The Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force (LPLAAF) is the air force of Laos.

History

The present-day LPLAAF is descended from the Aviation Laotienne, which was established by the French and later became the

Royal Lao Air Force The Royal Lao Air Force (french: Aviation Royale Laotiènne – AVRL), best known to the Americans by its English acronym RLAF, was the air force component of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (FAR), the official military of the Royal Lao Government an ...

. Pathet Lao guerrilla forces began to operate a few aircraft from 1960, as did another rebel group led by

Kong Le Captain (later Major General) Kong Le ( Lao: ກອງແລ; 6 March 1934 – 17 January 2014) was a paratrooper in the Royal Lao Army. He led the premier unit of the Royal Lao Army, ''2ème bataillon de parachutistes'' (Parachute Battalion 2), ...

. Kong Le forces were later re-incorporated into the Royal Lao Air Force. The communist take-over in 1975 resulted in the adoption of the present title. Military co-operation agreement with Russia in 1997 resulted in 12 Mil Mi-17 (second handed) helicopters that entered service in mid-1999 to follow on from previous deliveries of Mi-8s. SAM systems also entered service such as the SA-3 'Goa'.armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php

Bases

The LPLAAF operates from two main bases—

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

and Phonsavan—with another three bases supported by detachments from the main units. Apart from the main military air bases, there are also a number of smaller airports and airfields around the country which are frequently used by the air force and the semi-military airline Lao Airlines. In 1961 Laos had 25 airstrips capable of landing a C-47. *

Wattay International Airport Wattay International Airport is one of the few international airports in Laos and the country's main international gateway, serving the capital Vientiane, located 3 km (2 mi) outside of the city centre. A larger domestic terminal was ...

Long Tieng Long Tieng (also spelled Long Chieng, Long Cheng, or Long Chen) is a Laotian military base in Xaisomboun Province. During the Laotian Civil War, it served as a town and airbase operated by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. ...

Pakse International Airport Pakse International Airport is one of the few international airports in Laos. Pakse is the former southern capital city of the Kingdom of Champasak. Facilities The airport has been in use since 1959 and re-opened after renovations in 2001. A n ...

Xieng Khouang Airport Xieng Khouang Airport is an airport in Phonsavan, Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: ...

Aircraft

Current inventory

References

* {{Authority control Laos Military of Laos Military units and formations established in 1976