Northern Fleet re-establishes helicopter regiment

Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Vrublevsky has been appointed commander of the regiment, which is based on what was formerly the Northern Fleet’s 11th helicopter squadron. Vrublevsky has served in the Northern Fleet since graduating from the Syzran Higher Military Aviation School in 1997.

At the time, there was a shortage of equipment and fuel. “I joined the Navy in 1997, but did not begin flying until 2003,” he recalled in an interview with the Northern Fleet newspaper Na Strazhe Zapolyarie.

Since then, Vrublevsky has flown thousands of helicopter missions and has reportedly landed on ships at sea nearly 2,000 times.

During the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov’s deployment to Syria in 2016, he operated a Ka-29 helicopter involved in the Russian campaign. He has also served on occupied Ukrainian territory.

The Northern Fleet operates Mi-8 helicopters, Ka-27 naval anti-submarine helicopters, and Ka-29 transport and combat helicopters.

The revival of the helicopter regiment forms part of a broader upgrade of the Northern Fleet’s aviation.

“Our regiment has only just been formed, so we are actively working on building it up and improving what was available in the 11th helicopter squadron,” Vrublevsky said.

According to the lieutenant colonel, the reorganisation has led to a tripling of capacity. “Whereas prior to December last year the unit had 10 crews, that number has now grown to nearly 30,” he said.

Vrublevsky highlighted the role of the Ka-29.

“Back in the Soviet era, the Northern Fleet’s independent naval anti-submarine helicopter regiment included a fully fledged assault squadron […] Fortunately, there is now a revival of this type of aircraft within naval aviation,” he said.

“There is now an understanding of the importance of the Ka-29, primarily for the protection of ships at sea and for the detection and destruction of unmanned boats and unmanned aerial vehicles.”

Many of the helicopter pilots have combat experience from the war of aggression against Ukraine.

“They have flown numerous missions and have real-world experience in destroying unmanned boats. I, too, have been carrying out missions there [in Ukraine] since 2022,” he said.

“In principle, we try to adopt everything new that appears on the front line as part of the special military operation. Unfortunately, we cannot avoid casualties, but the main thing is that we have crews and pilots with combat experience.”

The base of the new helicopter regiment is to undergo modernisation. According to Vrublevsky, refurbishment of the airfield is due to be completed in 2027. The project reportedly includes the construction of new parking bays, including reinforced concrete shelters.

However, the officer acknowledged that significant work remains before the base meets required standards.

“In the long term, a modern infrastructure will be created here, including the construction of a new military town, as some of the existing buildings have already reached the end of their service life.

[…] We are overcoming all difficulties as part of our day-to-day work. The main thing is not to wait for someone else to solve the problems for you. You need to show initiative and look for workarounds. Then everything will work out. That is precisely what we are doing now.”

Although not mentioned in the interview, the regiment is likely to be based at Severomorsk-2, an air base that was closed and abandoned in 1998.

Severomorsk-2 is located about 11 kilometres north-east of Murmansk and has a 1,800-metre-long runway. The revival of the airfield was announced by Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev, then commander of the Northern Fleet, in 2022.

Severomorsk-2 is also believed to be earmarked as a base for drones.

At present, the Northern Fleet operates two main air bases on the Kola Peninsula: Severomorsk-1 and Severomorsk-3.

According to the state-controlled newspaper Izvestia, reconstruction of Severomorsk-2 began in early 2024.