Russian Aerospace Defence Forces
| Aerospace Defence Forces Branch (ASDFB) | |
|---|---|
 Emblem (medium) Aerospace Defense Forces |
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| Active | 1 December 2011–1 August 2015 |
| Country | Russia |
| Allegiance | Ministry of Defence |
| Type | Aerospace Defence |
| Anniversaries | 4 October (Space Forces Day) 12 August (Air Force Day) |
| Air Forces of Russia |
|---|
|
Air Force (1909–1917) Red Air Force (1918–1991) Naval Aviation (1918–1991) Air Defence (1948–1991) Strategic Rocket Forces (1959–1991) Air Force (1991–present[update]) Naval Aviation (1991–present[update]) Strategic Rocket Forces (1991–present[update]) |
The Aerospace Defence Forces Branch, short: ASDFB (Russian: Войска воздушно-космической обороны (ВВКО), tr. Voyska vozdushno-kosmicheskoy oborony (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 the 1 December 2011 and replaced the Russian Space Forces. The ASDFB was first commanded by former Space Forces commander Colonel General Oleg Ostapenko, who was promoted to Deputy Minister of Defence in November 2012. On 24 December 2012, Aleksandr Golovko was appointed the new commander. Although it is officially translated as aerospace in English, it covers both attacks from the air and from (outer) space, and some Russian writers translate it as "air and space" instead.
On the 1 August 2015, the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces were merged to form the Air-Cosmic Force (ACF).
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.
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 Missile Troops in 1964 (and later the Chief Space Operations Directoriate in 1972).
In 1967 the Anti-Missile and Space Defence Forces were formed (Russian: войска противоракетной и противокосмической обороны [ПРО и ПКО], tr. Voyska Protivoraketnoy i Protivokosmicheskoy Oborony [PRO i PKO]) 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.
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