MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The Long-Range Aviation, a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, continues to receive modernized combat aircraft. Their equipment has been replaced, improving weapons accuracy, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
The 111th anniversary of Russia’s Long-Range Aviation is marked on Tuesday. The Long-Range Aviation is a component of the country’s Strategic Nuclear Forces, an integral part of the Aerospace Forces, and serves to accomplish missions in all strategic areas.
"In 2025, the supply of upgraded combat aircraft to Long-Range Aviation Command continued. The upgraded aircraft had their existing equipment replaced with modern digital equivalents, improving the accuracy of weapons, the reliability of the aircraft, and expanding the capabilities of the aircraft's operational monitoring system," the ministry said. The Long-Range Aviation fleet includes the Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers, the MiG-31I air-to-air missile system, Tu-22M3 long-range bombers, Il-78 refueling aircraft, as well as various training and transport aircraft.
This year, Long-Range Aviation personnel participated in the special military operation, army command and control exercises under the direction of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, and other combat training activities, the ministry specified. "All practical activities for the current year have been fully completed, which testifies to the high level of training and flight skills of the crews involved. In addition, air patrol missions were carried out over the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Baltic, Barents, Bering, East China, Yellow, Norwegian, North, Black, Chukchi, and Japanese seas this year. This included joint military air patrols with the crews of Hong-6K (Xian H-6K) strategic bombers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force," the ministry reported.
Ilya Muromets
Russia’s Long-Range Aviation trace its roots to the Ilya Muromets aircraft squadron. This first heavy bomber force in the world was created by a decision of the Russian Army Military Council, sanctioned on December 23, 1914. During World War I, the squadron's crews carried out approximately 400 combat sorties for reconnaissance and bombing of enemy targets. They destroyed 12 enemy fighters in aerial combat. Thirty-nine servicemen of the squadron became Knights of the Order of St. George.
With the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War (of Russia against Nazi Germany in 1941-1945), the crews of the long-range bomber units entered combat operations as early as midday on June 22, 1941, to destroy concentrations of Nazi troops in the Suwalki and Przasnysz areas (Poland). On June 23, jointly with naval pilots, they bombed targets deep behind enemy lines of the Nazis and their allies in Danzig, Konigsberg, Warsaw, Krakow, and Bucharest.
During the war, the long-range bomber crews carried out approximately 220,000 combat sorties, dropping 2,276,000 bombs of various calibers on enemy troops and targets. As many as 312 long-range aircraft pilots became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and 6 were awarded this title twice.