The formation and history of the creation of the Ukrainian Air Force are inextricably linked with the events of twenty years ago. In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, in a hurry not to lose their own independence, each of the Soviet republics declared their own independence. The Ukrainian state was no exception.
The importance of the Air Force for Ukraine
The next year has become extremely important for the formation of a young sovereign state. The leadership of the country was entrusted with the responsibility for organizing government bodies and protective structures. In addition, the republic, which had just gained independence, needed to establish its own defense capability in order to confirm its status.
The main step in this process of development was the creation of the army. At the same time, one of the defining elements of the armed forces to this day is the Ukrainian Air Force.
Management of military aviation in Ukraine
The newly formed separate state inherited a sufficient basic foundation from the mighty Union of Soviets. Thus, the fundamental air armies that are part of the Ukrainian Air Force are the backbone of the entire military aviationcomplex of the modern country. This includes:
- Vinnitsa Headquarters of the 24th Strategic Military Aviation Administration;
- Kyiv headquarters of the 17th VA army;
- Lvov Army Headquarters of the 14th VA;
- Odessa headquarters of the 5th VA army.
In addition, in Soviet times, Ukraine was the territory of deployment of some bases, among which the 8th separate air defense army was in Kyiv, and the 28th air defense corps was located in Lviv.
Educational aviation institutions
Independent Ukraine became the owner of preparatory institutions specializing in training and graduating aviation specialists. To date, several aviation schools operate in the country, including the navigational VVAUSh and 2 flight VVAUL.
The order of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine dated March 17, 1992 marked the beginning of the functioning of the apparatus of the Air Force of Ukraine. The main headquarters is based on the site of the former deployment of the Vinnitsa department of the 24th VA. On the basis of the remaining headquarters in Kyiv, Lvov and Odessa, centralized departments, a reserve and personnel training institutions were formed.
Transition of aviation from the USSR to an independent state
The amount of heritage aviation equipment inherited by the Ukrainian Air Force for the period of geopolitical changes was an impressive figure. At that time, there were about 3000 aircraft, of which half were combat aircraft, more than 650 military units anddozen air divisions. The strength of the Ukrainian Air Force can be compared with the number of inhabitants of a small town: 184,000 military personnel and 22,000 civilian subordinates.
Problems in this area
Unfortunately, at the moment the combat readiness of the Ukrainian Air Force is not at the proper level. There are several reasons for this.
Firstly, the funds included in the annual budget of the state are not able to cover all the necessary expenses of this industry. There is not enough money either for the purchase of aviation fuel, or for the modernization of equipment and machinery, or for repairs. The Air Force of Ukraine, despite this, is gradually coming out of a crisis situation. The situation is improving significantly, and this fact can be seen more clearly by drawing a parallel with the situation in the military aviation industry in the 90s of the last century.
At that time, the pilots of the Ukrainian Air Force experienced a huge lack of flying time. At that time, aviation industry specialists could sit at the helm of their military aircraft for no more than 5 hours in a whole year. In the mid-2000s, the situation began to improve: the average annual flight time increased to 30 hours. Although to maintain a high practical level of pilots, this is far from the number that is required. 200 hours of annual flights - this is the very minimum that Ukrainian Air Force pilots need.
All of the above problems of state aviation were reflected in the reform period of 2004.
Air defense and air force united intoa single sphere, since against the backdrop of constant cuts, it has become unprofitable for Ukraine to keep them separate. In addition, the MiG-23, Su-24 and Tu-22 combat aircraft were withdrawn from the military equipment, and major repairs are intended for many vehicles. The Ukrainian Air Force has undergone significant changes, but in general, the optimization of the industry is progressing with uncertain steps. The modernized equipment differs significantly from analogues in the Russian Federation and NATO countries.
The purpose of the air forces in Ukraine
The Air Force of Ukraine is controlled and coordinated by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The supervisory authorities are located in Kyiv, and from there they request the necessary data on combat readiness, demand the urgent provision of intelligence reports that will be useful for the armed ground forces. The military units of aviation are divided geographically by the respective commands, and must fulfill all assigned operational and tactical tasks.
Basically, the mission of the Ukrainian Air Force is the complete destruction of enemy infrastructure, command headquarters and points. Without proper funding, the military aviation of the Ukrainian state turned out to be practically unable to achieve the required result. The low level of pilot training, outdated weapons and combat aircraft, the lack of modern operational programs affect the functioning of the air forces.
Organization, structure and weapons
The main unit of the Air Force is AB -an aviation brigade, which, in turn, is coordinated and subordinated to an air command or tactical group. In Ukraine, the following air commands are distinguished:
- "South", which includes Assault and Fighter air brigades (Su-25 and Su-27);
- "Center" to which the MiG-29 Fighter Brigade is subordinate;
- "West" contains three air brigades, including two Fighter (MiG-29) and one Bomber (Su-24M);
- "Crimea" is a tactical group, which includes only one fighter air brigade (MiG-29).
The state authorities have repeatedly stated that in order to improve the material component of the development of the aviation industry, it is planned to reduce to the number of six ABs. The ideal number would be two fighter and transport air brigades, and one each for assault and bomber. Moreover, the latter should combine reconnaissance activities. The leadership of the army plans to keep about 120 combat aircraft and 60 units of training aircraft on permanent maintenance. The number of personnel liable for military service has also been significantly reduced to 20 thousand people.
Air Force Missile Groups
Speaking about the features of the Air Force of the Ukrainian state, it is worth noting the missile forces. They are armed with S-300 anti-aircraft systems and S-200 long-range installations. It is impossible not to mention the radar groups that manage the means of tracking and controlling the airspace over Ukraine. Thanks to them, rocket launchers and fightersprovided with data on the designation of targets and objects. As a rule, most of the country's air defense radars use the method of analog signal processing. Meanwhile, the tactics of combat operations of the military aviation of modern Ukraine is based on the tactical developments of the USSR army.
