Romanian Air Force

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Romanian Air Force

Military manpower
Military age	All military inductees (including women) are volunteers who contract for an initial five-year term of service; subsequent voluntary service contracts are for successive three-year terms until the age of 36; minimum age for voluntary military service is 18 (2006)
Availability	males age 15–49: 5,061,984 females age 20–49: 4,975,427 (2005 est.)
Fit for military service	males age 15–49: 3,932,579 females age 20–49: 4,076,288 (2005 est.)
Reaching military age annually	males: 172,093 females: 165,547 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures
Amount	€ 2.21 billion (2007)^[1]
Percent of GDP	2.05% (2007)

The Romanian Air Force (Romanian: Forţele Aeriene Române) has an air force headquarters, an operational command, four air bases and an air defense brigade. Reserve forces include two air bases and three airfields.

As part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, the Romanian Air Force currently controls the Kabul International Airport.

Around 2007, the Romanian Air Force will employ 13,250 personnel.

[edit] Current state

The Romanian Air Force modernized 110 MiG 21 LanceRs, in cooperation with Israel between 1993 and 2002. Today, 48 of these MiG 21 LanceRs are operational ^[2]. The Romanian Air Force also operates C-130 Hercules , An-24s, An-26s transport planes and IAR-330 Puma helicopters. IAR-330 PUMA SOCAT helicopters have been modernized by the Romanian Aviation Industry in cooperation with Elbit Systems (Israel) for attack missions. The Romanian Air Force also includes native-made IAR-99 Şoim jet planes, in general only used for training of the young pilots. The remaining MiG-29s have been removed from service in 2003.

Due to the old age of the MIG's the Romanian Air Force will acquire about 48 American fighters or similar European aircraft, following its admission to the European Union in 2007^{[citation needed]}. Seven C-27J Spartan tactical airlift aircraft have been ordered for delivery starting with 2008 to replace the An-24 and An-26 aircraft.^[3]

[edit] History

[edit] The beginnings

Romania was one of the first countries in the world to have an air force, starting with 1913. The Romanian Air Force commissioned 10 own built Vlaicu I airplanes in 1912.

Aurel Vlaicu

‎

[edit] World War I

In the World War I Romania acquired 322 airplanes from France and Great Britain including: Nieuport fighters (types 11,12,19,21,23 and 28), Farman reconnaissance and light bombing aircraft (types 40 and 46) and Breguet-Michelin heavy bombers. On the September 16, 1916, a Romanian Farman-40 shot down a German airplane near Slobozia; this was the first victory in the history of the Romanian Air Force. At the end of the World War I, the Romanian pilots achieved about 11,000 hours of flight and fought 750 air battles.

[edit] The Golden Age

Between the two World Wars the RoAF was subject to reorganisation, over 2,000 military and civil aircrafts were built in Romania within 18 years based on own or licensed designs. The military aviation used IAR 80 Romanian fighters which became famous on the Eastern front, and bombers manufactured by IAR Braşov. Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Heinkel He 112 fighters, Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88 bombers, Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber, Junkers Ju 52 transport and Heinkel He 114 seaplanes were purchased from Germany in the interwar period.

[edit] World War II

When Romania, allied with Germany, went to war against the USSR, on June 22, 1941, the Romanian Air Force had 621 airplanes. The air force accomplished hundreds of missions, contributing to the liberation of Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia from the Soviet occupation. Until the Odessa episode, the Romanian military fighters gained 661 air victories. Romanian Military Aviation fought on the Eastern front until August 22, 1944, bringing an important contribution to the great battles in Stalingrad or Crimea and the Ukrainian fronts. Between 1941-1944 the Romanian airplanes won 2,000 air victories. The most famous flying aces were Captain Prince Constantin Cantacuzino, who gained 68 certified victories (acknowledged by the Germans too), Captain Horia Agarici and Captain Alexandru Şerbănescu, who shot down 60 enemy airplanes.

[edit] The Cold War

Starting with 1948, Romania was forced to tailor its military to the Soviet concepts and doctrine which meant a large and deep process affecting military aviation as well. On February 15, 1949, the Aviation Command was established based on the Soviet model (regiments instead of flotillas). New Soviet airplanes entered service such as: Yakovlev Yak-18, Polikarpov Po-2, Lavochkin La-9, Tupolev Tu-2 and Ilyushin Il-10.A year later 77 airplanes Yakovlev Yak-17 and Yakovlev Yak-23 entered the air force and in 1952, other 88 airplanes: MiG-15 and MiG-15bis. In 1958, the first supersonic fighter MiG-19 entered the inventory. Three years later, in February 1962, a new fighter was added to the inventory, MiG-21, which represented one of the most effective fighters of that time. Starting with 1974, Romanian-made aircraft supplemented the already existing jets. The Romanian IAR-93 subsonic aircraft flew its first flight on 31st October 1974. It represented a great step forward taking into account that it was the only jet fighter not made by the Soviets, the only one ever manufactured and operated by a Warsaw Treaty country. In 1962, the first helicopter subunits were established and followed later on, in 1965, by the first Soviet Mi-2 and Mi-4 helicopters. Renewing the aircraft fleet process went on, the first 12 MiG-23 aircraft entering the service between July-September 1979. On 14th May 1981,at 20.16, Soviet spaceship Soyuz-40 was launched from Baikonur to perform a common Romanian-Soviet flight, with Lieutenant Dumitru Prunariu and Colonel Leonid Popov as commander on board. In December 1989, just a few days before the Romanian revolution against communism began, MiG-29 aircraft had entered the Air Force inventory.

[edit] Structure

[edit] Air Force Staff

[edit] Designation

The Romanian Air Force Staff represents the military concept-developing, command and executive structure providing Air Forces peacetime, crisis and wartime leadership in order to reach, maintain and increase , as required, the operational level of the military subordinated structures so that to be able to operate under authorized commands responsible for military operations planning and conduct.

[edit] Main task

Generate, mobilize, structure, equip, operationalize and regenerate the required forces, provide the logistic support necessary to conduct military operations and based on higher orders, take over both the Joint Operation Air Component and independent air operations command and control, through the Main Air Operational Center. The current chief of the Romanian Air Force Staff , since March 2007 (after the discharge of General Gheorghe Catrina) is General locotenent Constantin Croitoru.

[edit] Air bases

The Romanian Air Force has 4 active air bases:

Câmpia Turzii - 71st Air Base

701st Fighter Squadron - operating MiG-21 LanceR A, B;
702nd Fighter Squadron - operating MiG-21 LanceR B, C;
703rd Helicopter Regiment - operating IAR-330L;
704th Helicopter Regiment - operating IAR-330L (located at Timisoara Airport - former 93rd Air base);

Feteşti - 86th Air Base

861st Fighter Squadron - operating MiG-21 LanceR B, C;
862nd Fighter Squadron - operating MiG-21 LanceR A, B;
863rd Helicopter Regiment - operating IAR-330L (located at Mihail Kogălniceanu Airport - former 57th Air Base);

Bacău - 95th Air Base

951st Fighter Squadron - operating MiG-21 LanceR B, C;
952nd Helicopter Regiment - operating IAR-330L;

Bucureşti-Otopeni - 90th Airlift Base

901st Strategic Transport Regiment - operating C-130 Hercules B,H;
902nd Transport and Reconnaissance Regiment - operating An-24, An-26 and An-30;
903rd Transport Helicopter Regiment - operating IAR-330L;
904th Attack Helicopter Regiment - operating IAR-330 SOCAT;
905th Attack Helicopter Regiment - operating IAR-330 SOCAT;

[edit] Reserve air bases

There are also 3 airfields included in the reserve forces.

[edit] Air defense units

1st Air defense brigade - located near Bucharest;
- 11th Air defense regiment - located near Cluj-Napoca;

[edit] Capu Midia range

The Capu Midia training camp and surface to air firing range represents the Romanian Air Force structure specialized in providing the necessary facilities for firing training, execution and evaluation. It is located in Constanţa County, 20km north from the county capital, Constanţa.

[edit] Current inventory

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service	Notes
MiG-21	Soviet Union	fighter	MiG-21 LanceR	110	only 48 operational - to be replaced starting with 2007 by F-16 Fighting Falcon, Eurofighter Typhoon or JAS 39 Gripen multirole aircraft;
C-130 Hercules	United States	transport	C-130	5	4 C-130B and 1 C-130H
An-24	Soviet Union	transport	An-24	2	to be retired and replaced with C-27J Spartan in 2008
An-26	Soviet Union	transport	An-26	4	to be retired and replaced with C-27J Spartan in 2008
Boeing 707	United States	transport	Boeing-707	1	used only for VIP flights
An-30	Soviet Union	reconnaisance	An-30	2
Aero L-29	Czechoslovakia	training	L-29	12	to be retired and replaced by IAR 99
Aero L-39	Czechoslovakia	training	L-39	16
IAR 99	Romania	training	IAR-99 Şoim	24	12 IAR-99s and 12 IAR-99Cs
IAR 330	Romania	Attack Helicopter	IAR-330 SOCAT	24
IAR 316	Romania	Training Helicopter	IAR-316	125	only 50 remain operational with the training units
IAR 330	Romania	Transport Helicopter	IAR-330 Puma	80

[edit] Gallery of images

MiG-21 Lancer

Romanian Air Force C-130B

IAR-330 SOCAT

[edit] Aircraft markings

The Romanian roundel has the same colours like the Romanian flag. The innermost circle is blue, followed by yellow, and then red. It is placed on Romanian Army vehicles and Romanian Air Force aircraft.

Romanian Army Roundel

[edit] Ranks and insignia

[edit] Flag Officers (OF 10 - 6) and Officers (5 - 1)

NATO Code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF-D-	Student Officer
Romania (Edit)	No Equivalent											No Equivalent	No Equivalent

		General	General-locotenent	General-maior	General de flotilă aeriană	Comandor	Căpitan-comandor	Locotenent-comandor	Căpitan	Locotenent	Sublocotenent