Army aviation will remain part of Russia's Air Force, and its fleet will be fully upgraded in the future, a deputy Air Force commander said on Wednesday.
Army aviation was an arm of the Ground Forces prior to becoming part of the Air Force in 2003. The possible return of army aviation assets to the Ground Forces has been one of the main discussion topics during the ongoing military reform in Russia.
"Army aviation will continue to fulfill the set tasks as part of the Air Force," Lt. Gen. Igor Sadofyev said.
It will carry out a wide-range of missions, including tactical air support of the Ground Forces, tactical aerial reconnaissance, transportation of airborne troops, and electronic warfare, Sadofyev added.
Army aviation will replace about 70 percent of its fleet with new aircraft by 2020 and replace the remainder later, he said.
The new additions to the fleet will include Ka-52 and Mi-28N attack helicopters, he said.
MOSCOW, December 1 (RIA Novosti)
