, image = Coa vvsrk.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = Emblem of the Kazakh Air Defence Forces , start_date = , country = , allegiance = , branch = , type =

Air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

, role = , size = 12,000 airman , command_structure =

Kazakh Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Қарулы Күштері, , russian: Вооружённые силы Республики Казахстан) is the unified armed forces of ...

, garrison =

Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...

, garrison_label = Headquarters , nickname = , patron = , motto = , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , decorations = , battle_honours = , battle_honours_label = , flying_hours = , website = , commander1 =

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev , commander1_label = Supreme Commander-in-Chief , commander2 = Kunurov Ruslan Zarlykovich , commander2_label = Commander of the Air Force , commander3 = , commander3_label = , commander4 = , commander4_label = , commander5 = , commander5_label = , notable_commanders = , identification_symbol = Roundel of Kazakhstan

, identification_symbol_label =

Roundel A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of diff ...

, identification_symbol_2 = Ensign of Kazakhstan Air Force

, identification_symbol_2_label = Flag , aircraft_attack =

Su-24 The Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, twin-engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for its crew of two. It was ...

, Su-25,

MiG-27 The Mikoyan MiG-27 (russian: Микоян МиГ-27; NATO reporting name: Flogger-D/J) is a variable-sweep ground-attack aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union and later licence-produced in India ...

, aircraft_bomber = , aircraft_electronic = , aircraft_fighter =

MiG-23 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-23; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is a third-generati ...

, MiG-29, Su-27,

Su-30 The Sukhoi Su-30 (russian: Сухой Су-30; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter ...

, aircraft_helicopter = Mil Mi-8, Mil Mi-17,

Mil Mi-26 The Mil Mi-26 (russian: link=no, Миль Ми-26, NATO reporting name: Halo) is a Soviet/Russian heavy transport helicopter. Its product code is ''Izdeliye 90''. Operated by both military and civilian operators, it is the largest and most po ...

Bell UH-1 The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility helicopter, utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Bell Huey family, Huey family, as we ...

Eurocopter EC145 The Eurocopter EC145 (now Airbus Helicopters H145) is a twin-engine light utility helicopter developed and manufactured by Airbus Helicopters. Originally designated as the ''BK 117'', the H145 is based upon the MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 C1, which ...

, aircraft_helicopter_attack =

Mil Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been ...

Mil Mi-35 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 ...

, aircraft_interceptor =

MiG-31 The Mikoyan MiG-31 (russian: link=no, Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft that was developed for use by the Soviet Air Forces. The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a ...

, aircraft_patrol = , aircraft_recon =

CAIG Wing Loong The Chengdu GJ-1, also known as Wing Loong 1, is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group in the People's Republic of China. Intended for use as a surveillance and ae ...

Aeronautics Defense Orbiter The Orbiter Mini UAV System is a compact and lightweight unmanned aerial vehicle designed for use in military and security applications. It has been used in the Middle East since it was first developed. The system is used for 'Over The Hill' rec ...

, Elbit Hermes 90,

Elbit Hermes 450 The Elbit Hermes 450 is an Israeli medium-sized multi-payload unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for tactical long endurance missions. It has an endurance of over 20 hours, with a primary mission of reconnaissance, surveillance and communicat ...

, Elbit Skylark , aircraft_trainer = Aero L-39, Zlín Z 42 , aircraft_transport =

An-12 The Antonov An-12 ( Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has many variants. For more than th ...

An-24 The Antonov An-24 (Russian/Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-24) ( NATO reporting name: Coke) is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport/passenger aircraft designed in 1957 in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau and manufactured by Kyiv, Ir ...

An-26 The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.Gordon, Yefim. Komissarov, Dmitry & Sergey. "Antonov's Turboprop Twin ...

An-72 The Antonov An-72 (NATO reporting name: Coaler) is a Soviet/Ukrainian transport aircraft, developed by Antonov. It was designed as an STOL transport and intended as a replacement for the Antonov An-26, but variants have found success as commer ...

An-74 The Antonov An-74 (NATO reporting name: Coaler) is a Soviet/Ukrainian transport aircraft developed by Antonov. It is a variant of the An-72. The An-72 and An-74 get their nickname, , from the large engine intake ducts, which resemble the overs ...

, EADS CASA C-295,

Boeing 757 The Boeing 757 is an American narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978. The prototype completed its mai ...

Shaanxi Y-8 The Shaanxi Y-8 or Yunshuji-8 () aircraft is a medium size medium range transport aircraft produced by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation in China, based on the Soviet Antonov An-12. It has become one of China's most popular military and civilian tran ...

, aircraft_tanker = , aircraft_general = The Kazakh Air Defense Forces ( kk, Қазақстан Әуе қорғаныс күштері, , russian: Силы воздушной обороны Казахстана) is the

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

warfare branch of the

Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan The Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Қарулы Күштері, , russian: Вооружённые силы Республики Казахстан) is the unified armed forces of ...

. Their responsibilities include protecting Kazakh airspace, as well as combat missions in support of other branches of the armed forces. The official holiday of the air forces is Aviation Day on August 18. The

Talgat Bigeldinov Military Institute of the Air Defence Forces The Talgat Bigeldinov Military Institute of the Air Defence Forces (, ''Keńes Odaǵynyń eki márte Batyry T.IA.Bigeldınov atyndaǵy Áýe qorǵanys kushteriniń Áskerı ınstıtýty''; ) is a specialized military academy which helps train fut ...

serves as the only educational service of the air force, having trained cadets from foreign countries including

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

and

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 ...

History

Soviet era

In the first formation of the

Central Asian Military District The Red Banner Central Asian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, which existed in 1926–1945 and 1969–1989, with its headquarters at Tashkent (1926–1945) and Almaty (1969–1989). By USSR Order No.304 of 4 ...

, it operated a

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

district branch led by Major General M.P. Kharitonov. It operated in the early to mid-40s during 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 opposi ...

, and consisted of air brigades based on the territory of the

Kazakh SSR ; kk, Қазақ Советтік Социалистік Республикасы) *1991: Republic of Kazakhstan (russian: Республика Казахстан; kk, Қазақстан Республикасы) , linking_name = the ...

. The Central Asian Military District was reinstated in 1969 in relation with the increased hostility between the USSR and the People's Republic of China, by splitting the territories of the

, Kyrgyzstan SSR and the

Tajik SSR The Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic,, ''Çumhuriji Şūraviji Sotsialistiji Toçikiston''; russian: Таджикская Советская Социалистическая Республика, ''Tadzhikskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Resp ...

from 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 ...

. The 73rd Air Army provided all air support for the district, being known as the Air Forces of the Central Asian Military District from 1980 to 1988. Air defence was also provided by the 12th and 14th Air Defence Armies. In 1989 the military district was disbanded, being merged back into the Turkestan MD. This led to the amalgamation of the 73rd Air Army into the 49th Air Army of the TurkMD. The new air army inherited the headquarters of the 49th, but has taken the designation of the 73rd, so while air force units were nominally still subordinated to the 73rd AA, this was not the one of the CAMD with its HQ in Almaty, but another formation with its HQ 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 2 ...

Post-independence

At the time of the declaration of the independence of Kazakhstan and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the 24th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division, as well as three other separate air regiments, were stationed in the country. On May 7, 1992, a meeting was held in Almaty between Russian and Kazakh government representatives and an agreement was reached for the transfer of all units and formations of the Turkestan Military District, to the authority of Kazakhstan. On the same day President

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...

signed a decree for the transformation of the State Committee of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan into the Ministry of Defence, and for the creation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For the Air Force this included the following units: * from the 73rd Air Army (''73-я Воздушная армия''): ** 11th ''Guards Dnepropetrovskaya, awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Bogdan Khmelnytskiy'' Mixed Aviation Division (''11-я гвардейская Днепропетровская Краснознамённая ордена Богдана Хмельницкого смешанная авиационная дивизия'') (redesignated in 1989 from its previous designation as the 24th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division (''24-я ибад'')) *** 129th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (''129-й истребительно-бомбардировочный авиационный полк'') in Taldy Kurgan, flying the MiG-27 *** 149th ''Guards'' Bomber Aviation Regiment (''149-й гвардейский бомбардировочный авиационный полк'') in Nikolayevka ( Zhetigen), flying the Su-24 *** 905th Fighter Aviation Regiment (''905-й истребительный авиационный полк'') in Taldy Kurgan, flying the MiG-23MLD ** Separate aviation regiments and squadrons: *** 27th ''Guards Vyborgskiy Red Banner'' Fighter Aviation Regiment (''27-й гвардейский Выборгский Краснознамённый истребительный авиационный полк'') in Ucharal, flying MiG-23 and MiG-21 (eventually disbanded in 1992) *** 39th Separate Reconnaissance ''Nikopolksiy, awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky'' Aviation Regiment (''39-й отдельный разведывательный Никопольский ордена Александра Невского авиационный полк'') in Balkhash, flying MiG-25RB and Yak-28R *** 457th Separate Mixed Aviation Regiment (''457-й отдельный смешанный авиационный полк'') in Almaty, flying An-12, An-26 and Mi-8T *** 157th Separate Transport and Combat Helicopter Regiment (''157-й отдельный транспортно-боевой вертолетный полк'') in

Taraz Taraz ( kz, Тараз, تاراز, translit=Taraz ; known to Europeans as Talas) is a city and the administrative center of Jambyl Region in Kazakhstan, located on the Talas (Taraz) River in the south of the country near the border with Kyrgyzs ...

, flying Мi-26, Mi-6 and Mi-8 *** 486th Separate Helicopter Regiment (''486-й отдельный вертолётный полк'') in Ucharal, flying Mi-24 and Mi-8 *** 281st Separate Mixed Helicopter Squadron (''281-я отдельная смешанная авиационная эскадрилья'') in Almaty, flying Mi-6 and Mi-8 * from the 5th Central Courses for Conversion and Development of Flying Personnel (''5-е Центральные курсы по подготовке и усовершенствованию авиационных кадров'' (''5 ЦК ПУАК'')), a training air division under Air Force High Command, consisted of four aircraft and one helicopter training aviation regiment, HQ in Frunze (Kyrgyz SSR), ** 715th Training Aviation Regiment (''715-й учебный авиационный полк'') in Lugovaya, flying MiG-29 and L-39 The territory of the Kazakh SSR was provided air defence by two separate armies of the Air Defence Forces and the Kazakh military took control over their Kazakhstan-based assets: * from the 14th Independent Air Defence Army which had its HQ in Novosibirsk and provided air defence cover over the central regions of the USSR, spanning from the Arctic Ocean to the Kazakh steppe): ** 56th Corps of Air Defence (''56-й корпус ПВО'', HQ in Semipalatinsk) (3 of its regiments were transferred to the Russian military and re-located to Russian territory): *** 356th Fighter Aviation Regiment of Air Defence (''356-й иап ПВО'') in Semipalatinsk, flying MiG-31 *** 120th Missile Air Defence Regiment (''120-й зрп'') in Semipalatinsk (Chagan village) *** 374th ''Guards'' Missile Air Defence Regiment (''374-й гвзрп'') in Serebryanоk *** 770th Missile Air Defence Regiment (770''-й зрп'') in Georgievka *** 17th Radio-Technical Regiment (''17-й ртп'') in Semipalatinsk * from the

12th Independent Air Defense Army The 12th Independent Air Defense Army () was an army of the Soviet Air Defense Forces based in Soviet Central Asia from 1963, with six years' break in the early 1980s, until 1992. History The headquarters of the 12th Independent Air Defense Arm ...

(''12-я отдельная армия ПВО''), had its HQ in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR and provided air defence for the Central Asian Soviet republics and the forces of the Turkestan Military District): ** 37th Corps of Air Defence (37-й корпус ПВО, HQ in Almaty) (1 radio-technical brigade on Kyrgyz territory transferred to the Kyrgyz military): *** 87th Missile Air Defence Brigade (''87-я зрбр'') in Almaty *** 420th Missile Air Defence Regiment (''420-й зрп'') in

Karaganda Karaganda or Qaraghandy ( kk, Қарағанды/Qarağandy, ; russian: Караганда, ) is the capital of Karaganda Region in the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is the fourth most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty (Alma-Ata), Astan ...

*** 561st ''Guards'' Missile Air Defence Regiment (''561-й гвзрп'') in

Shevchenko Shevchenko (alternative spellings Schevchenko, Ševčenko, Shevcenko, Szewczenko, Chevchenko; ua , Шевченко), a family name of Ukrainian origin. It is derived from the Ukrainian word ''shvets'' ( uk, швець), " cobbler/shoemaker", and ...

*** 769th ''Guards'' Missile Air Defence Regiment (''769-й гвзрп'') in Baikonur *** 1022nd Missile Air Defence Regiment (''1022-й зрп'') in Sary-Shagan (the former 51st Missile Air Defence Brigade) *** 42nd Radio-Technical Brigade (''42-я ртбр'') in Almaty The Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan have also inherited an army aviation unit. * from the 32nd Combined Arms ''Red Banner'' Army (''32-я общевойсковая Краснознамённая армия'', HQ in Semipalatinsk): ** 450th Separate Helicopter Regiment (''450-й отдельный вертолётный полк'') in Ucharal Directly subordinated to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR: * 27th Separate Helicopter Squadron (''27-я отдельная вертолётная эскадрилья'') in Semipalatinsk, providing air support to the

Semipalatinsk Test Site The Semipalatinsk Test Site ( Russian: Семипалатинск-21; Semipalatinsk-21), also known as "The Polygon", was the primary testing venue for the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons. It is located on the steppe in northeast Kazakhstan (then ...

The air defence and the army aviation units were kept separate from the air force, but by the time the Kazakhstan Air Defence Forces were established on 1 June 1998 they were merged into it. By late 1993 the small Kazakh Air Force consisted of a six regiments as well as an air defence fighter regiment. It included the following units: *11th Division **129th Fighter-Bomber Regiment ( Taldy Kurgan) **134th Fighter-Bomber Regiment ( Zhangiztobe) **149th Bomber Regiment ( Zhetigen/Nikolayevka) *715th Fighter Regiment () *39th Reconnaissance Regiment (

Balkhash Airport Balkhash Airport ( kk, Балқаш Әуежайы / ) is an airport northeast of Balkhash, Kazakhstan. Overview Balkhash Airport is classified as a national aerodrome in the latest AIP. It is capable of accepting Ilyushin Il-76, Tupolev Tu-1 ...

) *486th Helicopter Regiment ( Ucharal) *356th Fighter Aviation Regiment (

Semipalatinsk Semey ( kk, Семей, Semei, سەمەي; cyrl, Семей ), until 2007 known as Semipalatinsk (russian: Семипала́тинск) and in 1917–1920 as Alash-kala ( kk, Алаш-қала, ''Alaş-qala''), is a city in eastern Kazakhst ...

), led notably by Major General Aliy Petrovich Volkov

Creation of Kazakh Air Defence Forces

On 17 November 1997, President

issued a decree titled "On Further Measures for Reforming the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan". As instructed by this, on 1 April 1998, Minister of Defense

Sagadat Nurmagambetov Sagadat Kozhakhmetovich Nurmagambetov ( kz, Сағадат Қожахметұлы Нұрмағамбетов, ''Sağadat Qojahmetūly Nūrmağambetov'', ساعادات قوجاحمەتۇلى نۇرماعامبەتوۆ; russian: Сагадат К ...

, announced the creation of the Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces, with the first day of operation being 1 June 1998. On 17 April 2008, the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces announced August 18 would be celebrated as 'Aviation Day.' In November 2007, Kazakhstan signed an agreement with

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

, under which 10 Soviet-made Su-27 fighters were modernised at an aircraft repair plant in Baranavichy, designated for the Kazakh Air Defence Forces. In 2008, EADS agreed titanium sourcing agreements with Kazakh suppliers. On 28 October 2010, Eurocopter created a 50/50 joint venture with Kazakhstan Engineering, under which 45

s would be assembled locally for government use. The first of six EC145s ordered by the Kazakh Ministries of Defence and Emergencies was delivered in November 2011. In early January 2012, Airbus Military and the state-owned Kazspecexport defence company, signed a contract to deliver two EADS CASA C-295 military transport aircraft, and a Memorandum of Understanding for another six aircraft, which were to be delivered over the course of the following year. In May 2012, Kazakhstan announced its intent to acquire 20 Eurocopter

EC725 The Eurocopter EC725 Caracal, now called Airbus Helicopters H225M, is a long-range tactical transport military helicopter developed from the Eurocopter AS532 Cougar for military use. It is a twin-engined aircraft and can carry up to 28 seated ...

helicopters that were to be assembled in

by officials from Kazakhstan Engineering and fitted by the Turkish firm Aselsan.

Commander

*Mukhamedzhan Ibraev (1996 — 2000) *Kopen Akhmadiev (2001 — 2007) *Alexander Sorokin (17 September 2007 — 27 June 2013) * Nurlan Ormanbetov (27 June 2013 — 2 October 2017) *Nurlan Karbenov (2 October 2017 — 16 March 2020) * Nurlan Ormanbetov (since 16 March 2020)

Aircraft

Current inventory

Kazakhstan Air Force Sukhoi Su-25 Pichugin-1

Kazakhstan Border Guards Antonov An-72-100 Batuzak-1

Structure

The general composition of the Air and Air Defence Force is as follows: *Military Aviation *Air Defence Forces *Center for Parachute Training *Air Traffic Control Center Today the Air and Air Defence Force has four jet bases: *600th Guards Air Base ( Zhetigen, Nikolayevka, Almaty) *602nd Air Base (

Chimkent Shymkent (; Шымкент, Şymkent), known until 1993 as Chimkent ( uz, Çımkent, چىمكېنت; Yañalif: Çimkent ()); russian: Чимкент, translit=Chimkent (), is a city in Kazakhstan. It is near the border with Uzbekistan. It is on ...

) *604th Air Base ( Taldykorgan Airport) *610th Air Base (

Sary-Arka Airport Sary-Arka Airport ( kk, Saryarqa äuejaiy) is the airport of Karagandy, Kazakhstan. It is located southeast of the city. History The airport was built in 1934, on a site at the edge of the city centre, and moved further out to its current loc ...

)

References

{{Authority control Military aviation in Asia Military units and formations established in 1998