Early in the 20th century, shortly after military aviation came on the scene, Imperialist Russia started using aircraft to support the operations of the Russian Navy. Rapid development of naval aviation continued after the October Revolution of 1917 and Soviet naval airmen flying fighters and torpedo-bombers made a significant contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. Yet the heyday of Soviet Naval Aviation (or AVMF) was in the post-war years. While in the late 1940s the AVMF relied largely on indigenous and American propeller-driven aircraft that had survived the fray, in the 1950s the naval airmen began mastering jets. The AVMF units started re-equipping with Il'yushin IL-28 Beagle twinjet bombers and were the sole operator of the Tupolev Tu-14 Bosun torpedo-bomber. In the 1960s the AVMF kept a close watch on the world's oceans with the help of its Tu-95RTs Bear-D long-range maritime reconnaissance/over-the-horizon targeting aircraft which transmitted the coordinates of NATO warships not only to the General Staff in Moscow but also to Soviet submarines armed with torpedoes. The AVMF's fighter element's primary mission was to protect Soviet Navy bases and naval task forces at sea and as technology progressed, the 1950s-vintage Mikoyan MiG-15bis Fagot-B and MiG-17F Fresco-C subsonic fighters were superseded by various versions of the supersonic MiG-21 Fishbed, MiG-29 Fulcrum and Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fourth-generation fighters in the final years of the Soviet era. Along with a chapter devoted to the Soviet aircraft carriers, Soviet Naval Aviation is the definitive reference book of the Soviet maritime presence, both on the sea and in the air.

This comprehensive examination of Soviet air power analyzes the three branches of the USSR Military Air Forces & Frontal Aviation, Long-Range Aviation, and Military Air Transport and Naval Aviation and the National Air Defense, emphasizing World War II and postwar developments.

The roles and missions of Soviet Naval Aviation appear to be changing as it becomes more powerful. The more dramatic changes are taking place in sea based aviation; the result being the current construction of a large conventional carrier. This thesis will examine these changes and discuss their effects and implications. Chapter one presents an overview of Soviet Naval Aviation (SNA) during the war years, with attention to the events and roles within each of the four fleets. The developments during the latter years of the Stalin era will also be described. Finally, chapter one will also focus on SNA's anti-carrier role; the anti-Polaris/Poseiden role; and other recent developments. Chapter two discusses the background and evolution of the change in naval doctrine which culminated in the construction of the new carrier. Evolution and changes in military doctrine are considered as the rationale for these changes, including command of the sea and fleet defense. Chapter two concludes with discussions of the characteristics of the new carrier and its applications. Land-based aviation, which has traditionally been emphasized over sea based aviation, will be discussed in chapter three beginning with an overview of the advantages of land based aviation as compared to sea based aviation. This chapter will also discuss the missions of land based aviation to include a brief description of the various types and models of aircraft, their primary missions, and their distribution.