Air force and air defence army formed in Russia's Central Military District

The 14th Air Force and Air Defense Army has been formed in Russia's Central Military District, the aid to the district’s commander, Colonel Yaroslav Roshchupkin, has told TASS.
"It includes units of the 2nd Air Force and Air Defense Command stationed in the Volga River area, the Urals and Siberia. The purpose of this reformatting is to enhance the effectiveness of control of troops, better the organization of the daily routine and planning of combat operations," he said.

Roshchupkin said the 14th army’s area of responsibility covered 29 Russian regions and 3,000 kilometers of the state border.

"The pilots perform training and combat missions over Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan and provide search and rescue support for the launches and landings of manned spacecraft," he said.

The army is armed with MiG-31BM interceptors, Suhkhoi Su-24M frontline bombers, Mil Mi-8AMTSH, Mi-24 and Mi-26 helicopters, S-300PS air defense missile systems and other hardware, Roshchupkin said.