The new russian Minister of Defense, Andrey Belousov, announced a plan for creating defensive structures to protect aircraft at military air bases. This decision comes amidst ongoing Ukrainian attacks on russian airfields, including a recent strike on the Millerovo air base on July 20.
Interestingly, this initiative is being portrayed in the russian media as originating from "military bloggers" with whom Belousov held meetings.
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However, the lack of protective structures for aircraft at russian airfields has been a well-known issue since the 1980s. During that time, the Soviet Union acquired new aircraft that physically couldn't fit into the standard 2A13 shelters. Among them was the Su-27, which alongside its many modifications and derived aircraft nowadays constitutes a lion's share of the entire combat aircraft fleet of the russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). The MiG-31, another prominent fighter, also lacks suitable shelters.
Therefore, the issue of protective structures for aircraft has been recognized in russia for decades, making it unlikely that a "grassroots" initiative was the true catalyst for this decision. Building these structures is a large-scale and costly task, something even the USSR struggled to achieve.
Even the most common of them, the standard 13-meter-wide 2A13 (AU-13) arched shelters, were only built in certain military districts, primarily along the western borders.
Here we should specify that a standard shelter is not just a bunker with concrete walls 60 cm thick and steel gates 50 cm thick. It is also a building equipped for aircraft maintenance with associated equipment, electricity, additional rooms, ventilation and a fire extinguishing system.
According to information available in open access, in 1972, a single 2A13 shelter cost 160,000 Soviet rubles. Although converting Soviet rubles of the planned economy into modern open market dollars is a thankless task, considering only the exchange rate and inflation, it's roughly equivalent to 1.5 million US dollars today.
Larger aircraft like the Su-27 and its offshoot models required wider shelters due to their wingspan. For these aircraft, the USSR began constructing 2A19 (AU-19) shelters with a width of 18.6 meters and 50 cm thick walls reinforced with 5-mm steel sheets on the inside. The cost of these larger shelters was proportionally higher, possibly 1.5 times more than the 2A13 shelters, based on the increase in area — 358 against 540 sq. m. for 2A13 and 2A19, respectively. Though we should note that the difference in size does not directly translate into a cost differential, this is the minimum estimate.
Following the same logic, initially, these shelters will likely be built at airfields close to Ukraine, within the range of Ukrainian attack weapons, and actively used by the russian Aerospace Forces. These include the Kushchyovskaya, Millerovo, and Belbek air bases, as well as airfields in Taganrog, Voronezh, and other regions within 300 km of the Ukrainian border or current frontline.
Given russia's use of around 300 warplanes against Ukraine, at least 300 such shelters will be needed, with paycheck potentially amounting to a billion dollars.
However, it is possible that instead of building full-fledged shelters, the Kremlin might opt for simpler structures like those at the Khmeimim Air Base in Syria, or basic metal hangars to protect against the weather only.
Either way, the russian federation is likely to find the necessary funds to implement these protective measures. Therefore, the construction of some form of shelters at russian airfields can be expected in the near future. Even though their construction may well run into problems traditional for the russian federation, with its total corruption, eyewash statements from responsible executives, and showy declarations.
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