The Air and Air Defence Forces (; ) are the aerial arm of the
Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ўзбекистон Республикаси Қуролли Кучлари), is the name of the unified armed forces of Uzbekistan, consisting of the Ground Force and the Air and Air Defence ...
. It was formed following the collapse of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, in 1991, though the military was not created by the
Uzbek government
The Republic of Uzbekistan is a presidential constitutional republic, whereby the President of Uzbekistan is head of state. Executive power is exercised by the government and by the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan.
Legislative power is vested in ...
until 1992. The Air Force consists of 10,000 to 15,000 personnel in 2006, with most of them being
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
s as of 1995.
History
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, in accordance with a decree of the
President of Uzbekistan
The president of the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Oʻzbekiston Respublikasining Prezidenti, Ўзбекистон Республикасининг Президенти) is the head of state and executive authority in Uzbekistan. The office of Pre ...
on 13 July 1992, former Soviet Air Force units stationed on Uzbek territory from the
73rd Air Army of the
Turkestan Military District
The Turkestan Military District (russian: Туркестанский военный округ (ТуркВО), ''Turkestansky voyenyi okrug (TurkVO)'') was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with it ...
headquartered at
Tashkent
Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...
were taken over by Uzbekistan. The takeover of
Soviet Air Defence Forces
The Soviet Air Defence Forces (russian: войска ПВО, ''voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony'', ''voyska PVO'', ''V-PVO'', lit. ''Anti-Air Defence Troops''; and formerly ''protivovozdushnaya oborona strany'', ''PVO strany'', lit. ''Anti-Air De ...
units from the
15th Air Defence Division at
Samarkand
fa, سمرقند
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...
followed on 12 November. By late 1992, the Uzbek units suffered from a shortage of officers since many had left for their national armed forces. This trend was exemplified by the 396th Separate Guards Helicopter Regiment at
Kogon, who staged a three-day strike in February 1992 when they were informed of their transfer to the
Uzbekistan National Guard
The National Guard of the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O'zbekiston Respublikasining milliy gvardiyasi) is a uniformed independent formation within the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The headquarters of the National Guard is base ...
. This ended when the Uzbek Minister of Defense intervened and allowed the mostly Russian personnel of the regiment to find new positions, resulting in the departure of over 90% of its officers and warrant officers for Russia. On the first day of 1993, in accordance with a directive of the General Staff of Uzbekistan issued on 3 November 1992, the headquarters of the Uzbek Air Force was formed from the aviation department of the Uzbek Ministry of Defense, created by that time, and the disbanded headquarters of the 73rd Air Army.
Initially, personnel of Slavic nationalities were allowed to depart freely and not pressured into taking the oath of allegiance to Uzbekistan or signing service contracts with their armed forces, which allowed the fledgling air force to gain experience, but once they left, the Uzbek Air Forces experienced a sharp decline in experienced pilots and maintenance personnel and a reduction to minimum numbers of serviceable aircraft. Another problem was a lack of
Aero L-39 trainer aircraft inherited from the Soviet Union, resulting in the purchase of fifteen of them from Kyrgyzstan between 1994 and 1996.
During the
Tajik civil war
The Tajikistani Civil War ( tg, Ҷанги шаҳрвандии Тоҷикистон, translit=Jangi shahrvandiyi Tojikiston / Çangi shahrvandiji Toçikiston; russian: Гражданская война в Таджикистане), also known ...
from September 1992 to May 1993, the
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
was supported by Uzbekistan. Helicopters of the Air Force fought the
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
rebels at a
United Tajik Opposition
russian: Объединённая таджикская оппозиция
, native_name_lang=Tajik
, war=the Civil war in Tajikistan
, image=
, caption=
, active=1993–1997
, ideology=Big tent
*Islamist faction
**Islamism
**Pan-Islamism
**Social ...
base. Later, the Uzbek Air Force was said to have destroyed the last holdouts of rebels in eastern Tajikistan. Units involved were the helicopter regiments at Chirchiq and Kogon, the fighter-bomber regiments at Dzhizak and Kakaydy, and the separate mixed aviation regiment at Tashkent Vostochny, operating MiG-29s, Su-17M, Su-24, Su-25 and Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters. During the war, the Uzbek Air Force lost one Su-24, two Mi-8 and a single Mi-24.
In March 1994, the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
signed a treaty with Uzbekistan in training of pilots. The Uzbek Air Force is assisted by the
Russian Air Force, though the
Jizzakh Higher Military Aviation School was opened to train Uzbeks. As of that year, some thirteen airbases were active in Uzbekistan. The Air Force was to follow the Soviet doctrine, supported by the
Uzbekistan Ground Forces.
Beginning in the mid-1990s,
de-Russification policies were pursued in Uzbekistan, which impacted the Armed Forces by the calling up of Uzbek officers from the reserves to replace officers of Slavic nationalities in command positions. As a result, the percentage of Uzbek officers in the Armed Forces increased from 50 percent to 85 percent, but these actions reduced the capabilities of the armed forces. At the same time, the air force was reorganize to consolidate units: in 1993 the 87th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment (Su-24MR) was combined with the 735th Bomber Aviation Regiment (Su-24) to form the 60th Bomber Aviation Regiment at
Karshi-Khanabad Air Base
Karshi-Khanabad, better known as K2, is an air base in southeastern Uzbekistan, just east of Karshi. It is home to the 60th Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade of the Uzbek Air Force.
History
From 1954 to 1981, the 735th Fighter Aviation Regiment ...
, while the 136th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Andijan) and the 372nd Separate Instructor Assault Aviation Squadron (Chirchiq) were combined into the 59th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment at Chirchiq. During the same year, the 111th Separate Mixed Aviation Regiment (Tashkent-Vostochny) was reduced to a separate transport aviation squadron, with some aircraft transferred to the 194th Guards Military Transport Aviation Regiment, and its Mi-8s to the helicopter regiments. The An-12s and Tu-134s remained at Tashkent-Vostochny.
1994 brought the renumbering of the 396th Separate Guards Helicopter Regiment (Kogan) as the 65th (Mi-8 and Mi-6), the 399th Separate Helicopter Regiment (Chirchiq) as the 66th (Mi-8, Mi-24, and Mi-26), the
9th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment
The 9th "Odessa" Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment was a "regiment of aces" unit in the Soviet Air Forces created to assist the USSR in gaining air supremacy over the Luftwaffe during the Second World War.
Second World War
Pilots admitted to the ...
(Andizhan) as the 62nd Fighter Aviation Regiment (Su-27), and the 115th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (Kakaydy) as the 61st (MiG-29). Meanwhile, the 287th Separate Test Aviation Squadron at
Nukus
Nukus ( kaa, Nókis / ; uz, Nukus / ; kk, Нүкіс / ) is the sixth-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of the autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan. The population of Nukus as of January 1, 2022 was 329,100. The Amu Darya river passe ...
was withdrawn to Russia in 1993. Following the example of other post-Soviet countries, the merger of the Uzbek Air Force and the Uzbek Air Defence Forces to form the Air and Air Defence Forces of Uzbekistan was directed on 15 January 1999. The process was difficult and only from 2001 did the percentage of serviceable aircraft begin to rise and pilot flight hours increase. Due to the merger and the decreasing serviceability of Uzbek aircraft, the 60th Bomber Aviation Regiment and the 61st and 62nd Fighter Aviation Regiments were consolidated into the 60th Mixed Aviation Brigade at Karshi-Khanabad in 1999. However, this did not prevent more aircraft from becoming unflyable.
The Uzbek Air Force saw further combat between July and September 1999 in the
Batken Conflict
The Batken Conflict (, ) was a period of armed clashes between militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan, with support to the latter being provided by the Uzbek Ground Forces. It was caused by incursi ...
when Islamist militants of the
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU; uz, Ўзбекистон исломий ҳаракати/Oʻzbekiston islomiy harakati; russian: Исламское движение Узбекистана ) was a militant Islamist group formed in 1998 ...
(IMU) attempted to enter Uzbek territory from Tajikistan through Kyrgyzstan. Su-17s, Su-24s, Mi-8s, and Mi-24s were involved in the fighting, with one of the Su-24s being shot down. The Mi-8s and Mi-24s were involved in the elimination of the militants in November and December of that year, and during August and September 2000 Su-24 and Su-25s were committed to the conflict again, along with the Mi-8s and Mi-24s. During this period, two Mi-8s were lost.
Due to an agreement in the
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
, Russia helped maintain the aircraft of the Uzbek Air Force and sold them more aircraft at a cheaper price than to other interests, such as the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. In
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...
, the US government and
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
had an aviation company repair much of the Air Force's aircraft, as it was deemed inoperable by them. Russia tried to undermine US efforts to reach out to Uzbekistan, especially at a 2002 conference in
Tashkent
Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...
, where members of various aviation companies were present.
The talks failed, and the Uzbek government had cut off the US aid in the form of helicopter repairs.
A 13 April 2011 decree transferred the helicopters of the Uzbek Air and Air Defence Forces to the
Uzbek Ground Forces
The Uzbek Ground Forces are the land component of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Operating since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the army is made up of former Soviet Army units that were in the territory of Uzbekistan. A ...
.
After the 2016 death of longtime dictator
Islam Karimov
Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov ( uz, Islom Abdugʻaniyevich Karimov / Ислом Абдуғаниевич Каримов, italics=no; russian: link=no, Ислам Абдуганиевич Каримов; 30 January 1938 – 2 September 2016) was t ...
, who had ruled Uzbekistan since its independence, his successor
Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev (Uzbek Latin: ''Shavkat Miromonovich (Miromon o‘g‘li) Mirziyoyev'', Uzbek Cyrillic: Шавкат Миромонович (Миромон ўғли) Мирзиёев ; born 24 July 1957) is an Uzbek politician ...
pursued an increasingly pro-Russian position. This was reflected in renewed Uzbek participation in
Joint CIS Air Defense System Joint CIS Air Defense System (russian: Объединённая система ПВО СНГ) is a unified system that comprises air defense units and elements of the former Soviet republics under control of the Coordination Committee on Air Defens ...
exercises held at
Sary Shagan
Sary Shagan ( rus, Сары-Шаган; kz, Сарышаған) is an anti-ballistic missile testing range located in Kazakhstan.
On 17 August 1956 the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union authorized plans for an experimental facility for ...
in September 2019, and the supply of twelve Russian
Mi-35M
The Soviet and later Russian Mil Mi-24 helicopter has been produced in many variants, as described below.
History
In 1966, Soviet aircraft designer Mikhail Mil created a mock-up design of a new helicopter (derived from the Mil Mi-8) which was ...
helicopters under a 2018 loan. Uzbekistan has also express interest in the purchase of
Sukhoi Su-30SM fighters to replace its aging fighter fleet.
In August 2021, with the Taliban taking control of
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, a number of former
Afghan Air Force EMB 314 Super Tucano's and
Cessna 208 aircraft have fled to Uzbekistan, and have now been seen on the runway at
Termez Airport
Termez Airport is an airport serving Termez, a city in southern Uzbekistan. It was used as a base for German Air Force C-160 "Transalls" which were part of the German ISAF-contingent.
Airlines and destinations
See also
*List of the busiest ...
. Their current status and condition are unknown.
Commanders
* Tahir Yusupov (1992)
*
Abdulla Xolmuhamedov (2003-2008)
* Akhmad Burkhanov (since circa 2018)
Organization
There are two remaining combat units, at
Karshi-Khanabad and Dzhizak.
The 60th Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade is the former 735th Bomber Aviation Regiment combined with the former 87th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment. It has 31 Su-24s, 32 MiG-29s, and 6 Su-27s. Other recently disbanded units include the 61st Fighter Aviation Regiment at
Kakaydy, which was itself a merger with the previous 115th Fighter Aviation Regiment, and the 62nd Fighter Aviation Regiment at
Andijan
Andijan (sometimes spelled Andijon or Andizhan in English) ( uz, Andijon / Андижон / ئەندىجان; fa, اندیجان, ''Andijân/Andīǰān''; russian: Андижан, ''Andižan'') is a city in Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, ...
. Regiments at both bases were disbanded in 1999. As many as 26 stored Su-17s, apparently in very bad condition, remain at Chirchiq (see Google Earth 41°30'05.69"N 69°33'44.90"E).
List of units
*60th Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade (
Karshi-Khanabad)
*Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade (
Dzhizak
, image_caption =
, image_seal = Jizzax gerb.png
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Uzbekistan
, pushpin_label_position = bottom
, pushpin_map_caption = L ...
)
*Separate Mixed Aviation Regiment (
Fergana
Fergana ( uz, Fargʻona/Фарғона, ), or Ferghana, is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 420 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km west of Andijan, and less than 20 km fr ...
)
*Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron (
Tashkent
Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...
)
*65th Separate Helicopter Regiment (
Kagan and
Bukhara
Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region.
People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...
)
*66th Separate Helicopter Regiment (
Chirchiq
Chirchiq, also spelled as Chirchik, ( uz, Chirchiq / Чирчиқ; russian: Чирчик) is a district-level city in Tashkent Region, Uzbekistan. It is about 32 km northeast of Tashkent, along the river Chirchiq. Chirchiq lies in the Chatk ...
)
*12th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade
*Radio-Technical Brigade
Aircraft
Current inventory
Training
The main aviation training establishment is the
Higher Military Aviation School of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The school was opened in 1994 as the Jizzakh Higher Military Aviation School at
Jizzakh
, image_caption =
, image_seal = Jizzax gerb.png
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Uzbekistan
, pushpin_label_position = bottom
, pushpin_map_caption = L ...
, but relocated to Karshi Khanabad in 2018, being accordingly renamed. In September 2019, the
Thales Group
Thales Group () is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures electrical systems as well as devices and equipment for the aerospace, defence, transportation and security sectors. The company is headquartered in Paris' ...
provided a
flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...
to the Uzbek Air Force, marking the introduction of first Air Force academy in the country. The academy provides training for Uzbek pilots and engineers, with a capacity of 300 students.
Service-wide events
The official holiday of the Air Defence Forces is Air Force Day on the third Sunday of August. It was established by decree of President
Islam Karimov
Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov ( uz, Islom Abdugʻaniyevich Karimov / Ислом Абдуғаниевич Каримов, italics=no; russian: link=no, Ислам Абдуганиевич Каримов; 30 January 1938 – 2 September 2016) was t ...
on 21 July 1995. The Ministry of Defense organizes a number of events, including a wreath laying ceremony to honor pilots who died in the line of duty. A flypast is also organized. On 18 June 2019, celebrations were held on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of an air force unit located in
Qashqadaryo Region
Qashqadaryo Region ( uz, Qashqadaryo viloyati, Қашқадарё вилояти, قەشقەدەريا ۋىلايەتى; old spelling ''Kashkadarya Region'', russian: Кашкадарьинская область) is one of the regions of Uzbekist ...
, which included pilots performed an "air dance" in the sky on
Mig-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 (russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the Mi ...
s and
Su-25, demonstrating their aerobatic skills.
On
Victory Day (9 May)
etc.
, nickname =
, observedby = Russia and some former states of Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact; Serbia, Israel
, duration = 1 day
, frequency = Annual
, date = 9 May
, scheduling = same day each year
, celebrations ...
in 2019, Major General Akhmad Burkhanov led an air force delegation that congratulated veterans of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and delivered a larger holiday stipend of behalf of the
President of Uzbekistan
The president of the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Oʻzbekiston Respublikasining Prezidenti, Ўзбекистон Республикасининг Президенти) is the head of state and executive authority in Uzbekistan. The office of Pre ...
.
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
{{Authority control
Military of Uzbekistan
Government of Uzbekistan