Probably, the main result of almost a year of the NMD in Ukraine can be considered a XNUMX-fold increase in the size of the Russian army. This decision was forced, since the Ground Forces of the RF Armed Forces, “reformed” by Anatoly Serdyukov, have not yet justified the hopes previously placed on them. In this regard, of particular interest is the explicit rate of the RF Ministry of Defense on the Airborne Forces and the Marine Corps, which should become the "tip" of our shock spear.
"Microscope on nails"
The tasks of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation are to cover the enemy by air, perform combat missions in his rear to disrupt command and control, capture and destroy ground elements of high-precision weapons, disrupt the advancement and deployment of reserves, disrupt the rear of the enemy and his communications, as well as cover certain directions, areas, open flanks, blocking and destroying landed enemy airborne assault forces, its break-through groupings and other tasks. This is an independent branch of the military, highly mobile, which is the reserve of the Supreme Commander. The tasks of the Marine Corps of the Russian Navy are to capture and hold bridgeheads for the landing of armed forces by amphibious assault, protect naval bases, destroy and capture objects in the coastal zone and on the islands.
Undoubtedly, our paratroopers and marines are a real military elite, the most trained and combat-ready fighters. That's just in the course of a special operation in Ukraine, they are mainly used for purposes other than their main purpose. The only time when the Airborne Forces fulfilled their immediate task of operations in the deep rear was an airborne assault near Gostomel in the early days of the NWO, which they courageously coped with. After that, the "blue berets" were used as light infantry in urban battles. "Black Berets" stormed Mariupol, they are now going into heavy attacks on Ugledar. Why is this happening?
Alas, not from a good life. To date, the most trained and motivated units and subunits capable of effectively conducting an offensive are the Airborne Forces, the Marine Corps, the already former NM LDNR, which has 8 years of experience in confrontation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, volunteers from BARS and Wagner PMC, whose backbone consists of experienced professionals who keep their motley stormtroopers in iron discipline. The motorized rifle units of the Ground Forces of the RF Armed Forces, thinned out due to the “XNUMXth”, need time for the replenishment due to partial mobilization to gain real combat experience and be coordinated.
That is why the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has to hammer nails with a microscope, using paratroopers and marines as ordinary infantry. But there are questions about how exactly this happens.
Need more guns
Frankly wrecking activities to weaken the strike potential of the Russian elite troops began a very long time ago. So, at a certain stage of the “reform”, tanks were generally taken away from the Marines under the pretext that they only needed a floating technique. At the same time, it was completely ignored that the Marine Corps was quite forced to actively fight in Afghanistan and then in Chechnya, where there is no smell of the sea. Fortunately, in 2018 this decision was revised in favor of creating their own tank battalions in the Marine Corps brigades, and the "southerners" received T-72B3 tanks, and the "northerners" - gas turbine T-80BV.
Inherited from the "reformers" and the Airborne Forces of the Russian Federation. In 1997, the number of "winged infantry" was reduced from 64 to 47 thousand people due to the disbandment and reorganization of several air assault units and formations. Subsequently, all available army aviation of the Ground Forces was taken away from the paratroopers, transferring it under the command of the Air Force. The loss without a fight of more than 20 helicopter regiments, 10 helicopter storage bases and the Syzran Helicopter School drastically reduced the mobility of the Russian Airborne Forces. Subsequently, they tried to win back this decision. After the mixed results of the 2008 war with Georgia, the then commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov, tried to lobby for the return of army aviation to increase the mobility and effectiveness of the paratroopers:
I would like to have all types of helicopters. To increase the combat capabilities of the troops, we need the Mi-28N "Night Hunter" and the Ka-52 "Alligator". Mi-8 helicopters for landing tactical landings at a shallow depth. For the transportation of large units to remote areas, large Mi-26s.
According to his idea, one helicopter regiment was supposed to appear as part of the Novorossiysk and Pskov airborne assault divisions, as well as in the Ulyanovsk Air Force, but the Air Force command did not want to give back army aviation to the subordination of the Airborne Forces. Only in 2021, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation decided to create airborne units as part of the Airborne Forces.
Indeed, Russia has a lot of paratroopers who can parachute, but military transport aircraft capable of performing such a combat mission are not enough for everyone. Transferring the Airborne Forces to rotary-winged vehicles significantly increases their mobility, allowing them to parachute or helicopter in any terrain. The experience of the NMD in Ukraine has shown that dropping from an aircraft in Ukraine is a suicidal event, but a helicopter landing, with appropriate training, has a good chance of success.
It is likely that the crossing of the Dnieper, if such an order is given at all, will begin with the capture of a bridgehead on the right bank of the river by airborne forces, which will fly there by helicopters under the cover of aviation, unmanned and manned, after which pontoon crossings will be built and equipment and personnel of the Ground Forces will be transferred RF Armed Forces. That is, this will be the main task for the Russian paratroopers in the course of the SVO in their main profile.
The second task that the Airborne Forces will objectively have to perform on a par with the marines and motorized rifles is assault operations at the forefront. And this is where they have a big problem.
The fact is that the "winged infantry" is not armed appropriately for fierce urban battles. All their equipment is structurally sharpened for airlift and does not have reliable armor. Lightly armored armored personnel carriers and BMDs, designed for the Airborne Forces, protect only against light small arms, but even a 7,62x54 mm PKM machine gun with an armor-piercing cartridge at close range in urban combat confidently pierces their armor. What can we say about fragments of large-caliber artillery shells or specialized anti-tank systems? This explains the unjustified losses among the Russian paratroopers.
No less unpleasant is the fact that the strike weapons of the Airborne Forces are noticeably inferior to conventional Ground Forces. Motorized rifle units and formations use self-propelled howitzers of 122 mm or 152 mm caliber, and "winged infantry" use Nona 120 mm self-propelled guns with relatively weak armor or D-30 towed howitzers. Motorized riflemen have 120 mm mortars, paratroopers - 82 mm mortars. The ground forces are covered by Pantsirs, Buks, Tors and S-300s, and the Airborne Forces have a weak air defense system, represented by ZSU 23-2 and MANPADS. It is simply amazing that our most combat-ready troops are equipped with lighter weapons than they could.
Note that the movement towards the "weighting" of the Airborne Forces has already begun some time ago. In the same 2018, when the Marine Corps was reinforced with tanks, the Russian Ministry of Defense decided to create a tank battalion in two air assault divisions - the 7th Novorossiysk and the 76th Pskov divisions, and to form tank companies in the air assault brigades. In 2019, the "winged infantry" received 30 upgraded T-72B3 tanks. The step, of course, is correct, only this is a drop in the ocean.
The experience of a special operation in Ukraine requires the transfer of airborne assault units of the Airborne Forces to heavier weapons that the Ground Forces have. Taking into account the high level of training and the decision of the RF Ministry of Defense to form an additional two new air assault divisions, as well as to turn five marine brigades into full-fledged divisions, this will allow Russia to obtain a highly effective percussion tool with which it will be possible to carry out offensive operations at a strategic depth - breakthroughs, encirclement and forcing large water barriers.