The Russian Aerospace Defence Forces or Russian Air and Space Defence Forces (VVKO) () was a branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation responsible for aerospace defence, and the operation of Russian military satellites and the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. It was established on 1 December 2011 and replaced the Russian Space Forces.
The Aerospace Defence Forces was first commanded by former Space Forces commander Colonel General Oleg Ostapenko, who was promoted to Deputy Minister of Defence in November 2012. In December 2012, Aleksandr Golovko was appointed the new commander. Although it is officially translated as aerospace in English, some Russian writers translate it as "air and space" instead.
On 1 August 2015, the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces were merged to form the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The Russian Aerospace Defence Forces duties for space defense are now with the Russian Space Forces under the umbrella of the new Russian Aerospace Forces. The RADF today only provides air defense responsibilities.
History
The Aerospace Defence Forces trace their heritage to the Space Operations Section, Strategic Operations Branch of the Supreme High Command Reserve Artillery, formed in 1955, and transformed into the Space Services Central Administration of the Strategic Rocket Forces in 1964 (and later the Chief Space Operations Directorate in 1972).
In 1967 the Anti-Missile and Space Defence Forces were formed () under Artillery Lieutenant General Yu. Votintsev. They were reorganised as the Ministry of Defence Space Service Units in 1982, and were expanded to include the Chief Space Operations Directorate in 1986.
In 1991 the Soviet Union was broken up. The Russian Armed Forces were established on 7 May 1992, enabling the creation of Russian Space Forces later that year on 10 August. They were merged with the Strategic Missile Troops in 1996, but were reformed in 2001.
In 2006 President Vladimir Putin agreed with the idea of a new "Air and Space Defence Concept" from 2016, but without the implication that it would be a separate service. In 2008 Aleksandr Zelin argued that the missile defence and space defence forces should be merged into the Air Force.
On 30 November 2010 President Dmitry Medvedev said that air and space defence services would be under a single strategic command and the General Staff and Ministry of Defence had decided it would be on the basis of the Space Forces. In April 2011 the then Space Forces commander Oleg Ostapenko said that concept for the future system had been approved. The service was created by the presidential decree "On changes to the composition of the Russian Armed Forces until January 1, 2016" which has not been published.
Thus, on 1 December 2011, the Space Forces became the Aerospace Defence Forces, fusing all space and some air defence components into one joint service. On 1 August 2015, the ADF was merged with the Russian Air Force to form the Russian Aerospace Forces, by orders of President Putin, and upon the recommendation of the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu. It is today a service speciality corps within the Aerospace Forces with responsibility for the aerospace defense of Russian territory.
Structure
Until 12 August 2015 the Aerospace Defence Forces was organized into 2 commands: the Air and Space Defence Command; and the Space Command. The structure was as follows:
Space Command (): 153rd Main Trial Centre for Testing and Control of Space Means named after G.S. Titov at Krasnoznamensk () 820th Main Centre for Missile Attack Warning (SPRN) () in Solnechnogorsk 821st Main Space Surveillance Centre (SKKP) () in Noginsk-9, Moscow Oblast. Dunay-3U radar Krona space object recognition station, Zelenchukskaya, Karachay-Cherkessia Krona-N, Nakhodka, Primorsky Krai Moment space surveillance complex, movable Okno, Tajikistan Okno-S, Primorsky Krai Air and Space Defence Command (): 9th Missile Defence Division (:ru:9-я дивизия ПРО, Military Unit Number 75555) (A-135 anti-ballistic missile system) in Pushkino 4th Missile Defence Brigade in Dolgoprudny 5th Missile Defence Brigade in Vidnoye 6th Missile Defence Brigade in Rzhev State Testing Plesetsk Cosmodrome () Kura Test Range