Soviet Anti-Air Defense
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Template:Soviet military Template:Air Forces of Russia Voyska PVO (Russian: Войска ПВО, or PVO Strany until 1981) was the air defense branch of the Soviet military. PVO is short for Protivo-Vozdushnaya Oborona or "Anti-Air Defense".
Unlike Western air defense forces, PVO Strany was a branch of the military unto itself, separate from the Soviet Air Force. It had its own chain of command, schools, radar and sound director sites. It also had its own surface to air missile and fighter interceptor units. In the 1981 reorganization, Voyska PVO was stripped of many command and control and training assets, which were given to the Air Force. In 1998, it was merged with the Russian Air Force. Its principal role was designed to intercept United States Strategic Air Command bombers as they penetrated Soviet airspace in a Cold War scenario.
The Day of Troops of Country Air Defense (Den Voisk PVO Strany) was celebrated on 10 April in the USSR.
The PVO Aircraft inventory of 1987 comprised:
- 1210 interceptors
- 420 MiG-23 Flogger
- 305 MiG-25 Foxbat
- 240 Su-15 Flagon
- 5 Su-27 Flanker
- 80 Tu-128 Fiddler
- 65 Yak-28 Firebar
- 95 MiG-31 Foxhound