Ukrainian Army Aviation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ukrainian Army Aviation | |
|---|---|
| Армійська авіація України | |
 The Army Aviation branch insignia | |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Type | Army Aviation |
| Size | 4 Brigades |
| Engagements | |
| Insignia | |
| Previous logos | .png){kind=small} .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 the military aviation branch of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.
International missions
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 several Ukrainian pilots and ground crews having worked 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]
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
Structure:[12]
- 8th Command Post, Chernihiv
- 11th Separate Army Aviation Brigade "Kherson", Kherson International Airport (Chornobaivka) attached to Operational Command South[13]
- 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade "Maj Gen Viktor Pavlenko", Novyi Kalyniv Air Base attached to Operational Command East[13][14]
- 16th Separate Army Aviation Brigade "Brody", Brody Air Base attached to Operational Command North[13]
- 18th Separate Army Aviation Brigade "Ihor Sikorsky", Poltava Air Base[13] attached to Operational Command West (formed 2015)[14]
- 57th Aviation Base, Brody Air Base[15]
