcons" were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and 63 of them became heroes twice. The first three times hero was also a pilot - Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin.

As the ex-commander-in-chief of the Air Force emphasized, after the war, the pilots began to fly on airplanes with swept wings, overcame the sound barrier and conquered the supersonic sound. They were the first to test nuclear weapons and the first to storm space (the first cosmonaut was the Soviet pilot Yuri Gagarin. The first woman cosmonaut was Air Force captain Valentina Tereshkova, now a major general). The first to go into outer space was the world champion in aerobatics Svetlana Savitskaya.

According to Deinekin, the Air Force reached its greatest power by the end of the 1980s. “At that time we were not only feared all over the world, but also respected. The Air Force consisted of 500 thousand personnel, including 30 thousand pilots, 12 thousand aircraft and 6 thousand helicopters. However, a few years later the collapse of the Soviet Union and its Armed Forces broke out. This was one of the most difficult times in the history of the Air Force. In recent years, our aviation has been restoring its former power. Considerable funds are allocated for the development of promising aviation technology, modern weapons. The leadership of the country and the Armed Forces began to show concern for the material well-being of the Air Force personnel. Now the solution to the problem of providing servicemen with housing is nearing completion, ”the general said.

In the coming weekend in the urban district of Zhukovsky, solemn events dedicated to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Air Force will be held.

Commentary of the expert of the portal "OFFICERS OF RUSSIA"

Yuri PANTELEEV, Air Force Reserve Colonel:

The 100th anniversary of the Air Force is not just a big jubilee, but an entire era in the development of Russian military aviation, which dates back to the 19th century. Indeed, it was in the second half of the 19th century that the rapid development of aeronautics began. Even then, the created balloons began to be used for military purposes. The military history of Russia testifies to the fact that in February 1884 the 1st team of aeronauts was formed in the Russian army. In the same year, at the Main Directorate of the General Staff, a staff commission was approved for the use of aeronautics, pigeon mail and watchtowers for military purposes.

In May 1890, Order No. 126 for the military department approved the Regulations on the Aeronautical Service, which was originally included in the engineering troops. With the development of aircraft manufacturing in Europe and Russia, the Ministry of War began to acquire aircraft for military use, and since 1910, training of military pilots has been organized on the basis of the created training airfield in Gatchina near St. Petersburg - this was the first training unit for the training of flight technical personnel of the Russian army ...

As for the year 1912, which is associated with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Air Force, military historians attribute it to the formation of a unified aviation control body for the Russian army: on August 12, 1912, in accordance with the order of the military department, all issues of organizing military aeronautics and aviation are concentrated in the aeronautical part of the Main Directorate of the General Staff.

Throughout its rich history, the domestic Air Force has undergone repeated changes: the organizational structure and combat composition of aviation has changed, the aircraft fleet has been modernized, new types of aviation equipment have entered service, the methods of combat employment of aviation, forms and methods of training flight and engineering personnel have been improved. ...

In addition, our Air Force is a kind of "cradle" for the emergence of other types and types of troops. In 1960, the first three divisions and 17 regiments were allocated from the Long-Range Aviation to the Strategic Missile Forces being created, which were reorganized into military units of the Strategic Missile Forces. In the same year, the Cosmonaut Training Center was created as part of the Air Force, which laid the foundation for the development and formation of Russian cosmonautics. In the early 70s of the last century, army aviation was created and further developed.

Today's Air Force is once again in a state of reform. The transition from aviation regiments and divisions to aviation bases has been carried out. They also include all aviation units that were previously included in other types and branches of the Armed Forces. Despite the existing problems with the transfer of aviation formations and units to new states and organizational structure, the Russian Air Force is beginning to equip the Russian Air Force with modern models of aviation technology, powerful aviation complexes and ground support facilities. After a two-year break, the training of aviation personnel is resumed at the Air Force universities.

I would like to believe that after celebrating its 100th anniversary, the Russian Air Force will have many more anniversaries and other significant events, that our military aviation will withstand the next stage of military reform, pilots will fly on the most modern aircraft, high speeds and high altitudes, and the state will have reliable protection of the airspace.

Faster, higher, stronger - this Olympic motto may well be applied to the Russian Air Force, which celebrates its professional holiday on August 12. It is celebrated on the basis of the decree of the President of the Russian Federation "On the establishment of the Day of the Air Force" No. 949 of August 29, 1997. The August date with minor calendar modifications can be considered the "successor" of the USSR Aviation Day.

On this day, back in 1912, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, by his decree, formed the first military aviation unit in Russia, which was subordinate to the General Staff. The Imperial Air Force (1910-1917) was considered one of the finest navies in the world, and for good reason. Equipment, professionalism of pilots, effective training system. After the October Revolution, everything had to start virtually from scratch.

The Great Patriotic War dealt a serious blow to the country's air force. Due to the sudden attack of the Nazis (at least, official reports are reporting about surprise) on our country in June 1941, more than 2 thousand aircraft were destroyed - many were simply burned down at the basing airfields. The Soviet military aviation fleet was actually bled out.

Despite heavy losses, Soviet front-line aviation managed to maintain its combat capability. In a short time, it was possible to organize the mass production of aircraft. By the middle of the summer of 1943, Russian aviation had firmly won strategic air supremacy (photo 2). Before that, back in 1941, with significant problems with technical equipment, Soviet pilots were sent from the territory of the Baltic States to strike at Berlin. For the Nazis, those Soviet raids came as a real shock. And even if they did not lead to significant damage, they had an important psychological effect for all aviation and not only.

During the war years, the Soviet Air Force flew about 3,100 sorties and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment. In air battles and at airfields, 57,000 enemy aircraft were destroyed. These are really impressive numbers.
During the war, Soviet pilots used over 600 air rams and about 500 "fire" rams. Air battles from group battles often developed into air battles with the participation of large aviation forces. Over 200 thousand pilots were awarded orders and medals of the USSR for the successful completion of combat missions of the command, for their courage and courage.

After the end of the war, the Soviet government decided to modernize the Air Force. So, in the post-war period, there was a transition from piston aviation to jet aviation, the organizational structure of units and formations was updated. And here one cannot but express gratitude to the outstanding Soviet designers who forged the success of aviation.
The collapse of the USSR made its own sad adjustments to the development of aviation. More precisely, there was no talk of any development in the 90s. They began to cut - cut on the living. However, the trend was reversed. How much work and money it cost, so far no expert will give accurate estimates.

In 2015, in accordance with the decree of the President of Russia, the Air Force was combined with the Aerospace Defense Forces and formed a new type of troops - the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation (VKS RF).

The official reason for the creation of the Aerospace Forces was announced by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu: “The formation of the Aerospace Forces by combining the Air Force and the Aerospace Defense Forces is the best option for improving the country's aerospace defense system. This allows, first of all, to concentrate in one hands all responsibility for the formation of military-technical policy for the development of troops solving tasks in the aerospace sphere, secondly, due to closer integration, to increase the efficiency of their use, and thirdly, to ensure progressive development of the country's aerospace defense system ”.

The Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation have already proven their high efficiency in practice, on September 30, 2015, the Aerospace Forces began performing combat missions as part of the Russian military operation in Syria.

Russia was able to ensure a successful operation in such a remote theater of operations, and most importantly, to provide itself with the necessary logistics. The Syrian authorities say that it was Russian aviation that made it possible to turn the tide of hostilities in Syria, over which the threat of a repetition of the Libyan scenario loomed.

The combat operations were carried out in the format of air strikes and air reconnaissance. During the operation, the latest multifunctional fighters were used, such as the Su-30SM, Su-35S, Su-34 front-line bombers, the Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic aviation vehicles were used for the first time, which launched the latest Kh-555 and X cruise missiles. -101 for terrorist targets.

The round-the-clock combat regime and the high rate of strikes came as a surprise to outside observers and experts, not to mention the terrorists themselves.

NATO analysts assess the conduct of military operations of the Aerospace Forces in Syria as highly effective - thanks to the skill of the pilots and the capabilities of Russian aircraft. Many servicemen have received high awards. Unfortunately, a number of pilots were posthumously. In March 2016, part of the air group was withdrawn from the deployment site in connection with the fulfillment of the assigned tasks, however, today the aircraft and the Russian Aerospace Forces continue to speak their weighty word in the fight against terrorism in the SAR.

Today the Russian military aviation carries out defense, strategic and reconnaissance tasks. The Russian Air Force includes long-range, front-line, military transport and army aviation. Weapons and military equipment are being updated in a timely manner.
"More than 100 units of the latest aviation equipment will enter Russian aviation units in 2017," said Viktor Bondarev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Within the framework of the State Arms Program (2011-2020), it is planned to purchase more than 600 aircraft and 1,100 helicopters for all types of the Armed Forces, and so far this program has been consistently implemented in its aviation unit.
Winged defenders of the Fatherland, engineers and designers, technicians and workers of the aviation industry have always been the embodiment of courage, talent and hard work. The names of the best of them have become national and world heritage.

The Air Force is among the elite troops in Russia - by right! Happy holidays, aviation!

Air Force Day in Russia is celebrated on August 12. This date has become a festive day of the calendar since May 31, 2006, it was then that the corresponding decree was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This day is considered a holiday not only by military aviation pilots, but also by many people involved in aviation. These include aircraft designers, dispatchers, navigators, mechanics and many others, without the participation of whom the work of domestic aviation is not possible.

Day of the Air Force (VKS) in 2017 what date: the holiday was celebrated on different days

The date of August 12 was set by the President of the Russian Federation for a reason. It was on August 12, 1912, that the first military aviation unit was formed by the decree of the last Russian autocrat. She was subordinate to the then General Staff. Somewhat later, with the development of civil and military aircraft construction, the aviation part expanded to the Imperial Air Force. The traditions of that time are honored and preserved in the air force to this day.

In 1917, after the revolution, the imperial aviation ceased to exist. The reason for this was the absence of pilots and the deplorable state of the equipment itself. In 1918, the workers 'and peasants' Red Air Fleet was created from the remaining equipment. With its development in 1933, Aviation Day was appointed in honor of the first Soviet aviators, later renamed the Day of the USSR Air Force. The date of the holiday for many years was August 18. This day is traditionally celebrated by all veterans of the Air Force. It became the second, but already unofficial holiday.

Officially, the celebration on August 12 acquired its status with the presidential decree of May 31, 2006 "On the establishment of professional holidays and memorable days in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation."

In connection with the change in the name of the air force in 2015, the military-space, the name of the holiday has also changed. Now it is officially called Videoconferencing Day.

The holiday of civilian aviators, according to the tradition laid down in the USSR, is celebrated on the third Sunday of August. This year, civilian pilots will celebrate their professional holiday on August 20, almost a week later than their military colleagues.

Day of the Air Force (VKS) in 2017 what date: celebration in Kubinka

Residents of Moscow and the Moscow region will be able to take part in the celebration of the Air Force Day. In Kubinka, in the Patriot military-patriotic entertainment park, a grandiose air show will be held.

The air show will feature state-of-the-art aircraft and helicopters of the Russian army. And also the historical reconstructed equipment, which took part in the battles of both world wars.

At the celebration of the main holiday of military aviation, the best aerobatics groups in Russia will show their skills.

On the territory of the Patriot Park, you can see the exhibited samples of domestic and foreign aircraft construction. Try to operate aviation equipment on the simulators and simulators presented here.

The aircraft modeling clubs will showcase their creations. Also in the sky, they will arrange a competition of aircraft models.

All events on the territory of the Patriot will be held from 11 am to 6 pm on 12 August. They end with the awarding of honors from among the military personnel of the Military Space Forces of the Russian Federation.

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Air Force Day is celebrated in Russia on August 12, but the reason why the celebration falls on this date is not known to many.

The history of the emergence of military aviation

Despite the fact that the Russian aeronauts back in 1904-1905. took part in hostilities during the war with Japan, the emergence of military aviation is associated with the creation of the Aeronautical Unit of the General Staff on August 12, 1912 by decree of Nicholas II. After that, much attention was paid to the development and technical equipment of military aeronautics. In 1913, the complete separation of aviation from aeronautics took place - thus, the first reorganization of the military air fleet (VVF) in Russia was carried out.

How did it all begin?

At first, the aircraft were used only for reconnaissance and search purposes, but then they began to participate in air battles - the First World War began. By that time, the aircraft fleet of Russia totaled 263 aircraft. Bomber aviation began to take shape, and by the summer of 1916 - and fighter aviation - as separate types of military aviation. The appearance is associated with the creation by the designer of Sikorsky of multi-engine aircraft: "Ilya Muromets" and "Russian Knight". This series broke records for altitude and duration of flight, as well as carrying capacity. If at the beginning of the war the WWF was rather an auxiliary function in reconnaissance and communications, then by the end of hostilities the air fleet had already taken shape as an independent branch of the military.

In 1918, on the basis of the disbanded Imperial WWF, the USSR Air Force was created. They were then called the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Air Fleet. Military pilots of that time wrote many heroic pages in history. So, in the 30s, it was the military pilots who were the first to receive the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for saving the Chelyuskinites. At this time, the greatest development of the production of military aircraft took place. But in the very first hours of the Great Patriotic War, 1200 aircraft were destroyed. The air fleet had to be rebuilt under military conditions.

After the war, a qualitative breakthrough took place in aircraft construction: the transition from piston aircraft engines to jet engines, the tests of which took place for the first time in 1946. The Soviet Air Force was definitely experiencing its heyday, having no equal in the world in terms of the number of military equipment.

After the collapse, they were divided between Russia and the other 14 republics. As a result, Russia got about 65% of the personnel and 40% of the equipment of the Air Force. From that moment on, over the course of 10 years, the RF Air Force continued to degrade: the number of both equipment and personnel was rapidly decreasing. The total process of modernization and overhaul of equipment began only in 2009. At the same time, funding was resumed and developments in the field of aircraft construction continued.

Air Force Day Celebration Date

In the course of the history of such a holiday as Air Force Day, its date has been postponed several times. At the time of the Imperial WWF, according to the decree of Nicholas II, the pilots had a holiday on August 2, the day of St. Elijah. It is clear that after the October Revolution such a date could not remain the same. In the 1920s, aviation day began to be celebrated in July, and usually on July 14 - the day In 1933, the celebration was postponed to August 18. It was convenient: in August, exercises and training in flight camps ended.

This continued until 1972, when the date of the celebration, so that it did not fall on a weekday, was postponed to the third Sunday in August, and thus it became floating. It is curious that the pilots generally did not have their professional holiday for a long time. There was a single holiday for civil and military aviation - the Day of the Air Force. And the Russian Air Force's own Day - August 12 - was officially approved by the order of the President in 1997. In the same order in 2006, amendments were made, the content of which boils down to the fact that, although Air Force Day remains tied to the same date, the holiday itself and related events are allowed to be organized as before, that is, again on the third Sunday in August.

Air Force Day celebrations

For the first time in the USSR, the celebration of the Air Fleet Day took place in Moscow on August 18, 1933. The center of festive events then became the Central airfield named after. Frunze. A large-scale air parade was held with the aim of showing the new products of aviation technology and demonstrating the skills of the pilots.

Somewhat later, namely, starting in 1935, air parades on Air Fleet Day traditionally began to take place at the airfield in Tushino. But not necessarily August 18 was the day of these events. In bad weather conditions, the holiday was postponed or canceled.

From 1947 to the mid-60s, the VF Day continued to be organized in Tushino, but usually in July: on one of the days off, an air parade was held there. Subsequently, air parades and a review of new samples of aircraft were moved to Domodedovo.

Now Air Force Day is widely celebrated in many Russian cities. At the same time, exhibitions of military equipment and air shows are organized.

The significance of the Air Force holiday for Russia

Once, in addition to being a military man, she was unusually romantic and prestigious, and she could only compete in Soviet times, but after the end of the existence of the USSR, when the Air Force was significantly weakened, the interest of young people in this profession also significantly weakened. It became unprofitable to be in the military. Since, since the 2000s, the industry has been reviving and modernizing, the Air Force Day holiday was necessary to increase the prestige of aviation as an important component of the country's defense capability.