![Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29A (9-12A), Ukraine - Air Force AN1185894](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-29A_%289-12A%29%2C_Ukraine_-_Air_Force_AN1185894.jpg)
The Ukrainian Falcons (, ) were the
aerobatic demonstration team of the
Ukrainian Air Force
The Ukrainian Air Force ( uk, Пові́тряні си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни) is the air force of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Its headquarters are in the city of Vinnytsia. W ...
. It was established in 1995 as a team of 6
MiG-29 aircraft (5 MiG-29 9-13s and 1 MiG-29UB) and disbanded in 2002.
Beginnings
Tens of
airshows
An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited.
They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground.
The largest air show ...
were flown by the team over their existence. These included "The Ukrainian Tridents Tour" in 1992 which had stops in both Canada and the United States. With the team in its infancy, this tour was flown by only 2 MiG-29s and they were known as the "UkrAF MiG-29 Demonstration Team" at the time. Following the London, Ontario show, an aviation magazine titled their article "Tridents on Tour", stemming from the trident symbol in the Ukrainian Air Force emblem. The team then kept "Ukrainian Tridents" as their unofficial name. A Ukrainian delegation, which included Colonel V. Rososhansky, accompanied the team on tour. Upon seeing displays by the
Thunderbirds, the
Blue Angels
The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy. , and the
Snowbirds
The Snowbirds, officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (french: 431e Escadron de démonstration aérienne, links=no), are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The team is based at 15 Wing ...
, Colonel Rososhansky decided to create a similar team, and in late 1995 the Ukrainian Falcons were born.
Climax
The Ukrainian Falcons represented the elite of the Ukrainian Air Force's
fighter pilots. This team was commanded by Colonel Rososhansky (Test Pilot First Class). Other members of the team were Colonels Korolyov and Dudkin, Lieutenant Colonels Kovolyov and Vecherinsky, Majors Sotnikov, Ovchinnikov, and Lieutenant Colonel Nickolay Mekhed. The Falcons were based at the Kirovs’ke Air Base (
Kirovs’ke raion,
Eastern Crimea).
Their international debut as the Ukrainian Falcons was made in 1997 at the Royal International Air Tattoo at
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Fairford in the United Kingdom. The team would fly together for the last time on October 5, 2001.
Ukrainian Falcons member Lt. Col. Volodymyr Toponar was the chief pilot of the
Sukhoi Su-27 that crashed during the
Sknyliv airshow disaster in 2002 (survived with injuries). He was found guilty of causing the crash and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Later in 2002, the Ukrainian Falcons were disbanded after Colonel Rososhansky retired from Air Force. The main reasons for the team's demise include the airshow disaster as well as a poor supply of fuel and spare parts from Ukrainian authorities for regular training flights.
Remains
It was suggested by Ukrainian President
Victor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( uk, Віктор Андрійович Ющенко, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010.
As an informal leader of th ...
in 2008 that the team be reformed, and they were in 2011. However, they never flew as an aerobatic team and were again disbanded.
During the initial days of the
War in Donbas
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
in April 2014, a MiG-29 belonging to the team was spotted armed with a full
air-to-air load and performing a low altitude flyby over the Donetsk region.
In June 2022, a MiG-29 was seen on video armed with missiles and parked on a runway. With differences from the originals, including in the
livery, it is suspected that this aircraft was a Falcons plane, pulled from storage and fixed up with
foreign-supplied parts as part of the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...
.
On 13 October 2022, a MiG-29 wearing a livery similar to the Ukrainian Falcons aircraft was lost on a combat mission in
Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast ( uk, Ві́нницька о́бласть, translit=Vinnytska oblast; ; also referred to as Vinnychchyna — uk, Ві́нниччина) is an oblast of western and southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsia. ...
while intercepting Iranian
Shahed 136
The HESA Shahed 136 ( fa, شاهد ۱۳۶, literally "Witness-136"), or Geran-2 in Russian service, is an Iranian loitering munition in the form of an autonomous pusher-prop drone. It is designed and manufactured by Shahed Aviation Industries ...
drones used by Russian forces.
References
{{Modern aerobatic teams
Ukrainian Air Force
Aerobatic teams
Ukrainian military organizations