Collection 7 BRIGADE

7th Tactical Aviation Brigade named after Petro Franko is an regiment of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that was established in 1992. Till 2003 they had been a bomber regiment but later on they were reformed into a brigade. It is stationed in Starokostiantyniv town, Khmelnytskyi region and they fly with Su-24. The Brigade participated actively in the struggle in the East of Ukraine. They made more than 150 sorties in the Luhansk region to counter the enemy.

On March 28, 2008, President of Ukraine V. Yushchenko issued a decree naming the brigade after Petro Franko, a prominent figure in the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1921. As it is clear from the last name, Petro is the son of Ivan Franko. The Brigade received this particular patron as he was a military pilot of the UGA (Ukrainian Galician Army). On December 6, 1918, Dmytro Vitovskyi signed an order on the formation of the Air Force Department of the Galician Amy. Petro Franko became the commander of the department.

Since 1918, commander Petro Franko had been leading the office of the Air Force in the Command office of UGA until its internment in 1920. In addition, he is the founder of “Plast”, but that’s a different story. So, the Brigade are still flying under the patronage of Petro Franko and protecting our borders from the sky almost from the moment of obtaining independence.