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PFI 1969 - Air Force and Air Defence

Based on the experience of local conflicts 1960s and analysis of the nature of the use of aircraft in the course of numerous engineers in NATO countries, analysts in the USSR were clear and the main directions of development tactics of "potential enemy" aircraft. For example, it was noted that in order to reduce the risk of missiles, strike aircraft have widely used mixed flight profiles with penetration to the target at low and extremely low altitudes, and simultaneous output to the target from different directions; practiced by the allocation of additional air groups, intended to ensure compliance with the basic problem, such as a group of demonstration actions, a group of air defense suppression (fire and electronic), a group of fighter cover, as well as widely used defense counter remedies such as anti-radar missiles, equipment for jamming ( REP), infrared (IR), traps, etc.

The Soviets noted the increasing use of guided weapons: aerial bombs with different guidance systems. For fighter aircraft, the experience of the use in local conflicts, it was noted that the list of all the solved its problems to the fore once again put forward the task of winning air superiority. At the same time, contrary to views popular in the 1950s of the gradual withering away of the air combat maneuvering, the confrontation in the air was not reduced to the implementation of standard elements with a single interception missile attack on long or medium distances. In most cases it passed into a phase of passing maneuver battlefield. And experience had shown that the majority of missile interceptors, developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s (both foreign and domestic) were not designed for doing this very maneuverable air combat, based on the characteristics of their aerodynamic configuration.

In the USSR the basis of tactical aircraft fleet during this period were also the machines of the second and third generation: MiG-21 fighter-bombers, Su-7B, Yak-28 bombers, interceptors Su-9/11, Su-15, Yak-28P and Tu-128, as well as a large number of MiG-15 fighters, MiG-17 and MiG-19 still remaining in service. New aircraft were prepared to launch into series and were in various stages of testing - Su-17, Su-24, MiG-23 and MiG-25.

For front-line fighters of the new (third) generation of all of the fleet could be attributed only MiG-23, but, as experience has shown, this plane was also traditionally optimized in favor of the implementation of the interception task and not maneuverable air combat. A significant factor in the comparison of characteristics of domestic aircraft with their foreign counterparts. This was the clear catching up in terms of the specific characteristics of aircraft power plants and the level of development of the avionics (avionics).

Against this background, a very alarming factor was the conclusion of a possible lag in the Soviet Union in the field of fighter aircraft due to the absence in the USSR of aircraft optimized for the conduct of air combat and equipped with pulse-Doppler radar to detect air targets against the background of the Earth's surface.

Historically, the Soviet Union developed a force structure somewhat different from the traditional for the majority of the armies of the world three-branch structure, consisting of the Army, Navy (Navy) and the Air Force. Air Force in the USSR were the main, but not sole operator of combat aircraft. So, a kind of air force wa in the Navy, but it was generally accepted in the world practice.

Since 1948 in the Soviet Union as a separate branch of the armed forces were allocated air defense troops, and one of the main types of troops they entered fighter aircraft (hereinafter simply aircraft defense). Over time, in the development and restructuring of the armed forces, combat strength of the fighter defense in quantitative terms had become significantly greater than the number of fighters in the Air Force. For example, as of May 1, 1960 in the USSR Air Force there were about 2,300 fighters and air defense troops twice - more than 4,700.

The relationship between the Air Force and Air Defence in the period 1950-1960s was not always rosy - to some extent, this was due to rivalry and purely personal factor in the relationship between the management - CINC Air Force Chief Air Marshal KA Vershinin and air defense commander Air Marshal E.J. Savitsky. But after the change in October 1964, the political leadership of the country, changes began in the senior leadership of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR. In 1966, the new commander in chief of the Air Defense Forces was appointed Army Gen. P.F.Batitsky while Lieutenant General Aviation, A.L.Kadomtsev replaced as commander of the air defense E.Y. Savitsky, who was appointed deputy commander of air defense forces. And in March 1969, K.A.Vershinin in the position of Commander of the Air Force replaced Marshal of Aviation P.S.Kutakhov.