Albanian Air Force

Albanian Air Force
Forca Ajrore Shqiptare
Albanian Air Force emblem
Active 1914–present
Country Albania
Allegiance Republic of Albania
Type Air Force
Size 3,100 personnel
Part of Albanian Armed Forces
Equipment 21 (helicopters) aircraft
Commanders
Current
commander		 Brigadier General Dhori Spirollari
Insignia
Roundel
Aircraft flown
Helicopter AS532 Cougar, EC145, BO-105
AW109, Bell 205, Bell 206

The Albanian Air Force (Forca Ajrore Shqiptare, FASH) is the national Air Force of the Albanian military. The headquarters is located in Tirana and it operates two airbases, Kuçovë Air Base and Tirana Air Base.[1]

History

Early History

Military aviation started in Albania in 1914, when the Albanian government ordered three Lohner Daimler aircraft from Austria to form an air force. As a result of the outbreak of World War I, the order was cancelled. Albania did not have the resources to restart the development of a proper Air Force during the 1920s and 1930s. After the establishment of the Albanian Kingdom in 1928, King Zog formed the Royal Albanian Air Corps was formed under the direction of the Royal Albanian Army.

The Royal Air Force, and the rest of Albanian armed forces, were abolished following the Italian invasion of Albania during the Second World War.[2]

Socialist Albania

On 24 April 1951, Following the end of the Second World War, Albania re-established its air force.[3]

An academy was founded in Vlorë in 1962.[3]

Albania cut diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union in 1962, leading to a shift to China for the supply of necessary parts to maintain its MiGs.[4]

After World War II, the Albanian Air Force finally came into existence when Albania was equipped with Soviet aircraft. The first squadron was equipped with Yakovlev Yak-9s. The first jet fighter to enter service was the MiG-15, dating officially the 15th of May 1955, followed by the MiG-17. Some of the MiG-15s were Soviet fighters used and then withdrawn from the North Korean Air Force. The backbone of the Albanian Air Force jet fighters became MiG-19 (NATO code "Farmer"). 12 MiG-19PM were delivered by the USSR in October 1959 and on the same year pilots and specialists were sent in USSR to train with the all-weather interceptor MiG-19 PM. After the collapse of USSR-Albanian relations, significant numbers of Shenyang J-6 fighters (Chinese copy of the MiG-19S), were acquired from China. In the early 1970s, Albania exchanged its lot of Soviet-made MiG-19PM (NATO code "Farmer-E") fighters equipped for beam-riding missiles, with 12, more advanced, Chengdu J-7A fighters (Chinese copy of the Soviet-built MiG-21). Two of them were lost in incidents in the early 1970s, eight had problems with lack of batteries in the early 1980s.

In total, during the 70s and early 80s, the Albanian Air Force was able to deploy 142 airplanes, between Shenyang J-6Cs, 12 Chengdu J-7As, a fighting squadron equipped with MiG-17s, a considerable number of MiG-15 (both BIS and UTI versions), and 4 Soviet-made Il-14 transport aircraft. A squadron of Shijiazhuang Y-5 was deployed in Tirana and the Air Force Academy in Vlora had 2 squadrons of Yak-18 for basic pilot training purposes. The helicopter component consisted in 18 Harbin Z-5 (Chinese copy of Mil Mi-4) helicopters based in Farka Tirana, meanwhile there was a single prototype of a light H-5 bomber based in Rinas.

Due to relations collapse between Albania and the Chinese, maintenance became extremely difficult and the number of deadly incidents involving Mikoyan fighters increased. Despite Albanian efforts and some initial success in repairing the engines of the MiGs, the lack of specific jet fuel forced authorities to start production in a national scale, thus resulting in a low-quality production (The first attempt dates on 1961, when the Kuçova factory produced the special Jet kerosene called TSI). The fuel conditioned the life-time of the jet engines and often was blamed as the main reason of the deadly incidents (35 Albanian pilots lost their life from 1955 to 2005 mainly due to MiG's mechanical failures).

Recent History

Following Fall of communism in Albania in 1990, the air force had 200 jets and 40 helicopters, and four Il-14 transport planes.[4]

During the 1997 uprising in Albania, seven MiGs were destroyed and their parts were stolen.[4]

In the early 90s, in an effort to keep the MiGs flying, the Albanian Air Force received spare parts from Bulgaria and engines from the ex-GDR. By 2004, Albania still had 117 J-6C aircraft, although mostly were not operational and only 12 Chengdu J-7A. The Albanian fighter jets were definitively withdrawn from active service in late 2004 after the last deadly incident involving a J-6C during take-off from the military area at Mother Teresa Airport in Tirana.

By 2006, Albania had scrapped over half of its Z-5s and had signed a contract for the delivery of six Bolkow 105s over three years.[5] This expansion allowed air force to operate with 4 Y-5s, 7 B206s, 3 B205s, 6 Bolkow 105s.[5]

Currently, the Albanian Air Brigade does not operate any old Soviet aircraft. Since 2011, 9 Shijiazhuang Y-5 are retired from service.

In 2011, the air force sold four Il-14 transport planes for scrap.[4]

In 2016, 40 retired Albanian military aircraft were prepared for auction at a future date. The aircraft for sale include a military trainer aircraft, the Yak-18, and four types of military jets — MiG-15s, MiG-17s, MiG-19s, and MiG-21s — and four Mi-4 transport helicopters. The government said there has been interest from collectors and museums, and that it will sell another 100 jets if the auction is successful. The funds generated will be used to further modernize the Air Force.[4]

Aircraft

Current inventory

The Albanian Air Force has retired all its fixed wing aircraft and now operates several types of helicopters. Also, close NATO Integration Air defense is no longer a priority for the Albanian military.

Albanian Agusta AB-205A-1
Albanian Air Force Chengdu F-7A
Albanian Air Force AS532
A retired F6 at Kuçovë Air Base
Type Origin Role Variant In service[6] Notes
Helicopters
AS532 France transport 4[7] Additional units were ordered following the crash of an EC 145.[8]
MBB Bo 105 Germany light utility 8
AB 205 Italy utility 5
AB 206 Italy utility 5
AW109 Italy light utility 1
EC145 France liaison 3 Two units were delivered in late 2015.[9] One was lost in an accident in early 2016.[10]

Retired aircraft

All Albanian fixed-wing aircraft were withdrawn from active service in 2005.

Type Origin Role Variant In service Notes
Combat Aircraft
Chengdu F-7 People's Republic of China fighter / interceptor F-7A 11[11] licensed built MiG-21
Shenyang J-6 People's Republic of China fighter F-6 / FT-6 65[11] licensed built MiG-19
Shenyang J-5 People's Republic of China fighter F-5 / FT-5 21[11] derivative of the MiG-17
Transport
Harbin Y-5 People's Republic of China transport 3[11] placed in storage
An-2 Soviet Union transport 11[11] placed in storage
Il-14 Soviet Union heavy transport 4[11] placed in storage
Helicopters
Bell 222 United States VIP 222UT 1[11] written off in a crash[12]
AS350B France utility 3[11] retired from service
Harbin Z-5 People's Republic of China utility 31[11] licensed built Mil Mi-4
Alouette III France liaison 4[11] retired from service
Trainer Aircraft
Nanchang CJ-6 People's Republic of China trainer 8[11]
Shenyang FT-2 People's Republic of China trainer 24[11] licensed built MiG-15UTI

Deployment of the Albanian Air Force until 2005

Unit Type Location
4004 Regiment 1st Squadron Nanchang CJ-6 Military Aviation Academy Vlora
2nd Squadron Nanchang CJ-6 Military Aviation Academy Vlora
3rd Squadron MiG-15bis, MiG-15UTI Kucova Berat
4010 Regiment 1st Squadron Chengdu J-7A, Shenyang J-5 Zadrima Lezha
2nd Squadron Shenyang J-6C Zadrima Lezha
3rd Squadron Shenyang J-6C Zadrima Lezha
4020 Regiment 1st Squadron Shenyang J-6C, MiG-15bis, Ilyushin Il-14 Rinas Tirana
2nd Squadron Shenyang J-6C, MiG-15bis, Ilyushin Il-14 Rinas Tirana
4030 Regiment 1st Squadron Shenyang J-6C, MiG-15bis, Kuçova Berat
2nd Squadron JJ-5, MiG-15bis Kuçova Berat
4040 Regiment 1st Squadron Harbin Z-5 Farka Tirana
2nd Squadron Z-5 Farka Tirana
3rd Squadron Z-5 Farka Tirana
4050 Regiment 1st Squadron Y-5, AS-350, Bell 222/VIP (lost in incident 2006), Mil Mi-8 Rinas Tirana
Ministry of Health Aviation Unit SA 316 Tirana Aerodrome

See also

References

  1. ↑ Komanda Forcave Ajrore Shqiptare
  2. ↑ "History of the General Staff of the Armed Forces". Albanian Armed Forces. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Air Force History". Albanian Armed Forces. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Semini, Llazar (6 March 2016). "Albania, once Europe's most isolated country under a 50-year Communist regime, is selling dozens of obsolete Eastern Bloc military jets". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 Lofting, Chris; Coupland, John. "Albania 2006". http://www.baes.org.uk/. British Aviation Enthusiasts Society. Retrieved 9 June 2016. External link in |website= (help)
  6. ↑ World Air Forces 2016. Flightglobal International. 2015. p. 11.
  7. ↑ de Larrinaga, Nicholas. "Albania receives final Cougar helicopter". Jane's Information Group. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "Press Release". Albanian Ministry of Defence. 19 June 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "Hapa të tjerë drejt modernizmit të Forcave të Armatosura" [Steps towards modernization of the Armed Forces] (in Albanian). Albanian Armed Forces. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  10. ↑ "Statement of Chief of General Staff of Albanian Armed Forces Major General Jeronim Bazo". Albanian Armed Forces. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "World Air Forces 2004 pg, 42". Flightglobal I. 2004. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "Albanian Government ZA-HOV". airport-data.com. Retrieved 18 December 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Air force of Albania.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/29/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.