Mongolian Air Force
| Mongolian Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Монгол Улсын Зэвсэгт Хүчний Агаарын цэрэг | |
 Emblem of the Mongolian Air Force[1] | |
| Founded | 1992(replacing the Mongolian People's Republic Air Corps) |
| Country |  Mongolia |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 800[2] |
| Part of | Mongolian Armed Forces |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Brigadier-General Ochir Enkhbayar[3] |
| Chief of Staff | Brigadier-General B. Batbayar[4] |
| Notable commanders | Hamza Zaisanov[5][6] |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
| Combat Banner |  |
| Fin flash[7] |  |
TheMongolian Air Force(Mongolian:Монгол Улсын Зэвсэгт Хүчний Агаарын цэрэг) is theaerial warfareservice branch of theMongolian Armed Forces.
History[edit]
Early years and WWII[edit]
On 25 May 1925, aJunkers F.13piloted by Lieutenant Colonel D. Shatarragchaa[8]entered service as the first aircraft in Mongolian civil and military aviation, landing in Mongolia that day.[9]By 1935 Soviet aircraft were based in the country. In May 1937 the air force was renamed theMongolian People's Republic Air Corps.During 1939–1945 the Soviets deliveredPolikarpov I-15s,Polikarpov I-16s,Yak-9sandIlyushin Il-2s.
Cold War[edit]
By 1966 the firstS-75 DvinaSAM units entered service, and the air force was renamed the Air Force of the Mongolian People's Republic. TheMiG-15UTI andMiG-17the first combat jet aircraft in the Mongolian inventory, entered service in 1970 and by the mid-1970s was joined by 25MiG-21s,Mi-8sandKa-26s.Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa,the first Mongolian to fly into space, was born on 5 December 1947, in theGurvan-Bulaksettlement ofBulgan Province,into the family of a cattle-breeder. He graduated from a military school of aircraft technicians in the Soviet Union. In 1972 he was enrolled at theZhukovsky Air Force Academy.After graduating from the academy, he worked as an aircraft equipment engineer in an air squadron of the Mongolian People's Army. In 1978, Jugderdemidiyn Gurragchaa started training atGagarin cosmonauts' training centerand completed a course of training under theIntercosmos program.His flight withVladimir DzhanibekovonSoyuz 39as a Research Cosmonaut, launched 22 March 1981, lasted 7 days, 20 hours, 42 minutes, 3 seconds. He later became the head of a scientific institute in Ulan Bator and eventually Mongolian Minister of Defence.
The Civil Air Transport Administration, responsible forMongolian Airlines(MIAT), was thought to be affiliated with the air force. All airline pilots had military ranks, and they flew Soviet-built transport aircraft on crop dusting, forest and steppe fire patrol, and air ambulance missions. During the mid-1960s the USSR assisted the People's Republic of Mongolia in setting up an air defense system, which also was closely coordinated with theSoviet Air Defence Forces.
Since 1989[edit]
After the end of the Cold War and the advent of the Democratic Revolution, the air force was effectively grounded due to a lack of fuel and spare parts. Due to a complete lack of resources, as of 2006 Mongolia did not anticipate being able to reform its flying Air Force in the foreseeable future. However, as air defense is part of the Air Force, the US was pursuing specific training line items in this field as well as air-related fields that may support peacekeeping deployments and operations (For example, slots to theUnited States ArmyAir Defense Artillery Branchofficer basic course, tarmac security, and cargo load planning).
Modern air force[edit]
The government has been trying to revive the air force since 2001. The current Armed Forces maintains an Air Forces Defense Command (Агаарын довтолгооноос хамгаалах цэргийн командлал), under the command of the General Staff. The country has the goal of developing a full air force in the future.[10]
Units[edit]
- Unit 303
- Unit 337[8]
Equipment[edit]
Russia's 2008 decision to provide to Mongolia around $120 million worth of conventional weapons and other military equipment, including MI-24 attack helicopters and possibly two MiG-29 fighter jets, has drawn renewed attention to the bilateral relationship. Although the terms of the deal were not initially clear, it would be a combination of grant aid and low-interest loans.[11]
In 2011, the Ministry of Defense announced that they would buyMiG-29sfrom Russia by the end of the year, but this did not materialize.[12][13]From 2007 – 2011 the fleet ofMiG-21swas reduced.[14][15][16]
In October 2012 the Ministry of Defense returned anAirbus A310-300toMIAT Mongolian Airlines.[17]In 2013 the Air Force looked at buying three Lockheed MartinC-130Jplanes, however a deal was never reached.[18]Left without Russian aid, the Mongolian air force's inventory has gradually been reduced to a few Antonov An-24/26'st and a dozen airworthy Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters.[13]
On 26 November 2019 Russia donated twoMiG-29fighter aircraft to Mongolia.[19]
Aircraft[edit]
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Aircraft | ||||||
| Mikoyan MiG-29 | Russia | Fighter | 2[20] | |||
| Transport | ||||||
| Antonov An-26 | Soviet Union | Transport | 4[20] | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Mil Mi-171 | Soviet Union | Transport | 171 | 6[20] | ||
Air defense[edit]
| Name | Type | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-125 Neva/Pechora | Surface-to-air missile | 2 batteries[2] | Russia | Upgraded to the Pechora 2M standard.[21] |
| ZPU-4 | Anti-aircraft gun | 150[2] | Soviet Union | |
| ZU-23-2 | Anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | ||
| AZP S-60 | Anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union |
Retired aircraft[edit]
Former aircraft operated by the Mongolian Air Force includes:Lavochkin La-5,Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighters,Tupolev TB-3bombers,Polikarpov R-5reconnaissance bombers,Polikarpov Po-2,Antonov An-2,Ilyushin Il-14,andLisunov Li-2transports,Yakovlev Yak-11,andYak-18trainers, MiG-15 and MiG-21 jet fighters,Mil Mi-4andMi-24helicopters.[22]
References[edit]
- ^"Монгол Улсын зэвсэгт хүчин".
- ^abcInternational Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023).The Military Balance 2023.Taylor & Francis. p. 274.ISBN978-1-000-91070-4.
- ^"Монгол Улсын зэвсэгт хүчин".
- ^"Монгол Улсын зэвсэгт хүчин".
- ^""Аз ұлттың – алып ұлы" Генерал Зайсанов Мүдәрісұлы ".29 August 2019.
- ^"| ЦентрАзия".
- ^GALLET, Matthieu."Armée de l'air mongole".AviationsMilitaires.net.
- ^ab"НИСЭХ ХҮЧНИЙ 96 ЖИЛИЙН ОЙ ТОХИОЛОО".gsmaf.gov.mn.26 May 2021.Retrieved2021-05-31.
- ^Scramble.nl (2001)."Mongolian Air Force".Archived fromthe originalon 7 February 2012.Retrieved12 March2012.
- ^"Б.БАЯРМАГНАЙ: ЗЭВСЭГТ ХҮЧНИЙГ ГЭРЭЛТЭЙ, ГЭГЭЭТЭЙ ИРЭЭДҮЙ ХҮЛЭЭЖ БАЙНА".2011-11-07.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-09-04.Retrieved2012-03-13.
- ^Mongolia Air ForceArchived2013-10-14 at theWayback Machine.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved on 2013-10-12.
- ^news.mn (2011-07-15)."Монголын нисэх хүчин МиГ-29 сөнөөгчөөр зэвсэглэнэ".Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2011.Retrieved12 March2012.
- ^ab"Putin's present: Mongolia gets MiG fighters - News.MN".28 November 2019.
- ^"Mongolian general under investigation in attempted sale of fighters to North Korea - Washington Post".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-04-20.Retrieved2017-09-05.
- ^"MongolNews.mn -" МИГ-21 "-ИЙГ ЗАДАЛЖ ЗАРАХ ТУШААЛЫГ ЗХЖШ-ын эрх бүхий албан тушаалтан өгчээ".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-08-20.Retrieved2013-08-31.
- ^shuud.mn: Монголын цэргийнхэн Хойд Солонгосыг “зэвсэглэсэн үү”Archived2013-04-10 at theWayback Machine.shuud.mn. Retrieved on 2013-04-16.
- ^mod.gov - АЭРОБУС ОНГОЦЫГ БУЦААЖ ӨГНӨArchived2013-10-04 at theWayback Machine.mod.gov.mn. Retrieved on 2013-04-08.
- ^eurasianet - Mongolia Planning To Buy U.S. Military AirplanesArchived2013-08-07 at theWayback Machine.eurasianet.org. Retrieved on 2013-04-08.
- ^Karnozov, Vladimir (2019-12-19)."Mongolian Air Force replenished with MiG".Russian Aviation.Retrieved2022-01-22.
- ^abcHoyle, Craig (2023)."World Air Forces 2024".Flight Global.Flight Global Insight. p. 24.Retrieved9 January2024.
- ^"Trade Registers".Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2010.Retrieved9 January2024.
- ^Wragg, David (2011).The World Air Power Guide.Casemate Publishers. pp. 195–196.ISBN978-1-84468-784-8.
