Page 38 - AirForces Monthly - Issue 381 (December 2019)

Exercise
Report

The SV brought four Mi-8MT
transport helicopters, (‘130, 133,
140 and 144 Red’) of the 11 okrema
brihada Armiys’koyi Aviatsiyi
(obrAA, independent army aviation
brigade) at Chornobayivka near
Kherson. Three of these were
usually detached at Chabanka
and one was at Ochakiv.
DPSU assets comprised two
aerial surveillance/maritime patrol Above: The last US transport to arrive at Odessa IAP as part of Sea Breeze 2019 was this C-130J-30 Hercules of the
37th Airlift Squadron/86th Airlift Wing from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Serial 07-8608 ‘RS’ (c/n 382-5622) wears
aircraft and one helicopter – special ‘invasion stripes’ applied for its appearance at the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Normandy in
DA40 NG (‘32 Blue’), DA42 MPP June. Right: The pair of Mi-14PLs – ‘36 Yellow’ (c/n 78495) and ‘35 Yellow (c/n 78494) of the 10 mabr – demonstrate an
Guardian (‘22 Blue’) and Mi-8MT ASW mission at the air component media day at Kul’bakino.
(‘06 Blue’) – all from Odessa’s some of the other aircraft and the land component to use the were all evacuated by the Mi-14PS.
okrema aviatsiyna eskadrylya (oae, helicopters involved in the exercise FRIES or for parachute jumps. In the following few days the
independent aviation squadron) were also temporarily detached Nonetheless, as early as July 1 Mi-14PS operated from Shkil’nyy,
stationed at Shkil’nyy. The DA40 and operated from Shkil’nyy, the air component had its first deploying VMS and DPSU
NG and DA42 MPP patrolled the including those of the SV and VMS. major ‘solo’ training, when the two divers from their various SOF
exercise area and tracked the ships The US, as a co-host, provided An-26s of 10 mabr parachuted units off the port of Odessa.
taking part, while also watching two direct exercise participants: a the servicemen of the unit’s The divers were from anti-
out for any possible intruders. pair of P-8A maritime patrol and Ryatuval’na Parashutno-Desantna diversionary units, including
Finally, the NGU supplied two reconnaissance aircraft, both from Grupa (RPDG, airborne rescue the local 801st Independent
more Mi-8MTs (‘14 and 24 Yellow’) US Navy Patrol Squadron 9 (VP- group) into a coastal zone of Anti-diversionary Detachment
from the Hvardiys’ka Aviatsiyna 9) ‘Golden Eagles’ at Naval Air the Mykolayiv region, in an area (801 ozbPDSZ) of the VMS.
Baza (Hv AB, Guards air base) at Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, where action by hostile forces was A media day for the naval
Oleksandriya, detached to Shkil’nyy Washington. These had been highly probable. They successfully component took place in the port
for the duration of Sea Breeze. temporarily detached since April located and recovered a group of Odessa on July 5. As part of
Generally, all the Mi-8MTs – with to NAS Sigonella in Sicily, Italy, in of casualties, organised first aid the event, the 801 ozbPDSZ ship
the exception of the DPSU’s (‘06 support of Sixth Fleet operations. treatment for them and set up boarding party demonstrated a
Blue’), which was tasked with VIP perimeter defence. Meanwhile, visit, board, search and seizure
transport – were used on transport, Notable events they called in the Mi-14PS, which (VBSS) mission, raiding the
paradropping and CAS tasks and The first week was spent on arrived in the area and began VMS flagship – the Het’man
were usually equipped with the interoperability training (so-called circling their position on the Sahaydachnyy (F130), a ‘Krivak III’-
Adapter-M1 fast rope insertion and ‘basic skills training activities’) and lookout for enemy forces on class frigate – which took up the
extraction system (FRIES), or its the air component – most notably sea and on land. As soon as the role of a civilian ship taken over
later Kanat-1 variant. In addition to its NGU and SV Mi-8MTs – was RPDG servicemen had treated the by hostile elements. Using two
the five NGU and DPSU aircraft, predominantly involved in training casualties and stabilised them, they rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB),

Three Mi-8MTs of the 11 obrAA –
‘133 Red’ (in front), ‘144 Red’ (centre)
and ‘140 Red’ (c/n 94563) – deploy
Moldovan and Ukrainian servicemen
using their FRIES during the final

Sea Breeze 2019 event, the ground
component media day at Chabanka
on July 11. US Navy/MC3 T Logan Keown

38 // December 2019 #381 www.Key.Aero

36-40 SeaBreeze AFM Dec2019.indd 38 11/11/2019 12:36:54