Rocket Forces and Artillery (Ukraine)

The Rocket Forces and Artillery (Ukrainian: Ракетні війська та артилерія, romanized: Raketni Viys’ka ta artyleriya) of the Ukrainian Ground Forces consist of units armed with tactical missiles, howitzers, cannons, mortars, jet-propelled and anti-tank artillery. They are tasked to destroy human resources, tanks, artillery, anti-tank weapons, aircraft, air defense and other important installations operations.[2][3]

"On the eve of the professional holiday, the 19th rocket brigade, which is stationed in Khmelnytskyi city, conducted the main examination of the year - the final test for 2010-2011. All servicemen passed a final exams for professional, military and physical training. The history of the brigade began in 1943 at Stalingrad by establishing the 7th Artillery brigade of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. During the Great Patriotic War 27 soldiers, sergeants and officers of the division were nominated for the award "Hero of the Soviet Union". After the declaration of Ukrainian independence and choice of the non-nuclear status, servicemen swore allegiance to people of Ukraine. In November 1997, the division gained the status of a brigade and until 2004 it was subordinated to the 1st Rocket Division of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. For the last 8 years, the brigade is directly subordinated to the command of the land forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, armed with the "Tochka" missile. [It] is the only rocket military unit in the Armed Forces of Ukraine."[4]

Rocket Forces and Artillery
Rocket Forces and Artillery branch insignia, 2016
Active	1992—present
Country	Ukraine
Branch	Ukrainian Ground Forces
Type	Artillery
Anniversaries	November 3
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Andriy Kolennikov[1]
Insignia
Rocket Forces and Artillery sleeve patch
Rocket Forces and Artillery branch insignia

Previously the 1st Rocket Division was active at Khmelnytskyi, formed on the basis of the disbanding headquarters of the Soviet 43rd Rocket Army. It was seemingly formed in 1998.[5] At least two brigades were part of the division, the 19th at Khmelnytskyi and the 107th at Kremenchug (107th Rocket Artillery Regiment, 6th Army Corps (Ukraine)). The division was disbanded in 2004. (Vad777)

The 11th Artillery Brigade was disbanded in December 2013. The 44th Artillery Brigade was created from scratch at Ternopil in September 2014. [6]The 43rd Artillery Brigade was formed in February 2015 in Divychky, a village in Kyiv Oblast.[7] The 27th Reactive Artillery Regiment was upgraded to a brigade on 13 March 2015.[8] The 40th Artillery Brigade was formed at Pervomaisk in August 2015.[9]

Current structure

Ukrainian 2S19 Msta self-propelled artillery units

• 19th Missile Brigade "Saint Barbara" (OTR-21 Tochka-U), Khmelnytskyi
• 27th Rocket Artillery Brigade "Sumy" (BM-27 Uragan), Sumy[10]
• 43rd Heavy Artillery Brigade (2S7 Pion), Pereiaslav
• 45th Artillery Brigade (Reserve)[11]
• 38th Artillery Brigade[12]
• 26th Artillery Brigade (Operational Command North), Berdychiv
• 40th Artillery Brigade (Operational Command South), Pervomaisk
• 44th Artillery Brigade (Operational Command West), Ternopil
• 55th Artillery Brigade (Operational Command East), Zaporizhia
• 6th Artillery Training Regiment, Divychky
• 15th Rocket Artillery Regiment "Kyiv" (BM-30 Smerch), Drogobych
• 107th Rocket Artillery Regiment (BM-30 Smerch), Kremenchuk
• Brigade Artillery Group 1st Tank Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 10th Mountain Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 14th Mechanized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 17th Tank Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 24th Mechanized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 28th Mechanized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 30th Mechanized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 53rd Mechanized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 54th Mechanized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 56th Motorized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 57th Motorized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 58th Motorized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 59th Motorized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 61st Jager Infantry Brigade (Light)
• Brigade Artillery Group 72nd Mechanized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 92nd Mechanized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 93rd Mechanized Brigade
• Brigade Artillery Group 128th Mountain Brigade

Equipment

• Tochka U tactical ballistic missiles
• BM-21 Grad, BM-27 Uragan, BM-30 Smerch multi-launcher rocket systems
• 2S1 Gvozdika, 2S3 Akatsiya, 2S5 Giatsint-S, 2S7 Pion, 2S19 Msta-S, 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled artillery howitzers
• D-30, D-20, Msta-B, Giatsint-B towed howitzers
• 9K114 Shturm, 9M113 Konkurs, 2A29/MT-12 Rapira anti-tank weapons
• 82 mm and 120 mm mortars

References

1. (in Ukrainian) Ukraine can manufacture its own artillery weapons
2. The Army of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
3. Andriushyn, Oleksiy (2008-11-02), "November 3, Day of Rocket Forces and Artillery", “Narodna armija” (People’s army)
4. Lapin Olexandr, November 3 - Day of artillery and rocket forces of Ukraine, N426903, 31.10.2011
5. http://www.day.kiev.ua/270332
6. "44 артилерійська бригада святкує першу річницю створення (відео)". Газета \. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
7. "Міноборони формує понад 16 нових військових частин, - список". ipress.ua. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
8. "Ukrainian Military Pages: 27 реактивна артилерійська бригада". Retrieved 2016-02-04.
9. "У Первомайске особовий склад 40 - й бригади виступив проти зміни командира". NEWS.PN. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
10. (in Ukrainian) 27th regiment receives its colour
11. "Військові частини, ВНЗ, установи, що не належать до видів ЗС України". www.ukrmilitary.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
12. "Артилеристи 26 бригади долають «негаразди»: жертв нема". www.berdichev.biz. Бердичів BIZ. 2018-02-21. Archived from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2018-02-21.

• (in Russian) 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
• (in Russian) Lenskiy - А. Г. Ленский, Сухопутные силы РККА в предвоенные годы. Справочник. — Санкт-Петербург Б&К, 2000