A Sukhoi Su-27 takes off from Starokostiantyniv Air Base, Ukraine. [File Photo: U.S. Air National Guard by Tech. Sgt. Charles Vaughn]
Key Takeaways:
The Ukrainian Air Force was established in March 1992, formed from Soviet aircraft inherited after the dissolution of the USSR.
It currently comprises 318 aircraft and approximately 200,000 personnel, with its headquarters in Vinnytsia.
The UAF has modernized its fleet, which now includes Ilyushin Il-76 and Antonov transports, MiG-29 and Sukhoi fighters, and Mil Mi-8 helicopters, totaling 69 fighters and 112 helicopters among other types.
The Ukrainian Air Force was created in March 1992 out of aircraft that were left behind when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 and pulled out of Poltava Air Base in central Ukraine.
The aircraft ranged from Soviet-built fighters such as the MiG-21, 25s and 27s, Sukhoi Su-15, 17 interceptors, and Tupolev Tu-160 bombers.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
