Ukraine
Ukraine operates a number of aircraft that are tasked to conduct regular maritime patrol, surveillance, antisubmarine warfare (ASW) and SAR operations along part of its southern border stretching into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. These are flown over the country’s territorial waters and its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Black Sea. Primary Ukrainian MPA operators are the Viys’kovo- Mors’ki Syly (VMS, Ukrainian Navy) and Derzhavna Prykordonna Sluzhba Ukrayiny (DPSU, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine).
The only VMS aviation unit is 10 mors’ka aviatsiyna brihada (mabr, naval aviation brigade) at Kul’bakino air base near Mykolayiv. For maritime patrol tasks, the unit operates a pair of Be-12 amphibians and two An-26 transports, all inherited from the former USSR. The Be-12s (one aircraft is a Be-12PL ASW variant, the other a Be-12PS SAR variant) have not flown since the Sea Breeze exercise in September 2014. However, they are kept in operational condition and, if the situation requires, can return to active duty at short notice.
Currently the only VMS aircraft regularly used for maritime patrol tasks are the An-26s. These have no task-specific onboard sensors but are frequently fit…
