Camouflages and Squadron Emblems of the Soviet-Afghan War: Part IV.I - Su-17
by: Виктор Марковский (Viktor Markovsky)

The strike forces of the 40th Army Aviation were represented by fighter-bombers during the deployment of the group. A squadron of Su-17 fighter-bombers from the 217th APIB (Aviation Regiment of Fighter-Bombers) from Kizil-Arvat in the western part of Turkmenistan was among the first to relocate to the DRA (Democratic Republic of Afghanistan). It had a reinforced structure, numbering 16 combat aircraft and one sparky (trainer airframe, likely a Su-17UM). The regiment's commander was Colonel V. M. Gorbenko, the commander of the 1st squadron was Lieutenant Colonel V. V. Budyukin, and the commander of the 2nd squadron was Major V. V. Gonyago. The limited composition of the deployed unit was explained by the fact that the capabilities of the hosting airfield were limited; however, when being replaced a year later, the next 2nd squadron went to Afghanistan, and the remaining 3rd squadron was traditionally considered a training squadron and was dominated by young aircrews who had recently arrived from flight schools and were just gaining experience. The relocation order became the most undesirable New Year's gift — without allowing them to stay a full day, the flight to Afghanistan was scheduled for December 31st, leaving families at the empty festive tables.… Shindand airfield was chosen as the base, with a separate helicopter squadron also to be stationed there. At first, the tactics were quite simple — any detected armed groups were attacked with bombs and S-5 type unguided missiles from low altitudes (for greater accuracy), and the main difficulty was to navigate the monotonous mountainous and desert terrains. It happened that the pilots, upon their return, could not accurately indicate on a map where they had dropped their bombs. Another problem was piloting itself in the mountains, whose heights in Afghanistan reach 3,500m. The abundance of natural shelters — rocks, caves, jagged boulders, and vegetation — forced them to descend to 600-800 meters when searching for targets.

Long-Range Bomber Aviation in Afghanistan
by: Виктор Марковский (Viktor Markovsky), 2011

The Afghan war and the events in the Middle East led to a serious change in the structure of the Soviet Air Force in this area and, first of all, the aviation of the southern districts - TurkVO and SAVO. Previously considered secondary, the South had fighters of the 12th Air Defense (PVO) Army and front-line aviation (FA) of the districts, which numbered only three regiments of the IBA (Fighter-Bomber Aviation), armed with far from new equipment (Su-17 of the first series and MiG-21PFM). The bombing forces of both districts were limited to a single regiment of the FBA (Front-line Bomber Aviation) - 149th BAP in Nikolaevka on the Yak-28I. In the early 1980's, a number of measures aimed at increasing the strike capabilities of this group followed: regiments were re-equipped with new equipment, and some fighter units were transferred from the Air Defense to the Air Force, reorganizing them to strengthen the IBA and FBA. Although there were still no Long-range aviation (DA) forces in the districts, all its units remained concentrated in the European part of the country, on the border with China and the Far East. However, the formidable shadow of Long-range Aviation had been hovering over Afghanistan since the very first days of the deployment of troops... Assuming extreme scenarios, up to an open clash with the "vanguard of imperialism" and "reactionary Arab regimes," the command took appropriate steps to ensure the operation. Although the original directive of the General Staff of December 24, 1979, required only "to put on full combat readiness... TurkVO and SAVO aviation for a possible increase in the group of Soviet troops in Afghanistan," readiness affected almost all parts of the Air Force and Air Defense, including Long-range Aviation. Unlike the usual alarms conducted according to the scenario of a nuclear conflict, this time the "Dal'niks" were tasked with ensuring the advance of troops, if necessary using their striking capabilities and crushing resistance with conventional ammunition. So, in Engels, even Myasishchev's "Emki" (M's) of the 1096th and 1230th TBAP (Tactical Bomber Aviation Regiment) were prepared for bombing attacks, removing fuel "barrels" from tankers and refitting them for suspension on cassette pylons of 52 FAB-250's or 28 FAB-500's. Tu-16's were transferred from Orsha to Khanabad Airbase closer to the border, and from Priluk to Semipalatinsk. We took everything we needed with us, including large-caliber bombs. They received a combat mission on the spot - to strike at the northwestern outskirts of Herat, and due to the ambiguity of the situation (the first reports of "satisfaction of the Afghan side's request for military assistance" appeared only on December 29th), the flight had to be carried out under cover of darkness. The reason for this order was the fear of meeting serious resistance in this city, because in March, 1979, there was a major uprising supported by the local garrison and led to the deaths of thousands of people. The information received by the "Dal'niks" about the deployment and forces of the enemy was not very definite: "A dozen of them or a whole division, whether they were sitting in the house or rallying on the city square, no one knew anything about it," recalled the Commander-in-Chief of the DA, V. V. Reshetnikov. As a result, the raid did not take place. The deployment of troops took place almost without interference.

Camouflages and Squadron Emblems of the Soviet-Afghan War: Part I
by: Виктор Марковский (Viktor Markovsky)
(don't forget, most images will have descriptions attached with more info!)

"The Soviet-Afghan War was not only the first large-scale military conflict of modern times involving Soviet military aviation, but also a source of unique combat experience for all branches of the Air Force. In a combat situation, new schemes of camouflage recently introduced in Soviet aviation were tested. For the first time after the long post–war period, decorative elements appeared on airplanes and helicopters - marks of combat sorties, awards of pilots and various emblems. "Airborne painting", so beloved in aviation in many countries, was not welcomed for a long time, being considered not to meet the requirements of army discipline and strict military regulations. The military situation turned out to be more democratic, giving the aviators the opportunity to express themselves and the visible embodiment of their attitude to their combat vehicles. The emblems were not always of an emphatically belligerent nature. Most of the drawings, on the contrary, had a humorous connotation, or even an outright caricature of execution – either due to the inherent specifics of aviation, or out of necessity to compensate for the tension of military everyday life. The result was the most common cartoon characters and children's books as the heroes of the emblems. The drawings also contained an immediate meaning, personalizing military equipment. As you know, every aircraft and helicopter has its own character and habits, expressed in the features of piloting technique, ease of handling, efficiency and reliability. To match them, the nicknames of technology so popular in aviation also arose, without which, perhaps, none of the machines in service remained. To match them were the drawings that appeared on the sides, which provided the authors with greater freedom of expression in creating a visual image.

Su-24's in Afghanistan
by: Виктор Марковский (Viktor Markovsky)

Counter-guerrilla warfare has always been a difficult task for regular army units, and this was once again confirmed in Afghanistan. Combat operations in the absence of a "full-fledged" enemy were not suitable for modern jet aircraft either. However, the iron logic of the war dictated a constant increase in efforts, including, like a snowball, the scale of the Air Force's work increased. With chronic failures in the hunt for the enemy slipping through their fingers, "hostile" villages, or even simply uncontrolled gorges and valleys, were declared targets. The main measure of aviation activity was the amount of spent ammunition: if in 1983, 23,900 bombs were dropped (excluding aviation work from airfields along the border), then by 1986 this number had more than quadrupled and reached 106,800. The need to quantitatively compensate for the low effectiveness of bombing attacks prompted a proposal to use front-line bomber aviation (FBA/ФБА). A certain jealousy of the FBA command also played a role, remaining aloof from the "real case", in which it would be possible to demonstrate their strength in a real situation and test weapons.