Soviet Naval Aviation

Soviet Naval Aviation
Морская авиация Военно-морского флота Morskaya aviatsiya Voenno-morskogo flota
Soviet naval ensign (1950–1992)
Active	1918–1992
Country	Russian SFSR (1918–1922) Soviet Union (1922–1991) CIS (1991–1992)
Branch	Red Fleet (1918–1920)[1] Red Air Force (1920–1935)[1] Soviet Navy (1935–1992)[1]
Type	Naval aviation
Engagements	Russian Civil War Winter War Great Patriotic War Soviet–Japanese War Korean War Cold War
Commanders
Notable commanders	Colonel General Viktor Potapov Marshal Semyon Zhavoronkov
Insignia
Roundel and fin flash (since 1945)
Roundel and fin flash (until 1945)
Roundel and fin flash (1920s and 1930s variant)

The Soviet Naval Aviation (Russian: Морская авиация Военно-морского флота СССР, romanized: Morskaya aviatsiya Voenno-morskogo flota SSSR, lit. 'Naval Aviation of the Soviet Navy'; abbr. МА ВМФ СССР, MA VMF SSSR) was the naval aviation arm of the Soviet Navy.^[2][3]

The first naval aviation units in the Russian Empire were formed in 1912–1914 as a part of the Baltic Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. During World War I, the seaplane units were used in the Black Sea for conducting aircraft reconnaissance, bombing and firing at coastal and port installations and enemy ships, and destroying enemy submarines at sea and aircraft on airfields.

The regular Soviet naval aviation units were created in 1918. They participated in the Russian Civil War, cooperating with Red ground and naval forces during the combats at Petrograd, on the Baltic and Black Seas, on the Volga, Kama, and Northern Dvina Rivers, and on Lake Onega. The newborn Soviet Naval Aviation consisted of only 76 obsolete seaplanes. Scanty and technically imperfect, it was mostly used for resupplying Reds' watercraft and ground units.

In the second half of the 1920s, the Soviet Naval Aviation order of battle began to grow. It received new reconnaissance seaplanes, bombers, and fighters. In the mid-1930s, the Soviets created naval air forces in the Baltic, Black Sea, Pacific Fleets, and the Northern Flotilla. The importance of naval aviation had grown significantly by 1938–1940, to become one of the main components of the Soviet Navy. By this time, the Soviets had created bomber and torpedo bomber naval air units and formations. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, all Soviet fleets (except for the Pacific Fleet) and flotillas had a total of 1,445 aircraft.

• 
  A Soviet Naval Aviation Heinkel KR-1 flying boat launches from a catapult mounted on a Parizhskaya Kommuna's 12-inch (305 mm) gun turret, 1930–1933
• 
  Soviet Naval Air Force Beriev MBR-2 flying boats are in flight, 1939
• 
  Aircraft maintenance technicians performing pre-flight preparation of a Soviet Naval Air Force Polikarpov I-16 fighter, a pre–World War II photo
• 
  Zveno-SPB of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force: a Tupolev TB-3 4AM-34FRN mothership with two Polikarpov I-16 parasite fighters armed with FAB-250 bombs, a pre–World War II photo

The Soviet Naval Air Force (Russian: Военно-воздушные силы Военно-морского флота СССР, romanized: Voenno-vozdushnye sily Voenno-morskogo flota SSSR; abbr. ВВС ВМФ СССР, VVS VMF SSSR) was the Soviet Navy's air service during World War II. Such air units provided air support to Soviet Navy fleets and flotillas in the theaters of operations in the Barents, Baltic and Black Seas and also to the Soviet Pacific Fleet in the Seas of Okhotsk and of Japan.

The Soviet Naval Air Force managed all ship-based (catapult-launched from dreadnoughts and cruisers) and land-based seaplanes (including flying boats) and other naval aircraft. Soviet naval air units also conducted land operations in support of the Red Army during naval landings and served in special wartime operations. Naval Aviation provided some air cover to Allied Arctic convoys bringing Lend-Lease equipment to the Soviet Union via the Barents Sea to Northern Russia.

In particular, the Soviet Naval Air Force was deployed in defense of Odessa (August–October 1941) and of Sevastopol (October 1941 – July 1942), in operations in the Azov and Black Seas and in Crimea (October 1941 – July 1942, November 1943, April–May 1944), and it was carried out successful airstrikes in other battles on the Eastern Front and in a final stage of the Pacific Theater campaign of World War II.

During the war, the Soviet Naval Aviation delivered an immense blow to the enemy in terms of sunken ships and their crews—two and a half times more than any other unit of the Soviet Navy. Seventeen naval air units were honored with the title of the Soviet Guards, while 241 airmen were awarded with the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union (including five naval pilots twice).

• 
  A Black Sea Fleet Air Force Beriev KOR-2 flying boat is on the Molotov's catapult, 1941
• 
  A Northern Fleet Air Force Polikarpov I-153 fighter taking-off from an airfield, 1941
• 
  The Soviet naval fighter pilot Boris Safonov (left), along with the No. 151 Wing RAF airmen A. G. 'Tony' Miller (center) and C. 'Wag' Haw (right), and a Hawker Hurricane Mk IIB fighter (background) that would later be donated to the Northern Fleet Air Force after Operation Benedict; 1941
• 
  Weapons technicians preparing a 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo for arming a Handley Page Hampden TB Mk I torpedo bomber of the Northern Fleet Air Force 24th Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment—a former aircraft of No. 144 Squadron RAF or No. 455 Squadron RAAF—that was donated to the Soviet Union after Operation Orator; late 1942 and early 1943
• 
  Weapons technicians preparing a 450 mm (18 in) torpedo for arming an Ilyushin Il-4T torpedo bomber of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force 5th Guards Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment, late 1942 and early 1943
• 
  Aircraft maintenance technicians performing pre-flight preparation of an Ilyushin DB-3B torpedo bomber of the Northern Fleet Air Force 1st Guards Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment, January–March 1943
• 
  Yakovlev Yak-9D fighters of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force 6th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment are in flight over Sevastopol, May 1944
• 
  A Petlyakov Pe-2 aircrew of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force 40th Bomber Aviation Regiment, May 1944

• 1st Guards Fighter Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 2nd Torpedo Rananskaya Red Banner Aviation Division in the name of N.A. Ostryakova VVS VMF
• 3rd Bombardment Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 4th Bombardment Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 5th Torpedo Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 6th Bombardment Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 7th Bombardment Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 8th Torpedo Gatchinskaya Red Banner Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 9th Assault Ropshinskaya Red Banner, Order of Ushakov Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 10th Seysinskaya Red Banner Aviation Division of Dive Bombers VVS VMF
• 11th Assault Novorossiysk Twice Red Banner Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 12th Assault Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 13th Aviation Division of Dive Bombers VVS VMF
• 14th Mixed Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 15th Mixed Aviation Division VVS VMF
• 16th Mixed Aviation Division VVS VMF – 1 May 1961 became 143rd Maritime Rocket Aviation Division^[4]

To attack surface ships at long ranges, the Soviet Navy was unique in deploying large numbers of bombers in a maritime role for use by the Soviet Naval Aviation. The Soviet Kiev-class aircraft carriers was deployed in the late 1970s and carried up to 30 aircraft including Yak-38 VTOL fighters. The next class of Soviet aircraft carriers, named the Kuznetsov class, supported more conventional aircraft such as the Su-27K "Flanker-D" and the MiG-29K "Fulcrum-D". Land-based aircraft such as the Tupolev Tu-16 "Badger" and Tu-22M "Backfire" bombers were deployed with high-speed anti-ship missiles. Previously believed to be interceptors of NATO supply convoys traveling the sea lines of communication across the North Atlantic Ocean between Europe and North America, the primary role of these aircraft was to protect the Soviet mainland from attacks by U.S. carrier task forces.^[5]

The last commander of the Soviet Naval Aviation, Colonel General Viktor Pavlovich Potapov, was appointed in 1988. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, its assets were inherited by successor states' forces, including the Russian and Ukrainian Naval Aviations.

The Soviet Naval Aviation in 1990:^[6]

• 79 strike fighters
  • 79 Yakovlev Yak-38
• 219 naval helicopters
  • 113 Kamov Ka-25
  • 106 Kamov Ka-27

• 269 bombers
  • 129 Tupolev Tu-22M
  • 125 Tupolev Tu-16
  • 15 Tupolev Tu-22
• 198 attack aircraft
  • 97 Sukhoi Su-17
  • 101 Sukhoi Su-24
• 90 Anti-submarine warfare aircraft
  • 50 Tupolev Tu-142
  • 40 Ilyushin Il-38
• 65 reconnaissance aircraft
  • 50 Tupolev Tu-16
  • 15 Antonov An-12
• 45 electronic-warfare aircraft
  • 10 Tupolev Tu-22
  • 20 Tupolev Tu-95
  • 15 Sukhoi Su-24
• 90 seaplanes
  • 90 Beriev Be-12
• 118 anti-submarine warfare helicopters
  • 118 Mil Mi-14
• 40 refueling aircraft
  • Tupolev Tu-16 N and Z

• Mil Mi-8
• Ilyushin Il-18

• Beriev Be-6 Madge
• Beriev Be-10 Mallow
• Ilyushin Il-28 Beagle
• Myasishchev M-4 Bison
• Tupolev Tu-14 Bosun

• Kamov Ka-10 Hat
• Kamov Ka-15 Hen
• Kamov Ka-18 Hog
• Mil Mi-4 Hound

• R-60, AA-8 Aphid

• K-10S, AS-2 Kipper
• Kh-22, AS-4 Kitchen
• Kh-23 Grom, AS-7 Kerry
• KS-1 Komet, AS-1 Kennel – obsolete missile system
• KSR-2, AS-5 Kelt
• KSR-5, AS-6 Kingfish

• Russian Naval Aviation

• Polmar, Norman (1986). Guide to the Soviet Navy (4th ed.). Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-240-0.
• Morozov, Miroslav E. (2024). Торпедоносцы! Советская минно-торпедная авиация в Великой Отечественной войне 1941—1945 гг. [Torpedo Bombers! The Soviet Mine-Torpedo Aviation in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945] (in Russian) (3rd ed.). Moscow: Knizhny Mir. ISBN 978-5-605-15456-3.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Naval aviation of the Soviet Union.

• Aviation Elements Northern Fleet – Naval Aviation divisions
• Soviet Naval Aviation order of battle