Ukrainian Air Assault Forces
| Ukrainian Airmobile Forces | |
|---|---|
| Високомобільні десантні війська України | |
 Ukrainian Airmobile Forces emblem | |
| Active | 1992–present |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Type | Airborne Forces |
| Role | Light Infantry Airmobile infantry Peacekeeping |
| Part of | Template:Ukrainian armed forces |
| Headquarters | Kyiv |
| Motto(s) | "Ніхто крім нас!" ("Nobody, but us!") |
| Anniversaries | Airmobile Forces Day (2 August) |
| Engagements | Kosovo Force (KFOR) Iraq War 2014 Crimean Crisis War in Donbass[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Major general Mykhailo Zabrodskyi |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
| Shoulder sleeve insignia |  |
| Beret insignia | .png) |
The Ukrainian Airmobile Forces or VDV (from "Vysokomobil'ni desantni viyska Ukrayiny", Ukrainian: Високомобільні десантні війська України, ВДВ; High-mobile Airborne Forces of Ukraine) is the military branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The airmobile forces consist of formations, units and elements of the Army and the Army aviation, trained for combined activities behind the enemy lines. The airmobile forces are in constant combat readiness and are the high mobility branch of forces.
In the 15 years after their creation Ukrainian paratroopers have served in peacekeeping missions to the Balkans, in Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia, Georgia and Congo.[2]
2001 Structure
In 2001 the Airmobile Force consisted of:[3]
| Unit | Base # | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters 1st Airmobile Division | А0220 | Bolhrad | inactive since 2003 |
| 25th Airborne Brigade | А1126 | Hvardiyske (Dnipropetrovsk Region) | |
| 45th Airmobile Brigade | А1533 | Bolhrad | |
| 27th Mechanized Brigade | А0664 | Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi | |
| 91st Artillery Regiment | А0242 | Veseliy Kut | |
| 95th Airmobile Brigade | А0281 | Zhytomyr | |
| 79th Airmobile Regiment | А0224 | Mykolaiv | |
| 80th Airmobile Regiment | А0284 | Lviv |
| 1st Airmobile Division | |
| Separate Brigade | |
| Separate Regiments |
2008 Structure
25th Airborne Brigade
95th Airmobile Brigade- File:79ombr.jpg 79th Airmobile Brigade
- File:80oaep.jpg 80th Airmobile Regiment
81st Brigade Tactical Group (Iraq War)- File:28-й навчальний батальйон.jpg 28th Training Battalion
Present Structure
| Armed Forces of Ukraine |
|---|
 |
| Main branches |
| Law enforcement |
| Related services |
| Intelligence |
| History of the Ukrainian Military |
- 25th Airborne Brigade
- 95th Airmobile Brigade
- File:79ombr.jpg 79th Airmobile Brigade
- File:80oaep.jpg 80th Airmobile Brigade
81st Airmobile-Assault Brigade- File:28-й навчальний батальйон.jpg 28th Training Battalion
- 102nd Separate Airborne Equipment and Property Warehouse[4]
- 135th Separate Support Battalion[4]
- 199th Training Center[5]
- 45th Airmobile Brigade[6]
Commanders
The commander of the Airmobile Forces since 2 August 2015 is Major general Mykhailo Zabrodskyi.[7]
| Name | Rank | Period of command |
|---|---|---|
| Vitaly Raevsky | Major general | 1992–1998 |
| Ivan Yakubets | Colonel | 1998–2005 |
| Serhiy Lysovyi | Colonel | 2005–present |
| Oleksandr Shvets | Colonel | 2012–2015 |
| Mykhailo Zabrodskyi | Major general | March 2015 – present |
Armament
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Equipment of the Airmobile Forces is similar to the equipment used by Russian Airborne Troops.
Personal firearms
- PM, semi-automatic pistol (9×18mm)
- AKS-74,[8] para assault rifle (AK-74 with folding skeleton buttstock) (5.45×39mm)
- AKS-74U, short-barreled para assault rifle carbine with folding skeleton buttstock(5.45×39mm)
- AKMS, para assault rifle with a downward-folding metal stock similar to that of the German MP40 (7.62×39mm)
- RPKS-74, the light weight para machinegun (5.45×39mm)
- PKM, general purpose machine gun (7.62×54mmR)
- Dragunov SVDS sniper rifle (7.62×54mmR)
- GP-25 and GP-30, the under-barrel 40mm grenade launchers for fragmentation and gas grenades which are attached to AKS-74 of some paratroopers to increase firepower for combating enemy foot troops
- AGS-17 "Plamya" (Flame),[9] the automatic grenade launcher – may being replaced by a much lighter UAG-40.[10]
Armoured Vehicles
Only one Brigade, the 25th is currently using BMD-1 and BMD-2 armored fighting vehicles.[11] The 95th Brigade, the 79th Brigade and 80th Regiment use BTR-80.[9]
Artillery
- 2S9 "Nona-S" configuration of 2S9 Nona, 120mm self-propelled mortar[11]
- ZU-23-2,[11] an aged but effective and powerful design of a double barrel 23mm anti-aircraft gun, commonly used against infantry and even APCs and IFVs, it is either mounted on any amphibious hulls, usually based on PT-76 light tank, or can be towed by jeep or truck as it has wheels.
Gallery
-
Ukrainian Airmobile Forces flag -
Ukrainian Airmobile Forces flag
References
- ^ Template:Uk icon Since the beginning of the conflict in the Donbas killed 415 Marines, Ukrayinska Pravda (2 August 2016)
- ^ "Ukrainian paratroopers celebrate 15th anniversary" (PDF). KFOR Chronicle. 31 August 2007. p. 23. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- ^ Template:Ru icon № 477-р від 3 грудня 2001 року "Про шефство Дніпропетров
- ^ a b "Ukrainian Military Pages: Високомобільні десантні війська" [Airmobile Forces Structure]. www.ukrmilitary.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2016-07-04.
- ^ "Сергій Машковський привітав військовослужбовців 199 навчального центру ВДВ ЗСУ" [199th Training Center Airmobile Forces welcomed by Sergey Mashkovsky]. oda.zt.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2016-03-25.
- ^ "New Airborne Brigade created in Ukrainian Army". UNIAN. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- ^ "President conferred the rank of Brigadier General to commander of the Airborne Forces Mykhailo Zabrodskyi". Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. 2 August 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- ^ S stands for skladnoy (Russian: складной), means folding. Issued only for parachute-landing purposes
- ^ a b Template:Uk icon MoD News Article
- ^ "Automatic grenade launcher UAG-40". www.lk.com.ua. Public Company Leninska Kuznya Plant. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
- ^ a b c Template:Uk icon MoD News Article