Air Force and VDV Uniforms
of the Russian Federation
(1992-2002)

When the Soviet Union fell the military was placed in a difficult position.  It had to develop new uniforms that reflected the character of the Russian Federation.  This process took several years, as there were still large stocks of former Soviet uniforms that had to be used.  After all, the uniforms were in good order and it would be costly to throw them out.  So for the first few years the Russian Federation continued to use old Soviet uniforms.  

This continued until 1994 when it was decided that it was time for new Russian uniforms (often known to collectors as the VSR or Schofield pattern).  The uniforms of the Air Force and paratroopers underwent many changes which you will soon see here.  Only the flight suits (which have few if any national markings) were retained in their original form, though they were issued in a VSR camouflage variant.  The TTsKO patterns also continued to be used during this period.

A further change took place in 1998 with the introduction of the new 'Flora' camouflage uniforms. 

On the table below, officer and praporshchik uniforms are listed on the upper section of the table.  Conscripts, extended service men, and cadets are shown in the bottom part.  From there you can also see earlier and later period uniforms by following each column.  If there is an arrow within the column, this means that the older uniform was carried over to that time period without alteration.

These uniforms of this period can be seen on the table below.  The uniforms of generals are described in the upper section.  Officers and praporshchiks can be found listed in the middle of the table.  Conscripts, extended service men, and cadets are shown in the bottom part of the table.  Special purpose uniforms such as diving equipment, chemical protection suits, and the like can be found in the final section.  At the bottom of the page is a list of source material that we have used to compile information about the uniforms.

• Air Force Generals

• Officers and Praporshchiks

• Conscripts, Extended Servicemen, and Cadets

• Special Purpose Uniforms

• Source Material