Stratfor about the state of #Ukraine's helicopters and their pilots:
"At the start of the conflict, Ukraine's army aviation officially maintained some 200 helicopters, mostly Soviet-era transport helicopters and gunships. In reality, 85 percent of the helicopter fleet was in storage and not airworthy. Repeated attempts at modernization prior to the conflict were stalled because of a lack of funds, and pilot training was meager -- pilots averaged 45-50 hours of flight time per year. Only a small cadre of Ukrainian pilots -- those participating in U.N.-led peacekeeping missions since the 1990s -- received substantial flight time and experience. Those pilots on average accumulated a healthy 80-120 hours of flight time per six-month rotation." (Strafor, 28 May 2014, http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/ukraine-makes-use-its-advantages-air)

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