Militarnyi

Speaker 1

Hello, I am Kateryna Suprun. You are watching "Militarnyi". And today we are visiting the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade named after Hero of Ukraine Oleksandr Dovhach. Our guest is Vyacheslav, a Su-27 aircraft technician. But being a fighter jet technician is very broad, as it turns out. Now we will clarify everything.

Speaker 2

Greetings! Greetings. Good day.

Speaker 1

Thank you for finding the time to talk with us. Fighter jet technician – what kind of profession is this? Tell us about it.

Speaker 2

I am an aviation electronics automation maintenance technician. In technical service, there is not only an aircraft technician; there is maintenance personnel who, each according to their specialty, prepare the aircraft for flight. There is armament, there is aviation equipment, there is electronics automation, there is radio-electronic equipment. Everyone is [assigned] according to their specialty. I prepare my aircraft for every flight in terms of electronics automation. For example, radio-electronic equipment – we check the communication so that the pilot can hear the ground. We check according to our specialty using special testing equipment. Every time we check the instruments for tightness and the accuracy of the readings, so that the pilot who will fly has everything working well.

Speaker 1

You specialize specifically in SU-27 aircraft. We spoke a bit before the recording; you said that you can service more than one type of equipment. How does specialization work in general?

Speaker 2

What about specialization? In our squadron, there are many people who were trained on one type of equipment, then retrained on another type of equipment. And in general, there are people who know three or four types of equipment. They are authorized for maintenance. Versatile people. They can maintain MiG-29, SU-27, L-39 and others. Technicians who arrive at our place can arrive. We can service them, launch them into flight, so that everything is fine.

Speaker 1

And Western aircraft?

Speaker 2

Western aircraft have not arrived here so far. I want to master them, I want to see them. If they allow it, we will continue working with them. The desire is there.

Speaker 1

Returning to our aircraft. Actually, they were retrofitted and re-equipped there anyway.

Speaker 2

In every specialty, there are modifications. Our plants install Western [ones], and our plants also install modifications that work very well. In our specialty, yes, it works well. We don't complain, and the pilots don't complain. Specialists come, they install them, they do all the checks. And then they train us on how it should work, how it should work. And we gain experience from them. And then we maintain it the same way, we monitor it. If something is unclear to us, we ask them. We work closely with those developers who develop this system.

Speaker 1

Are these some kind of western ones?

Speaker 2

Westerners and our own. Ours are doing a lot of good.

Speaker 1

All sorts of auxiliary

Speaker 2

equipment, right? Yes, very auxiliary. And we also work with them.

Speaker 1

And is all of this essentially being done in the field now? As far as I understand.

Speaker 2

We need to switch to field operations so the enemy tracks us less. And to field operations, so that we are mobile. We arrived, there is this development, we did it, installed it, it works, everyone is happy.

Speaker 1

Another part of equipping aviation technology is testing. And accordingly, this involves a certain number of sorties, equipment checks, and so on. Is there time and opportunity for this, or is it already happening in combat mode?

Speaker 2

Now, let me tell you, the developers—they probably checked it before installing. Now, as you say, they've installed it. And if there are any flaws, they fix them. If the pilot points something out, some deficiency, that this or that needs to be improved. And he contacts these developers, and they come and continue refining it. So that it works, as they say, like clockwork.

Speaker 1

Is this about navigation equipment? Or some other communication systems? What else could it be? Something that can be used to equip an aircraft now?

Speaker 2

Everyone can equip it. This plane can be equipped for everyone. The main thing is that there were very many smart people. They work a lot, developments.

Speaker 1

In your opinion now, how many more years will the Su-27 remain in service? To what extent do they still have the capacity to operate?

Speaker 2

This question should have been put to the airworthiness specialists regarding how much resource life it has left.

Speaker 1

In

Speaker 2

Under the conditions we are in now, pilots use our aircraft so that they don't sit idle, but are constantly on combat missions; so, yes, service lives are expiring, but they do everything possible. They extend, inspect, and repair.

Speaker 1

And

Speaker 2

We continue to operate all of this. With the conditions and loads we are currently putting on these aircraft, with constant combat sorties, the resources are being depleted. The release mechanism can also break now.

Speaker 1

Of course.

Speaker 2

But they are repairing, everything is being repaired, everything is in our hands,

Speaker 1

We are performing well.

Speaker 2

Every flight is special. Every time we eliminate new failures, every time there is a failure. We are learning from this, and we are gaining a lot of knowledge now from the full-scale invasion. Good knowledge of aviation equipment maintenance. Thanks to working with pilots. Pilots tell us how it behaves. We, for our part, cooperate with them and eliminate these nuances, and eliminate these flaws that they point out to us.

Speaker 1

And if we talk about some Western equipment, is there any aircraft that you would like to master? To look at something from those that we have in prospect. We have the 16 network, Gripens are expected there.

Speaker 2

I want to master any equipment. Foreign. Whatever there will be, whatever we have, I wanted to master, to look at it. So far only…

Speaker 1

Only my own native.

Speaker 2

Only our own. Yes. Mastering and supporting. Will a command be given regarding foreign equipment from our partners?

Speaker 1

Yes.

Speaker 2

We are Ukrainians. We will master what

Speaker 1

I feel like it. Can we already scare someone here?

Speaker 2

We will master what is desired. We have nothing to frighten with.

Speaker 1

And how are you serving in the new brigade?

Speaker 2

I have been in this brigade since 2003. Otherwise, I have been in the Armed Forces since 1995. In

Speaker 1

Air Forces. In

Speaker 2

In the Air Force. Before that, I served on MiG-29s in Starokostyantyniv. Then we transferred here. There were MiG-29s here. I transferred here. And then we left those MiG-29s, we were given Su-27s, mastered the Su-27. And we started on the Su-27. And at the same time, we retrained on the L-39. Mastered those as well. We had two types of equipment. Both Su-27 and L-39. We mastered these two types of equipment. And worked with them.

Speaker 1

And what about the service in 2003, considering all the circumstances at that time, and in general with the Armed Forces, what did it consist of? That is, was it support for the flight crew in state? Perhaps you went on some training?

Speaker 2

When we transitioned to Su-27 aircraft, specialists were removed by our command. We went for retraining. With tasks, sorties, as is proper.

Speaker 1

And where did you learn that?

Speaker 2

At the base that serviced these aircraft. We had a base, we went for retraining. Some people, after retraining, also went to Mykolaiv, also for retraining. With summer houses, small halls.

Speaker 1

We retrained on these aircraft.

Speaker 2

Every day we had flights, and the flight crew were learning to fly. And we were learning to service them beside them. We worked.

Speaker 1

And then 2014, the war, what happened? What did you do?

Speaker 2

On the 14th? Yes. They were also here, and everyone was working. Business trip? Yes. Some went on assignments, were on assignment. They were on assignment at other airfields. They were in support. We were on Su-27s then. We were already retraining. We were on Su-27s. We were already flying. We were in Myrohorod. There were Su-24 aircraft from Starokostyantyniv.

Speaker 1

February 24, 1922. How was it?

Speaker 2

I met her at the airfield. It was night. We were given the order to arrive at the airfield. The personnel arrived. An order was given to arm all the aircraft. Some aircraft were evacuated to avoid the strike. Some aircraft took off for the defense of Kyiv. We spent the night at the airfield. That's how it was. When missiles flew here toward us, our aircraft were not here. We had already fled from here. And the next day we returned and defended. The aircraft was constantly in use. It flew in for the defense of Kyiv. Aircraft arrived. We equipped them with weaponry. And they went to work. And aerial battles were here.

Speaker 1

You were equipping, but you also had additional duties for airfield defense?

Speaker 2

Yes. We guarded our territory. We kept an eye on everything. And these intervals. Some people stood guard, who had not been involved until then. And some people quickly geared up, did it. And the equipping of the plane. And that's it. Into battle.

Speaker 1

And how does the work look now? Is there still a task?

Speaker 2

Now it is the same. We are at operational airfields. Now we are mostly at other dispersal airfields. No one assigns the task from our end. Everyone carries them out in the same way. We also arm them and they fly. If there is a task, then there is a target for the flight crew in the city. We arm them with this or that. They provided instructions there. They fly, they destroy. Everyone is satisfied. We are satisfied. We make sure that everything in the pilot's cockpit is like at home. That everything is clean, normal, and working.

Speaker 1

And to what extent does the equipment in the aircraft, in the Su-27, meet the needs that pilots currently have, and to what extent can it be upgraded? Where is the limit?

Speaker 2

You'll have to ask the pilot himself. They order what they need, which auxiliary systems they need, what auxiliary GPS, navigation.

Speaker 1

It's just a real team effort. You can't be so definitive here.

Speaker 2

It's not a team here, it's just, how should I put it, a family. Everyone here is interconnected. We are all like one mechanism here, and if one falls out, that's it, it doesn't work anymore; we are all in one family here.

Speaker 1

Did you study aviation technology right from the start?

Speaker 2

No, when I joined in '95, I was an aircraft mechanic, refueling the aircraft with various liquids, fuel, nitrogen, oxygen. At first, I was a maintenance mechanic, we released [the aircraft]. Then I retrained for aviation equipment. I moved into aviation equipment, and now I have graduated from the Kyiv Institute of Air Forces in Vasylkiv in electronic automation. And there, my specialization was aviation equipment. Since then, I have been working in this, in this specialty. In this profession for how long already? Thirty-something years.

Speaker 1

That's quite a lot already, right? And why did you choose the technician specialty specifically, and not a pilot's?

Speaker 2

Childhood… My mother constantly took me to Starokosnetivna to my grandmother. And there my relatives, everyone was in aviation. Uncle, aunt, everyone in aviation. As a child, they took me to stay with them for the summer. Since then, I became passionate with the desire. And so I followed in their footsteps. And I stayed in aviation. I like that it flies. And I help with that, by keeping it in working order. I think, in my opinion, I will succeed. So far, nobody is complaining. All the children dreamed of being pilots. I'm more into these ground-based ones. I like it when it's in good working order. When you've fixed it. When it took off and flew back. And the pilot says thank you to you. And we also say thank you to him.

Speaker 1

for this.

Speaker 2

Then, you know, I've already contributed my own little grain. That is, I'm very glad when a pilot says thank you to you. A human life depends on us, the person whom we put in the plane. And we are responsible for him. We bear a very great responsibility for this person. And so, this person who flies in, we thank him. That he is liberating our land. Liberating it from these worms. Even if it's just a little, a meter or two. But we are going to our borders.

Speaker 1

And now, as we transition to Western equipment, a great deal also depends on training, on aircraft maintenance, and so on. And the language. There is one such question. How are you with English?

Speaker 2

We will have to master it. We are Ukrainians. We will master it. We will learn it.

Speaker 1

We will be

Speaker 2

to work on this.

Speaker 1

So far there are no banknotes. So far.

Speaker 2

at the level of the school curriculum. And you understand, it's the school curriculum. And now aviation technology is foreign. Technical. All, as I can tell you…

Speaker 1

Terminology.

Speaker 2

All the terminology is technical. You need to master the English language a bit. And master the English language. And the school curriculum is no longer suitable for this. If we are given some foreign system, for example. If you are a specialist in this field, then you already know the operating principle of that system. Maybe it is the same, only slightly improved. That's how I see it. There are no problems. This system is mastered quickly. If you understand this system. Yes, and in the English language. Now we have translators. They translate it easily. Then you continue to master it. I believe this is not such a big problem at this time. Problem. We had joint exercises with Western partners at the Starokostyantyniv base before the full-scale invasion. They flew to us with their equipment. We [did the same] with ours. We had such an exchange of experience. We watched how they perform maintenance. We watched how they perform maintenance. We were already slowly looking at their aircraft on the ground. We were in Mirerdi, there were F-16s there. And they were at Starokostyantyniv then. Joint [exercises] with the Americans. And we were already observing how they perform maintenance. What equipment they have, how everything works there. They looked at ours. It was.

Speaker 1

As far as I remember, they have a much larger aircraft maintenance staff than we do, don't they?

Speaker 2

I didn't say, I don't know. We didn't observe whether it was more or less. They came up, asked what this was, and what that was. They were still around then. It was interesting. So look. They came up to us, asked how this or that system works. What do you fuel it with? How do you fuel it? We went to them. This was still before the full-scale invasion. That's how we communicated with them.

Speaker 1

And what was interesting? What was so unusual? What was different?

Speaker 2

I didn't find any more of that. You know, I'll tell you, they have compactness. We also lack this compactness. For example, a small one can refuel those that are liquid. Regarding the frame, regarding the issue of aircraft, they are compact. They connected a small one for themselves. It runs on diesel. We lack that as well. So that everything is compact now. So that we could quickly load up somewhere and move to another airfield. So that it is all compact. Such are the things. They have compactness, their date. Because our units are a bit large. And if they are small, then… And

Speaker 1

Currently, under the conditions in which they are working now, how much time does your part of the work for aircraft maintenance take during preparation for takeoff?

Speaker 2

Until takeoff? It's going by each specialty… How long will all this take? By our estimate, about 15 minutes. That's already the case.

Speaker 1

Is this a lot or a little, as you said?

Speaker 2

It's not much. This is exactly how it is according to the technological maps, all of them. It takes this amount of time for us. So as not to rush, so that everything is accurate. That's exactly why it takes about 15 minutes. This is the preparation to check in the cockpit. We work, we have two specialists in electronic automation. One stands on the ground. We specifically have a control measuring instrument, which we set to flight conditions. And one sits in the cockpit, monitoring the instruments. And one on the ground, at the control-testing equipment. And that's how we check that everything matches, that it withstands the technical time. To see what the speed is, whether these instruments are airtight, whether they provide accurate readings. It takes about 15 minutes. That is, an electronics technician sits there, and a radio-electronics technician, radio-electronic equipment. And we check together with him. He checks, for example, the communication, and we check at the same time. And he checks the navigation, navigation equipment. And he checks the navigation equipment with us. Because he is also involved in this. Each specialist, each specialist. For example, I'll tell you that electronic automation works together with radio-electronic equipment. There, for example, the APNK navigation-aiming system works with the armament. They check their own. That is, each specialty is divided into small groups. Each has their own technical time, tech maps. And they work according to them and perform the pre-flight preparation of the aircraft. Because not everything, you know, can be done by the book. Everything goes, all the work goes. You get more knowledge on actual equipment. That's everything, when it goes through your hands. All the failures, all of it. But everything comes with experience.

Speaker 1

I will tell you,

Speaker 2

we our own

Speaker 1

we will achieve.

Speaker 2

Slowly, bit by bit, we will gain our cell. Also, thanks to our best pilots, I tell you, aviation will be at its peak.

Speaker 1

Aviation is already top-notch.

Speaker 2

Thanks to our pilots, we will do everything to ensure aviation is respected. Because we have the best pilot, I tell you. Of course.

Speaker 1

Thank you.

Speaker 2

Thank you.