Air International — September 2017

MILITARY RUSSIAN NAVAL AVIATION PARADE 2017

Tu-142s and Il-38Ns only serve with the

Russian Navy’s two so-called big  eets,

the Northern and Paci c, in  ve frontline

squadrons. Their principal mission is ASW,

which includes search, detection, tracking

and, whenever needed, attacking enemy

submarines. This speci c role also calls for

the execution of a signi cant proportion of

real-world operational sorties in peacetime,

within the frame of the so-called combat

duty patrols in designated areas of interest,

often far away from Russian shores.

Operated by three front-line squadrons

• one assigned to the Northern Fleet and
  two more to the Paci c Fleet – the Il-38
  May  eet is aged, but still sports good life
  extension reserves and is also inexpensive
  to operate and maintain. That’s why most,
  if not all, of the 28 active aircraft have
  been slated to undergo a comprehensive
  mission-suite upgrade in an effort to enhance
  their overall maritime patrol and ASW

capabilities, combined with general overhaul

for extending their service. This makes the

reworked Il-38N May good for frontline use

until the late 2020s or even the early 2030s.

As of July 2017, Russian Naval Aviation

had received eight upgraded Il-38Ns; seven

serve with the two Paci c Fleet squadrons

stationed at Nikolaevka (7062nd Air Base)

and Yelizovo (7060th Air Base), and the 958th

Combat Training and Aircrew Conversion

Centre at Yeisk air eld on the Azov coast.

The eighth aircraft, the  rst aircraft upgraded

to production standard, is operated by

the squadron assigned to the 7050th Air

Base, stationed at Severomorsk-3 with the

Northern Fleet.

Tu-142MK and Tu-142MZ Bear-F ASW

and maritime patrol aircraft (all built in

1980s and 1990s), both derivatives of the

Tu-95 strategic bomber, were developed

speci cally for ultra-long-range oceanic

operations, up to 2,475 nautical miles

(4,500km) from base. Today’s  eet of around

25 aircraft, is divided equally between

squadrons in the Northern and Paci c Fleets.

Up to ten Tu-142MRs, a version built for

maintaining communications with submerged

submarines using high-frequency and very-

low frequency bands, serve with Tu-142MZ

and Tu-142MK ASW versions in the two

Bear-F-equipped squadrons, one assigned

to the aviation group of the 7062nd Air Base,

stationed at Kamenniy Ruchey within the

Paci c Fleet, and the other to the aviation

group of the 7050th Air Base, stationed at

Kipelovo with the Northern Fleet.

However, notwithstanding the participation

of the Bear and May aircraft, the most exotic

type seen was the Be-12. This odd-looking

 ying boat is still used in the search and

rescue and maritime patrol roles by the

Black Sea  eet. The twin-turboprop Be-12

Mail serves with the 318th SAP, a composite

aviation regiment, stationed at Kacha near

Four carrier-capable MiG-29KRs were in the air parade, including RF-92320. All four were assigned to the 100th OKIAP based at Severmorsk-3 near Mur-

mansk on the Kola Peninsula. Russian Naval Aviation received 20 single-seat MiG-29KRs and four two-seat MiG-29KUBRs in 2015. The 100th OKIAP was

reactivated on December 1, 2015, with its fi ghters tasked to operate from the sole Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, assigned to the Northern Fleet.

A Tu-142MK crew lined-up in front of their aircraft, ready for fl ying a rehearsal mission for the parade over St Petersburg.