Georgian Air Force
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| Georgian Air Force საქართველოს სამხედრო-საჰაერო ძალები sak’art’velos samxedro-sahaero dzalebi |
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|---|---|
 Georgian Air Force flag |
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| Active | 1991 - |
| Country |  Georgia |
| Size | 3.000 personnel N/A aircraft |
| Garrison/HQ | Alekseevka, Tbilisi |
| Engagements | Georgian Civil War, 2008 South Ossetia war |
| Commanders | |
| Air Force Commander | Colonel Gocha Shingazrdilov |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Su-25, Mi-24, Mi-35 |
| Trainer | Yak-52, L-39, L-29 |
| Transport | An-12, An-24 Mi-8, UH-1 |
The Georgian Air Force is the air arm of the Georgian Armed Forces. Currently, it has 2,971 military and civilian personnel,[1] fixed wing aircraft (Su-25KM/UB, L-39, Yak-52), helicopters of different types (Mi-24, Mi-8, UH-1H, Mi-2) and air defense missiles of the "surface-to-air" class. The Air Force was founded in 1991 in the wake of the break-up of the Soviet Union. In 1995 the Air Force had around 1,000 personnel and since that time it has had relatively modest growth compared to the Georgian Army which has had greater investment.[2]
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[edit] Mission and objectives
Main objectives of the Georgian Air Force are:
- Warfare and mobilization readiness of the Air Forces sub-units
- Protection of sovereignty and control of the air space of Georgia
- The fight against air terrorism
- Participate in the fight against terrorism on land and at sea
- Air defence of state entities and troops
- Destruction of land and naval targets at the enemy's front line and tactical inmost. Providing air support for friendly land and naval forces
- Participation in collective and multinational exercises.
Functions of the Georgian Air Forces:
- Troops and military cargo transportation
- Crashed down air crew searching and rescuing
- Air transportation of sick and wounded people
- Participation in rescue operations
- Informing the leadership of the Air Force and the Army about enemy air assaults
- Destruction of enemy manpower, land and naval targets
- Air forces landing
- Performing air reconnaissance
The two major airfields are located near Tbilisi at Alekseevka and Marneuli. The Georgian Air Force is currently undergoing a process of modernization with the help of Georgia’s NATO partners, specifically the United States and Turkey.
[edit] Plans
Georgia was planning to buy ten new cargo aircraft possibly the United States' C-130 cargo aircraft.
[edit] Aircraft inventory
| Aircraft | Origin | Role | Number | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Inventory | ||||||
| Su-25KM/U/UB Scorpion/'Frogfoot' | Georgia/ Israel |
Ground Attack Aircraft/Night Attack | 12 | 6 Night Attack “Scorpion” Upgrade, Under License of TAM | ||
| Aero L-39 Albatros |  Czechoslovakia |
Military Trainer Aircraft | 7 | Former Soviet Union | ||
| Elbit Hermes 450 | Israel |
Unmanned aerial vehicle | 5 | |||
| Elbit Skylark | Israel |
Unmanned aerial vehicle | N/A | |||
| Mi-24V 'Hind-E'/Mi-24P 'Hind-F' | Georgia/ Russia |
Attack Helicopter | 15 | Under License of TAM | ||
| Mi-8T 'Hip-C' |  Soviet Union |
Utility Helicopter | 18 | Former Soviet Union | ||
| Mi-14PS 'Haze-C' | Soviet Union |
Naval Helicopter | 1 | Former Soviet Union | ||
| UH-1H Iroquois |  United States |
Utility Helicopter | 26 | |||
| Weapon | Type |
|---|---|
| Air Defense Weapons | |
| SA-18 Grouse | MANPADS |
| SA-7 Grail | MANPADS |
| Grom (missile) | MANDPAS |
| 9K33 | Amphibious SAM |
| SPYDER | Medium Range SAM |
| Buk M1 | Medium Range SAM |
| S-125 | Strategic SAM |
| 57 mm AZP S-60 | Auto Cannon |
| ZSU-23-4 | Self-propelled AA gun |
| Bombs and Missiles[3] | |
| Mark 82 bomb | Low-Drag General Purpose (LDGP) bomb |
| Mark 83 bomb | Low-Drag General Purpose (LDGP) bomb |
| GBU-16 | Laser-Guided bomb |
| Python 5 | Short-range air-to-air missile |
| R-73 AA-11 Archer | Short-range air-to-air missile |
| Kh-29 | air-to-surface TV guided Missile |
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Mil Mi-24V attack helicopter no.09
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Mil Mi-24V No.05
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Georgian Bell UH-1H Iroquois
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Mil Mi-14PS SAR helicopter
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Mil Mi-8T transport helicopter
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Georgian Sukhoi Su-25UB
[edit] References
- ^ http://mod.gov.ge/index.php?page=-10&Id=24&lang=1
- ^ Georgian Air Force. The Global Security website. Retrieved on January 21, 2007
- ^ http://geo-army.ge/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39&Itemid=9&lang=en
