Tajik Air Force
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| Air Force of Tajikistan | |
|---|---|
 Roundel of the Tajikistan Air Force | |
| Active | 2006 |
| Country |  Tajikistan |
| Branch | Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan |
| Type | Air Force |
| Role | Defense of Tajikistan |
| Size | One squadron |
| Headquarters | Dushanbe |
| Colors | Green |
| Anniversaries | February 23 |
| Engagements | Tajik civil war |
| Insignia | |
| Emblem |  |
The Tajik Air Force is the aerial military service branch of the armed forces of Tajikistan. It is currently a small branch, consisting of 20 aircraft. It takes part in search and rescue, transportation, and raids on opposition groups
History
While the Tajikistan military planned on making an aviation squadron, it did not have an air force throughout the 1990s and relied on the Russian Air Force for air defense. In 2007, the Air Force had 800 troops and 12 helicopters. The organizational structure of the Air Force is unknown. Tajik airspace is patrolled by the Russian Air Force.
The Tajik Air Force remains small, because Dushanbe doesn't expect an attack on Tajikistan from the air and the Russian Air Force units at Gissar in Tajikistan and other such Russian contingents in Kazakhstan would deter any such assault. The country is patrolled by Russian aircraft as part of the Joint CIS Air Defense System. The air force is mostly used for search and rescue missions, transportation, and the occasional attack on militant groups.
For funding, the government relied upon modest foreign funds. In February 2013, a 20th anniversary parade occurred in Dushanbe celebrating the creation of the armed forces. During the parade, 20 helicopters flew over the city. India made a deal in which the Tajik and Russian Air Forces share an air base. The base is commanded jointly by Indian, Tajik, and Russian personnel, who rotate units there periodically.[1]
Because of the civil war, air force development was slow. The first equipment to arrive was 10 MI-8MTBs and 5 MI-24 in 1993 based at Dushanbe. The first transport aircraft were AN-24s(?) and AN-26s(?) were supplied in 1996. A plan from the 1990s to acquire SU-25s from Belarus to form an attack squadron did not occur. Moscow bolstered the Tajik's helicopter contingents in 2006-07 by giving them six Mil Mi-8 and Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters. It also provided four L-39 Albatros.
On 6 October 2010, an accident occurred when a Mi-8 military helicopter from the Presidential National Guard crashed in the Rasht Valley[2] close to Ezgand and Tavildara. The helicopter became entangled in some power lines and crashed while attempting to land. The helicopter caught fire and the pilot and all passengers perished. This was the deadliest aviation accident in Tajik since 1997.
Aircraft
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Current inventory
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | ||||||
| Antonov An-26 | Ukraine | transport | 1[3] | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Mil Mi-8 | Russia | transport | 14[3] | |||
| Mil Mi-24 | Russia | attack | 6[3] | |||
| Trainer Aircraft | ||||||
| Aero L-39 | Czech Republic | trainer / light attack | 4[3] | |||
References
- ^ John Pike. "Tajikistan- Air Force". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
- ^ Richard Kebabjian. "Accident Details". PlaneCrashInfo.com. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
- ^ a b c d "World Air Forces 2017". Flightglobal Insight. 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
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