MOSCOW. July 16 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Air Force application concept, which has been virtually unchanged since the Soviet times, needs substantial update, Marshal Alexander Yefimov, former commander-in-chief of the Soviet Air Force, said on Friday.
"Today we have to think how to accomplish by small forces the missions that may emerge any minute. Russia is a huge country, and its state border is hundreds of thousands of kilometers long. We cannot be strong everywhere. Thus, we need a relevant air force concept," Yefimov told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"Under present-day circumstances, where it is impossible to be equally strong everywhere, it is extremely important for the Air Force to be powerful, where it is needed. This requires a maneuverable Air Force that is capable of influencing the situation on any point of the state border," he said.
"The current Air Force command is having a hard time. When I was giving up the Air Force, I had 26 air armies, 44 divisions, and 305 regiments, let alone 475 small aviation units. The current air fleet is not big," Yefimov noted.
"Under such circumstances, the main thing is to solve the problem of applying and controlling the Air Force, to decide how to influence the situation in any region during an armed conflict," he said.
"A prepared airfield network is required for aviation to accomplish these missions on a high quality level," the expert stressed.
"Air Force leaders are having a much harder time now. We had no problems with funding, as the state and people were giving aviation all that it needed, but now problems are facing both the army and the nation in general," he said.
"The position assumed by Air Force Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Mikhailov and the Air Force Council goes in line with the present-day situation in Russia. They have a lot of good concepts, including those that deal with extending service lives of outdated planes. Under current economic circumstances, this upgrade problem is the only way to support the air fleet," Yefimov concluded.