One of the holidays, revered among military professionals, is the Day of Radio Engineering Troops of the Air Force of the Russian Federation. Celebrate it annually on December 15.
The task of the radio troops
Perhaps not all readers are aware that the radio engineering forces at one time separated from the Russian Air Force. Their main purpose is considered to be reconnaissance radar operations, thanks to which the Air Force management units receive timely information about the identified air enemy. In addition, data on the constant air situation is necessary to solve regular tasks, not only in wartime, but also when the state’s security is not in danger.
The strategic information received by the Air Force headquarters from reconnaissance radar troops is then forwarded, as necessary, to aviation military units and
anti-aircraft missile troops.History of occurrence
It turns out that the radio troops have a rich history. This type of troops is quite young, as it was formed a little more than half a century ago. In 1952, it already functioned in almost the same form as it is today. Although the progenitors of military radio technology are the so-called "observation posts". They were formed during the First World War in the process of organizing defensive measures around Petrograd. Then the task of the newly formed posts was the timely warning of the army about the proximity of the air enemy. A few years later, the posts were combined into a military body, forming the service of airborne aerospace monitoring (aerial surveillance, warning and communications).
Radio engineering during the Second World War
In the coming years, the posts were equipped with the simplest optical equipment, and in 1940 RUS-2 radar stations were placed at the disposal of VNOS. Within two years, the radars were modernized, which made it possible to continue to use instruments with improved enhanced performance. Using the first stations, the radio engineering troops of the Great Patriotic War had the opportunity to detect fascist aircraft at a distance of up to 40 kilometers.
In fact, the use of such radars was the only reconnaissance method in airspace when searching for the enemy. Aware of the danger level for fighters and bombers from the operation of radar devices, enemy pilots set themselves the mandatory task of destroying them. Thus, the timely detection of aircraft of a potential enemy became the number one item in solving important tasks at the state level to ensure the country's security.
Date Approval December 15
As a holiday, the Day of the Radio Engineering Troops of the Russian Federation got its start in 1951. Then, on December 15, the USSR Council of Ministers ordered the Ministry of War to form a new functional military body that would deal with the detection of the enemy in the border airspace and alert military headquarters and civilians.
The air forces of the Air Force went through an important stage of development in the middle of the twentieth century. The 60s were marked by large deliveries of radar equipment, military units of this kind of troops were formed. In addition, emphasis was placed on opening new heights to help maintain control of the Soviet sky.
The development of the radio engineering military sphere at the end of the twentieth century
Modern military experts note that the 80s became the most significant for the history of radio-technical troops. This period is characterized by significant significant changes in the equipment of the troops. One by one, the most powerful complexes and radar detection stations were delivered to military units .
In addition, many devices of the new generation have been partially or fully transferred to automatic operation. To this stage of development, the radio engineering troops possessed systems for combining with the air defense forces. The scale and high level of automated processes for the management, processing and provision of information data allowed the radio engineering forces to take the lead among the Armed Forces.
The importance of radio engineering troops in ensuring the defense capability of Russia
The radar field on the territory of the former Soviet Union, created during that period, allows to this day to implement a program of continuous tracking and tracking of aircraft, helicopters and other aircraft.
It turns out that the radio engineering forces contributed to the unique history of the space industry, namely, they participated in the organization and contributed to the safe landing of domestic ships. By the way, the landing of the first Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin did not pass without the help of radio technicians. It is also known that military personnel of this kind of troops participated in peacekeeping missions of the countries of Central Asia (China, North Korea, Vietnam), Angola, Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan, Cuba and many other states.
The Russian radio technical troops, which include the regiments of the same name, are subordinate to the main command of the Air Force. In the absence of military operations, all units and strongholds of this kind of troops do not leave their places of deployment and continue to protect the state border zone, or rather its airspace from illegal invasion.
Educational radio-technical institution in Vladimir
It is also important that the RF Air Force's radio-technical troops need an adequate level of material support, since the radar reconnaissance activity requires equipping with expensive modern equipment and highly qualified training of military specialists in the further operation of such equipment.
On the territory of Russia there is a specialized training institution in the city of Vladimir, called the Training Center for Specialists of the Radio Engineering Forces of the Air Force. Graduates of this institution, having received diplomas in the specialties of “technician of a radar station”, “technician of a separate radar company”, etc., can enter the service precisely in the radio engineering troops.
Industry development
At the moment, the budget of the Russian state annually provides for the need to equip and purchase high-quality promising radio equipment for this kind of Air Force troops. Also, in order to maintain a satisfactory state of military radio electronics, the management of the units organizes its periodic repair. By the way, thanks to the constant modernization of equipment in this area, in 2015 about a third of all weapons are innovative radio equipment. But, according to the leaders of the Air Force, this is far from the limit. It is planned that by 2020 this figure will double.
There is nothing surprising in the fact that on December 15 in Russia congratulations from Radio Engineering Day are heard everywhere. Workers in this field wish all the best, because representatives of military affairs deserve recognition and respect, no less than the military personnel of the airborne troops, air defense or border service.