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| Myanmar Air Force / Burmese Air Force Tatmadaw Lei | |
|---|---|
 The Myanmar Air Force flag, featuring the Air Force roundel. It is one of the few roundels in the world not based on the national flag; rather it features the Golden Triangle, as a reference to Myanmar's geographical location. | |
| Founded | January 16, 1947 |
| Country | Burma (Myanmar) |
| Part of | Myanmar Armed Forces |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief (Air) | Lieutenant General Myat Hein |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Chengdu F-7 Airguard |
| Helicopter | Mi-17 |
| Interceptor | Mikoyan MiG-29 |
| Reconnaissance | Airguard FT-7M |
| Trainer | PC-7 |
| Transport | Y-8D |
The Myanmar Air Force (Template:Lang-my, Template:IPA-my) is the aerial branch of Myanmar' armed forces, the Tatmadaw. It is mainly used in counter-insurgency campaigns, and, on a smaller, scale, in relief missions, especially after the deadly Cyclone Nargis of May 2008.
History
The Myanmar Air Force was formed on 16 January 1947, while Myanmar (also known as Burma) was still under British rule. By 1948, the new air force fleet included 40 Airspeed Oxfords, 16 de Havilland Tiger Moths, 4 Austers and 3 Supermarine Spitfires with a few hundred personnel. The Mingaladon Air Base, the chief air base in the country, was formed on 16 June 1950. No.1 Squadron, Equipment Holding Unit and Air High Command - Burma Air Force, and the Flying Training School, were placed under the jurisdiction of the base. A few months later, on 18 December 1950, No. 2 Squadron was formed with nine Dakotas as a transport squadron. In 1953, the Advanced Flying Unit with De Havilland Vampire Mark T55s was formed under the Mingaladon Air Base and by the end of 1953, The Burmese Air Force had 3 main airbases, at Mingaladon, Hmawbi and Meiktila, in central Myanmar.
In late 1955, the Burmese Air Force formed a Maintenance Air Base in Mingaladon, No. 501 Squadron Group (Hmawbi Airbase) and No. 502 Squadron Group (Mingaladon Air Base). Five years later, No. 503 Squadron Group was formed with No. 51 Squadron (de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otters and Cessnas) and No. 53 Squadron (Bell 47Gs/Huskys and Alouettes) in Meiktila.
In 1962, a new radar station in Mingaladon and a mobile radar station in Lwemwe (near Tachileik) were put into operation. By December 1964, the Air Force had 323 officers and 5677 other ranks and it acquired Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star Jet trainers and a new radar station, which could operate within a 120-mile radius, was opened in Namsang. In 1966, the radar arm of the air force underwent a complete overhaul and upgrade, with new radar stations being operated. The Namsang Radar station was upgraded to cover about a 200-mile radius and renamed to No.71 Squadron. In the same year The Myanma Air Force formed the No. 1 Airborne Battalion with 26 officers and 750 other ranks.
In 1975 12 SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 basic trainers were purchased from Italy In 1979-1986 6 Turbo porter STOL utility aircraft, 17 Pilatus PC-7 and 4 PC-9 turboprop trainers were acquired from Switzerland, followed by 20 SOKO G-4 Super Galeb armed jet trainers from Yugoslavia in 1990.
Modernization Programme
In the early 1990s, the Myanma Air Force upgraded its facilities and introduced two new Air Base headquarters and existing Air Base headquarters were renamed. It also significantly upgraded its radar and electronic warfare facilities. Between 1991 and 1997 22 PZL-Swidnik Mil Mi-2 and 15 W-3 Sokol helicopters entered service. 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 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. Despite the modernization measures, the capability of Myanma Air Force remained questionable during Battle of Border Post 9631 with Thais and the rescue missions of the cyclone Nargis.
Air Force Commanders
Commander-in-Chief (AIR) in chronological order
- 1. Lt-Col. Saw Shwe Sho
- 2. Maj. Tommy Cliff
- 3. Lt-Col. Thuya S. Khin
- 4. Brig-Gen.Thuya Tommy Cliff
- 5. Brig-Gen. Thaung Dan
- 6. Maj-Gen. Thuya Saw Phyu
- 7. Maj-Gen. Ko Gyi
- 8. Lt-Gen. Tin Tun
- 9. Lt-Gen. Thein Win
- 10.Lt-Gen. Tin Ngwe
- 11.Maj-Gen. Kyaw Than
- 12.Maj-Gen Myint Swe
- 13.Lt-Gen. Myat Hein
Administrative and Support Units
Personnel: 15,000 all ranks
- Air Force headquarters, Ministry of Defence
- Aircraft Production and repair Base Headquarters (Mingaladon)
- Ground Training Base (Meiktila)
- Fly Training Base (Shante)
Air Bases
- Pathein Air Base headquarters
- Mingaladon Air Base headquarters (former 502 Air Base)
- Myitkyina Air Base headquarters (former 503 Air Base)
- Myike Air Base headquarters
- 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.
- Many airfields other than above mentioned have been prepared to be used as front-line fields in case of foreign invasion.
Air Defence
Myanmar Integrated Air Defence System
The Burmese Air Force established Myanmar Integrated Air Defence System (MIADS) with help from Russia, Ukraine and China in early 2000. All Air Defence assets within The Burmese Air Force, 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 aircraft.
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 aircraft at various air bases throughout the country. IOCs are optimized to direct either SAM or interceptor aircraft against incoming missiles or enemy aircraft. 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 The Burmese Air Force have attended several Air Defence Training courses in Russia, Ukraine, China and Serbia.
Sector Operations Commands
- Northern SOC (HQ at Myitkyina)
- Southern SOC (HQ at Myeik)
- Western SOC (HQ at Sittwe)
- Eastern SOC (HQ at Tachilek)
- South Eastern SOC (HQ at Ye)
- Central SOC (HQ at Meikhtila)
Aircraft inventory
Current aircraft
| Name | Country | Type | Quantity | Armament |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chengdu J-7 Airguard (F-7IIK) |  People's Republic of China |
fighter interceptor | 58 | equipped with French R550 Magic air-to-air missiles |
| Mikoyan MiG-29 |  Russia |
multirole fighter-interceptor | 32 (10 MiG-29B (Fulcrum-A) and 2 MiG-29UB (Two seat trainers) currently in operation., Ordered additional 20 MiG-29( 10MiG-29B, 6 MiG-29SE and 4 MiG-29UB ) as part of $570 Million defence package in December, 2009 | 30 mm cannon, R73 WVR AAMs, R77 and R 27 BVR AAMs, S9 and S18 rockets,500 and 250 kg bombs |
| Chengdu J-7 Airguard (FT-7) | People's Republic of China |
Two Seats Trainer | 4 | equipped with French R550 Magic air-to-air missiles |
| Shenyang J-6 | People's Republic of China |
fighter-ground attack | 4 | internal cannon armament and bombs |
| A-5 | People's Republic of China |
fighter-ground attack | 36 | 30mm cannon, rocket pods and bombs |
| Xian JH-7 | People's Republic of China |
fighter-ground attack | 12 ( delivery to complete in 2012 ) | Negotiated with china for replacement of Nanchang Q-5 attack aircrafts |
| Soko G-4 Super Galeb |  Serbia Yugoslavia |
tandem-seat low-wing advanced jet trainer | 6 delivered (4 remains operational) | guided air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles |
| Pilatus PC-9 |  Switzerland |
single-engine, low-wing tandem-seat turboprop training aircraft | 7 | unarmed |
| Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer | Switzerland |
light trainer training & maritime surveillance | 5 | unarmed |
| Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander |  United Kingdom |
multiple engine trainer | 2 | unarmed |
| Hongdu K-8 Karakorum | People's Republic of China |
advanced jet trainer | 62 (12 + 50) |
unarmed |
| Shaanxi Y-8D2 Cub | People's Republic of China |
turboprop transport | 4 | unarmed |
| Fokker F-27 Friendship |  Netherlands |
turboprop transport | 2 | unarmed |
| Fairchild Hiller FH-227 |  United States |
twin-engined turboprop passenger/transport aircraft | 3 | unarmed |
| ATR 72 | France | twin-engined turboprop passenger/transport aircraft | 2 | VIP transportation for domestic flight ( ATR-72 and ATR-42 ) |
| Antonov An-148 | Russia | twin-engined jet passenger/transport aircraft | 2 | VIP transportation for domestic flight |
| Cessna 180 Skywagon | United States |
light utility/liaison aircraft | 4 | unarmed |
| Cessna 550 Citation | United States |
business jet/liaison aircraft | 1 | unarmed |
| Pilatus PC-6A/B Turbo Porter | Switzerland |
liaison aircraft | 5 | unarmed |
| Mil Mi-35/Mil Mi-24V (Hind-E) |  Soviet Union |
Attack helicopter | 60. 10 ordered as part of $71 Million defence package signed in December,2009 Another 50 ordered in September 2010 | Gunship - twin-barrel GSh-23L 23mm nose mounted cannon, 8 AT-6 Spiral missile, B-8V20 Rocket pods with 20 S-8 rocket S-8 80mm Rockets, S-24 240mm rockets |
| Mil Mi-17 | Soviet Union |
transport helicopter | 11 | machine gun/gunship |
| Bell UH-1 Iroquois | United States |
training helicopter | 10 remain operate | machine gun/gunship |
| PZL W-3 Sokół Falcon |  Poland |
multipurpose utility helicopter | 10 | twin 23 mm GSz-23Ł cannon and four pylons for weapons / gunship platform |
| Mil Mi-2 | Poland |
small, lightly armored transport helicopter | 19 | 23 mm NS-23 gun, 7,62 mm machine gun and 2x 57 mm unguided rocket pods Mars-2. Optional 7,62 mm machine gun |
| HAL Dhruv Pole Star |  India |
utility helicopter | 3 | anti-armour missiles, four air-to-air missiles or four rocket pods for 70 mm and 68 mm rockets |
| Bell 206 JetRanger | United States |
multipurpose utility helicopter | 6 | machine gun and rocket launchers? |
| Aérospatiale SA 316B Alouette III |  France |
light utility helicopter | 6 | two side-mounted machine guns |
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 through 6218 (unit unknown).
- F27 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 through 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, repeated large around the national marking on the rear fuselage: 39+07 (Flying School).
See also
- Aung San
- Myanmar Army
- Myanmar Navy
- Military Intelligence of Myanmar
- Myanmar Police Force
- Myanmar Frontier Forces
References
- DSHMRI Documents
- Myoe, Maung Aung: Building the Tatmadaw, page 128 ISBN: 978-981-230-848-1
- Bernama News: From Thai Military Blog
- Myoe, Maung Aung: Building the Tatmadaw, page 128 ISBN: 978-981-230-848-1
- Myoe, Maung Aung: Building the Tatmadaw, page 128 ISBN: 978-981-230-848-1
- Burma Buys 50 Fighter Jets From China
- http://www.mizzima.com/news/world/3200-russia-burma-sign-arms-deal.html
- http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19419
- World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing, London. File 333 Sheet 05