It was previously part of the 37th Air Army of the Supreme High Command.

12th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment was briefly part of the division in 1959–60 at Ostrov, Pskov Oblast, while flying Tu-16s.

Components in 1990 according to Michael Holm:[1] Headquarters were located at:[1] From 1987 to 1991, Dzhokhar Dudayev, who later became president of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, was the commander of the division.

The composition of the division included: In 2007–2009, the 444th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment was disbanded.

As of 2020, the division was reported based at Ukrainka with one element reportedly operating Tu-22M3 bombers from the Belaya air base as part of Russian Long Range Aviation.