14th Air Army

The 14th Air Army (14 Vozdushnaya Armiya) of the Russian Air Force, was first formed during the Second World War as part of the Soviet Air Force. It was disbanded in 2009.

The Army was first formed from the Air Forces of the Volkhov Front in June 1942, and in 1943 participated in the Novgorod-Luga operation. In February 1944 it was dispersed, with the command staff assigned to the Stavka Reserve and its units to other air armies. Reformed in April 1944, when it served with the 3rd Baltic Front, it was again dispersed in November 1944, with its staff again been allocated to the Stavka Reserve and its units to other formations. It was active on 1 May 1945 with the 107th Air Signals Regiment and the 30th Air Regiment of the Civil Air Fleet (Aeroflot), as part of the Stavka Reserve. However it became the 57th Air Army on 10 January 1949. Chief Marshal of Aviation Konstantin Vershinin was 57th Air Army commander in 1951. Colonel General of Aviation Polynin was commander 57th Air Army 1956-60. 57th Air Army was included in 1964 Warsaw Pact war planning, being planned to be moved forward from the Carpathian Military District to become part of the Czechoslovak Front if war broke out between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Reformed from the 57th Air Army in April 1968, the 14th Air Army was serving in the Carpathian Military District when the Soviet Union fell. In 1988-91 it consisted of the 4th Fighter Aviation Division (two MiG-29 regiments, 92nd and 145th IARs in 1990) (Ivano-Frankovsk), the 289th Bomber Aviation Division (two Su-24 regiments)(Lutsk), a regiment of Su-25s (Chortkov), a reconnaissance regiment of MiG-25s (48 GvORAP at Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast? ), a mixed regiment of transport aircraft (Lvov), and a helicopter electronic squadron. Its units became part of the Ukrainian armed forces. The formation appears to have become the 14th Air Corps; in 2002, some years later, over 70 people were killed when a Su-27 crashed at an airshow at Sknyliv, held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 14th Air Army.

It was re-formed in the late 1990s, Air Forces Monthly reported in its August 2007 issue, from the 14th Independent Army of the Air Defence Forces (the PVO) at Novosibirsk, the 23rd Air Army of the Russian Air Forces from Chita and the 50th Independent Corps of PVO also from Chita. Despite the service of the 14th Air Army in the Second World War, much of the background of the new formation rested with the 14th Army of the PVO.

The 14th Army of the PVO was formed from the 14th Corps of the PVO at Novosibirsk, and included the 38th (HQ Novosibirsk), 39th (HQ Krasnoyarsk, 50th Guards Air Defence Corps(HQ Chita), and 56th Air Defence Corps (HQ Semipalatinsk) of the PVO, as well as the 41st Division of the PVO, in 1988. In 1988 five fighter regiments were part of the army.

Fighter Regiments of the 14th Army PVO 1988 (Source Feskov et al.)

The new army was given the title of 14th Army of the Air Force and Air Defence (14 A VVS i PVO). Its zone of responsibility covered the huge area of the Siberian Military District, AFM said, and its headquarters was located in Novosibirsk. AFM also said that the aircraft were concentrated in the southern part of the territory, along the border with Kazakhstan and Mongolia. In 2007 the commanding officer of the 14th Air Army, AFM also reported, was Lieutenant-General Nikolay Danilov.

The most important force, AFM noted, within the army was the 21st Composite Air Division, which operated a Sukhoi Su-24M tactical bomber regiment, a Su-24MR reconnaissance regiment and a Su-25 attack aircraft regiment. The division was stationed in the eastern part of its responsibility zone, near the Chinese border.

The army was disbanded in 2009 by being redesignated as the 2nd Air and Air Defence Forces Command.

Structure 2007

 * 14th Air Army - Novosibirsk
 * 21st Composite Air Division - HQ at Dzhida;
 * 2nd Bomber Aviation Regiment - HQ at Dzhida - Su-24M;
 * 266th Shturmovik Air Regiment - HQ at Step', Oloviannaya - Su-25;
 * 313th Reconnaissance Air Regiment - HQ at Bada - Su-24MR;
 * 120th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment - HQ at Domna, 27 km southwest of Chita - MiG-29;
 * 712th Interceptor Aviation Regiment - HQ at Kansk (air base) - MiG-25PU, MiG-31;
 * 137th Independent Composite Aviation Squadron - HQ at Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport - An-26;
 * Army Aviation component
 * 337th Independent Helicopter Regiment - HQ at Berdsk - Mi-8, Mi-24;
 * 112th Independent Helicopter Regiment - HQ at Chita - Mi-8, Mi-24;
 * Two SAM regiments and four radar units