17th Air Army

The 17th Air Army (17-я воздушная армия) was an Air army of the Red Air Force and Soviet Air Forces from 1942.

Formation and Great Patriotic War Service
It was formed in October (Bonn et al.: November) 1942 on the basis of the Air Forces of the Southwestern Front. Bonn et al. say that it included a mixed air corps, two fighter, one ground-attack, one bomber, and one night bomber division. It immediately took part in the Battle of Stalingrad. On 19 November 1942 during the battle of Stalingrad it was under the command of General Major Stepan Krasovsky. On 1 April 1943, as part of the Southwestern Front, it comprised the 3rd Mixed Air Corps (207 иад, 290 шад), 7 сак (202 бад, 235 иад), 9 сак (305, 306 шад, 295 иад), 244 бад, 262 нбад, 39, 132 бап, 208, 637 шап, 282 сап, 371 трап, 10, 50 раэ, 34th корректировочная авиационная эскадрилья (каэ). From March 1943 until the end of the war Vladimir Sudets (ru:Судец, Владимир Александрович) commanded the 17th Air Army. From 1943-45 it participated in the Ostrogozhsk-Rossosh, Left and Right Bank Ukraine operations, and the capture of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Austria. Over 200,000 sorties were flown.

Post War Reorganization
On 1 May 1945 the army consisted of the 1614, 1615, 1654, 1676, 1975 зенап and the 10 Assault Aviation Corps (136, 306 Assault Aviation Division), 244 Bomber Aviation Division, 189 Assault Aviation Division, 194, 288, 295 Fighter Aviation Division, 262 Night Bomber Aviation Division, 39 Independent Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment, 96 Independent Artillery Correction Regiment, 227 Transport Aviation Regiment, 3 санап, 282 Aviation Communications Regiment.

39th Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment was transferred to Samarkand and the 6th Air Army in 1947.

Air Force Colonel General Goryunov was commanding 17th Air Army as at 30 November 1947.

In February 1949 it was redesignated the 69th Air Army. In April 1964 the 69th Air Army became the Air Forces of the Kiev Military District. In April 1968 the Air Forces of the Kiev Military District became the 69th Air Army once more. In April 1972 the 69th Air Army was redesignated the 17th Air Army. In July (июне) 1980 the 17th Air Army became the Air Forces of the Kiev Military District. In May 1988 the Air Forces of the Kiev Military District became the 17th Air Army.

In 1992 the air army became part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; by 1996 it appears to have been dissolved.

Order of battle 1970
Organisation 1970:


 * 138th Fighter Aviation Division (Mirgorod, Mirgorod Oblast)
 * 255th independent Mixed Aviation Squadron (Borispol, Kiev Oblast)
 * 135th independent Communications Regiment (Kiev, Kiev Oblast)
 * Chernigov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (ChVVAUL) (Chernigov, Chernigov Oblast)
 * Kharkov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (KhVVAUL) (Kharkov-Chuguev, Kharkov Oblast)
 * Voroshilovgrad Higher Military Aviation School of Navigators (VVVAUSh) (Voroshilovgrad (Lugansk), Voroshilovgrad Oblast)

April 1972 renamed 17th Air Army.

The 138th Fighter Aviation Division joined the 24th Air Army VGK in 1980.

Order of battle late 1980s
In the late 1980s its headquarters was at Kiev. This order of battle is a composite; aircraft numbers are from Vad777 and virtually all other information is from Michael Holm, with some material from Feskov et al.
 * 255th Independent Composite Aviation Squadron (Borispol/Борисполь, под Киевом): кроме транспортных самолетов - 7 Mil Mi-8, 2 Mi-6
 * 228-я отдельная вертолетная эскадрилья РЭБ (Борисполь, под Киевом): 15 Ми-8
 * 135th Independent Signals Regiment (Kiev (city))

Lugansk Higher Military Aviation School of Navigators (Луганское ВВАУШ)
 * 46th Training Aviation Regiment (Voroshilovgrad (Lugansk), Voroshilovgrad Oblast) with An-26
 * 130th Training Aviation Regiment (Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast) with An-12BK
 * 228th Training Aviation Regiment (Bagerovo, Krymskaya Oblast): 36 МиГ-21; 20 Л-29
 * 286th UAP (Feskov et al.); not listed by Holm.

Kharkhov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Харьковское ВВАУЛ)
 * 443rd Training Aviation Regiment (Velikaya Krucha, Poltava Oblast): 101 Л-39
 * 809th Training Aviation Regiment (Akhtyrka, Sumy Oblast); 102 Л-39
 * 810th Training Aviation Regiment (Chuguev, Kharkov Oblast): 103 МиГ-21
 * 812th Aviation Regiment (Kupyansk (Kurlovka), Kharkov Oblast): 102 МиГ-21

Chernigov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (Черниговское ВВАУЛ)
 * 105th Training Aviation Regiment (Konotop (air base)): 101 Л-39
 * 701st Training Aviation Regiment (Chernigov air base): 101 L-39
 * 703rd Training Aviation Regiment (Gorodnya/Городня): 101 Л-39

The Chernigov School was disbanded 30.11.1995.

Lugansk Higher Military Aviation School of Navigators
In connection with the reduction of air and focus on intensive development of anti-missile technology, Voroshilovgrad Pilot School, amongst other Air Force military schools, was disbanded in 1960. The vacant airfield was given over to MI-4 and MI-6 helicopters. In the mid 1960s Helicopter facility was transferred to the city of Voronezh and was replaced by the Kharkov Regiment VVAUL, equipped with L-29 Delfin, who was based in Lugansk until mid-1967.

In 1966, the commander in chief of the Air Force decided to establish a second Soviet navigators' aviation school, and since at that time the only school of navigators was in Chelyabinsk, the choice fell on Lugansk city, it was decided to establish a school of navigators on the basis of previously liquidated Pilots' School. September 9, 1966 is considered the official date of formation VVVAUSH (at the time - LVVAUSH). The Chelyabinsk Red Banner Military Aviation Institute of Navigators sent to Lugansk a number of officers who formed the school's backbone. In the summer of 1967, held its first set of students in the school (two companies). In 1969, the command of the school appealed to the Regional Party Committee with a request for assignment LVVAUSH as successor Lugansk military pilot school, the name of "the proletariat of Donbass".

Since 1971, the issue is students who had been weaned four years directly VVVAUSH. Education at the school was carried out on four profiles: Military Transport Aviation, maritime missile-carrying aircraft (MPA), anti-submarine aircraft (PLA) and the profile of training - the officer of command and control.

After the independence of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine was not able to maintain the school and it was gradually reduced. In October 1993 the Lugansk VVAUSH joined the Kharkiv Institute of the Air Force as a branch (now Kharkiv Air Force University named after Ivan Kozheduba (ru:Харьковский университет Воздушных Сил имени Ивана Кожедуба). The last issue of LVVAUSH cadets was produced in 1996 and later that year on the basis of the school was formed 205th aviation training base of the Kharkov Air Force Institute, which existed two years and was disbanded. The date of official liquidation LVVAUSH was considered July 17, 1997.