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Soviet Union [USSR] Naval Aviation
Naval Aviation was primarily landbased; its main mission was to
conduct air strikes on enemy ships and fleet support
infrastructure. The importance attached to its antiship mission was
shown by the fact that Naval Aviation has received almost as many
TU-26 bombers as have the Strategic Air Armies. Naval Aviation also
provided ASW and general reconnaissance support for naval
operations.
In 1989 Naval Aviation consisted of nearly 1,000 fixed-wing
aircraft and over 300 helicopters. The Naval Aviation fleet
included 130 Tu-26 and 230 Tu-16 medium-range bombers armed with
air-to-surface cruise missiles for carrying out antiship strikes.
Naval Aviation also had 100 Su-17 and Su-24 fighter-bombers that
provided close air support to Naval Infantry. Older aircraft in
Naval Aviation's inventory have been converted into ASW and
maritime reconnaissance platforms.
Since the 1970s, the Soviet Naval Forces have attempted their
overcome its major weakness--fleet air defense beyond the range of
land-based aircraft--by deploying four Kiev-class aircraft
carriers. These carriers each had a squadron of Yak-38 fighters. In
the late 1980s, the Soviet Union was also constructing and fitting
out its first two Tbilisi-class carriers. Western observers
expected that a variant of the new Su-27 or MiG-29 fighter would
become the main Soviet carrier-based aircraft. Soviet carriers also
operated Ka-25 and Ka-27 naval helicopters for ASW reconnaissance,
targeting, and search-and-rescue missions.
Data as of May 1989
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