Armoured Forces (Ukraine)

Armoured Troops ( uk, Танкові війська, translit=Tankovi viys’ka) are the corps in the Ukrainian Ground Forces, the main striking force of ground troops. They are used primarily in conjunction with mechanized forces in key areas and perform the following tasks:

* in defense - support of mechanized troops in repelling the enemy attack and developing counterattacks;
* in the attack - the application of powerful strokes to dissect enemy lines in greater depth, development of success, and defeat the enemy in counter-battles and battles.

Duties and tasks

The basis of the Armoured Forces are the armored brigades and armored battalions of the infantry brigades (mechanized, light infantry, rifle infantry and mountain), which have great resistance to the striking factors of both conventional and nuclear weapons, firepower, high mobility and maneuverability. They are able to make the most complete use of the results of fire (nuclear) damage to the enemy and in a short time to achieve the final goals of combat operations in wartime.

The combat capabilities of the armored brigades in wartime operations allow them to conduct active combat operations either in day and/or night scenarios, at a considerable distance from other troops, to crush the enemy in counter-attacks and battles, to overcome large areas of radioactive contamination on the move, crossing water obstacles, and also to quickly create a strong defense and successfully resist the onslaught of overwhelming enemy forces.

Lineage of the Ukrainian Armored Forces

Of those 3 former armoured divisions that entered the Ukrainian Ground Forces in 1991-92 from the Soviet Army, only one, the 17th, retained its armoured role into most of the 21st century when it was reflagged as a brigade. The brigade carried with it battle honours won in the Second World War, which would be removed in the 2010s after Euromaidan.

In 1997, on the basis of an armored regiment of what is now the 72nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade, the 1st Tank Brigade was raised. These two brigades were the armored fist the nation had for so many years till 2014 and the War in Donbass, in which the armored force was increased in strength and numbers with the raising of new brigades.

Organization of the Ukrainian armoured division until the 2000s

* Division HQ and HQ Company
* 3x Armoured Brigades/Regiments
* Mechanized Infantry Brigade/Regiment
* Field Artillery Regiment
* Anti-Air Defense Artillery Battalion
* Mortar Battery
* Combat Engineer Regiment/Battalion
* Signals Battalion
* Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
* Logistics Regiment
* CBRN Company
* Radar Company

Brigade Organization

Armored Brigades in Ukrainian service under the UGF are designed to provide heavy support to mechanized infantry brigades during offensive and defensive operations or on their own accord depending on the circumstances. Unlike the mechanized infantry brigades, armored brigades do not have a motorized infantry battalion attached. The armored brigades are organized identically into three armored battalions and one mechanized infantry battalion. Due to brigades being designed for independent operations they have a complete set of organic supporting units including a complete artillery regiment, an anti-tank battalion, an anti-aircraft battalion, a sniper company, a recon company, an engineer battalion, material repair battalion, logistics battalion, electronic warfare company, radar company, NBC defense company, signals company, medical company, a commandant's platoon and a brigade military band under HQ.

Since the start of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine the size and composition of Ukraine's armored brigades have changed dramatically to include both more men as the Ukrainian Armed Forces mobilize but also to include the different kinds of weapons and equipment being supplied by Ukraine's Western backers.

Tank Battalion (x3)

* Headquarters and Headquarters Company
* Tank Company (x3)
* Recon Platoon
* Anti Aircraft Platoon
* Engineer Platoon
* Medical Section
* Combat Service Support Company
** Technical Support Platoon
** Material Support Platoon

Before the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine the UGF's then two armored brigades were equipped with either T-64BV tanks, T-64BV mod 2017, or T-80BV tanks. After the invasion Ukraine was able to capture and repurpose large numbers of Russian tanks such as T-72B3M mod 2017, T-72B3, T-72B, T-80BVM, T-80, and T-90M. Western nations have also pledged large numbers of tanks from their own stocks such as their own vintage T-72 models, PT-91 Twardy tanks from Poland, M-84 MBTs from Croatia and more recently Challenger 2 tanks from Britain, Leopard 2 and Leopard 1 tanks from multiple European countries, and the M1A1 Abrams from the United States. These new additions have bolstered the armored fighting force.

Mechanized Infantry Battalion

* Headquarters and Headquarters Company
* Infantry Company (x3)
* Mortar Battery (6x 120mm)
* Grenade Platoon (6x AGS-17)
* Recon Platoon
* Air Defense Platoon (9x Igla MANPAD)
* Engineer and Sapper Platoon
* Signals Platoon
* Battalion Medical Center
* Supply Company
** Technical Support Platoon
** Material Support Platoon

Tank brigade mechanized infantry battalions have traditionally been organized around the BMP-1 IFV systems and its variants, as well as the BMP-2. The same modernization and Westernization efforts following the 2022 Russian invasion have also affected these battalions.

Brigade Field Artillery Regiment

* HQ and Target Acquisition Battery
* Recon Battery
* SPG Battalion (2x 2S1 Gvozdika)
* Rocket Artillery Battalion ( BM-21 Grad)

Anti Tank Battalion
* Headquarters and HQ Battery
* 3x Anti-Tank Artillery Batteries

Anti Aircraft Defense Battalion
* Headquarters and HQ Battery

Sniper Company

Recon Company

Combat Engineer Battalion

Maintenance Battalion

Logistics Battalion

Electronic Warfare Company

Radar Company

CBRN Defense Company

Signals Company

Medical Company

Commandants Platoon

Brigade Band

Units 2023

* 1st Tank Brigade, Honcharivske,Brigade in Honcharivske receives new tanks
Chernihiv Oblast
* 3rd Tank Brigade, formed 2016
* 4th Tank Brigade, formed 2017
* 5th Tank Brigade, formed 2016
* 17th Tank Brigade, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
* 12th Tank Battalion, Honcharivske, Chernihiv Oblast
* 14th Tank Brigade, formed 2015 (inactive)

Disbanded Formations

*17th Guards Tank DivisionLenskiy reformed as 17th Tank Brigade in 2003
* 23rd Training Tank Division, disbanded and the 6065th Storage Base since 1987Feskov, p.106
* 30th Guards Tank Division reformed first as 30th Tank Brigade and then reformed as 30th Mechanised Brigade in 2004
* 41st Guards Tank Division, disbanded and the 5193rd Storage Base since 1989
*42nd Guards Tank Division, disbanded and the 5359th Storage Base since 1990
* 48th Guards Tank Training Division, reformed as 169th District Training Centre
* 117th Guards Tank Division, reformed as 119th District Training Centre

Equipment

* M55S, T-62, T-64, T-72, PT-91 Twardy, T-80, T-84, Challenger 2, Leopard 1, Leopard 2, M1 Abrams, T-90, M-84 main battle tanks in armored battalions
* AMX-10 RC wheeled light tanks/armored reconnaissance vehicles in armored battalions
* FV101 Scorpion tracked light tanks/armored reconnaissance vehicles in armored battalions and reconnaissance battalions
* BMP-1, BMP-2, BVP M-80, AIFV, M2 Bradley and Marder IFV tracked infantry fighting vehicles in tracked mechanized infantry battalions
* BTR-3, BTR-4, KTO Rosomak IFV wheeled infantry fighting vehicles in wheeled mechanized infantry battalions
* BTR-60, BTR-70, BTR-80, VAB, M1117, TAB-71M, Patria Pasi wheeled armored personnel carriers in wheeled mechanized infantry battalions
* MT-LB, GT-MU, M113, FV432, FV105 Sultan, FV430 Bulldog tracked armored personnel carriers in tracked mechanized infantry battalions
* BRDM-2, Fennek armored scout cars, some on tank destroyer configuration
* MT-LB-12 (TD) tracked tank destroyers

References

Additional reading

* Feskov – V.I. Feskov, K.A. Kalashnikov, V.I. Golikov, ''The Soviet Army in the Years of the Cold War 1945–91'', Tomsk University Publishing House, Tomsk, 2004
* Lenskiy – А. Г. Ленский, Сухопутные силы РККА в предвоенные годы. Справочник. — Санкт-Петербург Б&К, 2000

{{Armed Forces of Ukraine

Army units and formations of Ukraine