Aviation of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine is actively developing and modernizing
Today, the aviation of the State Border Guard Service performs tasks of air monitoring of the border, the territorial sea and the Ukrainian part of the waters.
In addition, it ensures the actions of the units of state border protection, the Maritime Guard forces to prevent the penetration into the territory of Ukraine of sabotage and intelligence groups, illegal armed formations and means of terrorism. Also, border aviation performs certain tasks in the areas adjacent to the PLO zone and the administrative border with the TOT AR Crimea and carries out transport (sanitary) transportation to ensure the actions of border units.
Currently, specialized patrol aircraft, medium transport helicopters, transport and sanitation helicopters, light helicopters and unmanned aircraft complexes are used in the use of DPSU aviation. In general, the border aviation consists of two separate air squadrons — Odessa and Kharkiv, as well as a number of units that perform tasks in the state border guards for air monitoring.
Increasing the number of modern manned and unmanned aircraft, preparing them for operation, including Airbus H125 light patrol helicopters, modernization of the existing fleet of aircraft equipment with optical-electronic systems, provision of separate basing units with aviation fuel refuelers and vehicles for maintenance groups - this is not the whole list tasks for the development of aviation of the State Border Guard Service in the near future.
Currently, in implementation of the Integrated Border Management Strategy for the period until 2025, the aviation fleet is actively updated with modern patrol aircraft. In particular, the implementation of the investment project in the framework of the implementation of the intergovernmental agreement with the French Republic (ratified by the Law of Ukraine of 07.06.2018 №2452-VIII), according to which two light patrol helicopters of Airbus H125 were already received in January 2020. By the end of 2021, it is planned to receive 10 more ships, and in the next —12 such helicopters.
For their self-service, the staff of the Service undergo appropriate training in France. To date, more than three dozen specialists have already been trained - pilots, technicians and avionics.
At the same time, since 2016, drones have been actively used in border protection. In recent years, the departmental regulatory framework on the organization of the use of UAVs has been developed and the Training Center for the use and operation of unmanned aircraft systems has been established on the basis of the Main Center for Training of Personnel of the State DPS. On the basis of this Center, personnel training is carried out on the organization and execution of UAV flights, personnel admission to flights, combat coordination and annual inspections, organization of certification and state registration of UAVs, technical operation of UAVs, etc.
In general, since the beginning of 2021, manned aviation of the State Border Service has patrolled 49.3 thousand km of the state border and surveyed 11.5 thousand km2 of rear areas and monitoring of 120 thousand km2 of territorial sea and B (m) EEZ. Also, 21 offenses were recorded, 17 places of probable takeoff/landing of the MLA were inspected. In addition, unmanned aircraft patrolled 37.8 thousand km of the state border and surveyed 1.4 thousand km2 of rear areas. With the help of UAVs/UAVs, 36 offenses were recorded.
