Vladimir Trendafilovski provides an update on the status of the Ukrainian Navy’s single aviation unit – the 10th Naval Aviation Brigade at Kul’bakino air base near Mykolayiv – which has recently received new rotary and fixed-wing equipment.
Ukraine’s sole naval aviation unit, the U 10 mors’ka aviatsiyna brihada (10 mabr, 10th Naval Aviation Brigade) at Kul’bakino air base near Mykolayiv (see Crimea’s Unsung Heroes, September 2015, p76), has received new equipment in the form of two Mi-8MSB-V helicopters.
Originally completed as Mi-8T models, the two Hips were modernised at the Motor Sich plant at Zaporizhzhya in southeastern Ukraine. In addition to multiple avionics updates (including Garmin satnav equipment) aimed at bringing them fully up to date, the helicopters have been upgraded with two new TV3-117VMASBM1V (series 4E) engines, each with a takeoff power of 1,500hp (1,119kW). Their weapons load and equipment inventory are identical to that of the newer Mi-8MT series, and battlefield survivability has been improved with the fitting of additional armour plating, a KT-01AV infrared surface-to-air missile (SAM) jammer, an ASh-01V exhaust gas diffusion system and a pair of KUV 26-50-02 chaff/flare dispensers.
