Rakutanian People's Air Force¶

The Rakutanian People's Air Force (RPAF-Air) is the country's air service. Approximately 65,000 active personnel. The Air Force operates fighter and ground-attack regiments, transport, and the substantial Air Defense Command (PVO — formally a separate command but operationally integrated with the Air Force service).

The RPAF-Air is a Continental-bloc-pattern tactical air force modeled on Late Continental-bloc Frontal Aviation + PVO + VTA, focused on ground support of Army operations and air defense of the homeland. It is not organized for strategic bombing or long-range expeditionary operations.

Doctrine¶

Air Force doctrine rests on four core missions:

Air defense of the homeland — defensive counter-air operations and integrated SBAD to protect Rakutanian airspace
Tactical air support of Army operations — close air support, battlefield interdiction, and tactical reconnaissance for the RPA's offensive and defensive operations
Conventional strategic strike — limited; via Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Iskander tactical ballistic missiles (conventional payload only per canon — no nuclear weapons)
Air mobility — strategic and tactical airlift; limited aerial refueling

The Air Force is smaller in proportion to overall military strength than peer-tier Western air forces. The regime prioritizes ground forces and artillery over air-arm investment; this is partly doctrinal and partly economic.

Force structure¶

The RPAF-Air is organized into:

Air Defense Command (PVO equivalent) — national air defense and missile defense; interceptor regiments and the integrated SBAD
Frontal Aviation Command — tactical air support to Combined Arms Armies; geographically aligned with the Western Front
Long-Range Aviation Command (LRAC) — conventional strategic strike; Tu-22M3 Backfire regiments
Transport Aviation Command (VTA) — strategic and tactical airlift; the small tanker fleet
ISR Detachment — A-50U AEW, Tu-214R strategic ISR, tactical recon
Pilot training establishments — academies and operational conversion schools

Air Defense Command (PVO)¶

Headquartered at Shirvangrad. The PVO is one of the most substantial integrated air defense networks in Sierra, reflecting the regime's institutional emphasis on defense against potential WDP air operations. The system has been progressively modernized through the sanctions era and is regarded as a serious challenge to WDP coalition air operations against the Rakutanian homeland.

Interceptor regiments: 1st and 2nd Interceptor Regiments equipped with MiG-31BM equivalent heavy interceptors — defend Shirvangrad and the industrial heartland
Long-Range SAM Brigade: S-300V4 (bulk) + small S-400 allocation — covers Shirvangrad and the principal industrial regions
Medium-Range SAM Brigade: Buk-M2 (mass) + Buk-M3 (priority formations) — division-level asset; widely distributed
SHORAD Brigade: Tor-M1 / Tor-M2 + Pantsir-S1
MANPADS distribution: Igla / Igla-S down to squad and platoon, including Border Guards formations
Radar systems: extensive Continental-bloc/Eastern-bloc-pattern early-warning network covering the western frontier and the Boreal coast; integrated through the National Air Defense Network with redundant ground-control radars

The procurement philosophy favors mass over cutting-edge — the bulk of the long-range SAM force is S-300V4 rather than S-400 (the cost of mass beats the price of cutting-edge in Rakutanian procurement).

Frontal Aviation Command¶

Headquartered at Western Front Air HQ. Provides tactical air support to the Combined Arms Armies.

Multi-role Fighter Regiments (~6): Su-30SM equivalent (modern multirole) + Su-27SM3 equivalent (modernized legacy)
Strike Regiments (~3): Su-34 equivalent tactical strike fighter-bomber
CAS Regiments (~3): Su-25SM equivalent close air support — doctrinally central, supporting mass-mechanized maneuver
EW Squadron: Su-24MP equivalent + Il-22M EW

Long-Range Aviation Command (LRAC)¶

Headquartered at a rear-area base. The country's principal conventional strategic strike asset.

Strategic Bomber Regiment: Tu-22M3 "Backfire" equivalent — ~18–24 aircraft; conventional payload only per canon (no nuclear weapons)
Strategic Recon Squadron: Tu-22MR / Tu-214R equivalent ISR

LRAC's operational employment during the current war has been moderate — cruise-missile and conventional-stand-off strikes against Gorlish infrastructure and military targets have been significant but not at the scale of a sustained strategic bombing campaign. Strikes have been calibrated to avoid triggering broader WDP escalation that would expose Rakutanian airspace to a sustained WDP air campaign.

Transport Aviation Command (VTA)¶

Headquartered at Shirvangrad.

Strategic Transport Regiment: Il-76 equivalent — ~24 aircraft
Tactical Transport Regiment: An-26 / An-12 / Il-112V equivalent
Tanker Squadron: Il-78 equivalent — ~4 aircraft
Heavy-lift strategic: limited An-124 allocation (shared with CSAT through ESA)
VIP / executive transport: small General Secretary's flight

ISR Detachment¶

AEW Squadron: A-50U equivalent — ~3 aircraft (lower than CSAT due to less maritime emphasis)
Tactical ISR Squadron: An-30 / Su-24MR equivalent

Unmanned systems¶

MALE strike/ISR drone: Orion equivalent (domestic; limited fleet, smaller than CSAT's Orion-E export programme)
Tactical ISR drone: Orlan-10 + Eleron-3 equivalent — widely fielded down to brigade level
Loitering munition: Lancet equivalent — fielding accelerated for the Continuation War
Counter-UAS: limited; emerging capability

Helicopters (RPAF-Air component)¶

Note: Army Aviation Command's attack and transport helicopter regiments are operationally an Army asset, but the production base and pilot training pipelines are RPAF-Air-administered. Listed here for inventory reference.

Attack: Mi-28N "Havoc" (modernized); Ka-52 "Alligator" (modern, limited fleet); Mi-24V "Hind" (legacy reserve, substantial fleet retained)
Medium transport: Mi-17 "Hip"
Heavy lift: Mi-26 "Halo" — ~12 aircraft
SOF: Mi-8MTPR special-ops variants

Trainers¶

Basic trainer: Yak-152 equivalent (or older L-39 reserve)
Advanced jet trainer: Yak-130 equivalent
Lead-in fighter trainer: covered by Yak-130

Bases¶

The Air Force operates approximately 35–40 permanent operating airbases across the country, concentrated in:

The western frontier — forward airbases supporting operations against Gorlund
The Karrud city belt — central interior; air defense and major operational bases
The southern Zharkoh — bases supporting operations along the CSAT frontier
The Boreal coast — limited; reconnaissance and Naval Air Arm coordination

Principal bases include Shirvangrad Air HQ (Air Defense Command and senior staff), the Western Front Air Bases (forward, against Gorlund), the Eastern Air Base, and the Boreal Coast Air Base.

Personnel and training¶

The Air Force pilot corps is professional (volunteer) at the aircrew level; ground support and administrative roles include conscript service. Pilot training is conducted at:

The Shirvangrad Air War College — senior officer training
Multiple pilot training schools — basic and advanced
Operational conversion units at major bases

Pilot quality is mixed. The senior officer corps is professionally trained and operationally experienced; junior pilots reflect the constraints of a financially-stressed service training in a sanctions-isolated environment without easy access to the world's best training systems. The current war has increased flying hours dramatically — accelerating both operational experience and aircraft attrition.

ESA integration¶

Air Force operations coordinate with CSAT through ESA structures:

Combined Air Operations in coalition contexts
Equipment standardization across substantial overlap with CSAT
Joint training and operational planning
Combined air defense along the joint ESA frontier

Current operations (Continuation War)¶

The Air Force is in full wartime posture:

Air superiority patrols along the Gorlish frontier and over the Karrud city belt
Close air support of RPA operations on the Gorlish front (significant tempo; substantial attrition)
Tactical strike against Gorlish military and infrastructure targets
Long-range conventional strikes at moderate tempo against Gorlish and limited Aegiran infrastructure (coordination with CSAT)
Air defense of the homeland — substantial activity, including engagement of WDP coalition strike aircraft attempting Rakutanian airspace penetration
Strategic reconnaissance — substantial activity, focused on Gorlish and arriving FSA expeditionary force movement

Air Force losses have been moderate-significant:

Approximately 80–110 combat aircraft lost to all causes since July 2026
Pilot losses approximately 60–80
Ground crew and base personnel losses from WDP coalition strikes against Rakutanian airbases

The Air Force's strategic posture has been conservative — preserving aircraft and pilots through limited engagement rather than attempting decisive air superiority operations against the developing WDP coalition air capability. WDP analysis is that this is the right institutional choice given the disparities; the regime's strategic calculus emphasizes preserving the deterrent and defensive air capability rather than risking it in offensive operations the Air Force is unlikely to win.

A note on doctrinal limits¶

The RPAF-Air's small size relative to overall military strength and its constrained tactical employment in the current war reflect deliberate regime choices about strategic posture. The DPRR is fundamentally a land power; the Air Force exists to support land operations and defend the homeland, not to project independent strategic effect.

The current war has tested this posture and broadly confirmed it. The Air Force has been adequate to its defined missions; it has been notably inadequate to the missions a peer Western air force would expect to perform (long-range precision strike, sustained air superiority, contested deep-penetration operations). Whether the regime invests in air force expansion post-war depends on the war's outcome and the strategic lessons drawn.