On Monday, October 8, the “Clear Sky - 2018” exercises began in the countries of Eastern Europe. They are attended by ten NATO member states, including the United States, and aviation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Maneuvers will be held on the territory of Poland, Romania and in the western regions of Ukraine (mainly in the Vinnitsa and Khmelnitsky regions).
According to the plan, the maneuvers will end on October 19. The tasks in the air will be worked out by the American F-15C / D, Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker planes, heavy MQ-9 Reaper drones, and the Romanian exterminated F-16C. The total number of all aircraft is 40 units, of which 20 are APU equipment.
Other participating countries engaged in the calculations of anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) and radar stations (radar), aircraft pilots, engineers, technical staff, medical and search and rescue teams.
From the side of Ukraine, five tactical aviation units equipped with airplanes, helicopters, air defense systems and UAVs take part in the exercises. As the Ministry of Defense of the country emphasizes, "Clear Sky - 2018" is the most large-scale aviation exercises after the collapse of the USSR.
“According to the organizers, the“ Clear Sky - 2018 ”exercise will contribute to security in Eastern Europe and will increase the level of training of the air force crews in performing tactical tasks in a coalition environment, achieve a fundamentally new and high-quality level of compatibility with the Air Forces of the US Armed Forces and other countries - members of NATO, "- said in a statement the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
"While there is something to fly"
The agreement to hold a “Clear Sky” was reached in 2017 in Vinnitsa (where the headquarters of the Ukrainian Air Force Command is located) at a meeting between the Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Colonel-General Sergei Drozdov and the head of the Air Force of the California National Guard, Major General Clay Harrison.
Initially, it was agreed that the exercises would be held in a two-way or three-way format, but European countries that are members of NATO showed interest in the maneuvers. As Ukrainian military expert Diana Mikhailova said in her blog, Western states intend to assess the real potential of the Ukrainian Air Force.
In August, Colonel Roman Yurchilo, head of the press center of the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said: "Americans know patriotism, strength of mind, combat experience, they need to see how we actually demonstrate our capabilities." According to him, in recent years, the quality of training pilots of combat aviation of Ukraine has improved significantly.
- Ukrainian Air Force pilot
- © Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
“Previously, a young graduate pilot after university continued his studies at a specialized center for combat training of aviation specialists. There he obtained theoretical knowledge, and practical skills in piloting combat aircraft directly in aviation units, because at the university I flew only for training. Now they leave the university with the experience of piloting combat aviation by third-class pilots, ”Yurchilo said.
Also, the Ukrainian officer spoke about the progress in updating the fleet of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Until the end of 2018, the troops should receive about 30 units of repaired and modernized equipment, including air defense systems and radar stations, “capable of effectively resisting air attack weapons in the entire range of altitudes and speeds”.
In a conversation with RT, Dmitry Drozdenko, a journalist with the magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland, noted that since 2014 Ukraine has really been making efforts to restore the potential of the air force and air defense forces. However, according to him, Kiev’s opportunities in this area are extremely limited due to the lack of cooperation with foreign countries, including the Russian Federation.
“While Ukraine has something to fly on. But all combat planes and helicopters Nezalezhnaya is a technique made in the USSR, and mainly in the territory of our country. At the moment, Ukrainians can still lift Soviet cars into the air and participate in NATO exercises, but in the long run the Ukrainian Air Force is doomed to inevitable degradation, ”Drozdenko stressed.
Raised Soviet legacy
During the years of independence, Kiev has almost completely lost its former potential in combat aviation and air defense. After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine acquired the equipment and property of four Soviet air armies, 10 aviation divisions, 49 air regiments and 11 separate squadrons. By the number of aircraft the country was second only to the United States, Russia and China.
As a result of the optimization of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, by the end of the 2000s, the combat aviation fleet was reduced from 1,100 to approximately 200 units. In the first half of the 1990s, Kiev got rid of long-range aviation (Tu-95MS, Tu-16, Tu-22). Most of the "strategists" was disposed of. Also, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine removed from service hundreds of vehicles of operational-tactical aviation (Su-15, MiG-25, MiG-23).
“In part, these were forced and necessary measures. Ukraine did not make sense to contain such a number of combat aircraft and anti-aircraft missile systems. However, the Soviet legacy, especially strategic aviation, was buried by the new Ukrainian authorities with undisguised pleasure, ”Drozdenko explained.
According to Diana Mikhailova, by the spring of 2014, the Ukrainian Air Force had 160 combat and 27 transport aircraft. According to official data, during the active phase of the fighting in the Donbass (from May to August 2014), Kiev lost 18 units of aircraft. Among them are two An-26s, one Il-76MD, one An-30, one Su-24MR, two MiG-29s, several Su-25s and Mi-24P and Mi-8MT helicopters.
Today, the combat aviation fleet consists of only 130 aircraft (45 light MiG-29 fighters, 35 Su-27 heavy fighters, 25 Su-25 attack aircraft, 25 Su-24 bombers and reconnaissance aircraft). Several hundred operational-tactical aircraft are in storage. However, their maintainability causes many doubts among specialists.
The resources of Ukrainian industry allow only capital repairs and partial modernization of Soviet fighters and bombers. For example, in 2005, Ukrspetsexport received a contract for the supply of 12 MiG-29 to Azerbaijan with the condition of updating the main components and assemblies at the Lviv Aircraft Repair Plant. The Zaporizhia-based enterprise MiGremont, within the framework of fulfilling the order of the country's Defense Ministry, mastered the modernization of the Su-25 before the modification of the M1.
- Take off a combat fighter APU
- © Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
“The attempts of the Ukrainian industry do not change the general situation. In the field of military aviation, Ukraine was in a stalemate.
The country has never had a full cycle of production of bombers, fighters and helicopters. Yes, there are separate plants that, like Motor Sich, can produce engines or some types of onboard equipment. But Kiev has no opportunity to carry out a truly deep modernization of any Soviet machine. ”- reported Drozdenko.
The expert recalled that even before the war in the Donbass, the Ukrainian Air Force was experiencing a serious shortage of spare parts. Now, in his opinion, the situation has worsened, since Russia is the only source of high-quality components for MiG and Su aircraft. Drozdenko believes that the countries of Eastern Europe, which also operate aircraft produced in the USSR, can provide Ukraine with only limited technical assistance.
“In Ukraine, one can come across calls to replace Soviet planes with at least used Western ones. But this option is unlikely. Buying the most inexpensive used equipment will require the creation of a service and training infrastructure for pilots and technical staff.
If Kiev nevertheless launches the process of replacing MiGs and sushka, it will last for many years. And Ukraine will hardly be able to create its own modern aircraft even in the distant future, ”Drozdenko summed up.