12th Army Aviation Brigade (Ukraine)

12th Army Aviation Brigade
Active	1943–present
Country	Ukraine
Branch	Ukrainian Ground Forces
Type	Army Aviation
Size	at least 300
Part of	Operational Command West
Garrison/HQ	Novyi Kalyniv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine[1]
Engagements	Soviet–Afghan War
Battle honours	Breslau (removed)
Commanders
Current commander	Col. Dmytro Zbhnievych
Aircraft flown
Attack	Mi-24
Transport	Mi-8, Mi-26

The 12th Army Aviation Brigade is an army aviation formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The brigade is directly subordinated to the Ukrainian Ground Forces command.[2]

The brigade was formed as 340th Separate Combat-Transport Helicopter Breslavlsk Regiment. From August 21, 1968 to June 1991 the Regiment was stationed in Czechoslovakia.[3] After 1992 the Regiment was redesignated to be 7th Separate Breslavlsk Army Aviation Regiment.[4] In 2016 it became the 12th Army Aviation Brigade.

History

The brigade was first formed in April 1943 as the 340th Long-Range Aviation Regiment. On 26 December 1944 it became a bomber aviation regiment. On 27 April 1946 it became a transport aviation regiment. On 12 October 1955 it became a military-transport aviation regiment. It was converted to a separate helicopter regiment on 17 November 1959.[5]

The regiment's honorific "Breslau (Breslavlsk)" was removed on 18 November 2015 as part of an Armed Forces-wide removal of Soviet awards and honorifics.[6]

It became the 12th Army Aviation Brigade in 2016.[7]

Deployments

Since November 2007, 300 members of the Regiment are deployed to Liberia, supporting the United Nations Mission in Liberia, as part of the 56th Separate Helicopter Unit.[8][9]^[needs update]

Structure

During the 1970s the Regiment included 4 Squadron's with a total of 55-60 helicopters.

In 2004 the Brigade consisted of 2 Squadron's flying Mi-24, Mi-26 and Mi-8 helicopters.

2nd Squadron is intended to carry out missions under UN and NATO command.

Equipment

Equipment in 2004[10]

• Mi-24B - 6
• Mi-24P - 15
• Mi-24VP - 3
• Mi-24R - 3
• Mi-24K - 7
• Mi-8T - 26
• Mi-8MT - 3
• Mi-8MTV-2 - 4
• Mi-9 - 6
• Mi-26 - 16

References

1. "Агенція регіональної інформації та аналітики "Гал-info"". Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
2. "Сухопутні війська". www.ukrmilitary.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
3. "Операция "Дунай" - перечень войсковых частей". Archived from the original on 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
4. "President.Gov.Ua". Archived from the original on September 11, 2007.
5. Holm, Michael. "340th Breslavskiy Military-Transport Aviation Regiment". ww2.dk. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
6. "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ No. 646/2015" [Ukaz President of Ukraine No. 646/2015] (in Ukrainian). President of Ukraine. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
7. "Новокалинівська бригада армійської авіації відзначила 74-річчя" [Novyi Kalyniv army aviation brigade celebrates 74th anniversary] (in Ukrainian). Lviv Oblast Press Administration. 31 March 2018. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
8. "Сьогодні до Ліберії з Львівського аеропорту відбуде ще 120 миротворців". Archived from the original on 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
9. "ZAXID.NET - 98 українських миротворців вилетять сьогодні зі Львова до Ліберії". Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
10. Marnix Sap and Carlo Brummer: "International Air Power Review", Vol.15. , 2005