The 12th Army Aviation Brigade is an army aviation formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The brigade is directly subordinated to the Ukrainian Ground Forces command.[2]
The brigade was formed as 340th Separate Combat-Transport Helicopter Breslavlsk Regiment. From August 21, 1968 to June 1991 the Regiment was stationed in Czechoslovakia.[3]After 1992 the Regiment was redesignated to be 7th Separate Breslavlsk Army Aviation Regiment.[4] In 2016 it became the 12th Army Aviation Brigade.
The brigade was first formed in April 1943 as the 340th Long-Range Aviation Regiment. On 26 December 1944 it became a bomber aviation regiment. On 27 April 1946 it became a transport aviation regiment. On 12 October 1955 it became a military-transport aviation regiment. It was converted to a separate helicopter regiment on 17 November 1959.[5]
The regiment's honorific "Breslau (Breslavlsk)" was removed on 18 November 2015 as part of an Armed Forces-wide removal of Soviet awards and honorifics.[6]
It became the 12th Army Aviation Brigade in 2016.[7]
Since November 2007, 300 members of the Regiment are deployed to Liberia, supporting the United Nations Mission in Liberia, as part of the 56th Separate Helicopter Unit.[8][9][needs update]
During the 1970s the Regiment included 4 Squadron's with a total of 55-60 helicopters.
In 2004 the Brigade consisted of 2 Squadron's flying Mi-24, Mi-26 and Mi-8 helicopters.
2nd Squadron is intended to carry out missions under UN and NATO command.
Equipment in 2004[10]
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