Everything about The Slovak Air Force totally explained
The
Slovak Air Force, known since 2002 as the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the
Slovak Republic, is the
aviation and
air defense branch of the
Slovak Armed Forces. Operating 46
aircraft from 3 major bases, the Slovak Air Force has been under the command of Brig.generál Juraj Baránek since November 2005.
The Slovak Air Force today
The Slovak Air Force is tasked with the defense of the sovereign Slovak state and the support of the nation's ground troops.
Russian combat aircraft
MiG-29 and transport aircraft
An-26 dominate the inventory, with the exception of the Czech built Aero
L-39 jet trainers and Let
L-410 transport aircraft. The
helicopter fleet is composed entirely of Russian types, including the
Mi-24 Hind and
Mi-17 Hip.
History
1939-1945
After the division of
Czechoslovakia by
Nazi Germany in 1939, Slovakia was left with a small air force composed primarily of Czechoslovakian combat aircraft. This force defended Slovakia against Hungry in 1939, and took part in the invasion of Poland in support of Germany. During the Second World War, the Slovak Air force was charged with the defense of Slovakian airspace, and, after the invasion of Russia, provided air cover for Slovak forces fighting against the
Soviet Union on the
Eastern Front. While engaged on the Eastern Front, Slovakia’s obsolete biplanes were replaced with German combat aircraft, including the
Messerschmitt Bf 109. The air force was sent back to Slovakia after combat fatigue and desertion had reduced the pilots' effectiveness. Slovak air units took part in the Slovak National Uprising against Germany from late August 1944.
1945-1992
The end of the war brought about the reunification of Czechoslovakia, and the reunification of the armed forces. In 1948, Czechoslovakia became a Communist country with a centrally planned economy, and the air force adopted the aircraft and organization used by the Soviet Union.
1993 - present
After the formal dissolution of Czechoslovakia on
January 1,
1993, Czech and Slovak aircraft were divided according to each nation's population, in a ratio of nearly 2:1 in the Czech Republic's favor. The exceptions to this rule were the
MiG-23's, which were given exclusively to the Czech Air force, and the
MiG-29's, which were divided evenly between the two nations. Slovak bases were initially underequiped to handle the aircraft transferred from the Czech bases, and required considerable improvements in infrastructure to facilitate the new air force. On
March 1,
1995, the airforce replaced the Soviet style Aviation Regiment organization with the western wing and squadron system. In the following years, Slovakia gradually retired many of the older aircraft, including the entire fleet of Su-22 attack bombers and MiG-21 interceptors. In 2004, the flight training academy and national aerobatic demonstration team Biele Albatrosy, both based at Košice, were disbanded.
Bases and Commands
Surface to Air missiles fall under the command of Anti-aircraft Rocket Brigade Nitra, formerly the Czech 13th Anti-aircraft Rocket Regiment.
Aviation assets are divided between three major air bases throughout the country, at Malacky-Kuchyňa, Sliač, and Prešov.
Dopravné letecké krídlo (Air Transport Wing), based at
Malacky-Kuchyňa
- 1 Dopravný roj (Air Transport Squadron): An-26
2 Dopravný roj (Air Transport Squadron): L-410
Stíhacie letecké krídlo (Fighter Air Wing), based at Sliač
1 Stíhacia letka (Fighter Squadron 1): MiG-29
2 Stíhacia letka (Fighter Squadron 2): L-39
3 Spojovacia letka (Support Squadron): L-410
Vyhľadávacia a záchranná služba (Combat Search and Rescue unit): Mi-17, Mi-8
Vrtuľníkové letecké krídlo (Mixed Helicopter Wing), based at Prešov
1 Bitevná vrtuľníková letka (Attack Helicopter Sqauadron): Mi-24
2 Dopravná vrtuľníková letka (Transport Helicopter Squadron): Mi-17
3 Výcviková vrtuľníková letka (Training Helicopter Squadron): Mi-2
Current Equipment 1.4.2008
Aircraft
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Number:
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Note
|
-
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum
|
| fighter
training
| MiG-29AS
MiG-29UBS
| 10
2
| 8 MiG-29A and 1 MiG-29UB stored
|
-
| Aero L-39 Albatros
| Czechoslovakia
| attack
training
| L-39ZA
L-39C
| 7
6
|
-
| Antonov An-26 Curl
|
| transport
| An-26
| 2
|
-
| Let L-410 Turbolet
| Czechoslovakia
| transport
| L-410FG
L-410T
L-410UVP
| 1
3
3
| used for light transport, parachute training, photographic mapping and VIP transport
|
-
| Mil Mi-24 Hind
|
| attack
training
| Mi-24V
Mi-24DU
| 10
1
|
-
| Mil Mi-17 Hip
|
| transport
SIGINT
| Mi-17
| 12
2
|
-
| Mil Mi-8 Hip
|
| transport
| Mi-8
| 1
|
-
| Mil Mi-2 Hoplite
|
| training
| Mi-2
| 4
|
-
|}
SA-6 Gainful - four battery
Almaz SA-10 Grumble - one battery
Gallery
Further Information
Get more info on 'Slovak Air Force'.
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