Myanmar Air Force

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Personnel: 15,000 all ranks

The Myanmar Air Force (Tatmdaw Lei) was formed on 24 December 1947. In 1948, the order of battle for Tatmadaw Lei include 40 Oxfords, 16 Tiger Moths, 4 Austers and 3 Spitfires with a few hundred personnel. The Mingaladon Air Base headquarters was formed on the 16 June 1950. No.1 Squadron, Equipment Holding Unit and Air headquarters - Burma Air Force, and the Flying Training School, were placed under the base. A few months later, on 18 December 1950, No. 2 Squadron was formed with nine Dakotas as transport squadron. In 1953, the Advanced Flying Unit with Vampire Mark T55s was formed under the Mingaladon Air Base and by the end of 1953, Tatmadaw Lei has 3 Airbase headquarters (Mingaladon, Hmawbi and Meiktila).

In late 1955, Tatmadaw Lei formed a Maintenance Air Base in Mingaladon, No. 501 Suadrop Group (Hmawbi Airbase) and No. 502 Squadron Group (Mingaladon Air Base). Five years later, No. 503 Squadron Group was formed with No. 51 Squadron (Otters and Cessnas) and No. 53 Squadron *Bell 47Gs/Huskys and Alouettes) in Meiktila. In 1962, Tatmadaw Lei opened a radar station in Mingaladon and a mobile radar station in Lwemwe (near Tachileik). In December 1964, Tatmadaw Lei had 323 officers and 5677 other ranks and it acquired T-33 Jet trainers and a new radar station, which could operate within a 120-mile radius was opened in Namsang. In 1966, new radar stations were opened and existing stations were upgraded. The Namsang Radar station was upgraded to cover about a 200-mile radius and renamed to No.71 Squadron. In the same year Tatmadaw Lei formed No. 1 Airborne Battalion with 26 officers and 750 other ranks.^[1]

Contents 1 Modernization Progamme 2 Administrative and Support Units 3 Air Bases 4 Air Defence 4.1 Myanmar Integrated Air Defence System 4.2 Sector Operations Commands 5 Equipments 5.1 Fighters/Interceptors 5.2 Fighters/Ground Attack 5.3 Counterinsurgency 5.4 Transport 5.5 Training & Maritime Survillence 5.6 Liaison Aircrafts 5.7 Helicopters 5.8 Serials and Markings 6 References 7 See also

[edit] Modernization Progamme

In the early 1990s, Tatmadaw lei upgraded its facilities and introduced two new Air Base headquarterss and existing Air Base headquarterss were renamed. It also significantly upgraded its radar and electronic warfare facilities. Consequently, Israel was contracted to refurbish and upgrade all the surviving 36 F-7s and FT-7s: these were to get the Elta EL/M-2032 air-to-air radar, Rafael Python Mk.III and even Litening laser-designator pods. The same equipment was then installed on the two-seater FT-7 fighter trainers as well. In a related deal, Israel delivered to Myanmar at least one consignment of laser-guided bombs, but no deliveries of any other (except mentioned) weapons are known. Since the Elbit contract was won in 1997, the air force has acquired at least one more squadron of F-7 and FT-7 aircraft from China, but these were not upgraded.

[edit] Administrative and Support Units

• Air Force headquarters, Ministry of Defence
• Maintenance Air Base (Mingaladon)
• Ground Training Base (Meiktila)
• Fly Training Base (Shante)

[edit] Air Bases

• Hmawbi Air Base headquarters (former 501 Air Base)
• Mingaladon Air Base headquarters (former 502 Air Base)
• Myitkyinar Air Base headquarters (former 503 Air Base)
• Namsang Air Base headquarters
• Taungoo Air Base headquarters
• Meikhtila(Shante)Air base for trainning and operation, another airbase at Meikthila is helicopter trainning base.
• Homemalin new Air base (at sagaing division)can be seen at google earth website via internet.

[edit] Air Defence

[edit] Myanmar Integrated Air Defence System

Tatmadaw established Myanmar Integrated Air Defence System (MIADS) with help from Russia, Ukraine and China in early 2000. All Air Defence assets within the Tatmadaw, except the Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) are formally integrated into MIADS. AAA guns are mostly unguided and deploy to use in barrage-style firing against attacking aircrafts.

Under the newly formed air defence system, the country was divided into Six Air Defense sectors, each controlled by a Sector Operations Command (SOC) reporting directly to the National Air Defense Operations Command (NADOC) Headquarter in Yangon. Each SOC transmits early-warning and tracking data to Air Intercept Operations Centers (AIOC), which in turn control mobile Surface to Air Missiles batteries and Fighter/Interceptor aircrafts at various air bases throughout the country. IOCs are optimized to direct either SAM or interceptor aircrafts against incoming missiles or enemy aircrafts. Each IOC is connected to observation and early warning area reporting posts (RP) via Defence Fibre Optic Cable network. There are around 100+ radars and early warning systems located in approximately 40 sites throughout the country. New Air Defence radars such as 1L117 radars, Galaxy Early Warning Radar and P series radars are now installed and full operational at all radar stations.

With the introduction of new radar systems and Mobile Guided Surface to Air Missiles systems, MIADS become of the most advanced AD systems in the region. Many young officers from Tatmadaw have attended several Air Defence Training courses in Russia, Ukraine, China and Serbia.

[edit] Sector Operations Commands

• Northern SOC (HQ at Myitkyina)
• Southern SOC (HQ at Myeik)
• Western SOC (HQ at Sitwe)
• Eastern SOC (HQ at Tarchilaik)
• South Eastern SOC (HQ at Yey)
• Central SOC (HQ at Maikhtila)

[edit] Equipments

[edit] Fighters/Interceptors

• 52 × Chengdu F-7s equipped with French R550 Magic Air-to-air missiles).
• 12 × MiG-29A/B (Russia) (** Additional Mig-29s ordered in 2006**)

[edit] Fighters/Ground Attack

• 16 × Shenyang J-6 (PRC)
• 48 × Nanchang A-5 (PRC)

[edit] Counterinsurgency

• 12 × G-4 Super Galeb (Yugoslavia)
• 7 × Pilatus PC-9(Switzerland)
• 14 × Pilatus PC-7(Switzerland)

[edit] Transport

• 6 × SAC Y-8D2/Antonov An-12 (PRC)
• 2 × Fokker F-27 (Netherlands)
• 3 × Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B (US)
• 3 × Beechcraft D-18S (US)

[edit] Training & Maritime Survillence

• 2 × Mig-29UB (Russia) - more on order
• 10 × GAIC FT-7 (PRC)
• 4 × Shanyang FT-6 (PRC)
• 24 × Hongdu K-8
• 5 × Pilatus PC-7 (Switzerland)
• 2 × Britten-Norman Islander (Transferred by India in August 2006)

[edit] Liaison Aircrafts

• 4 × Cessna 180 (US)
• 1 × Cessna 550 (US)
• 5 × Pilatus PC-6A/B Turbo Porter

[edit] Helicopters

• 11 × Mi-17 (Russia)
• 22 × UH-1 Iroquois (US)
• 20 × W-3 Sokół (Poland)
• 20 × Mi-2 Hoplite (Poland)
• ?? × HAL Dhruv (India - transferred in late 2006)
• 6 × Bell 206 Jet Ranger (US)
• 6 × SA-316B Alouette III (France)

[edit] Serials and Markings

Myanmar national insignia (white triangle with yellow field in the center and borders in blue) is usually applied on six positions. The serialling system of Myanmar Air Force aircraft is suggested to serve as both – unit and individual aircraft identity, this could not be confirmed so far, however. Most of the older airplanes carried the serials with the prefix “UB” and the numbers in Burmese. Sometimes the serials were outlined in white. Combat aircraft generally carry serials in black.

• SA.316B Alouette III: Dark Green overall, large black serial on the boom: UB6101 (unit unknown).

• UH-1H: camouflage colours unknown, serials reported to be 6201 thru 6218 (unit unknown).

• F.27 Troopship: white overall, double black cheat line along the fuselage, black serial on the forward part of the fin: 5001 (unit unknown).

• PC-6B: Dark Earth on Light Earth over, Sky under, white serial on the rear fuselage: 50+04 (unit unknown).

• PC-7: Dark Grey or Dark Olive Green overall, black anti-glare panels in front of the cockpit, ruder checkered in black and yellow, serials in white, split by the national marking: 23+01 thru 23+16 (two of original Swiss civil codes are also known: HB-HQA and HB-HQB), (Flying School).

• PC-9: like above; serials unknown (unit unknown).

• G-4 Super Galeb: Dark Olive Drab over, Sky under; white serial on the nose: 371, 376 (Fighter Training School/COIN Squadron).

• F-7M: Dark Grey and Dark Green over, Light Blue underneath, national markings on the top of the fin and on rear fuselage (over the trailing edge); serial in White split by the national marking: 16+22.

• A-5M: Dark Green/Dark Earth/Sand over, Sky under; black serial on the fin: 1503 (unit unknown, but could be the 1st Wing).

• W-3: Black or Dark Green overall, national marking on the fin, no serials visible.

• MiG-29: "Russian" Light Blue overall, with "Azur" Blue and Light Blue fields on upper surfaces; national markings on the fin and behind the cockpit; serial in Arabic characters applied in black on the fin, and repeated in Burmese characters of each side of the cockard: 27+09/2709.

• K-8: White over, red under; wings in white with red wingtips, rudder checkered in yellow and black, black serials on the fin, repated large around the national marking on the rear fuselage: 39+07 (Flying School).

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Aung San
• Myanmar Army
• Myanmar Navy
• Military Intelligence of Myanmar
• Myanmar Police Force
• Myanmar Frontier Forces