456th Transport Aviation Brigade (Ukraine)

The 456th Transport Aviation Brigade named after Dmytro Maiboroda (456 BrTrA, military unit A1231) is an aviation unit of the Ukrainian Air Force. The brigade is composed of An-26 military transport aircraft and Mi-8 helicopters. It is stationed at Havryshivka Air Base, Vinnytsia Region. Structurally, it belongs to the Center Air Command.

The brigade took part in the War in Donbas, in particular, delivering supplies by air to units of the Ukrainian Ground Forces fighting on the Russian-Ukrainian border in July 2014.

The brigade is named after Dmytro Maiboroda, an An-26 aircraft commander who died during the war in eastern Ukraine, and received the honor of Hero of Ukraine.

History
In September 1991, the 177th Separate Guards Transport Aviation Squadron of the Soviet Air Force was reorganized as the 456th Separate Guards Aviation Regiment (456 OSAP, military unit 45076). The regiment took an oath of loyalty to the people of Ukraine at the beginning of 1992.

In 1996, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kuzmuk, tested the Il-22 air command post, which was in the combat formation of the regiment.

In October 2003, an aviation transport brigade was created, and in 2007, the unit received its current name.

At the beginning of 2008, as part of the implementation of the "Program for the Development of the Medical Support System of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the Period Until 2011", the formation of a mixed aviation and transport unit of medical aviation was completed as part of the brigade. It includes a search and rescue and medical transport aviation unit (4 An-26 aircraft) and two helicopter medical and transport units (6 Mi-8 helicopters).

On December 6, 2010, the unit received a new battle flag.

War in Donbas
On July 14, 2014, an An-26 transport aircraft of the brigade with flight number 19 was shot down in the Luhansk region near the Russian-Ukrainian border at an altitude of 6,500 meters. Two crew members — Lt. Col. Dmytro Maiboroda and Assistant Commander Lt. Col. Dmytro Shkarbun died.

At the beginning of January 2020, the 35th Mixed Aviation Squadron was formed as part of the brigade, which is operationally subordinate to the command of the Special Operations Forces. 80% of the squadron is composed of servicemen of the 456th Brigade. It is planned to have three types of aviation equipment in service - Mi-2 and Mi-8 helicopters, An-26 aircraft, and later Mi-24 combat helicopters.

Flight Crew
On December 3, 2016, at the Havryshivka military airfield, an An-26 aircraft named after the Hero of Ukraine Dmytro Maiboroda (b/n 35 "blue") was ceremoniously handed over to the brigade.

On December 1, 2018, the brigade received a repaired Mi-8MT.

On May 13, 2019, the 410th Civil Aviation Plant handed over a refurbished An-26 military transport aircraft to the brigade.

Structure

 * Management (including headquarters)
 * Transport aviation squadron (An-24/-26)
 * Helicopter squadron (Mi-8, Mi-9)
 * Airfield maintenance battalion
 * Battalion of communications and radio technical support
 * Technical and operational part of aviation and automotive equipment:
 * Regulation and repair of airplanes and helicopters
 * Aviation engine regulation and repair group
 * Guard company
 * Fire brigade
 * Medical center

Commanders

 * Colonel Oleg Ivanovich Nechiporuk (2010 – 2019)
 * Colonel Andriy Viktorovych Sidash (since 2019)

Traditions
On August 22, 2019, the President of Ukraine awarded the brigade an honorary name: "in the name of Dmytro Maiboroda".

Symbols
At the end of October 2019, the 456th Brigade received a new emblem. The arm badge is made in the colors of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The sign is made in the form of a heraldic shield with a light gray edging. The central element is the image of the silver winged horse Pegasus.

Equipment
At the same time, a unique Il-22 air command post (factory number 2964017104, aircraft number 75918) was stored in the brigade) Released in 1984. In total, since 1992, this IL-22 spent only 3 hours in the air. The issue of allocating funds for the restoration of this aircraft was repeatedly raised. However, due to the limited funding of the army and military aviation in particular, the funds were never allocated. In 2014, the company Ukrspecexport sold it to the Odesa private company Intertrans.

As of 2015, the brigade possesses the An-12, An-24, An-26.

Losses

 * Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Oleksandrovych Maiboroda, July 14, 2014
 * Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Pavlovich Shkarbun, July 14, 2014
 * Ensign Maksym Serhiyovych Kernychny, June 29, 2017

Links

 * Максим Хорошунов, Від Сохондо до Гавришівки (дзеркало ) // Народна армія, 21 June 2011
 * 456-та бригада транспортної авіації // Книга пам'яті
 * Військові частини Повітряних Сил // Ukrainian Military Pages