The rapid and coordinated entry of troops into Czechoslovakia led to the fact that within 36 hours the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries established complete control over Czechoslovak territory.

However, despite the obvious military success, it was not possible to achieve political goals. The leaders of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, and after them the XIV Extraordinary Congress of the Party, already on August 21, condemned the introduction of allied troops. Representatives of the conservative-minded group of delegates at the congress were not elected to any of the leadership positions in the HRC.

On October 17, 1968, a phased withdrawal of allied troops from the territory of Czechoslovakia began, which was completed by mid-November.

Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 22, 1969, the 80th parachute regiment The 104th Guards Airborne Division was awarded the Order of the Red Star for the successful completion of combat missions in restoring order in Czechoslovakia.

In the mid-60s, due to the active development of helicopters (with their amazing ability to land and take off almost anywhere), the idea of ​​​​creating special military units that could land by helicopters behind enemy tactical lines in order to assist the advancing ground forces was born. Unlike the Airborne Forces, these new units were supposed to land only by landing, and unlike the Special Forces of the GRU, they had to operate with fairly large forces, including using armored vehicles and other heavy weapons.

To confirm (or refute) the theoretical conclusions, it was necessary to conduct large-scale practical exercises that would put everything in its place.

In 1967, during the Dnepr-67 strategic exercises, an experimental 1st air assault brigade was formed on the basis of the 51st Guards PDP. The brigade was led by the head of the combat training department of the Airborne Forces, Major General Kobzar. The brigade landed on helicopters on the bridgehead on the Dnieper and completed the task assigned to it. According to the results of the exercises, appropriate conclusions were drawn, and starting from 1968, as part of ground forces the formation of the first air assault brigades in the Far Eastern and Trans-Baikal military districts begins.

Based on the directive of the General Staff of May 22, 1968, by August 1970 in settlements Nikolaevna and Zavitinsk, Amur Region, the 13th Air Assault Brigade was formed, and in the village of Mogocha, Chita Region, the 11th Air Assault Brigade.

Again, as in the very first airborne unit (airborne assault detachment of the Leningrad Military District), the "ground" unit received aviation under its control - two helicopter regiments with an air base each, which included an airfield support battalion and a separate Division of Communications and Radio Engineering.

The structure of the air assault brigades of the first formation was as follows:

Brigade management;

Three air assault battalions;

Artillery battalion;

Anti-aircraft artillery division;

Combat helicopter regiment with an air base;

Transport Helicopter Regiment with Air Base;

The rear of the brigade.

The air assault units mounted on helicopters were able to land in the form of a landing assault on any sector of the operational-tactical theater of operations and solve the assigned tasks on their own with fire support from combat helicopters. Experimental exercises were conducted with these brigades to develop tactics for the use of air assault units. Based on the experience gained, the General Staff gave recommendations for improving the organizational and staffing structure of such units.

It was assumed that the air assault brigades would operate in the tactical defense zone of the enemy. The range at which the battalions of air assault brigades were supposed to land did not exceed 70-100 km. In particular, as a confirmation, this is evidenced by the range of the communications equipment that entered service with the air assault formations. However, if we consider the specific theater of operations in which the brigades were deployed, it can be assumed that the purpose of the 11th and 13th brigade was to quickly close the poorly guarded section of the border with China in the event of a Chinese military invasion. Helicopters of the brigade's units could be landed anywhere, while the motorized rifle regiments of the 67th motorized rifle division located in that area (from Mogocha to Magdagachi) could only move on their own along the only road, which was very slow. Even after the helicopter regiments were withdrawn from the brigades (at the end of the 80s), the task of the brigades did not change, and the helicopter regiments were always deployed in close proximity.

In the early 70s, a new name for the brigades was adopted. From now on, they began to be called "airborne assault".

On November 5, 1972, by directive of the General Staff, and on November 16, 1972, and by order of the commander of the Transcaucasian Military District, by February 19, 1973, it was decided to form an air assault brigade in the Caucasian operational direction. In the city of Kutaisi, the 21st separate airborne assault brigade was formed.

Thus, by the mid-70s, the so-called Airborne Forces of the ground forces included three brigades:

11th brigade (military unit 21460), ZabVO (settlement of Mogocha, Chita region), consisting of: 617th, 618th, 619th brigade, 329th and 307th OVP;

13th Airborne Brigade (military unit 21463), Far Eastern Military District (settlement of Magdagachi, Amur Region), consisting of: 620th, 621st (Amazar), 622nd Airborne Brigade, 825th and 398th OVP ;

21st brigade (military unit 31571), ZakVO (Kutaisi, Georgia), consisting of: 802nd (military unit 36685, Tsulukidze), 803rd (military unit 55055), 804th (in / h 57351) odshb, 1059th oadn, 325th and 292nd ovp, 1863rd one siRTO, 303rd obo.

An interesting fact was that the battalions in these formations were separate units, while in Airborne separate part was only the regiment. From the moment of its formation and until 1983, parachute training was not provided for in these brigades and was not included in the combat training plans, and therefore the personnel of the air assault brigades wore the uniform of motorized rifle troops with the corresponding insignia. Airborne assault units received the form of the Airborne Forces only with the introduction to their combat training skydiving.

In 1973, the air assault brigades included:

Management (in the state of 326 people);

Three separate air assault battalions (according to the state, each battalion has 349 people);

Separate artillery battalion (171 staff members);

Aviation group (only 805 people in the state);

Separate division of communications and radio-technical support (190 employees);

A separate battalion of airfield technical support (410 people in the state).

New formations began active combat training. Not without accidents and disasters. In 1976, during a major exercise in the 21st brigade, a tragedy occurred: two Mi-8 helicopters collided in the air and crashed to the ground. As a result of the disaster, 36 people died. Similar tragedies occurred from time to time in all brigades - probably this was the terrible tribute that had to be paid for the possession of such highly mobile military units.

The experience gained by the new brigades turned out to be positive, and therefore, by the end of the 70s, the General Staff decided to form several more air assault brigades of front (district) subordination, as well as several separate air assault battalions of army subordination. Since the number of newly formed units and formations was quite large, in order to complete them, the General Staff went to the disbandment of one airborne division.

On the basis of the directive of the General Staff of August 3, 1979 No. 314/3/00746 by December 1, 1979, the 105th Guards Airborne Vienna Red Banner Division (111th, 345th, 351st, 383rd Guards PDP) , stationed in the city of Fergana, Uzbek SSR, was disbanded. The 345th regiment was reorganized into a separate airborne regiment and left in the southern operational direction. The personnel of the disbanded regiments and separate units went to the formation of air assault units and formations.

In addition to parachute units and formations, in the airborne troops, ground forces (SV) of the USSR Armed Forces there were also air assault units and formations, but they were subordinate to the commander of the troops of military districts (groups of troops), armies or corps. They did not differ in anything, except for tasks, subordination and OShS. Methods of combat use, combat training programs for personnel, weapons and uniforms for military personnel were the same as for paratrooper units and formations of the Airborne Forces (central subordination). Air assault formations were represented by separate air assault brigades (ODSHBr), separate air assault regiments (ODSHP) and separate air assault battalions (ODSHB).

The reason for the creation of air assault units in the late 60s was the revision of tactics in the fight against the enemy in the event of a full-scale war. The stake was placed on the concept of using massive landings in the near rear of the enemy, capable of disorganizing the defense. The technical possibility for such a landing was provided by the fleet of transport helicopters that had increased significantly by this time in army aviation.
By the mid-80s, the USSR Armed Forces included 14 separate brigades, two individual regiment and about 20 separate battalions. The brigades were deployed on the territory of the USSR according to the principle - one brigade per one military district, which has land access to the State border of the USSR, one brigade in the inner Kiev Military District (23 ODSHBr in Kremenchug, subordinate to the High Command of the southwestern direction) and two brigades for groups of Soviet troops abroad (35 ODShBr in the GSVG in the city of Cottbus and 83 ODShBr in the SGV in the city of Bialogard). 56 Guards. The ODShBr in OKSVA, stationed in the city of Gardez of the Republic of Afghanistan, belonged to the Turkestan Military District, in which it was formed.
Individual air assault regiments were subordinate to the commanders of individual army corps.
The difference between the parachute and airborne assault formations of the Airborne Forces was as follows:
- In the presence of standard airborne armored vehicles (BMD, BTR-D, self-propelled guns "Nona", etc.). In the airborne assault units, only a quarter of all units were equipped with it - in contrast to 100% of its staffing in the paratrooper units.
- In the subordination of the troops. Airborne assault units, operationally, were subordinate to the command of military districts (groups of troops), armies, and corps. The parachute units were subordinate to the command of the Airborne Forces, whose headquarters was in Moscow.
- In the assigned tasks. It was assumed that the air assault units, in the event of the start of large-scale hostilities, would be used to land in the enemy's near rear, mainly by landing from helicopters. Parachute units were supposed to be used in a deeper rear of the enemy with a parachute landing from VTA aircraft. At the same time, airborne training with planned training parachute landings of personnel and military equipment was mandatory for both types of airborne forces.
- In contrast to the guards airborne units of the Airborne Forces deployed along full staff, some air assault brigades were cadre (special staff) and were not guards. The exception was three brigades that received the names of the Guards, created on the basis of the 105th Vienna Red Banner Guards Airborne Division disbanded in 1979 - the 35th, 38th and 56th.
In the mid-80s, the following brigades and regiments were part of the Airborne Forces of the USSR Armed Forces: 9
- 11 ODShBr in the Trans-Baikal Military District (Trans-Baikal Territory, Mogocha and Amazar),
- 13 ODShBr in the Far Eastern Military District (Amur Region, Magdagachi and Zavitinsk),
- 21 ODShBr in the Transcaucasian Military District (Georgian SSR, Kutaisi),
- 23 ODShbr of the South-Western direction (on the territory of the Kyiv Military District), (Ukrainian SSR, Kremenchug),
- 35gv. ODShBr in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (German Democratic Republic, Cottbus),
- 36 ODShBr in the Leningrad Military District (Leningrad region, Garbolovo township),
- 37 ODShbr in the Baltic VO (Kaliningrad region, Chernyakhovsk),
- 38 Guards. ODSHBr in the Belorussian Military District (Belarusian SSR, Brest),
- 39 ODShBr in the Carpathian Military District (Ukrainian SSR, Khyriv),
- 40 ODSHBr in Odessa Military District (Ukrainian SSR, Nikolaev),
- 56 Guards. ODShBr in the Turkestan Military District (formed in the city of Chirchik, Uzbek SSR and introduced into Afghanistan),
- 57 ODShBr in the Central Asian Military District (Kazakh SSR, Aktogay township),
- 58 ODSHBr in the Kiev Military District (Ukrainian SSR, Kremenchug),
- 83 ODShBr in the Northern Group of Forces, (Polish People's Republic, Bialogard),
- 1318 ODSHP in the Belarusian Military District (Belarusian SSR, Polotsk) subordinate to the 5th separate army corps.
- 1319 ODSHP in the Trans-Baikal Military District (Chita region, Kyakhta) subordinate to the 48th separate army corps.
These brigades included a command, 3 or 4 air assault battalions, one artillery battalion and units combat support and rear support. The personnel of the deployed brigades reached 2,500 military personnel. For example, the staff strength of the 56th Guards. On December 1, 1986, the ODShBr consisted of 2,452 military personnel (261 officers, 109 ensigns, 416 sergeants, 1,666 soldiers).
The regiments differed from the brigades in the presence of only two battalions: one paratrooper and one air assault (on the BMD), as well as a slightly reduced composition of the regimental units.

AT Afghan war from the airborne and air assault formations of the USSR Armed Forces, one airborne division (103rd Guards Airborne Division), one separate airborne assault brigade (56th Guards ODSHBr), one separate parachute regiment (345- th Guards OPDP) and two air assault battalions as part of separate motorized rifle brigades (66 separate motorized rifle brigade and 70 separate motorized rifle brigade). In total, for 1987, these were 18 "linear" battalions (13 paratroopers and 5 airborne assaults), which amounted to a fifth of the total number of all "linear" OKSVA battalions (which included another 18 tank and 43 motorized rifle battalions) .

Preparation officers for the airborne troops.

Officers were trained by the following military educational institutions in the following military specialties (VUS):
- Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School - commander of an airborne (airborne assault) platoon, commander of a reconnaissance platoon.
- Landing Department of the Ryazan Higher Military Automobile engineering school- commander of an automobile / transport platoon.
- Landing Department of the Ryazan Higher Military Command School of Communications - commander of a communications platoon.
- Airborne Department of the Novosibirsk Higher Military-Political Combined Arms School - Deputy Company Commander for Political Affairs ( educational work).
- Landing Department of the Kolomna Higher Artillery Command School - commander of an artillery platoon.
- Airborne Department of the Leningrad Higher Anti-Aircraft Missile Command School - commander of an anti-aircraft missile platoon.
- Landing Department of the Kamenetz-Podolsky Higher Military Engineering Command School - commander engineering platoon.
In addition to the graduates of these educational institutions, in the Airborne Forces they were often appointed to the positions of platoon commanders, graduates of higher combined arms schools (VOKU) and military departments, who prepared for the commander motorized rifle platoon. This was due to the fact that the specialized Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School (RVVDKU), which produced about 300 lieutenants every year on average, was not able to fully meet the needs of the Airborne Forces (at the end of the 80s they had about 60,000 personnel ) in platoon commanders. For example, the former commander of the 247th Guards. RAP, Hero Russian Federation Em Yuri Pavlovich, who began his service in the Airborne Forces as a platoon commander, graduated from the Alma-Ata Higher Combined Arms Command School.
For a long time, military units and units of the Special Forces (the so-called now army special forces) were mistakenly and intentionally called paratroopers. This is due to the fact that in Soviet period, as now, there were no and no troops in the Russian Armed Forces special purpose, but there were and are units and units of the Special Purpose (SpN) of the GRU of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces. In the press and in the media, the phrases "special forces" or "commandos" were mentioned only in relation to the troops potential adversary("Green Berets", "Rangers", "Commandos").
Starting with the emergence of these units in the USSR Armed Forces in 1950 until the end of the 80s, the existence of such units and units was completely denied. Up to the fact that about their existence the military military service they learned only when they were accepted into the personnel of these units and units. Officially in Soviet press and on television, units and units of the Special Forces of the GRU of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces were announced either as parts of the Airborne Forces - as in the case of the GSVG (officially there were no Special Forces units in the GDR), or as in the case of OKSVA - separate motorized rifle battalions (OMSB). For example, the 173rd Separate Special Purpose Detachment (173 OOSpN), stationed near the city of Kandahar, was called the 3rd Separate Motorized Rifle Battalion (3 OMSB).
In everyday life, servicemen of subunits and units of the Special Forces wore full dress and field uniforms adopted in the Airborne Forces, although they did not belong to the Airborne Forces either in terms of subordination or in terms of the assigned tasks of reconnaissance and sabotage activities. The only thing that united the Airborne Forces and units and units of the Special Forces was most of the officers - RVVDKU graduates, airborne training and possible combat use behind enemy lines.

Acquisition

To create and staff the "second wave" of air assault units, it was decided to disband the 105th Guards Airborne Division and the 80th Guards. pdp 104th airborne division. Officers and soldiers of military districts and groups of troops were sent for resupplying. So, the 36th brigade was formed on the basis of the 237th guards infantry regiment (it was cadre), which allocated officers and units of the Leningrad Military District; 38th Vienna - based on the officers of the headquarters of the 105th Guards Airborne Division, as well as officers and soldiers of the military unit of the Belarusian Military District.
In the air assault units of the military districts, most of the officers were from the military districts: for the airborne troops, only commanders were selected from the airborne forces, the rest from the districts; in the odshb groups of troops, the deputy battalion commander was added to the battalion commander, as well as, in part, the company commanders. To staff the newly created units, in 1979, in military schools training officers for the Airborne Forces, recruitment was increased, and from 1983-84. already most of the officers went to the DShV being trained under the Airborne Forces program. Basically, they were appointed to the Oshbr of groups of troops, less often - to the Oshbr of districts, and even less often to the Oshb. In 1984-85. officers were shuffled in groups of troops - almost all officers were replaced in the DShV. All this increased the percentage of airborne officers (plus - replacements in Afghanistan). But at the same time, the most prepared graduates of military schools and academies were always distributed in the Airborne Forces.
With regard to recruitment by conscripts, the same medical requirements and other selection rules were applied to the DShCh as for the Airborne Forces. The most healthy and physically developed draft contingent was singled out. High selection requirements (height - not less than 173 cm; physical development- not below average; education - not lower than secondary, the absence of medical restrictions, etc.) led to fairly high opportunities for combat training.
Unlike the Airborne Forces, which had their own large "Gayzhunai training" - the 44th Airborne Division; The DShV were staffed with junior commanders and specialists who had mostly graduated from the training divisions of the Ground Forces and, to a lesser extent, from the Gaizhunai "training school", the air assault battalion of the 70th Motorized Rifle Brigade was also replenished from the Fergana "training school, military unit 52788

Airborne troops. The history of the Russian landing Alekhin Roman Viktorovich

PARATROOPERS

PARATROOPERS

In the mid-60s, due to the active development of helicopters (with their amazing ability to land and take off almost anywhere), the idea of ​​​​creating special military units that could land by helicopters behind enemy tactical lines in order to assist the advancing ground forces was born. Unlike the Airborne Forces, these new units were supposed to land only by landing, and unlike the Special Forces of the GRU, they had to operate with fairly large forces, including using armored vehicles and other heavy weapons.

To confirm (or refute) the theoretical conclusions, it was necessary to conduct large-scale practical exercises that would put everything in its place.

In 1967, during the Dnepr-67 strategic exercises, an experimental 1st air assault brigade was formed on the basis of the 51st Guards PDP. The brigade was led by the head of the combat training department of the Airborne Forces, Major General Kobzar. The brigade landed on helicopters on the bridgehead on the Dnieper and completed the task assigned to it. According to the results of the exercises, appropriate conclusions were drawn, and starting from 1968, the formation of the first air assault brigades in the Far Eastern and Trans-Baikal military districts began as part of the ground forces.

On the basis of the directive of the General Staff of May 22, 1968, by August 1970, the 13th Air Assault Brigade was formed in the settlements of Nikolaevna and Zavitinsk, Amur Region, and the 11th Air Assault Brigade in the village of Mogocha, Chita Region.

Again, as in the very first airborne unit (airborne assault detachment of the Leningrad Military District), the "ground" unit received aviation under its control - two helicopter regiments with an air base each, which included an airfield support battalion and a separate Division of Communications and Radio Engineering.

The structure of the air assault brigades of the first formation was as follows:

Brigade management;

Three air assault battalions;

Artillery battalion;

Anti-aircraft artillery division;

Combat helicopter regiment with an air base;

Transport Helicopter Regiment with Air Base;

The rear of the brigade.

The air assault units mounted on helicopters were able to land in the form of a landing assault on any sector of the operational-tactical theater of operations and solve the assigned tasks on their own with fire support from combat helicopters. Experimental exercises were conducted with these brigades to develop tactics for the use of air assault units. Based on the experience gained, the General Staff gave recommendations for improving the organizational and staffing structure of such units.

It was assumed that the air assault brigades would operate in the tactical defense zone of the enemy. The range at which the battalions of air assault brigades were supposed to land did not exceed 70-100 km. In particular, as a confirmation, this is evidenced by the range of the communications equipment that entered service with the air assault formations. However, if we consider the specific theater of operations in which the brigades were deployed, it can be assumed that the purpose of the 11th and 13th brigade was to quickly close the poorly guarded section of the border with China in the event of a Chinese military invasion. Helicopters of the brigade's units could be landed anywhere, while the motorized rifle regiments of the 67th motorized rifle division located in that area (from Mogocha to Magdagachi) could only move on their own along the only road, which was very slow. Even after the helicopter regiments were withdrawn from the brigades (at the end of the 80s), the task of the brigades did not change, and the helicopter regiments were always deployed in close proximity.

In the early 70s, a new name for the brigades was adopted. From now on, they began to be called "airborne assault".

On November 5, 1972, by directive of the General Staff, and on November 16, 1972, and by order of the commander of the Transcaucasian Military District, by February 19, 1973, it was decided to form an air assault brigade in the Caucasian operational direction. In the city of Kutaisi, the 21st separate airborne assault brigade was formed.

Thus, by the mid-70s, the so-called Airborne Forces of the ground forces included three brigades:

11th brigade (military unit 21460), ZabVO (settlement of Mogocha, Chita region), consisting of: 617th, 618th, 619th brigade, 329th and 307th OVP;

13th Airborne Brigade (military unit 21463), Far Eastern Military District (settlement of Magdagachi, Amur Region), consisting of: 620th, 621st (Amazar), 622nd Airborne Brigade, 825th and 398th OVP ;

21st brigade (military unit 31571), ZakVO (Kutaisi, Georgia), consisting of: 802nd (military unit 36685, Tsulukidze), 803rd (military unit 55055), 804th (in / h 57351) odshb, 1059th oadn, 325th and 292nd ovp, 1863rd one siRTO, 303rd obo.

An interesting fact was that the battalions in these formations were separate units, while in the Airborne Forces only the regiment was a separate unit. From the moment of its formation and until 1983, parachute training was not provided for in these brigades and was not included in the combat training plans, and therefore the personnel of the air assault brigades wore the uniform of motorized rifle troops with the corresponding insignia. Airborne assault units received the form of the Airborne Forces only with the introduction of parachute jumps into their combat training.

In 1973, the air assault brigades included:

Management (in the state of 326 people);

Three separate air assault battalions (according to the state, each battalion has 349 people);

Separate artillery battalion (171 staff members);

Aviation group (only 805 people in the state);

Separate division of communications and radio-technical support (190 employees);

A separate battalion of airfield technical support (410 people in the state).

New formations began active combat training. Not without accidents and disasters. In 1976, during a major exercise in the 21st brigade, a tragedy occurred: two Mi-8 helicopters collided in the air and crashed to the ground. As a result of the disaster, 36 people died. Similar tragedies occurred from time to time in all brigades - probably this was the terrible tribute that had to be paid for the possession of such highly mobile military units.

The experience gained by the new brigades turned out to be positive, and therefore, by the end of the 70s, the General Staff decided to form several more air assault brigades of front (district) subordination, as well as several separate air assault battalions of army subordination. Since the number of newly formed units and formations was quite large, in order to complete them, the General Staff went to the disbandment of one airborne division.

On the basis of the directive of the General Staff of August 3, 1979 No. 314/3/00746 by December 1, 1979, the 105th Guards Airborne Vienna Red Banner Division (111th, 345th, 351st, 383rd Guards PDP) , stationed in the city of Fergana, Uzbek SSR, was disbanded. The 345th regiment was reorganized into a separate airborne regiment and left in the southern operational direction. The personnel of the disbanded regiments and separate units went to the formation of air assault units and formations.

On the basis of the 111th Guards Infantry Regiment in the city of Osh of the Kirghiz SSR, the 14th Guards Airborne Brigade of the Western Group of Forces was formed with redeployment to the city of Cottbus of the German Democratic Republic. In December 1979, the brigade was renamed the 35th Guards Oshbr. From 1979 to November 1982, the personnel of the brigade wore the uniform of motorized rifle troops. In 1982, the brigade was awarded the Battle Banner. Prior to that, the brigade had the Battle Banner of the 111th Guards Infantry Regiment.

On the basis of the 351st Guards Infantry Regiment, the 56th Guards Airborne Brigade of the TurkVO was formed with a deployment in the village of Azadbash (a district of the city of Chirchik) of the Uzbek SSR. On the basis of the officers of the 105th Guards Airborne Division, the 38th Separate Guards Vienna Red Banner Airborne Assault Brigade was formed in the Belarusian Military District in the city of Brest. The brigade was given the Battle Banner of the disbanded 105th Guards Vienna Red Banner Airborne Division.

On the basis of the 383rd Guards Airborne Regiment in the village of Aktogay, Taldy-Kurgan Region, Kazakh SSR, the 57th Separate Air Assault Brigade was formed for the Central Asian Military District, and the 58th Brigade was formed for the Kyiv Military District in Kremenchug (however, it was decided to leave it as a framed part).

For the Leningrad Military District in the village of Garbolovo, Vsevolozhsk District, Leningrad Region, with the participation of personnel of the 234th and 237th Guards Airborne Regiments of the 76th Guards Airborne Division, the 36th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade was formed, and for the Baltic military district in the city of Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad region, the 37th separate airborne assault brigade was formed.

On August 3, 1979, the 80th Airborne Regiment of the 104th Guards Airborne Forces in the city of Baku was disbanded. The released personnel were turned to the formation of new brigades - in the city of Khyrov, Staro-Sambirsky district of the Lviv region, the 39th separate air assault brigade of the Order of the Red Star was formed for the Carpathian military district, and in the city of Nikolaev for the Odessa military district the 40th separate air assault brigade.

Thus, in total, in 1979, nine separate air assault brigades were formed, which became part of the Western and Asian military districts. By 1980, there were a total of twelve air assault brigades in the ground forces:

11th brigade (military unit 32364), ZabVO, Mogocha;

13th brigade (military unit 21463), Far Eastern Military District, Magdagachi, Amazar;

21st brigade (military unit 31571), ZakVO, Kutaisi;

35th brigade (military unit 16407), GSVG, Cottbus;

36th brigade (military unit 74980), LenVO, Garbolovo;

37th brigade (military unit 75193), PribVO, Chernyakhovsk;

38th brigade (military unit 92616), BelVO, Brest;

39th brigade (military unit 32351), PrikVO, Khyrov;

40th brigade (military unit 32461), OdVO, Nikolaev;

56th brigade (military unit 74507), TurkVO, Azadbash, Chirchik;

57th brigade (military unit 92618), SAVO, Aktogay, Kazakhstan;

58th detachment of the KVO frame, Kremenchug.

New brigades were formed as lightweight, 3-battalion composition, without helicopter regiments. Now these were ordinary "infantry" units that did not have their own aviation. In fact, these were tactical units, while until that time the first three brigades (11th, 13th and 21st brigade) were tactical formations. From the beginning of the 80s, the battalions of the 11th, 13th and 21st brigades ceased to be separate and lost their numbers - brigades from formations became units. However, the helicopter regiments remained under the control of these brigades until 1988, after which they were withdrawn from the control of the brigades to the control of the districts.

The structure of the new brigades was as follows:

Management (headquarters) of the brigade;

Two parachute battalions;

One air assault battalion;

Howitzer artillery battalion;

Anti-tank battery;

Anti-aircraft artillery battery;

Communication company;

Reconnaissance and landing company;

RHBZ company;

Engineering and sapper company;

Company of material support;

Medical company;

Landing Support Company.

The number of personnel in the brigades was about 2800 people.

Starting from 1982-1983, airborne training began in the airborne assault brigades, in connection with which there were some organizational changes in the structure of the formations.

In addition to the brigades, separate air assault battalions were formed in December 1979, which were supposed to act in the interests of the armies and solve tactical tasks in the enemy's near rear. In the mid-80s, an additional formation of several more battalions took place. In total, more than twenty such battalions were formed, the full list of which I have not yet been able to establish - there were several cadre battalions, the numbers of which do not come across in the open press. By the mid-80s, the combined arms and tank armies of the Armed Forces of the USSR included:

899th odshb (military unit 61139), 20th guards OA, GSVG, Burg;

900th odshb (military unit 60370), 8th Guards OA, GSVG, Leipzig;

901st odshb (military unit 49138), TsGV, Riechki, then PribVO, Aluksne;

902nd odshb (military unit 61607), South GV, Hungary, Kecskemét;

903rd odshb 28th OA, BelVO, Brest (until 1986), then in Grodno;

904th odshb (military unit 32352), 13th OA, PrikVO, Vladimir-Volynsky;

905th odshb (military unit 92617), 14th OA, OdVO, Bendery;

906th odshb (military unit 75194), 36th OA, ZabVO, Borzya, Khada-Bulak;

907th odshb (military unit 74981), 43rd AK, Far East Military District, Birobidzhan;

908th odshb 1st guards OA, KVO, Konotop, since 1984 Chernigov, Goncharovskoye settlement;

1011th odshb 5th guards TA, BelVO, Maryina Gorka;

1039th odshb 11th guards OA, PribVO, Kaliningrad;

1044th odshb (military unit 47596), 1st guards TA, GSVG, Koenigsbrück, after 1989 - PribVO, Taurage;

1048th odshb (military unit 45476), 40th OA, TurkVO, Termez;

1145th odshb 5th OA, Far Eastern Military District, Sergeevna;

1151st odshb 7th TA, BelVO, Polotsk;

1154th odshb 86th AK, ZabVO, Shelekhov;

1156th odshb 8th TA, PrikVO, Novograd-Volynsky;

1179th ODShB (military unit 73665), 6th OA, LenVO, Petrozavodsk;

1185th odshb (military unit 55342), 2nd guards TA, GSVG, Ravensbrück, then PribVO, Vyru;

1603rd odshb 38th OA, PrikVO, Nadvirna;

1604th odshb 29th OA, ZabVO, Ulan-Ude;

1605th odshb 5th OA, Far Eastern Military District, Spassk-Dalniy;

1609th odshb 39th OA, ZabVO, Kyakhta.

Also in 1982, their own air assault battalions were created in the Marine Corps of the USSR Navy. In particular, in the Pacific Fleet, such a battalion was created on the basis of the 1st Battalion marines 165th Marine Regiment, 55th Division. Then similar battalions were created in other regiments of the division and separate brigades in other fleets. These Marine air assault battalions received airborne training and parachute jumps. That is why I have included them in this story. The air assault battalions that were part of the 55th division did not have their own numbers and were named only according to continuous numbering within their regiment. Battalions in brigades, as separate units, received their own names:

876th odshb (military unit 81285) 61st brigade, Northern Fleet, Sputnik settlement;

879th odshb (military unit 81280) 336th guards brigade, BF, Baltiysk;

881st odshb 810th brigade, Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol;

1st dshb 165th infantry regiment 55th dmp, Pacific Fleet, Vladivostok;

1st dshb 390th infantry regiment 55th dmp, Pacific Fleet, Slavyanka.

Based on the composition of weapons, individual air assault battalions were divided into "light", which did not have armored vehicles, and "heavy", which were armed with up to 30 infantry fighting vehicles or landing. Both types of battalions were also armed with 6 mortars with a caliber of 120 mm, six AGS-17 and several anti-tank systems.

The brigades were composed of three airborne battalions on infantry fighting vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles or GAZ-66 vehicles, an artillery battalion (18 D-30 howitzers), an anti-tank battery, an anti-aircraft missile battery, a mortar battery (six 120-mm mortars), a reconnaissance a company, a communications company, a sapper company, an airborne support company, a chemical protection company, a material support company, a repair company, an automobile company and a medical center. A separate airborne battalion of the brigade consisted of three paratrooper companies, a mortar battery (4–6 82-mm mortars), a grenade launcher platoon (6 AGS-17 grenade launchers), a communications platoon, an anti-tank platoon (4 SPG-9 and 6 ATGM) and a support platoon.

When passing airborne training the parachute service of the air assault battalions and brigades was guided by the documents of the PDS of the Airborne Forces.

In addition to brigades and battalions, the General Staff also tried another organization of air assault units. By the mid-80s, two army corps were formed in the USSR new organization. These corps were created for the purpose of their use in expanding the operational breakthrough (if something happened to break through). The new corps had a brigade structure and consisted of mechanized and tank brigades, and in addition, two-battalion air assault regiments were included in the corps. The regiments were intended to be a tool for "vertical coverage", and in the corps they were used in conjunction with a helicopter regiment.

In the Belarusian Military District, the 5th Guards Combined Arms Army Corps was formed on the basis of the 120th Guards Motor Rifle Division, and in the Trans-Baikal Military District in Kyakhta, the 48th Guards Combined Arms Army Corps was formed on the basis of the 5th Guards Tank Division.

The 5th Guards Army Corps received the 1318th Air Assault Regiment (military unit 33508) and the 276th Helicopter Regiment, and the 48th Guards Army Corps received the 1319th Airborne Assault Regiment (military unit 33518) and the 373rd Helicopter Regiment. However, these parts did not last long. Already in 1989, the guards army corps were again folded into divisions, and the air assault regiments were disbanded.

In 1986, in connection with the creation of the Headquarters of the High Commands of the directions, another wave of formations of air assault brigades took place. In addition to the existing formations, four more brigades were formed - according to the number of directions. Thus, in the subordination of the reserve of the Rates of operational directions by the end of 1986, the following were formed:

23rd brigade (military unit 51170), GK of the South-Western direction, Kremenchug;

83rd Airborne Brigade (military unit 54009), Civil Code of the Western Direction, Bialogard;

128th detachment of the cadre of the Civil Code of the Southern direction, Stavropol;

130th detachment of the frame (military unit 79715), GK of the Far East direction, Abakan.

In total, by the end of the 80s, there were sixteen air assault brigades in the USSR Armed Forces, of which three (58th, 128th and 130th airborne brigade) were kept on a reduced staff or were cropped. In any case, it was a weighty addition to the existing airborne and special forces units of the GRU. No one in the world had such a large number of landing troops.

In 1986, large-scale airborne assault exercises were held in the Far East, in which the personnel of the 13th airborne assault brigade were involved. In August, on 32 Mi-8 and Mi-6 helicopters, an air assault battalion with reinforcements was landed at the Burevestnik airfield on Iturup Island in the Kuril Range. In the same place, parachute landing of the reconnaissance company of the brigade was carried out from the An-12 aircraft. The disembarked subdivisions fully fulfilled the tasks assigned to them. Supporters of the entry of the Kuriles into the USSR could sleep peacefully.

In 1989, the General Staff decides to disband the separate airborne assault battalions of the combined arms and tank armies, and the separate airborne assault brigades of district subordination are reorganized into separate airborne brigades and transferred to the command of the commander of the Airborne Forces.

By the end of 1991, all separate airborne assault battalions (with the exception of the 901st Airborne Battalion) were disbanded.

In the same period, in connection with the collapse of the USSR, strong changes affected the existing air assault formations. Part of the brigades was transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Kazakhstan, and part was simply disbanded.

39th odshbr (by this time already referred to as the 224th training center Airborne), the 58th Airborne Brigade and the 40th Airborne Brigade were transferred to Ukraine, the 35th Airborne Brigade was withdrawn from Germany to Kazakhstan, where it became part of the armed forces of the republic. The 38th brigade was transferred to Belarus.

The 83rd brigade was withdrawn from Poland, which was transferred across the country to a new point of permanent deployment - the city of Ussuriysk, Primorsky Krai. At the same time, the 13th brigade, which was part of the Far Eastern Military District, was transferred to Orenburg - again almost across the country, only in the opposite direction (a purely economic question - why?).

The 21st brigade was transferred to Stavropol, and the 128th brigade located there was disbanded. The 57th and 130th brigades were also disbanded.

Looking ahead a little, I will say that in the "Russian time" by the end of 1994, the Russian Armed Forces included the following units:

11th brigade of the Trans-Baikal Military District (Ulan-Ude);

13th brigade of the Ural Military District (Orenburg);

21st brigade of the North Caucasian military district (Stavropol);

36th brigade of the Leningrad Military District (Garbolovo);

37th brigade of the North-Western group of troops (Chernyakhovsk);