Ukrainian Air Force - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Ukrainian Air Force is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

Air Force Command and headquarters are located in the city of Vinnytsia

Vinnytsia

Vinnytsia is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.-Names:...

.
When the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

dissolved in 1991, a large number of aircraft were left on Ukrainian territory. Ever since, the Ukrainian air force has been downsizing and upgrading its forces. But in spite of these efforts, the main inventory of the air force consists of Soviet-made aircraft. Currently 100,000 personnel and 817 aircraft are in service in the Ukrainian air force and air defense forces. All ICBMs and strategic bombers have been taken out of service (some however were given to Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

Mission

The primary tasks of the Air Force

Air force

An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...

of Ukraine are: winning operational air superiority, delivering air strikes against enemy units and facilities, covering troops against enemy air strikes, providing air support to the Land Force

Ukrainian Ground Forces

The Ukrainian Ground Forces are the land force component of the Military of Ukraine. They were formed from Soviet Army formations, units, and establishments, including three military districts , that were on Ukrainian soil when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990-92.Between the fall of the USSR and...

and the Navy

Ukrainian Navy

The Ukrainian Naval Forces is the navy of Ukraine and part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was established in 1992. It consists of 5 branches: surface forces, submarine forces, Navy aviation, coast rocket-artillery and marines...

, disrupting enemy military and state management

Government

Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...

, damaging and destroying enemy communication, and providing support by air in the form of reconnaissance

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

, air drops

Airdrop

An airdrop is a type of airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been airborne forces. In some cases, it is used to refer to the airborne assault itself. Early airdrops were conducted by dropping or pushing padded bundles from...

, troops and cargo transportation.

The major mission of the Air Force is to protect the air space of Ukraine. During peace-time, this is carried out by flying air-space control missions over the entire territory of Ukraine (603,700 square km), and by preventing air space intrusion along the aerial borders (totaling almost 7,000 km, including 5,600 km of land and 1,400 km of sea). Every single day, more than 2,200 service personnel and civilian employees of the Air Force, employing 400 items of weapons and equipment, are summoned to perform defense duties. On average, the Ukrainian radar forces detect and track more than 1,000 targets daily. As a result, in 2006 two illegal crossings of the state border

Border

Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...

were prevented and 28 violations of Ukrainian air space were prevented. Due to such increased strengthening of air space control, the number of air space violations decreased by 35% compared to the previous year, even though the amount of air traffic

Air Traffic

Air Traffic was a British alternative rock band from Bournemouth. Formed in 2003, the band consists of Chris Wall , David Ryan Jordan , Tom Pritchard and Jim Maddock ....

increased by 30%.

Collapse of the USSR

The Ukrainian Air Force was established on March 17, 1992, in accordance with a Directive of the General Staff Chief of the Armed Forces. The headquarters of the 24th Air Army of the Soviet Air Force

Soviet Air Force

The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...

in Vinnytsia

Vinnytsia

Vinnytsia is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.-Names:...

served as the basis to create the Air Force Command. Also present on Ukrainian soil were units of the former Soviet 5th

5th Air Army

The 5th Air Army was the Russian Air Force's smallest Air Army, with the headquarters located in Yekaterinburg, its zone of responsibility being the Volga-Ural Military District, on the border between Europe and Asia...

, 14th

14th Air Army

The 14th Air Army of the Russian Air Force, was first formed in World War II as part of the Soviet Air Force. It was disbanded in 2009....

, and 17th Air Armies. The new Air Force inherited a number of Tupolev Tu-160

Tupolev Tu-160

The Tupolev Tu-160 is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Although several civil and military transport aircraft are larger in overall dimensions, the Tu-160 is currently the world's largest combat aircraft, largest...

'Blackjack' which were based at Pryluky

Pryluky

Pryluky or Priluki is a city located on the Udai River in the Chernihiv Oblast, north-central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Prylutsky Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate municipality within the oblast...

but have now been returned to Russia or broken up, except for one aircraft that remains on display in Poltava

Poltava

Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....

. Ukraine also operated Tupolev Tu-22M

Tupolev Tu-22M

The Tupolev Tu-22M is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union. Significant numbers remain in service with the Russian Air Force....

s and as well as Tupolev Tu-95

Tupolev Tu-95

The Tupolev Tu-95 is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the former Soviet Union in 1956 and is expected to serve the Russian Air Force until at least 2040...

s for a period after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but these have all been scrapped, apart from a handful displayed in museums.

Current Air Force

The International Institute for Strategic Studies

International Institute for Strategic Studies

The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British research institute in the area of international affairs. It describes itself as "the world’s leading authority on political-military conflict"...

estimates that Ukraine's Air Force includes three Sukhoi Su-24

Sukhoi Su-24

The Sukhoi Su-24 is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. This variable-sweep wing, twin-engined two-seater carried the USSR's first integrated digital navigation/attack system...

regiments, 7 regiments with Mikoyan MiG-29

Mikoyan MiG-29

The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...

s and Sukhoi Su-27

Sukhoi Su-27

The Sukhoi Su-27 is a twin-engine supermanoeuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large United States fourth generation fighters, with range, heavy armament, sophisticated avionics and high manoeuvrability...

, two
regiments with Sukhoi Su-25

Sukhoi Su-25

The Sukhoi Su-25 is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. It was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 22 February 1975...

, two regiments with 29 Su-24MR, three transport regiments, some support helicopter squadrons, one helicopter training regiment, and five air training regiments with
120 L-39 Albatros. They are grouped into the 5th and 14th Aviation Corps, the 35th Aviation Group, which is a multi-role rapid reaction formation, and a training aviation command. The IISS assesses the overall force size as 817 aircraft of all types and 49,100 personnel. Russian sources disagree and list three aviation groups (West, South, and Center).

Developments and reforms

In 2006, a large number of aging weapons and equipment were decommissioned from combat service by the Air Force. This presented an opportunity to use the released funds to the modernization of various items of aviation and anti-aircraft artillery weapons and equipment, radio communication equipment, and flight maintenance equipment, as well as an improvement of Air Force personnel training.

The automated systems of collection, processing and transmission of radio information have been adopted as a component part of the Automated Command and Control System for aviation and air defense. Operational service testing of the circular surveillance

Surveillance

Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...

radar

Radar

Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

station has also been completed. Prototypes of high-precision weapons systems, electronic warfare devices, and navigation equipment have been created and developed for state testing.

The An-24 and An-26 aircraft, as well as the anti-aircraft artillery systems S-300 and “Buk M1”, have been continually modernized, and their service life has been extended. An organizational basis and technological means for modernizing MiG-29, Su-24, Su-25, Su-27, L-39 has been produced. Given sufficient funding from the Verkhovna Rada

Verkhovna Rada

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...

, the Defense Industrial Complex of Ukraine, in cooperation with foreign companies and manufacturers, is capable of fully renewing the aircraft arsenal of the Ukrainian armed forces.

The structural reorganization of the Air Force had set as goals for itself the sufficiently reducing the total number of command and control levels, and increasing the efficiency of command and control processes. The reorganization of command and control elements of the air force is still underway. The first step of this organization was to transition from the existing air commands to the Command and Control (C2) and warning center systems.
This will not only help eliminate duplications at the command and control levels, but will also contribute to an increased centralization of the command and control system, the multi-functionality of the command and control elements, and effectiveness of response to the change of air conditions. 2006 saw the definition of the functions and tasks, organization and work of the C2 and Warning Center as well as the mechanism of interaction with the establishment of the Air Operations Center and Joint Operational Command. During the command and staff exercise one of the Air Force Commands has in effect performed control of “C2 and Warning Center – formation (unit)” level.

Future Plans

In 2005, the UAF was planning to restructure in an effort to improve efficiency. Moreover, Ukraine is planning to put more advanced jet aircraft into service in upcoming years. Possibly buying newer SU-27s and MiG-29s from Russia. This means that from approximately 2012, Ukraine will have to either take bold steps to create a new combat aircraft or purchase a large number of existing combat aircraft.

Training

Training activities have taken on a qualitatively new character due to their complexity, including the simultaneous employment of all branches of the Air Force aviation, anti-aircraft artillery and radar troops in close teamwork with units of other armed services of the Armed Forces. Operational and combat training has included the following activities:

aviation units have performed more than 6,000 tasks in combat scenarios (including more than 1,500 air battles and interceptions, 629 firing at land-based targets, 530 bombings, 21 launches of air missiles, 454 tasks in aerial surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...

, 454 airborne landings, 740 airlift
Airlift
Airlift is the act of transporting people or cargo from point to point using aircraft.Airlift may also refer to:*Airlift , a suction device for moving sand and silt underwater-See also:...

s, 575 flight shifts for a total of 10,553 flying hours);
five tactical flying missions in a squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...

, 14 in a pair and 5 in a flight organization have been carried out to perform the assigned combat tasks, and 54 pilots have been trained to perform specific tasks in difficult meteorological conditions;
the number of flight crews being trained to defend the air space of the country and counter-terrorism air operations has almost doubled from 46 in 2005 to 90 in 2006; the units of anti-aircraft artillery and radar troops carried out 50 maneuvers involving redeployment, with each operator tracking 70 and 140 real and simulated targets, respectively.

In early September of 2007, the Ukrainian Air Force conducted the most large-scale training of its aircraft to date. As the Defense Minister of Ukraine, Anatoliy Hrytsenko

Anatoliy Hrytsenko

Anatoliy Stepanovych Hrytsenko is a former Minister of Defence of Ukraine.Political affiliation: Member of Our Ukraine and leader of the All-Ukrainian Public Organization Civil Position and Civil Position....

stated, "The most large-scale, during the whole 16 years of the Ukrainian independence, training of fighting aircraft, which defends our air space, was carried out during September 4–5". According to him, they fulfilled 45 battle launches of “air-air” missiles, out of them 22 during the day and 23- at night. 35 pilots confirmed their high skills during the training. Hrytsenko stressed that 100% of air targets were hit.

Joint Training

The joint training of the Air Force of Ukraine and the air force of the Russian Federation in the practical control of their air defense Stand-by Forces has become more systematic. Moreover, interoperability has been achieved between the forces of Ukraine and the command and control elements of the Air defense of the Russian Federation during the detecting, tracking, and neutralizing of air targets during simulated terrorist attacks.

Air Defense Forces

The Air Defense Force is a relatively new service within the Armed Forces, established in 2004-2005, through the merging of the Air Force and the Air Defense Force. It allowed the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

to adopt the tri-service structure, common to most modern armies.

The Air Defense of Ukraine performs key tasks in the protection of Ukraine’s sovereignty and the inviolability of its borders and air space. It has clearly defined functions in both peacetime and wartime, is intended to prevent any enemy air and missile strikes, to defend the most important administrative, political and industrial centers, to aid in the concentration of Army and Navy units, to intercept

Intercept

Intercept may refer to:*X-intercept, the point where a line crosses the x-axis*Y-intercept, the point where a line crosses the y-axis*Interception *The Mona Intercept, a 1980 thriller novel by Donald Hamilton...

enemy aircraft

Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

and other military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

objects, and to protect against enemy air and cruise missile strikes.

Structure

An incomplete structure of the Ukrainian air force.

Training
- National Aerospace University "Kharkiv Aviation University" - 203rd training Aviation Brigade Chuguyiv, Kharkiv oblast. L-39, An-26.
- National Aviation University
  National Aviation University
  National Aviation University is a university located in Kiev , Ukraine. It started in 1933 when the Kyiv Aviation Institute was founded on the basis of the mechanical department of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. The University consists of 16 institutes, 2 separate faculties, 3 lyceums, 6 colleges and...
  
  - Faculty of Military Preparation, Kiev - College of the Air Force, Vasilkov, Kiev.
- Joint Training Center - a regiment of remote-controlled aerial vehicles (UAV Reconnaissance)

Air Command West
- 1st radio brigade. Lipnik, Lviv oblast.
- 76th single regiment communication and management, Lviv
- 114th Tactical Aviation Brigade (Ivano-Frankivsk. MiG-29)
- 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade
  7th Bomber and Reconnaissance Brigade (Ukraine)
  -History:The 7th Bomber Aviation Regiment was formed in 1951, as one of the units of the 32nd Bomber Aviation Division, 24th Air Army of the Soviet Air Force.After the Regiment became a Ukrainian formation it was subordinate to the 35th Aviation Group....
  
  (Starokostyantiniv, Khmelnitsky oblast. Su-24M, Su24MR).
- 456th Assault Regiment (456 ShAP) (Chortkiv, Ternopil oblast. Su-25)
- 223rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Stryi, Lviv oblast. Buk-M1)
- 11th Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Shepetivka, Khmelnitsky oblast. Buk-M1)
- 540th Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Kamenka-Buzskaya, Lviv oblast. S-200, S-300)
- “LDARZ” state aviation maintenance plant (Lviv)

Air Command Centre
- 31st separate regiment command and communication
- ?? separate radio Brigade (Vasilkov, Kiev.)
- 40th separate radio Brigade (Kharkiv)
- 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade (Vasilkov, Kiev. MiG-29)
- 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade (Mirgorod, Poltava oblast. Su-27)
- 9th Tactical Aviation Brigade (Ozerne, Zhytomyr oblast. MiG-29)
- 25th Transport Aviation Brigade (Melitopol, Zaporozhye. Il-76/78)
- 15th Transport Aviation Brigade
  15th Transport Aviation Brigade (Ukraine)
  -History:In 2001 the Brigade was known as 15th Aviation Special Purpose Brigade.-Components:* 1st Squadron*2nd Squadron* 3rd Helicopter Squadron-Aircraft:*An-24*An-26*An-30*Tu-134*Mi-8...
  
  (Borispol, Kiev oblast. An-30, Tu-134, An-24/26, Mi-8)
- 456th Transport Aviation Brigade (Gavryshevka, Vinnitsa oblast. An-26 and Mi-8)
- 96th Anti-Aircraft Artillery brigade (Danilovka, Kiev. S-200. S-300)
- 137th Anti-Aircraft Artillery brigade (Uman, Cherkasy oblast. S-300)
- 120th Anti-Aircraft Artillery brigade (Kharkiv. S-300)
- 302nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Kharkiv. S-300)
- 108th Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Zolotonosha. Cherkasy oblast. Buk-M1)
- 138th Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Dnipropetrovsk. S-300)
- 156th Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Donetsk and Luhansk oblast. Buk-M1)
- 3rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Pervomaysk, Mykolaiv oblast. S-300)
- “CHARZ” Aviation Repair Plant (Chuhuiv, Kharkiv oblast)
- “Aviokon” Aviation Repair Plant (Konotop, Sumy oblast)

Air Command South
- 43rd separate regiment communication and management (Odessa)
- 14th separate radio team (Odessa)
- 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade
  299th Tactical Aviation Brigade
  The 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Air Force currently based at Kulbakino. The unit is equipped with Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft and is tasked with providing close air support for the Ukrainian Ground Forces and the Ukrainian Navy. It is presently subordinated to...
  
  (Kulbakino, Mykolaiv oblast. Su-25)
- 28th Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron (Kulbakino, Mykolaiv oblast. L-39, Su-24M, Su-25)
- 160th Anti-Aircraft Artillery brigade
  160th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade (Ukraine)
  The 160th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Air Force. The full name of the Brigade is the 160th Warsaw-Odessa Order of Suvorov 3rd degree Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade....
  
  (Odessa. S-300, S-200)
- 208th Guards Anti-Aircraft Artillery brigade (Kherson. S-300, S-200)
- 301st Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk oblast. S-300)
- “NARP” aircraft repair plant (Mykolaiv)

Task Force "Crimea"
- ??? a separate radio team (Lyubimovka near Sevastopol)
- 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade (Belbek
  Sevastopol International Airport
  "Belbek" Sevastopol International Airport is AN airport in Belbek, near Sevastopol, Ukraine.- History :The airfield was first constructed in June 1941, during the first year of World War II. Initially it housed a military fighter aviation unit...
  
  , near Sevastopol. MiG-29)
- 174th Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Dergachi near Sevastopol. the S-300)
- 50th Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Feodosiya. S-300, S-200)
- 55th Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment (Yevpatoriya. Buk-M1)

Aircraft Inventory

! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Numbers In Service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Comments
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="6" | Trainer Aircraft
Trainer (aircraft)
A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate in-flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristics and a simplified cockpit arrangement—allows...

|-----
| Aero L-39 Albatros
|

Sukhoi Su-27

Mikoyan MiG-29

Sukhoi Su-24

Soviet Union
| Tactical Bomber
| Su-24M
Su-24MK
Su-24MR
| 36
|
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="6" | Ground Attack
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...

|-----
| Sukhoi Su-25

Sukhoi Su-25

Soviet Union
| Close air support
| Su-25
Su-25UB
Su-25K
Su-25UTG
Su-25M1
Su-25UBM1
| 36
| Su-25M1 and Su-25UBM1 Ukrainian upgrade.
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="6" | Transport Aircraft
Military transport aircraft
Military transport aircraft are typically fixed and rotary wing cargo aircraft which are used to deliver troops, weapons and other military equipment by a variety of methods to any area of military operations around the surface of the planet, usually outside of the commercial flight routes in...

|-----
| Ilyushin Il-76

Ilyushin Il-76

The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose four-engined strategic airlifter designed by Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967. Intended as a replacement for the Antonov An-12, the Il-76 was designed for delivering heavy machinery to remote, poorly-serviced areas...

Soviet Union
| Transport
| Il-76
| 20
|
|-----
| Antonov An-70

Antonov An-70

The Antonov An-70 is a four-engine medium-range transport aircraft, and the first large aircraft to be powered by propfan engines. It is being developed by Ukraine's Antonov design bureau to replace the obsolete An-12 military transport aircraft...

Ukraine
| Transport
| An-70
| 2
|
|-----
| Antonov An-24

Antonov An-24

The Antonov An-24 is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau from 1957.-Design and development:...

Soviet Union
| Transport
| An-22
| 13
|
|-----
| Antonov An-26

Antonov An-26

The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the USSR from 12 March 1968.-Development:...

Sukhoi Su-24

Soviet Union
| Reconnaissance
| Su-24MR
| 23
|
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="6" | Helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

s
|-----
| Mil Mi-8/17

Mil Mi-17

The Mil Mi-17 is a Russian helicopter currently in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude...

Soviet Union
| Transport helicopter
| Mi-17
| 100
|
|-----
| Mi-8MSB1
|

Soviet Union /

Mil Mi-24

The Mil Mi-24 is a large helicopter gunship and attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for 8 passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and operated since 1972 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and by over thirty other nations.In NATO circles the export...

Soviet Union
| Attack/Transport helicopter
| Mi-24
| 48
|
|-----
| Mi-2MSB2

Mil Mi-2

The Mil Mi-2 is a small, lightly armored transport helicopter that could also provide close air support when armed with 57 mm rockets and a 23 mm cannon.-Design and development:...

Soviet Union /

Former Aircraft

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that was among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau the first prototype flew in 1964 with entry into service in 1970...

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to...

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is considered to belong to the Soviet third generation jet fighter category, along with similarly aged Soviet fighters such as the MiG-25 "Foxbat"...

Mikoyan MiG-27

The Mikoyan MiG-27 is a variable-geometry ground-attack aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan design bureau in the Soviet Union and later license-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics as the Bahadur . It is based on the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 fighter aircraft, but optimized for...

|
| Attack
| MiG-27
| Former
|-----
|-----
| Sukhoi Su-17

Sukhoi Su-17

The Sukhoi Su-17 is a Soviet attack aircraft developed from the Sukhoi Su-7 fighter-bomber. It enjoyed a long career in Soviet, later Russian, service and was widely exported to communist and Middle Eastern air forces, under names Su-20 and Su-22.-Development:Seeking to improve low-speed and...

Sukhoi Su-15

The Sukhoi Su-15 was a twin-engined supersonic interceptor developed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s to replace the Sukhoi Su-11, which was becoming obsolete as the United States and Britain introduced newer and more capable strategic bombers...

Yakovlev Yak-28

The Yakovlev Yak-28 was a swept wing, turbojet-powered combat aircraft used by the Soviet Union. Produced initially as a bomber, it was also manufactured in reconnaissance, electronic warfare, interceptor, and trainer versions, known by the NATO reporting names Brewer, Firebar, and Maestro...

Tupolev Tu-160

Tupolev Tu-95

Tupolev Tu-22M

The Tupolev Tu-22M is a supersonic, swing-wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union. Significant numbers remain in service with the Russian Air Force....

Tupolev Tu-22

The Tupolev Tu-22 was the first supersonic bomber to enter production in the Soviet Union. Manufactured by Tupolev, the Tu-22 entered service with the Soviet military in the 1960s, and the last examples were retired during the 1990s...

Tupolev Tu-16

The Tupolev Tu-16 was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has flown for more than 50 years, and the Chinese license-built Xian H-6 remains in service with the Chinese air force.-Development:...

|
| Bomber
| Tu-16
| Former

External links

/ Air Force page on the official site of Ministry of Defence:

in English,
in Ukrainian Photo gallery of the Ukrainian Air Force - and, Ukrainian Falcons
Ukrainian Falcons
The Ukrainian Falcons is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Ukrainian Air Force. It was established in 1997 as a team of 6 MiG-29s ....

in flight. Obsolete 1990-s pennants and patches - available from Linden Hill imports
Photos of Ukrainian Air Force

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Mission

Collapse of the USSR

Current Air Force

Developments and reforms

Future Plans

Training

Joint Training

Air Defense Forces

Structure

Aircraft Inventory

Former Aircraft

See also

External links