MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The number of the military exercises with participation of the Aerospace Forces in 2016 surpassed 50.
"During the exercises [in 2016], the Aerospace Forces' groups and units had clocked up more than 340,000 flying hours, had conducted almost 30,000 bombing attacks and launches of aircraft rockets, more than 650 sorties to facilitate the activities of the troops," the statement said, adding that 2016 had become the first year of the Aerospace Forces' full-scale operation.
On August 1, 2015, Russia established the Aerospace Forces as a result of integration of the Air Force and Aerospace Defense Forces. The branch of the Russian Armed Forces is responsible for repelling aerospace threats, aviation support of troops, space facility observing and launching spacecraft, including military and dual-purpose satellite systems, among other tasks