Russian Air Force

The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) were established in 2015 through the merger of the Russian Air Force (VVS) and the Aerospace Defence Forces (VVKO). This reorganization created a unified command structure with three primary branches: the Air Force, the Air and Missile Defense Forces, and the Space Forces. The intent was to improve the integration and efficiency of air and space operations, closing a perceived gap in Russian military strategy that had previously separated these domains. This structure reports to a central high command in Moscow, designed to enhance inter-service cooperation.

The strategic doctrine of the VKS is centered on the concept of a single, continuous air and space theater of war. Its mission is to protect Russia from aerospace threats with both conventional and nuclear capabilities, provide early warning, and support other military branches. This doctrine emphasizes the degradation of an adversary's military and economic potential through long-range precision strikes against critical infrastructure, a form of non-contact warfare. This strategy is part of a broader "active defense" concept, which combines defensive and offensive operations to disorganize an opponent's efforts.

Operationally, the VKS fields a mix of modern and legacy Soviet-era platforms. Its combat aviation is built on several hundred Su-27, Su-30 and Su-35 airframes, a large Su-24 and Su-25 force retained despite obsolescence, and the Su-34, which has become the workhorse of the tactical strike fleet. The MiG-31, armed with the Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile, provides a high-speed interception and stand-off strike niche. The VKS also operates a robust and multi-layered ground-based air defense network integrated into its overall structure, while the strategic bomber fleet of Tu-95MS, Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 aircraft provides a global cruise-missile strike capability.

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year, remains the VKS's defining engagement. Its long-range aviation has been effective in striking Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure with cruise missiles and mass Shahed-type drone raids, but the VKS has never achieved air superiority over the front. This has been attributed to dense and mobile Ukrainian air defenses, persistent shortcomings in suppressing them, and significant aircraft losses. The force has adapted by relying heavily on stand-off weapons, above all UMPK glide-bomb kits released by Su-34 and Su-35 crews from inside Russian-controlled airspace, and by fielding a wide variety of reconnaissance and strike drones. Its own rear areas have proved vulnerable in turn: the Ukrainian drone raid of June 2025 damaged or destroyed strategic bombers at bases as distant as Siberia, and deep strikes on Russian airfields have continued through the intermittent, short-lived truces of 2026.

Modernization remains a priority but is constrained by attrition and sanctions. The State Armament Program continues to fund Su-34 and Su-35 deliveries, while the fifth-generation Su-57 remains a slow programme: after a year-long pause in confirmed handovers, the United Aircraft Corporation delivered a fresh batch in January 2026, bringing the in-service fleet to roughly 30 airframes against a far larger order. Upgrades to the Tu-95MS and Tu-160M continue, as does work on the long-delayed PAK DA. Rapid iteration on unmanned systems has been the clearest area of progress, driven directly by combat experience, while restricted access to Western components, machine tools and avionics remains the principal long-term constraint on these efforts.