Kazakh Air Defense Forces
The Kazakh Air Defense Forces is the aviation warfare branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 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 serves as the only educational/training institution of the air force, having trained cadets from foreign countries including Hungary, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.
History
Soviet era
In the first formation of the Central Asian Military District, it operated a Soviet Air Force district branch led by Major General M.P. Kharitonov. It operated in the early to mid-40s during the Second World War, and consisted of air brigades based on the territory of the Kazakh SSR. 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 Kazakh SSR, Kyrgyzstan SSR and the Tajik SSR from the Turkestan Military District. 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 one of the CAMD with its HQ in Almaty, but another formation with its HQ in Tashkent.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 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 :
- * 11th Guards Dnepropetrovskaya, awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Bogdan Khmelnytskiy Mixed Aviation Division
- ** 129th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment in Taldy Kurgan, flying the MiG-27
- ** 134th Aviation Regiment of Fighter-Bombers in Zhangiztobe, Zharma District, Semipalatinsk Oblast/Abai Region, flying the MiG-27
- ** 149th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment in Nikolayevka, flying the Su-24
- ** 905th Fighter Aviation Regiment in Taldy Kurgan, flying the MiG-23MLD
- * Separate aviation regiments and squadrons:
- ** 27th Guards Vyborgskiy Red Banner Fighter Aviation Regiment in Ucharal, flying MiG-23 and MiG-21
- ** 39th Separate Reconnaissance Nikopolksiy, awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky Aviation Regiment in Balkhash, flying MiG-25RB and Yak-28R
- ** 457th Separate Mixed Aviation Regiment in Almaty, flying An-12, An-26 and Mi-8T
- ** 157th Separate Transport and Combat Helicopter Regiment in Taraz, flying Мi-26, Mi-6 and Mi-8
- ** 486th Separate Helicopter Regiment in Ucharal, flying Mi-24 and Mi-8
- ** 281st Separate Mixed Helicopter Squadron in Almaty, flying Mi-6 and Mi-8
- from the 5th Central Courses for Conversion and Development of Flying Personnel, a training air division under Air Force High Command, consisted of four aircraft and one helicopter training aviation regiment, HQ in Frunze,
- * 715th Training Aviation Regiment in Lugovaya, flying MiG-29 and L-39
- 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 :
- ** 356th Fighter Aviation Regiment of Air Defence at Semipalatinsk Airport, flying the Mikoyan MiG-31
- ** 120th Missile Air Defence Regiment in Semipalatinsk
- ** 374th Guards Missile Air Defence Regiment in Serebryanоk
- ** 770th Missile Air Defence Regiment in Georgievka
- ** 17th Radio-Technical Regiment in Semipalatinsk
- from the 12th Independent Air Defense Army :
- * 37th Corps of Air Defence :
- ** 87th Missile Air Defence Brigade in Almaty
- ** 420th Missile Air Defence Regiment in Karaganda
- ** 561st Guards Missile Air Defence Regiment in Shevchenko
- ** 769th Guards Missile Air Defence Regiment in Baikonur
- ** 1022nd Missile Air Defence Regiment in Sary-Shagan
- ** 42nd Radio-Technical Brigade in Almaty
- from the 32nd Combined Arms Red Banner Army :
- * 450th Separate Helicopter Regiment in Ucharal
- 27th Separate Helicopter Squadron in Semipalatinsk, providing air support to the Semipalatinsk Test Site
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
- *134th Fighter-Bomber Regiment
- *149th Bomber Regiment
- 715th Fighter Regiment
- 39th Reconnaissance Regiment
- 486th Helicopter Regiment
- 356th Fighter Aviation Regiment, led notably by Major General Aliy Petrovich Volkov
Creation of Kazakh Air Defence Forces
On 17 November 1997, President Nursultan Nazarbayev 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, 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, 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 Eurocopter EC145s 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 helicopters that were to be assembled in Astana by officials from Kazakhstan Engineering and fitted by the Turkish firm Aselsan.
Aircraft
Current inventory
In April 2024, it was reported that the US had acquired 81 obsolete Soviet-era combat aircraft from Kazakhstan, including MiG-31 interceptors, MiG-27 fighter bombers, MiG-29 fighters, and Su-24 bombers, for $2.26 million, equalling an average price of each plane of $19,300. It is likely they will be transferred to the Ukrainian Air Force, for use as a source of spare parts. In a later statement, the Kazakh state-owned weapons importer and exporter Kazspetexport denied such claims, saying that foreign companies were not allowed to bid.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
- 600th Guards Air Base
- 602nd Air Base
- 604th Air Base
- 610th Air Base