The air-defence fighters are the flying part of the air defence: interceptors that engage targets before they come within SAM range, or outside the SAM coverage. They are the same regiments from the AFADA ORBATs — with the MiG-31 and Su-35 as the focus — but in their air-defence role they operate tightly under ground control.
Command
The fighter flies under GCI (Ground-Controlled Interception): the RTV detects, the SOC guides the fighter via datalink to the target, and only in the final phase does the pilot use his own radar (see § 5.3 and § 6.4). The fighters and the ZRV are coordinated by the same command posts, so they do not shoot each other — airspace coordination is essential here.
Unit structure
| Echelon | Russian | Composition |
|---|---|---|
| Air-defence division | diviziya PVO | Bundles fighter, SAM and RTV units in a sector |
| Fighter/mixed air regiment | IAP / SAP | 2–3 squadrons + technical/staff units |
| Squadron | eskadrilya | ± 12 aircraft |
| Flight | zveno | ± 3–4 aircraft — the tactical basic formation |
Unlike in the West, the Russian fighter rarely flies "free hunting" on its own. The zveno and the QRA pairs operate within a fixed ground-controlled pattern — powerful within the IADS, limited once ground control falls away.