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Air Force (Monthly), UK
August 2005, Issue 209
Postcard from Armenia
Elio Viroli and Stenio Bacciocchi visit the Armenian Air Force, which
has either been at war or on a heightened state of alert for much of
its 13-year existence.
Rugged and landlocked, the former Soviet republic of Armenia has some
three million inhabitants and occupies some 312,200 sq. miles
(502,330 sq. km) of territory. Its declaration of independence from
the USSR on September 21, 1991, brought challenges to the sovereignty
of Armenia's Nagorno Karabak province, a mountainous area of some 81
sq. miles (130 sq. km) inside neighbouring Azerbaijan, mostly
inhabited by Christian Armenians and surrounded by Muslim Azeris.
During the fighting over Nagorno Karabak between 1991 and 1994, both
the Armenians and the Azeris used USSR aircraft still based in their
territories. Azerbaijan had some important air bases: Gandzha and
Sital Tchay were home of MiG-21s, MiG-25s, Su-22s and Su-24s, while
at Sanchagaly, some 70 L-39s were armed with unguided rockets.
Armenia had helicopters as well as aircraft from the DOSAAF (Russian
civilian training) air bases. As a result, this particular air war
was fought between a well-equipped Azerbaijan Air Force and a small
Armenian Air Force. Although the latter comprised mainly helicopters,
it also operated a good number of anti-aircraft weapons such as SA-7
MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems), 9K32 Strela and Zsu 23-2,
plus - during the last phases of the conflict - some of the more
sophisticated SA-14s. The fight for the Lachin Corridor, linking
Armenia and Nagorno Karabak, led to the loss of almost 30 Azerbaijani
aircraft to MANPADS and other anti-aircraft ground fire: Armenia lost
ten helicopters and two fast jets. When the fighting ended, the
Armenian Air Force had some 13 Mi-24 Hind helicopters left, plus
seven Mi-8/17s and five Su-25Ks. The Armenian Air Force was
officially established in October 1992, though it suffered for many
years from lack of funds, acquiring no further aircraft or
helicopters. Last year it took delivery of Su-25Ks from the Slovak
3rd Flight at Malacky air base, including aircraft 5036, 6017, 8073,
8074, 8075, 1006, 1007, 1008, 1027 and the Su-25UKB 3237; two L-39s
were acquired recently from Ukraine.
Armenia's Minister of Defense, Dr. Serge Sargsyan, invited the
authors to visit all the Armenian Air Force bases. At Yerevan we met
Col. Daniel Balayan, commander of the Military Aviation Institute,
created in 1993 to train pilots and technical personnel for careers
in the air force and in civil aviation. The college has been
completely rebuilt, and now has comfortable air-conditioned
classrooms. Currently, 80 cadets from the technical branch are
studying there, and a new pilot course is due to start soon. A pilot
can only attend the institute by being officially accepted - 100
students are selected from 700-800 candidates. The course includes
flying the Yak-52 for 80 hours and the L-39 for 60 hours.
The first period of training is carried out at Arzni air base, some
18 miles (30km) northeast of Yerevan. A former DOSAAF base, it now
flies aircraft and helicopters of the former Russian Air Force. At
the moment the composite air wing has no numerical definition,
although one is expected to be created in the near future. The Arzni
airfield is not used for training as at present there are no courses
there for pilots. However, ten Yak-52s are kept in perfect condition,
alongside one Yak-55 for acrobatic training and a four-seater Yak-18T
for liaison work. Three An-2s are still used for paratroop dropping,
and a half-dozen Mi-2s are available for training, though only two or
three are kept in flyable condition.
At Yust, in the Yerevan area, stands Erebuni air base, still a
Russian base where some dozen `Red Star' MiG-29s stand ready for air
defense of the capital, Yerevan. There are still over 5,000 Russian
military in Armenia as a consequence of a treaty between the two
nations. Erebuni is a helicopter station housing the former Soviet
7th GvVP and its Mi-24P/K, Mi-17 and Mi-8MTK. The area is very
beautiful - the landscape is dominated by the snow-capped Mount
Ararat.
The Armenian Air Force's most important base is at Gyumri, a town 80
miles (130km) north of Yerevan, destroyed by a terrible earthquake in
1988 which claimed thousands of lives. The airbase has a 10,450 ft
(3,185m) runway and is the home of a former Russian Air Force
Regiment, which flies Su-25Ks and Su-25UTKs, and houses some L-39s.
Commander-in-chief of the Armenian Air Force is Colonel Stepan
Galstyan (42) who met us at Gyumri. A former MiG-23 fighter pilot
based in the north of the Soviet Union at the time of its collapse,
he returned to his native country and became the first Armenian Su-25
pilot. Unusually, the recently acquired Slovak Su-25Ks have retained
the colour scheme and the national insignia of the Slovak Air Force.
The old Armenian Su-25s, those in service since 1993, carry an
Armenian roundel. Of the four L-39s we could see in Gyumri, two had
Armenian roundels, while the two newly-acquired from Ukraine are
completely anonymous. No precise details are known as to the future
of the Armenian Air Force, but we are able to say that the Armenians
are intending to build up a small, but well-organized, air force.
Photo 1: An Armenian Air Force Mi-24P on the ramp at Erebuni, wearing
a sand-style camouflage. There would appear to be no standard
camouflage markings for the Hind fleet.
Photo 2: The Armenian Air Force Insignia
Photo 3: Aircrew and engineers talk over the day's proceedings in
front of an Su-25K - which appears not to have moved for a while if
the bird-droppings on the top of the tail are anything to go by!
Photo 4: With its chute trailing behind, an Armenian Air Force
two-seat Su-25UBK Frogfoot prepares to turn off the runway at
Armenia's premier air base at Gyumri.
Photo 5: A Mi-24K equipped with a 7.62mm rocket pod and wearing a
two-tone green camouflage, ideal for operating low in the Armenian
and Azerbaijani countryside during the winter.
Photo 6: Devoid of any markings, or even its construction number
(usually worn on the tail), this ex-Ukraine Air Force L-39 moves
along the taxiway in Gyumri.
Photo 7: An Armenian pilot taxies his Su-25K back to the apron after
a flight.
Photo 8: This Yak-55 is used for training students in the art of
flying acrobatics.
Photo 9: Map of Armenian Air Force Bases.
Photo 10: The Four seats of this smart Yak-18T make it ideal for
liaison.
Photo 11: One of the ten Yak-52s on the inventory of the Armenian Air
Force is pictured at its home base in Arzni. Note how the colours of
the roundels differ between aircraft.
Photo 12: A Mi-8 Hip on the ramp at Erebuni, armed with a rocket pod.
Photo 13: This Mi-2 Hoplite is one of at least two known to be flown
from Arzni, probably used for helicopter pilot training.
Photo 14: As can be seen from this picture, the Su-25 Frogfoots still
wear Slovakian Air Force titles and numbers, while the two other
Frogfoots sport contrasting Armenian roundels.
August 2005, Issue 209
Postcard from Armenia
Elio Viroli and Stenio Bacciocchi visit the Armenian Air Force, which
has either been at war or on a heightened state of alert for much of
its 13-year existence.
Rugged and landlocked, the former Soviet republic of Armenia has some
three million inhabitants and occupies some 312,200 sq. miles
(502,330 sq. km) of territory. Its declaration of independence from
the USSR on September 21, 1991, brought challenges to the sovereignty
of Armenia's Nagorno Karabak province, a mountainous area of some 81
sq. miles (130 sq. km) inside neighbouring Azerbaijan, mostly
inhabited by Christian Armenians and surrounded by Muslim Azeris.
During the fighting over Nagorno Karabak between 1991 and 1994, both
the Armenians and the Azeris used USSR aircraft still based in their
territories. Azerbaijan had some important air bases: Gandzha and
Sital Tchay were home of MiG-21s, MiG-25s, Su-22s and Su-24s, while
at Sanchagaly, some 70 L-39s were armed with unguided rockets.
Armenia had helicopters as well as aircraft from the DOSAAF (Russian
civilian training) air bases. As a result, this particular air war
was fought between a well-equipped Azerbaijan Air Force and a small
Armenian Air Force. Although the latter comprised mainly helicopters,
it also operated a good number of anti-aircraft weapons such as SA-7
MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems), 9K32 Strela and Zsu 23-2,
plus - during the last phases of the conflict - some of the more
sophisticated SA-14s. The fight for the Lachin Corridor, linking
Armenia and Nagorno Karabak, led to the loss of almost 30 Azerbaijani
aircraft to MANPADS and other anti-aircraft ground fire: Armenia lost
ten helicopters and two fast jets. When the fighting ended, the
Armenian Air Force had some 13 Mi-24 Hind helicopters left, plus
seven Mi-8/17s and five Su-25Ks. The Armenian Air Force was
officially established in October 1992, though it suffered for many
years from lack of funds, acquiring no further aircraft or
helicopters. Last year it took delivery of Su-25Ks from the Slovak
3rd Flight at Malacky air base, including aircraft 5036, 6017, 8073,
8074, 8075, 1006, 1007, 1008, 1027 and the Su-25UKB 3237; two L-39s
were acquired recently from Ukraine.
Armenia's Minister of Defense, Dr. Serge Sargsyan, invited the
authors to visit all the Armenian Air Force bases. At Yerevan we met
Col. Daniel Balayan, commander of the Military Aviation Institute,
created in 1993 to train pilots and technical personnel for careers
in the air force and in civil aviation. The college has been
completely rebuilt, and now has comfortable air-conditioned
classrooms. Currently, 80 cadets from the technical branch are
studying there, and a new pilot course is due to start soon. A pilot
can only attend the institute by being officially accepted - 100
students are selected from 700-800 candidates. The course includes
flying the Yak-52 for 80 hours and the L-39 for 60 hours.
The first period of training is carried out at Arzni air base, some
18 miles (30km) northeast of Yerevan. A former DOSAAF base, it now
flies aircraft and helicopters of the former Russian Air Force. At
the moment the composite air wing has no numerical definition,
although one is expected to be created in the near future. The Arzni
airfield is not used for training as at present there are no courses
there for pilots. However, ten Yak-52s are kept in perfect condition,
alongside one Yak-55 for acrobatic training and a four-seater Yak-18T
for liaison work. Three An-2s are still used for paratroop dropping,
and a half-dozen Mi-2s are available for training, though only two or
three are kept in flyable condition.
At Yust, in the Yerevan area, stands Erebuni air base, still a
Russian base where some dozen `Red Star' MiG-29s stand ready for air
defense of the capital, Yerevan. There are still over 5,000 Russian
military in Armenia as a consequence of a treaty between the two
nations. Erebuni is a helicopter station housing the former Soviet
7th GvVP and its Mi-24P/K, Mi-17 and Mi-8MTK. The area is very
beautiful - the landscape is dominated by the snow-capped Mount
Ararat.
The Armenian Air Force's most important base is at Gyumri, a town 80
miles (130km) north of Yerevan, destroyed by a terrible earthquake in
1988 which claimed thousands of lives. The airbase has a 10,450 ft
(3,185m) runway and is the home of a former Russian Air Force
Regiment, which flies Su-25Ks and Su-25UTKs, and houses some L-39s.
Commander-in-chief of the Armenian Air Force is Colonel Stepan
Galstyan (42) who met us at Gyumri. A former MiG-23 fighter pilot
based in the north of the Soviet Union at the time of its collapse,
he returned to his native country and became the first Armenian Su-25
pilot. Unusually, the recently acquired Slovak Su-25Ks have retained
the colour scheme and the national insignia of the Slovak Air Force.
The old Armenian Su-25s, those in service since 1993, carry an
Armenian roundel. Of the four L-39s we could see in Gyumri, two had
Armenian roundels, while the two newly-acquired from Ukraine are
completely anonymous. No precise details are known as to the future
of the Armenian Air Force, but we are able to say that the Armenians
are intending to build up a small, but well-organized, air force.
Photo 1: An Armenian Air Force Mi-24P on the ramp at Erebuni, wearing
a sand-style camouflage. There would appear to be no standard
camouflage markings for the Hind fleet.
Photo 2: The Armenian Air Force Insignia
Photo 3: Aircrew and engineers talk over the day's proceedings in
front of an Su-25K - which appears not to have moved for a while if
the bird-droppings on the top of the tail are anything to go by!
Photo 4: With its chute trailing behind, an Armenian Air Force
two-seat Su-25UBK Frogfoot prepares to turn off the runway at
Armenia's premier air base at Gyumri.
Photo 5: A Mi-24K equipped with a 7.62mm rocket pod and wearing a
two-tone green camouflage, ideal for operating low in the Armenian
and Azerbaijani countryside during the winter.
Photo 6: Devoid of any markings, or even its construction number
(usually worn on the tail), this ex-Ukraine Air Force L-39 moves
along the taxiway in Gyumri.
Photo 7: An Armenian pilot taxies his Su-25K back to the apron after
a flight.
Photo 8: This Yak-55 is used for training students in the art of
flying acrobatics.
Photo 9: Map of Armenian Air Force Bases.
Photo 10: The Four seats of this smart Yak-18T make it ideal for
liaison.
Photo 11: One of the ten Yak-52s on the inventory of the Armenian Air
Force is pictured at its home base in Arzni. Note how the colours of
the roundels differ between aircraft.
Photo 12: A Mi-8 Hip on the ramp at Erebuni, armed with a rocket pod.
Photo 13: This Mi-2 Hoplite is one of at least two known to be flown
from Arzni, probably used for helicopter pilot training.
Photo 14: As can be seen from this picture, the Su-25 Frogfoots still
wear Slovakian Air Force titles and numbers, while the two other
Frogfoots sport contrasting Armenian roundels.