It was formed on May 10, 1942, within the Soviet Western Front, and renamed the 26th Air Army on January 10, 1949, in the Belorussian Military District.

In March 1943, the Air Army also included the French Normandie-Niemen squadron, which was later reorganized into a regiment.

[4] In 1942, the 1st Air Army fought alongside the troops of the Western Front, supporting them near Yukhnov, Gzhatsk and Rzhev.

The Air Army later participated in the Rzhev-Sychevka, Rzhev-Vyazma, Oryol, Smolensk, Belarusian, Memel and East Prussian offensive operations.

[11] The army's order of battle c.1988 according to Vad777 and supplemented by Holm/Feskov et al. 2013 was:[12] In 1989 the 1st Air Army disbanded the headquarters of the 33rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division,[21] and in 1994 the headquarters of the 303rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division.