Ukrainian Naval Aviation


The Ukrainian Naval Aviation is a component of the Ukrainian Navy.
During the breakup of the Soviet Union, significant portions of the Soviet Naval Aviation were based in Ukraine, which were intended to support the Black Sea Fleet. These forces included the 2nd Guards Maritime Missile Aviation Division, with three regiments of maritime attack Tu-22M2s, and the 30th independent Maritime Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment of Tu-22Ps.
In the second half of 1997, when Ukraine and Russia agreed on how to split the Black Sea Fleet, Ukraine received 12 planes and 30 helicopters.

History

Ukraine inherited large naval aviation units from the Soviet Union. These included large aircraft such as the Tupolev Tu-142 and Tupolev Tu-22M, however these were scrapped under the Budapest Memorandum. Fighters such as the Mig-29 were either decommissioned due to budgetary reasons or transferred to the air force. The remaining inventory included transport, attack, and anti-submarine warfare helicopters, as well as numerous transport aircraft. Ukraine's naval units, along with some aviation units participated in several deployments such as Operation Atlanta and Operation Ocean Shield.

2014 Crimean crisis

During the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, Ukrainian naval aviation managed to get a number of its aircraft and helicopters airborne from its Novofedorivka airbase to fly to bases in mainland Ukraine on 5 March. This included one Kamov Ka-27PL and three Mil Mi-14PL maritime helicopters, and one Beriev Be-12 amphibian and two Antonov An-26 transports. More than a dozen aircraft and helicopters, which were undergoing maintenance, had to be left behind. The long-term sustainability of the Ukrainian Navy's surviving helicopters is uncertain after the pro-Russian administration in Crimea nationalised all state owned enterprises, including the Sevastopol Aviation Enterprise, which had provided long-term maintenance and overhaul of the service's helicopters.

Organization

10th Naval Aviation Brigade

All naval aircraft in service are controlled by the 10th Naval Aviation Brigade in Mykolaiv.
One Kamov Ka-27 helicopter is stationed on the Hetman Sahaidachnyi. The frigate can however carry a maximum of two helicopters.

Aircraft inventory

A An-24 cargo aircraft, and up to eight Mi-8 transport helicopters were also operated by the Ukrainian Navy prior to 2014. The An-24 Aircraft Blue 02 was retired sometime before 2009.