7th Tactical Aviation Brigade (Ukraine)

The 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade "Petro Franko" is a formation of the Ukrainian Air Force.

7th Tactical Aviation Brigade
7-ма авіаційна бомбардувальна бригада[1]
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Active1951 – present
Country Ukraine
Branch Ukrainian Air Force
TypeBrigade
RoleBomber and Reconnaissance
Part ofAir Command West
Garrison/HQStarokostiantyniv, Khmelnytskyi Oblast[2][3][4]
Decorations
For Courage and Bravery
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel Serhiy Blyzniuk[4]
Aircraft flown
BomberSu-24M[4]
ReconnaissanceSu-24MR[4]
TrainerL-39M1

History
Planes of the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade
Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24M at Starokonstantinov

The 7th Bomber Aviation Regiment was formed in 1951. In January 1992 the regiment took the oath of loyalty to the Ukrainian people.

On October 2005 the former 32 Independent Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron at Kolminyya joined the brigade as its reconnaissance aviation squadron.[5]

In 2005–2006 the Brigade became first Air Force formation to be composed of professional soldiers and not conscripts.[6]

In August 2019 Su-24M took part in the international air show “Gdynia Aerobaltik 2019” in Poland. The Ukrainian Su-24 bomber has become a participant of the international air show for the first time.[7]

In December 2019 Su-24M from the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade have completed testing air-to-air docking of the retractable refueling probe for the first time in 20 years. The first flight was successfully performed without refueling.[8]

Components
  • Two bomber squadron
  • One reconnaissance squadron

Aircraft

On March 2019, the International Institute for Strategic Studies reported that Ukraine fielded 14 Su-24 attack aircraft and 9 Su-24 MR reconnaissance aircraft on operational status.[9]

Tail Number[10] Type Status Note
White 02 Su-24M Operational Repaired from 2014 damage.
White 06 Su-24M Operational
White 08 Su-24M Operational
White 12 Su-24M Crashed - 6 May 2022.[11]
White 18 Su-24M Operational
White 20 Su-24M Shot down - 24 March 2022 over Hostomel. Major Dmytro Kulykov and Major Mykola Savchuk, died.[10][12]
White 21 Su-24M Operational
White 22 Su-24M Operational
White 26 Su-24M Shot down - 9 March 2022 over Lebedyn Sumy Oblast.[13]
White 28 Su-24M Operational
White 41 Su-24M Operational
White 44 Su-24M Operational
White 45 Su-24M Operational
White 46 Su-24M Operational
White 49 Su-24M Shot down - 22 March 2022 in Izyum, Donestk region.[14][15][16]
White 66 Su-24M Operational
White 77 Su-24M Shot down - 27 February 2022 in Bucha, Kyiv region.[17][18]
White 84 Su-24MR Shot down - 26 June at Snake Island. Colonel Mikhail Matyushenko died, navigator Major Yuri Krasilnikov still missing.[19] [20][21][22]
Yellow 11 Su-24MR Operational Repaired from 2014 damage.
Yellow 16 Su-24MR Operational
Yellow 17 Su-24MR Operational
Yellow 35 Su-24MR Operational
Yellow 36 Su-24MR Operational
Yellow 54 Su-24MR Operational
Yellow 59 Su-24MR Shot down - 12 October 2022 in Poltava region.[23][24][25]
Yellow 60 Su-24MR Operational
Yellow 93 Su-24MR Operational

Another eleven unidentified Su-24M/MRs were reported lost or damaged during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine:

On 24 February 2022, a Ukrainian Su-24 was lost in Poltava. Both pilots survived.[26]

On 1 March 2022, a Su-24M from the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade was shot down near the village of Krasenyvka, Zolotoni, Cherkasy Oblast. The pilots, were wounded but survived.[27]

On 2 March 2022, a Su-24 was shot down near Novohrad-Volynskyi; the pilot, Colonel Mykola Kovalenko, and navigator, Captain Yevhen Kazimirov, died.[28]

On 12 March 2022, a Su-24 was shot down by Russian forces near Bilyaivka village, Beryslav Raion, Kherson Oblast. The pilots, Valeriy Oshkalo and Roman Chekhun, died.[29]

On 21 March 2022, a Su-24 piloted by Viacheslav Khodakivskyi was lost near Pokrovsky district, Zaporizhya, Ukraine. The pilot died.[30]

On 30 March 2022 a Ukrainian Su-24 bomber was shot down in Kirovohrad, Kropyvnytskyi region. The crew from 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade, Maksym Sikalenko, and navigator Kostiantin Horodnychev, were reported dead.[31] The same day another Su-24 was recorded damaged with a trail of smoke in Rivne, western Ukraine on social media.[32]

On 3 April, 2022 a Ukrainian Su-24 bomber was reported destroyed in Ukraine. Footage of the crash site showed the wreck of an AL-21 engine, used in the Su-24.[33]

On 19 May 2022 a Su-24 from the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade was lost near Pylove. The pilots, Lt. Colonel Ihor Khmara and navigator Mayor Illia Nehar, died.[34][35]

On 29 September 2022 a Ukrainian Su-24 was hit by Russian surface-to-air missile in Kherson Oblast. The aircraft was recorded on video with one of its engines on fire before it crashed. The pilots managed to eject.[36][37]

On 1 March 2023, a Ukrainian Su-24M was shot down near Bakhmut. Both crewmembers, lieutenant colonel Viktor Volynets and senior lieutenant Solomennikov, were killed.[38][39]

References
  1. :: Архів газети :: Україна і світ сьогодні
  2. Вооруженные силы Украины
  3. force _sng Archived January 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Новини Управління Прес-служби МО
  5. Air Forces Monthly, July 2015.
  6. Government of Ukraine, "Військо України" Archived 2007-11-10 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "У Франківськ з авіашоу в Польщі повернулися українські пілоти" (in Ukrainian). 19 August 2022.
  8. "Ukrainian Air Force aircraft refuel in air for the first time in 20 years (VIDEO)". 9 December 2019.
  9. Ponomarenko, Illia (15 March 2019). "Ukraine's Air Force rebuilds amidst war". Kyiv Post. Kyiv, Ukraine. Retrieved 3 September 2019. These include approximately 37 MiG‑29 and 34 Su‑27 fighters, 14 Su‑24M attack aircraft, 31 Su‑25 close air support aircraft, nine Su‑24MR and three Antonov An‑30 reconnaissance aircraft, 32 L‑39 training planes, and five Ilyushin Il‑76 and three An‑26 military transport aircraft.
  10. "Украинские Су-24 в войне — последний парад?" (in Russian). 25 May 2022.
  11. "Справа N 487/1427/22 Провадження N 1-кс/487/1227/22". Заводського районного суду міста Миколаєва (in Ukrainian).
  12. "Незламні екіпажі: вони відчайдушно прагнули неба, а на землі залишили усю свою любов…". Starkon City (in Ukrainian). 10 October 2022.
  13. "Провадження N 1-кс/950/401/23 ЛЕБЕДИНСЬКИЙ РАЙОННИЙ СУД СУМСЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТІ". Ukrainian Tribunal (in Ukrainian). 9 April 2023.
  14. "ASN Occurrence # 277408". Aviation Safety Network. 10 April 2022.
  15. ""Він дуже любив небо": історія загиблого в Ізюмі льотчика зі Старокостянтинова" (in Ukrainian). 25 September 2022.
  16. "Незламні екіпажі : "І я на небі… бо все своє життя віддав служінню вільному українському народу!"" (in Ukrainian). 16 November 2022.
  17. "ASN Occurrence # 275864". Aviation Safety Network. 18 April 2022.
  18. "Незламні екіпажі: "Мій тато у небі, він бомбить русню!"". Starkon City (in Ukrainian). 20 October 2022.
  19. "Незламні екіпажі: "Я піду воювати, а молодих потрібно берегти"". Starkon City (in Ukrainian). 7 December 2022.
  20. "In Bucha, they will say goodbye to Colonel Matyushenko, who led the "Ghosts of Kyiv"" (in Ukrainian). 2 October 2022.
  21. "У повітряному бою загинув льотчик-герой, полковник ЗСУ "Дід". Він керував бригадою "Привид Києва"" (in Ukrainian). 2 October 2022.
  22. "Старокостянтинівський районний суд Хмельницької області" (in Ukrainian). 15 July 2022.
  23. "На Полтавщині за два дні впали два українські літаки голова ОВА. ОНОВЛЕНО". Novynarnia. 13 October 2022.
  24. "В Полтавской области упали два украинских самолета: детали" (in Ukrainian). 13 October 2022.
  25. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 296116". aviation-safety.net. 12 October 2022.
  26. "Aviation Safey # 279531". Aviation Safety Network. 23 June 2022.
  27. "Resolution dated August 16, 2023 No. 712/8639/23 of the Sosniv District Court of Cherkassy". Sosniv District Court of Cherkassy (in Ukrainian). 16 August 2023.
  28. "Незламні екіпажі: "Цього ніколи не мало статися, бо у них завжди був план "Б"". Starkon City (in Ukrainian). 27 October 2022.
  29. "Незламні екіпажі: "Хлопці марили небом, і от вони там!" (in Ukrainian). 3 November 2022.
  30. "Незламні екіпажі: "До останньої хвилини і секунди він тримав нашого птаха у небі!"" (in Ukrainian). 10 November 2022.
  31. ""Тато, це ж не правда, такі не гинуть! Тато, ти ж прийдеш?"" (in Ukrainian). 24 November 2022.
  32. Axe, David (7 April 2022). "Where Are Ukraine's Bombers?". Forbes. There however is evidence the Ukrainians have lost at least one Su-24. On March 30, a video circulated on social media apparently depicting a Ukrainian bomber trailing smoke over Rivne in western Ukraine, purportedly after a Russian fighter intercepted it. At least one of those claimed kills appears to be valid.
  33. Axe, David (7 April 2022). "Where Are Ukraine's Bombers?". Forbes. There however is evidence the Ukrainians have lost at least one Su-24. On March 30, a video circulated on social media apparently depicting a Ukrainian bomber trailing smoke over Rivne in western Ukraine, purportedly after a Russian fighter intercepted it. At least one of those claimed kills appears to be valid. On or before April 3, someone shot a video depicting the crash site of an apparent Ukrainian Su-24. Its blue camouflage pattern is visible, as are the remains of one of its AL-21 engines
  34. "У Вінниці попрощалися з льотчиками, які віддали життя за Україну: на їхню честь у небо піднялися винищувачі". Oboz Revatel (in Ukrainian). 23 May 2022.
  35. "У Вінниці з почестями провели екіпаж бомбардувальника Су-24М (Фото)" (in Ukrainian). 23 May 2022.
  36. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 284002". aviation-safety.net. 29 September 2022.
  37. "Украинский Су-24 сбит при попытке выйти из-под ракетного обстрела" (in Russian). 29 September 2022.
  38. "The Russian Armed Forces Destroyed The Su-24 Bomber Of The Ukrainian Air Force In The Kherson Region". 2 March 2023.
  39. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 308882". aviation-safety.net. 1 March 2023.
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