- Source: List of Albanian Air Force aircraft
Albanian military aircraft include all airplanes and helicopters which have been operated by the Albanian Air Force since its formal inception in 1947. Since Albania has no domestic aircraft manufacturing capacity, all aircraft have been procured from other countries. Additionally, the country's limited resources have meant that such procurement has been primarily through foreign military aid provided to Albania for strategic reasons. Initially, the Warsaw Pact provided equipment through the 1950s, but after a political rift, China supplanted them as the country's main benefactor. After the end of the Cold War and a significant shift in Albanian international relations, as well as a re-posturing of the Albanian Armed Forces, the air force has sought more modern support helicopters from Western Europe to support its new role in partnership with NATO.
= Founding years and the Warsaw Pact
=
In 1951, the Soviet Union provided the newly created Air Force of the Albanian People's Army with obsolete Yak-9 fighters and Po-2 trainer aircraft. A small batch of newly built Yak-18 trainer aircraft was also delivered.
As a founding member of the Warsaw Pact, Albania received MiG-15 fighter and trainer aircraft in 1955. Additional aircraft were supplied by the Soviets until the Albanian-Soviet split in 1961. In 1963, it was estimated the Albanians operated two squadrons of Soviet-built MiG-15 and MiG-17, and several Soviet transport and trainer aircraft.
= Chinese assistance
=
After 1970 the Albanian Air Force completely replaced its fleet of Soviet MiG-15 and MiG-17 with Chinese equivalents. According to former Albanian Air Force commander, Edip Ohri, China delivered a total of 100 combat aircraft including 70 F-5 (MiG-17) and 12 F-6 (MiG-19), with another batch of 95 F-6s delivered later. Most of the Albanian fighters were limited to daytime operations, lacking the radars and avionics necessary to operate in night and all-weather operations. The Chinese also supplied the Albanians with a F-7 (MiG-21) squadron, these were the most modern aircraft in the Albanian Air Force.
Additional aircraft supplied included 12 Y-5 (An-2) transports, 36 helicopters, and four special purpose aircraft including a VIP transport plane for Enver Hoxha, although he never crossed the border since the plane was delivered. Chinese-supplied Li-2 transports were also used.
After China started reducing the deliveries of spare parts to Albania in 1976 (due the Sino-Albanian split), combat readiness of the Albanian Air Force quickly declined. Once China completely ceased its arms deliveries, the inventory of aircraft shrunk, with older aircraft being unable to be repaired or replaced.
In 2016, Albania has put 40 of its remaining Soviet and Chinese aircraft in storage for auction. Due bureaucratic red tape they were still stored for sale in 2019.
Post-communist era aircraft
In 2005, the Albanian Ministry of Defence decided to retire its fixed-wing aircraft squadrons, due their poor condition and the nation's limited resources. With the country on the verge of joining NATO (reducing the risk of any immediate aerial threats), the Albanian MoD decided to focus on the development of a helicopter force to support the Land Forces.
In 2010, the Albanian Air Force operated Bell 205, Bell 206, AW109 and MBB Bo 105 helicopters. In 2014, EC145 helicopters were also purchased while in 2016, 4 AS-532AL attack helicopters were delivered from France. In 2022, Albania purchased Bayraktar TB2s drones from Turkey, to be operated from the Kuçovë Aerodrome. In October 2024, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the Turkey will supply Albania with a "considerable" amount of kamikaze drones, without disclosing the exact number of systems or specific model of drone.
See also
Albanian Air Force
List of air forces
References
Bibliography
Bytyçi, Enver (2022). In the Shadows of Albania-China Relations (1960-1978). Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5275-7909-5.
Keefe, Eugene K.; Foreign Area Studies, American University (1971). Area Handbook for Albania. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
Meijer, Hugo; Wyss, Marco, eds. (2018). The Handbook of European Defence Policies and Armed Forces. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-250774-7.
Steinberg, S. H., ed. (2016). The Statesman's Year-Book 1963: The One-Volume ENCYCLOPAEDIA of all nations (100th ed.). London: Springer. ISBN 978-0-230-27092-3.
Wragg, David (2011). The World Air Power Guide. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84468-784-8.
Zickel, Raymond E.; Iwaskiw, Walter R.; Keefe, Eugene K. (1992). Albania: a country study (PDF). Washington, DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
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