The Ukrainian Air Force has returned to service two Soviet-era Mi-8 EW helicopters after a prolonged grounding. Both of these machines, produced in the late 1980s, were cycled through overhaul at the Konotop Aircraft Repair Plant. Ukraine refurbishes older Soviet-era systems and acquires more advanced weapons and military equipment.

The Ukrainian Air Force formally accepted delivery of the Mi-8MTPB and Mi-8MTPI helicopters at a ceremony at Ozerne Air Base on December, 2018.

The Mi-8MTPB carries communications jamming suite the Bison system. Bison’s main job is to scramble hostile radios and other communications nodes, but also has a radio direction finding capability to locate those targets.

The Mi-8MTPI has also Ikebana jamming system, which is a stand-off jammer intended to disrupt an opponent’s battlefield radars, including air search and fire control types associated with air defence systems.