Ukrainian Army Aviation
| Ukrainian Army Aviation | |
|---|---|
| Ukrainian: Армійська авіація України | |
.png) | |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Type | Army Aviation |
| Size | 4 Brigades |
| Engagements | |
| Insignia | |
| Previous logo | .png){kind=small} |
| Roundel |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | Mil Mi-2, Mil Mi-8, Mil Mi-24 |
The Ukrainian Army Aviation Ukrainian: Армійська авіація України)[3] is a military aviation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.
History
[edit]The first formations of army aviation in the revived Ukrainian were formed in 1992 when the former Soviet 119th Regiment joined the Ukrainian military.[4]
Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union a substantial force of helicopters: in 1993 the UAA had 266 attack, 304 support, and 100 transport helicopters in total, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS),[5] but by 2010, most were either in storage or unserviceable.[6]
During the first four months of the War in Donbas in 2014, Ukraine suffered considerable losses, including four Mi-24 gunships and two Mi-8 helicopter transports.[7] Due the widespread availability of surface-to-air missiles amongst the separatist militias, the UAA was forced to restrict the use of its assets.[1] In the same year, the 16th Brigade participated in the liberation of Slovyansk.[8]
While most of the Army Aviation fleet was old, the salaries were poor, and pilots received very few annual training hours (fewer than 44 hours in 2019, and only 50 in 2020), their combat experience during the War in Donbas and peacekeeping operations in Africa as part of United Nations missions in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), along with the fact that several Ukrainian pilots and ground crews served as private military contractors in Chad, Ivory Coast, and Equatorial Guinea, made the UAA as one of the most battle-hardened elements of the Ukrainian Armed Forces prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[9]
During the invasion, the UAA Mi-24s conducted ground attacks against advancing Russian columns,[10] while Mi-8s (supported by Su-24MRs or Mi-24s) took part during the siege of Mariupol, ferrying reinforcements and supplies for the beleaguered defenders and evacuating wounded personnel, until an increase in Russian air defenses made further resupply missions too dangerous. Overall, the UAA made 18 successful flights to Mariupol, delivering 30 tons of cargo, 72 soldiers, while evacuating 64 wounded. Sixteen of these missions ended with the safe return of its crews, while three helicopters were written off.[11]
International missions
[edit]From 2004 until 2018, eight Mi-8s and six Mi-24 were deployed in Liberia as part of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) where they flew a total of 55,000 sorties logging over 60,000 flight hours.[9]
Between 2012 and 2018, Ukrainian helicopter crews flew more than 3,000 combat sorties as part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) mission in the DRC.[9] Following the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine recalled its eight Mi-8s deployed in Congo.[2]
Structure
[edit]
Structure:[12]
- 8th Command Post, Chernihiv
- 11th Separate Army Aviation Brigade "Kherson", Kherson International Airport (Chornobaivka) attached to 6th Corps[13]
- 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade "Maj Gen Viktor Pavlenko", Novyi Kalyniv Air Base attached to 13th Corps[13][14]
- 16th Separate Army Aviation Brigade "Brody", Brody Air Base attached to 8th Corps[13]
- 18th Separate Army Aviation Brigade "Ihor Sikorsky", Poltava Air Base[13] (formed 2015)[14]
- 57th Aviation Base, Brody Air Base[15]
Aircraft
[edit]The UAA operates overhauled Soviet-era Mi-2, Mi-8, and Mi-24 helicopters. Some of them were locally modernized as the Mi-2MSB, Mi-8MSB-V, and Mi-24PU-1 by Motor Sich,[2] and the Konotop Aircraft Repair Plant (Aviakon).[16]
In 1993, the IISS estimated that 223 Mi-24, 22 Mi-24R, and 21 Mi-24K attack, 36 Mi-6, 250 Mi-8, 9 Mi-24K, and 9 Mi-24P support, and 80 Mi-2 and 20 Mi-26 transport helicopters were in operation with the UAA.[5] In 2010, the number of operational aircraft declined to 139 Mi-24s and Mi-8s.[6]
In January 2022, Key.Aero estimated that the UAA had a total of 15 Mi-2s, 60 Mi-8s, and 60 Mi-24s. Some of these were non-operational at the time, while eight Mi-8s were deployed in the DRC to support the United Nations MONUSCO mission. Since then, these helicopters were recalled, while allied nations such as the United States and the Czech Republic donated helicopters to help Ukraine replenish its losses in combat.[2] In December 2024, FlightGlobal estimated that the UAA had a total of 109 helicopters in active service.[17]
Current equipment
[edit]| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helicopters | |||||
| Mil Mi-8 | Soviet Union | Utility | Mi-8MT Mi-8MSB-V |
58[17] | Some modernized by Motor Sich.[2] |
| Mil Mi-24 | Soviet Union | Attack | Mi-24/35 | 39[17] | Some modernized by Aviakon.[18] |
| Trainers | |||||
| Mil Mi-2 | Poland | Utility | Mi-2 Mi-2MSB |
12[17] | Most were modernized by Motor Sich.[2] |
Former equipment
[edit]The 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade operated 4 Mi-26 heavy transport helicopters, they were withdrawn from service and placed in storage around the 2000s. The UAA also had a number of Mi-9 flying command posts (though they were used for training or transport instead).[2] The UAA also operated Mi-6 transport helicopters.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Galeotti 2019, p. 50.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Trendafilovski, Vladimir (25 July 2022). "An overview of Ukrainian Army Aviation". Key.Aero. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ "Армійська авіація – Український мілітарний портал". mil.in.ua. Archived from the original on 2017-02-28.
- ^ "16а окрема бригада армійської авіації (Броди)" [16th separate Brigade of army aviation (Brody)]. Aviatsiya Halychyny (in Ukrainian). 13 March 2017. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017.
- ^ a b c IISS 1993, p. 91.
- ^ a b Wragg 2011, p. 303.
- ^ Galeotti 2019, p. 49.
- ^ Gaevskyi, Anatoly (5 March 2019). "10 льотчиків не виграють війну. Їх має бути 100 і всі підготовлені — начальник армійської авіації" [10 pilots won't win a war. There must be 100 and all prepared]. Gazeta.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 11 January 2025.
- ^ a b c Cooper, Fontanellaz & Sipos 2024, p. 33.
- ^ Cooper, Fontanellaz & Sipos 2024, pp. 52, 62−63.
- ^ Cooper, Fontanellaz & Sipos 2024, pp. 70−71.
- ^ "Сухопутні війська". www.ukrmilitary.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Ukraine Army Aviation". Scramble.nl. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ a b AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. August 2022. p. 44.
- ^ a b c AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. August 2022. p. 46.
- ^ Cooper, Fontanellaz & Sipos 2024, pp. 32−33.
- ^ a b c d Hoyle 2024, p. 32.
- ^ Cooper, Fontanellaz & Sipos 2024, p. 32.
Bibliography
[edit]- Cooper, Tom; Fontanellaz, Adrien; Sipos, Milos (2024). War in Ukraine: Volume 6: The Air War February-March 2022. Helion and Company. ISBN 978-1-80451-698-0.
- Galeotti, Mark (2019). Armies of Russia's War in Ukraine. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 978-1-4728-3344-0.
- Hoyle, Craig (2024). World Air Forces 2025. FlightGlobal (Report). London: Flight Global Insight. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (1 January 1993). "Non‐NATO Europe". The Military Balance. 93 (1). Taylor & Francis: 66–92. doi:10.1080/04597229308460053. ISSN 0459-7222. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
- Wragg, David (2011). The World Air Power Guide. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84468-784-8.