Russian Air Force Day

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

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.

History of military aviation

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

How did it all start?

At first, aircraft were used only for reconnaissance and search purposes, but then they began to participate in air battles - the First World War began. The aircraft fleet of Russia already consisted of 263 aircraft by that time. Bomber aviation began to take shape, and by the summer of 1916, fighter aviation as well, as separate types of military aviation. The emergence of long-range aviation is associated with the creation of multi-engine aircraft by designer Sikorsky: Ilya Muromets and Russian Knight. This series broke records in terms of altitude and flight duration, as well as payload. If inAt the beginning of the war, the VVF carried out 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 Air Force, 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 military pilots who were the first to receive the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union for rescuing Chelyuskinites. At this time, the greatest development of the production of military aircraft occurs. But in the very first hours of the Great Patriotic War, 1,200 aircraft were destroyed. It was necessary to restore the air fleet in military conditions.

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

After the collapse of the USSR, the Air Force was 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 Russian Air Force continued to degrade: the number of both equipment and personnel was rapidly declining. 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.

Date of Air Force Day

In the course of the history of such a holiday as Air Force Day, its date has been postponed several times. During the Imperial Air Force, according to the decree of Nicholas II, the pilots had a holiday on August 2, on 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, on Bastille Day. In 1933, the celebration was moved to August 18th. It was convenient: exercises and training in flight camps ended in August.

This continued until 1972, when the date of the celebration, so that it did not fall on a weekday, was moved to the third Sunday of August, and thus it became floating. It is curious that military aviation pilots in general did not have their professional holiday for a long time. There was a single holiday for civil and military aviation - Air Force Day. And the own Air Force Day of the Russian Federation - August 12 - was officially approved by order of the President in 1997. The same order was amended in 2006, 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 can still be organized on Russian Air Force Day, that is, again on the third Sunday of 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 focus of the festive events then became the Central Airfield. Frunze. Wasa large-scale air parade was held to showcase the latest in aviation technology and demonstrate the skills of pilots.

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

VF Day from 1947 until the mid-60s continued to be organized in Tushino, but usually in July: on one of the weekends, an air parade was held there. Subsequently, air parades and a review of new types 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 upon a time, the profession of a pilot, besides a military one, was unusually romantic and prestigious, and only the profession of an astronaut could compete with it. It was in Soviet times, but after the demise of the USSR, when there was a significant weakening of the Air Force, the interest of young people in this profession also significantly weakened. Being a soldier has become unprofitable. Since the revival and modernization of the industry has been taking place since the 2000s, the Air Force Day holiday was necessary to increase the prestige of aviation as an important component of the country's defense capability.