Global Aviator December/January 2017/18 / Vol. 9 / No. 12 63
decade in order to prevent civil war
breaking out and to establish and secure
peace after the resignation of Liberia’s
former president, Charles Taylor, in- Initially, a peacekeeping force of
the West African Economic Community
together with a small contingent of
United States Marine Corp took over
the responsibility of establishing and
then securing peace until 19 September
2003 when the UN Security Council
initiated resolution 1509 providing the
legal basis to conduct a multinational
mission. The main operation from then
onwards has been to allow refugees a
secure return and to disarm the different
rebel groups. With resolution 2116 from
18 September 2013, the UN Security
Council prolonged the mandate.
For the Ukraine the deployment
in Liberia started on 11 January 2014,
with a vanguard of 18 men who
formed part of the 56th Independent
Helicopter Detachment. The transfer of
overhauled Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters
as well as necessary spare engines took
place with An-124 cargo aircraft via
the international airport close to the
capital city of Monrovia. Additional
cargo and troops found their way to
Africa in Tu-154s or by sea. By the end
of January 2004 the planned contingent
of 300 Ukrainian troops including
functioning equipment was reached.
From the beginning the operation
proved to be challenging for soldiers
and material. Temperatures of +40 to
+45 °C with a humidity of 90% to 98%
have to be coped with. On top of which
comes heavy rain for half of the year
and long distances. The strategically
important Greenville is 230 km away
and has to be approached regularly with
Mi-8 for logistical tasks while the Mi-24
serves for reconnaissance and patrol
flights. From five Ukraine helicopters in
2016, now there are three remaining.
The 56th Independent Helicopter
Detachment from Liberia sent the
three Mi-24 helicopters to Cote de
Ivory, yet another African hotspot, a
mission which lasted March 2015. The
second UN-mission with participation
of Ukrainian helicopter technology
takes place in the Democratic Republic
Left: Weapon carriers on the Mi-8:
Unguided weapon carriers continued
to be the standard armament for
the Mi-8.Middle: Crew climb into the Mi-24: The new
FPR helmet used is a joint venture
with Poland.