Global Aviator December/January 2017/18 / Vol. 9 / No. 12 65
to Dnipro city) who helped out at
the Regiment and so far the initiated
peace process of Minsk continues. The
casualties of the 16th Brigade during the
ATO are six helicopters (3x Mi-8 and 3x
Mi-24) as well as eight crew members
according to Colonel Jaremenko.
Although the helicopter pilots
acquired vast experience through
their deployments in Africa, they
still lost more than ten helicopters.
The air defence system in Donbas is
well constructed and strong for both
helicopters and Sukhoi fighters jets –
low flying provides security. Mayor
General Valentin Pistryuga, former
head of the Ukrainian Army Aviators,
at the beginning of the ATO said that
the operations conducted by Army
Aviation have changed immensely
with the introduction of manpads in
Russia between 2012 and 2013 and
then in the ATO zone. For Ukrainian
pilots there was just one solution: -
low-flying - five meters above ground
is standard in the meantime. Through
the deployments in Africa the pilots
have accumulated on average more
than 1 000 flight hours. During the
beginning of ATO the helicopters
flew their support missions based on
standard musters. This approach quickly
changed as timing became the most
important factor. A helicopter circling
over a convoy would easily reveal its
presence whereas waiting at a secure
distance and attacking at the right
moment proved to be a better approach.Besides transportation of
ammunition, troops and weapons, the
helicopters helped to evacuate wounded
out of the war zone. Over 8 000 missions
were flown until the Minsk-2 treaty. At
the beginning the crews had to work
almost around the clock: from four
o’clock in the morning until midnight
the helicopters were in charge and
six missions a day per crew was not
unusual. The typically psychological
stress also needs to be taken into
consideration. Small groups of enemies,
equipped with Manpads, were able to
move locations quickly and even operate
behind the front line. High alert was aAbove: Mi-8mtv with green colour taken at Brody:
The Ukrainian army aviation painted some
formerly United Nations mission aircraft in
this new green livery this year.
Right: The modernized Mi-8 MSB-V is based on the
Mi-8t and modernized in the Ukraine by the
Motor Sich company.