List of Albanian Air Force aircraft
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The list of Albanian Air Force aircraft covers all aircraft types used by the Albanian Air Force since its formal inception in 1947.
(Table order: Fighters, Bombers, Transports, Trainers, Other, Helicopters)
(Note: a " - " means the information is unknown, not yet added, or not applicable)
| Military aircraft of Albania | |||
| Fighters | |||
| Designation | Total | In Service | Role/Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chengdu F-7A | 12 | 1979-2005 | Fighter; all 10 survivors placed in storage in May 2005. Last flight in 2002 |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis | 50+ | 1955-2000 | Fighter; 26 delivered by the USSR in 1955, with further examples delivered by China in 1956; all survivors in storage for sale |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI | 12 | 1955-2000 | Fighter and operational trainer; 12 delivered (4 USSR-built MiG-15UTI, 4 Czech-built CS.102, 4 Chinese-supplied FT-2) in 1955-1956 |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19PM | 12 | 1959-1965 | Fighter; 12 delivered by the USSR in October 1959, sent to China in 1965 for Shenyang F-6 |
| Shenyang F-5 | 80+ | 1962-2005 | Fighter |
| Shenyang FT-5 | 20 | 1972-2005 | Fighter; 6 remain in service with one in storage |
| Shenyang F-6/FT-6 | 75+ | 1962-2005 | Fighter; more than 70 delivered, including a few FT-6 two-seat trainers (which were retired in 2002) |
| Yakovlev Yak-9P/V | 12 | 1951-1956 | Fighter; includes one Yak-9V trainer; withdrawn upon the introduction of jet fighters |
| Bombers | |||
| Designation | Total | In Service | Role/Info |
| Ilyushin Il-28 | 1 | 1957-1971 | Light bomber; traded for a Harbin H-5 in 1971 |
| Harbin H-5 | 1 | 1971-1992 | Light bomber; 1 received in 1971, stored in 1992 |
| Transports | |||
| Designation | Total | In Service | Role/Info |
| Harbin Y-5 'Colt' | 13 | 1963- | Liaison and communications; 4 remain in active service, 9 in storage |
| Ilyushin Il-14M | 2 | 1957-1992 | Transport; 2 Soviet-built examples acquired (1 in 1957, 1 in 1971), although some sources report as many as 8 having entered service; all 4 surviving Il-14s were stored in 1992, damaged by rioters in 1997, and subsequently scrapped in 2002 |
| Ilyushin Il-14P | 1 | 1971-1992 | Transport; 1 VEB-built example acquired in 1971 (reports of a second example unverified) |
| Ilyushin Il-14T | 1 | 1971-1992 | Transport; 1 Avia-built example acquired in 1971 |
| Trainers | |||
| Designation | Total | In Service | Role/Info |
| Nanchang CJ-6 | 20 | 1962- | Trainer; 4 in active service, with a further five planned for overhaul and return to service |
| Yakovlev Yak-11 | 4 | 1952-1963 | Trainer |
| Yakovlev Yak-18 | 4 | 1952-1962 | Trainer |
| Yakovlev Yak-18A | 18 | 1953-1962 | Trainer; delivered by the USSR in 1953 and 1959 |
| Other | |||
| Designation | Total | In Service | Role/Info |
| Lohner Type H | 0 | (ord. 1914) | Flying boat; 3 were ordered in 1914 as the first aircraft for Albania's planned air corps, but the aircraft were never delivered. |
| Polikarpov Po-2 | 4 | 1951-1964 | Obsolete fighter supplied by USSR for crop-spraying |
| Helicopters | |||
| Designation | Total | In Service | Role/Info |
| Aerospatiale SA-316C Alouette III | 4 | 1999- | Transport helicopter |
| Agusta-Bell AB.205A-1 | (7) | 2004- | Transport helicopter; 3 received in 2004, with a further 4 ordered for delivery through 2006[1] |
| Agusta-Bell AB.206C-1 | 7 | 2002- | Transport helicopter |
| Bell 222UT | 1 | 1991- | Transport helicopter |
| Eurocopter AS.350 Ecureuil | 4 | 1986- | Transport helicopter; 1 crashed and 3 remain in active service |
| Eurocopter BO-105 | (12) | (est. 2007) | Light utility helicopter; 12 surplus German aircraft to be delivered in 2006 |
| Harbin Z-5 | 37 | 1967-2003? | Transport helicopter; acquired from 1967-1971, mostly copies of the Mi-4A, but including six Mi-4S VIP models; 3 remain in reserve. |
| Mil Mi-1 | 3 | 1957-1960 | Transport helicopter; served into the 1960s |
| Mil Mi-4A | 7 | 1957-2003? | Transport helicopter; 7 delivered by the USSR in 1957-1958; Chinese-produced Harbin Z-5 models also used |
| Mil Mi-8T | 1 | 1996- | Transport helicopter |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Das, Wim, & Kees Otten (undated). "ALBANIAN AIRFORCE - Tirana’s moving steps". http://www.dutchaviationsupport.com/Articles/Titana%20UK.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
- Viroli, Elio Aviacioni Ushtarak Ahquipetare, Panorama Difesa magazine, June 1992, pag 38-44.
It was stated there that at the time there were around 20 MiG-15s, some MiG-17s, dozens MiG-19s, 15 J-7s, one Il-28, around 20 Mi-4s. All them were taken in excellent conditions, as photos displayed. Another article in Aeronautica & Difesa magazine, in 1999, stated this as well, and also that over 80% of the delivered aircraft were still in strength. 1992 Air force strength was around 8,000 men.
