Uzbekistan Air and Air Defence Forces
| Uzbek Air Defense Forces and Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Havo hujumidan mudofaa qo`shinlari va Harbiy havo kuchlari | |
 Emblem of the Uzbek Air Defense Forces and Air Force | |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Country |  Uzbekistan |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare Aerial defence |
| Size | 15,000 personnel |
| Part of | Uzbek Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Tashkent |
| Anniversaries | Third Sunday of August (Air Force Day) |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Deputy Minister of Defence and Commander of the Air Defence Forces | Major General Akhmad Burkhanov[1] |
| Notable commanders | Major General Abdulla Xolmuhamedov |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Fin flash |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Su-25 |
| Fighter | MiG-29, Su-27 |
| Helicopter | Mil Mi-8, Eurocopter Fennec, Eurocopter AS532 |
| Attack helicopter | Mil Mi-24 |
| Trainer | Aero L-39 Albatros |
| Transport | Ilyushin Il-76, An-12, An-26 |
The Air and Air Defence Forces (Uzbek: Havo hujumidan mudofaa qo`shinlari va Harbiy havo kuchlari; Russian: Войска противовоздушной обороны и Военно-воздушные силы) are the aerial arm of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan. It was formed following the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1991, though the military was not created by the Uzbek government until 1992. The Air Force consists of 10,000 to 15,000 personnel, with most of them being Russians as of 1995.[2]
History[]
In March 1994, the Russian Federation signed a treaty with Uzbekistan in training of pilots. The Uzbek Air Force is assisted by the Russian Air Force, though an air academy has been made to train Uzbeks at . As of that year, some thirteen airbases were active in Uzbekistan. The Air Force was to follow the Soviet doctrine, supported by the Uzbekistan Ground Forces.
During the Tajik civil war in 1992, the Tajikistan government was supported by Uzbekistan. Helicopters of the Air Force fought the Muslim rebels at a United Tajik Opposition base. Later, the Uzbek Air Force was said to have destroyed the last holdouts of rebels in eastern Tajikistan.
Due to an agreement in the Commonwealth of Independent States, Russia helped maintain the aircraft of the Uzbek Air Force and sold them more aircraft at a cheaper price than to other interests, such as the United States. In Operation Enduring Freedom, the US government and NATO had an aviation company repair much of the Air Force's aircraft, as it was deemed inoperable by them. Russia tried to undermine US efforts to reach out to Uzbekistan, especially at a 2002 conference in Tashkent, where members of various aviation companies were present.
The talks failed, and the Uzbek government had cut off the US aid in the form of helicopter repairs.[2]
In August 2021, with the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan, a number of former Afghan Air Force EMB 314 Super Tucano's and Cessna 208 aircraft have fled to Uzbekistan, and have now been seen on the runway at Termez Airport. They're current status and condition are unknown.[3]
Commanders[]
- Tahir Yusupov (1992)
- Abdulla Xolmuhamedov (2003-2008)
- Akhmad Burkhanov (since circa 2018)
Organization[]
The Uzbek air forces consist of units formerly part of the 49th Air Army of the Turkestan Military District headquartered at Tashkent. There are two remaining combat units, at Karshi-Khanabad and Dzhizak.
The 60th Separate Brigade is the former 735th Bomber Aviation Regiment combined with the former 87th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment.[4] It has 31 Su-24s, 32 MiG-29s, and 6 Su-27s. Other recently disbanded units include the 61st Fighter Aviation Regiment at Kakaydy, which was itself a merger with the previous 115th Fighter Aviation Regiment, and the 62nd Fighter Aviation Regiment at Andijan. Regiments at both bases were disbanded in 1999. As many as 26 stored Su-17s, apparently in very bad condition, remain at Chirchiq (see Google Earth 41°30'05.69"N 69°33'44.90"E).
List of units[]
- 60th Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade (Karshi-Khanabad)
- Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade (Dzhizak)
- Separate Mixed Aviation Regiment (Fergana)
- Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron (Tashkent)
- 65th Separate Helicopter Regiment (Kagan and Bukhara)
- 66th Separate Helicopter Regiment (Chirchiq)
- 12th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade
- Radio-Technical Brigade
Aircraft[]
Current inventory[]
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Aircraft | ||||||
| MiG-29 | Russia | multirole | 39[5] | |||
| Sukhoi Su-27 | Russia | multirole | 26[5] | 5 aircraft provide conversion training | ||
| Sukhoi Su-25 | Russia | attack | 20[5] | |||
| Transport | ||||||
| Ilyushin Il-76 | Russia | strategic airlifter | 5[5] | |||
| CASA C-295 | Spain | transport | 4[5] | |||
| Antonov An-12 | Ukraine | transport | 2[5] | |||
| Antonov An-26 | Ukraine | transport | 7[5] | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Mil Mi-8 | Russia | utility | Mi-8/17 | 42[5] | ||
| Mil Mi-24 | Russia | attack | Mi-24/35 | 33 | 4 on order[5] | |
| Eurocopter AS550 | France | light utility | 6[5] | |||
| Eurocopter AS532 | France | utility / transport | 8[5] | |||
| Trainer Aircraft | ||||||
| L-39 Albatros | Czech Republic | jet trainer | 2[5] | |||
Training[]
The main aviation training establishment is the Jizzakh Higher Military Aviation School in the Jizzakh Region. In September 2019, the Thales Group provided a flight simulator to the Uzbek Air Force, marking the introduction of first Air Force academy in the country. The academy provides training for Uzbek pilots and engineers, with a capacity of 300 students.[6][7]
Service-wide events[]
The official holiday of the Air Defence Forces is Air Force Day on the third Sunday of August.[8] It was established by decree of President Islam Karimov on 21 July 1995.[9] The Ministry of Defense organizes a number of events, including a wreath laying ceremony to honor pilots who died in the line of duty.[10] A flypast is also organized.[citation needed] On 18 June 2019, celebrations were held on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of an air force unit located in Qashqadaryo Region, which included pilots performed a "air dance" in the sky on Mig-29s and Su-25, demonstrating their aerobatic skills.[11]
On Victory Day (9 May) in 2019, Major General Akhmad Burkhanov led an air force delegation that congratulated veterans of the Second World War and delivered a larger holiday stipend of behalf of the President of Uzbekistan.[12]
References[]
- ^ "Справочная (Узбекистан)".
- ^ Jump up to: a b Pike, John. "Uzbekistan- Air Force". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- ^ "Afghanistan: Black Hawks and Humvees - military kit now with the Taliban".
- ^ For 735th Bomber Aviation Regiment, see Michael Holm, [1], and for 87th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment, see [2]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l "World Air Forces 2021". Flightglobal Insight. 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ "Thales provides flight simulator to Uzbekistan, marks first Air Force academy in the country".
- ^ "Uzbekistan: Inauguration of the 1st air force academy". 18 September 2019.
- ^ https://www.uzairways.com/ru/press-center/news/trete-voskresene-avgusta-den-vozdushnogo-flota-respubliki-uzbekistan#:~:text=Третье%20воскресенье%20августа-%20День%20Воздушного%20флота%20Республики%20Узбекистан,-29%20августа%202019
- ^ "УП-1206-сон 21.07.1995. Об установлении дня воздушного флота Республики Узбекистан".
- ^ "В День воздушного флота в Чирчике организовали авиашоу".
- ^ "Небесный танец самолетов: в Ханабаде отметили 70-летний юбилей воинской части Военно-Воздушных Сил (Фото)".
- ^ "Генерал Ахмад Бурханов навестил и поздравил ветеранов Второй мировой войны".
- Military of Uzbekistan
- Government of Uzbekistan