The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation (RF) of 16 July 1997 determined formation of a new Service of the Armed Forces (AF) on the base of the previous Air Defence Force (ADF) and Air Force (AiF). This required from their Main Staffs during the transitional period intense activity aimed at structural changes in organization of the control system and the groups of troops being created.

By March 1, 1998 the Administration of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force and the Main Staff of the Air Force were formed on the base of control bodies of the Air Defence Force and the Air Force, and the Air Defence Force and the Air Force were merged into a new Service of the Russian Armed Forces – the Air Force.

The Air Force of the Russian Federation is designed for:

• repulsing aggression in the aerospace sphere and protecting from air attacks the control points of the highest state and military control, administrative-and-political centres, industrial-and-economic areas, the most important economic facilities, the country’s infrastructure and the groups of troops (forces);
• destruction of objects and enemy troops using both conventional and nuclear ordnance;
• air support combat troops (forces ) of other species and genera troops.

The Air Force includes: the Aviation, Antiaircraft Missile and Radio-Technical Troops, which are the Arms of the Air Force, as well as the Special Forces (reconnaissance, signal communications, electronic support and automated control systems, electronic warfare, engineering, radiological, chemical and biological defence, land-surveying, search and rescue, meteorological, aeronautic, logistical), the units, subdivisions of military control bodies’ guarding, the medical and other organizations.

According to its mission and tasks the Air Force’s Aviation is divided into the long-range, front-line, military transport and army aviation, which in turn can be composed of the bomber, attack, fighter, reconnaissance, transport and special aircraft. The basis of the Air Force’s combat strength is composed from air bases and brigades of the Aerospace Defence.