page_title: Russian Navy
section_title: Naval aviation
hierarchical_section_title: Russian Navy / Structure / Naval aviation
caption_attribution_description: Russian fighter Su-27K (later designated Su-33) on a deck of Admiral Kuznetsov Original description: Russian naval flight officers show a SU-27 Flanker fighter to U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to the Ticonderoga Class Cruiser USS SAN JACINTO (CG 56), on the flight deck of the Russian aircraft carrier ADMIRAL KUZNETSOV (CV 063) February 23, 1996. ADMIRAL KUZNETSOV recently conducted official naval training exercises with USS SAN JACINTO while both ships operated in the central Mediterranean 23 and 24 February 1996. USS SAN JACINTO is part of the battle group assigned to the aircraft carrier USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73).
context_page_description: The Russian Navy is the naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696, the present iteration of which was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
  The first iteration of the Russian Navy was established by Peter the Great in October 1696. Ascribed to him is the oft quoted statement: "A ruler that has but an army has one hand, but he who has a navy has both." The symbols of the Russian Navy, the St. Andrew's ensign, and most of its traditions were established personally by Peter I.
  The Russian Navy possesses the vast majority of the former Soviet naval forces, and currently comprises the Northern Fleet, the Pacific Fleet, the Black Sea Fleet, the Baltic Fleet, the Caspian Flotilla, 5th Operational Squadron in Middle East, Naval Aviation, and the Coastal Troops.
  The Russian Navy suffered severely since the dissolution of the Soviet Union due to insufficient maintenance, lack of funding and subsequent effects on the training of personnel and timely replacement of equipment.
context_section_description: The first naval aviation units in Russia were formed from 1912 through 1914 as a part of the Soviet Baltic Fleet and the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. Since its formation, it has participated in the Russian Civil War, World War II and in many other conflicts throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia (statement requires source citation). During the Cold War the naval aviation pursued a policy of deploying large numbers of bombers in maritime strike roles to counter the U.S. Navy's extensive fleet of aircraft carriers, by 1989 it operated over 1,000 fixed-wing aircraft with the majority being bombers such as the Tu-22M "Backfire" and the Tu-16 "Badger". Since the fall of the Soviet Union however, it has been significantly reduced in size. The Tu-22Ms have been transferred to the Aerospace Forces and since then the combat arm of the Naval Aviation is built around Sukhoi Su-33s, Mikoyan MiG-29Ks, with Sukhoi Su-30s and Sukhoi Su-34s replacing the obsolete Sukhoi Su-24s.
  As of 2007, the Russian Naval Aviation consists of the following components:
  Naval missile-carrying aviation
  Shore-based ASW aviation
  Attack (Shturmovik) aviation
  Shore-based fighter aviation
  Reconnaissance aviation
  Shipborne aviation (fighters and ASW aircraft)
  Auxiliary air units
caption: A Sukhoi Su-33 from the 279th Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment on Admiral Kuznetsov's flight deck
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