Moldovan Air Force
| Moldovan Air Force | |
|---|---|
|
Moldovan Air Force emblem | |
| Founded | 21 August 1991 - |
| Country | Moldova |
| Size | 1,040 personnel (2012) |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |
 |
| Ensign |
 |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | Mil Mi-8 |
| Transport | An-72, An-26, An-2, |
The Moldovan Air Force is the national air force of Moldova. It was formed following Moldova's independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991 and is part of the Military of Moldova.
Structure
In 1994 the Air Force consisted of 1,300 men organized into one fighter regiment, 1 helicopter squadron, and 1 missile brigade. They had 31 MiG-29 aircraft, 8 Mi-8 helicopters, 5 transport aircraft (including an Antonov An-72), and 25 SA-3/SA-5 Gammon surface-to-air missiles.[1]
In 2002 the Air Force consisted of 1,400 men.[2]
In 2007 the Air Force had been reduced to a strength of 1,040 men organized into one helicopter squadron, and one missile battalion. They had 6 MiG-29S aircraft, upgraded in Ukraine and stationed in Mărculeşti Air Base, 8 Mi-8 helicopters, 5 transport aircraft (including an Antonov An-72), and 12 SA-3 surface-to-air missile.
In March 2010, the Moldovan Air Force signed an agreement with the Romanian Air Force regarding the exchange of information about military aircraft flights near the border, the exchange of radar data, the obligation to provide mutual support to military aircraft in distress and future joint operations.[3]
Aircraft
Under an agreement finalized on 10 October 1997, the United States acquired 14 MiG 29Cs, described by U.S. officials as wired to permit delivery of nuclear weapons. Also, the United States purchased six MiG 29As, one MiG 29B, 500 air-to-air missiles and all the spare parts and diagnostic equipment present at the Moldovan Air Base where the aircraft were stationed. In return, Moldova received around $40,000,000, humanitarian assistance and non-lethal excess defense articles, such as trucks.[4] The purchase was not without its opponents in Moldova, and the then acting defense minister, Valeriu Pasat would later be charged for illegally selling the aircraft to the USA.[5]
In late 1998 Moldova also sold 10 MIG 29s to Eritrea, but it was speculated that these aircraft were no longer airworthy.
All of those MiG-29s were transported from Moldova to the National Air Intelligence Center (NAIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in C-17 transport planes over a period of two weeks.[6]
In February 2012, Defense Ministry announced eight planes and eight military transport helicopters will be purchased at the cost of US$240 million.[7]
Current inventory
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | ||||||
| AN-26 | Soviet Union | transport | 1[8] | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Mil Mi-2 | Soviet Union | utility / liaison | 1[8] | operated under the Transnistrian armed forces | ||
| Mil Mi-8 | Russia | utility | Mi-8/171 | 1[8] | operated under the Transnistrian armed forces | |
Withdrawn from service
Moldova received approximately 34 MiG-29’s from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, proving too expensive to maintain, they were sold off to Eritrea, Yemen. and the United States. Other unserviceable aircraft to be placed in storage consisted of the An-2, Tu-134, and some An-24’s[9]
Moldovan MiG-29s on display
- Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, Texas.[10]
- NAS Fallon Airpark.
- The National Air Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. A two-seat MiG-29UB is on display.[11]
- 2 MiG-29s are on display at Nellis AFB. One is at the outside of the Threat Training Facility and another, in better shape, inside a hangar alongside a MiG-23.[12]
- One is currently stored in a restoration hangar at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. As of June 2007, the aircraft has been put in display at the Cold War Exhibit of the Museum and continues to receive minor upgrading while on display.[13][14]
See also
References
- ↑ "Moldova - The Armed Forces". country-data.com.
- ↑ http://humandevelopment.bu.edu/dev_indicators/show_info.cfm?index_id=136&data_type=1
- ↑ "Protocol de colaborare între forţele aeriene militare ale României şi ale R. Moldova". Mediafax.ro.
- ↑ "U.S. Buys Moldovan Aircraft to Prevent Acquisition by Iran - Arms Control Association". armscontrol.org.
- ↑ John Pike. "Moldova - Air Forces Command". globalsecurity.org.
- ↑ DefenseLink News Transcript: DoD News Briefing: Cooperative Threat Reduction Initiative
- ↑ "Defense Ministry to buy eight planes and eight military helicopters", allmoldova, 17 February 2012. Retrieved: 17 February 2012
- 1 2 3 "World Air Forces 2015 pg. 23". Flightglobal Insight. 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ↑ "World Air Forces 2004 og. 75". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- ↑ http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/database/aircraft/showimage.php?id=1996
- ↑ "The Truth About the MiG-29". airspacemag.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- ↑ "Nellis Air Force Base Threat Training Facility Aircraft". richard-seaman.com.
- ↑ http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/070313-F-1234P-038.jpg
- ↑ http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/070313-F-1234P-001.jpg
External links
Media related to Air force of Moldova at Wikimedia Commons
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