The founding day of Russian army aviation is considered to be October 28, 1948, when the first aviation squadron equipped with helicopters was formed in Serpukhov, Moscow Region.
It marked the beginning of army aviation as a separate branch of the air forces, that usually is comprised of helicopters and light support fixed-wing aircraft.
Helicopter aviation was at first called auxiliary as its mission was to transport goods, fire fighting, reconnaissance, and communications. However, as the technology evolved, helicopters have turned into formidable weapon systems in their own right.