| Latvian Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Latvijas Gaisa spēki | |
 Emblem of the Latvian Air Force | |
| Active | 1919–1940 1992 – present |
| Country |  Latvia |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size |
|
| Part of | Latvian National Armed Forces |
| Mottos |
|
| Engagements | Latvian War of Independence |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Viesturs Masulis[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Fin flash |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | UH-60 Black Hawk |
| Trainer | Pelegrin Tarragon |
| Transport | An-2 |
Latvian Air Force (Latvian:Latvijas Gaisa spēki) is the aviation branch of theNational Armed Forces.[2] The first air force (AF) units were established in 1919 and re-established in 1992. It has no air combat capability, thus the defense ofLatvian air space is maintained byNATO, with rotating detachments of four aircraft toLithuania at four-monthly intervals (seeBaltic Air Policing).
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The Latvian Air Force was first founded during theLatvian War of Independence. On 7 June 1919 anAir Group was formed, commanded by Lt.Alfrēds Valeika [lv]. The first aircraft were former BolshevikNieuport 24bis andSopwith 1½ Strutter, both seized from German forces. They first flew on 5 August 1919, and accomplished the first bombing mission on 26 August 1919.[6] From September the air force had three aircraft, and took part in fighting against the Germans andWhite Russians. Another 7–8 aircraft were seized and repaired after defeating of Russo-German forces, and 7Sopwith Camels and 3Sopwith 1½ Strutters were received from the British in December 1919.[6] The Latvian Air Force flew 69 missions during the War of Independence.[6] In the years to follow many more aircraft were added to the inventory and the Air Group was eventually renamed theAviation Regiment in 1926. An interesting feat of the Latvian naval aviation was a 6000-km trip to England and back, by threeFairey Seal floatplanes, in 1936.[7]
In 1939, the Aviation Regiment consisted of three fighter squadrons, armed with 24Gloster Gladiator and 6Bristol Bulldog (a fourth squadron was in organization), three reconnaissance squadrons, armed with up to 12Letov Š-16LS, 2Hawker Hind and 10Stampe SV.5, and a naval reconnaissance squadron with 4Fairey Seal and two other planes.[6] In 1939, Latvia ordered and paid for 30 BritishHawker Hurricane fighters, but due to the country being overrun, they were never delivered.[8] By 1940, there were almost 130 aircraft in service.[citation needed]
A separate, mostly light aircraftAviation Regiment of theAizsargi organization also existed parallel to the air force until the Soviet occupation.[4][9][10] In addition to biplanes, it also purchased planes locally produced by theVEF factory, e.g. at least fourI-12 trainers in 1938.[11]
The roundel of the air force since 1919 was a maroon-redugunskrusts, with the Aizsargi Aviation Regiment adopting anauseklis symbol as their insignia (which was replicated by the National Guard airmen later in the 1990s).
In 1940, the Aviation Regiment and the Latvian Armed Forces were dissolved after theSoviet occupation of Latvia and some aircraft and personnel were pressed into service of theSoviet Air Force.
The post-Soviet Latvian Air Force was formed on 24 February 1992 atSpilve Airport. In August 1994 the air force moved to the ex-SovietLielvārde Air Base. As the withdrawingSoviet Air Force did not leave any aircraft in Latvia, the first aircraft operated by the air force were four PolishPZL Mi-2U helicopters that were received from civilian aviation in 1992.[12][13][14][15] These were supplemented with twoLet L-410UVP utility planes donated by Germany in 1993, however, one was lost in a1995 accident in Lielvārde.[12][16][17] SixPZL-104 Wilga-35A trainer aircraft from ex-DOSAAF stocks were mostly used by the Aviation Component of theLatvian National Guard since 1993.[18][19][20][21] Similarly, the Component acquired around 20LET L-13 Blaník, threeSZD-48-3 Jantar Standard 3 and threeLAK-12 gliders.[18]
In the beginning of the 21st century two new and heavierMi-8MTV Hip helicopters were bought. Both helicopters are fitted withsearch and rescue equipment, but are also used for transportation of troops, evacuation and support of theSpecial Forces. In 2000, the Aviation Component of the National Guard was merged into the air force.[22]
In 2004 the Ministry of Defense bought two more Mi-8MTVs at the RussianUlan Ude helicopter (rework) factory. These two might replace the first two, because of the limited flying time left on the first two examples. One Mi-8MTV is normally at SAR stand-by inRiga, which is closer to the sea thanLielvārde.In 2004, the air force commenced the modernization of the surface air defense capabilities by signing a contract regarding procurement ofRBS-70 missiles.
In 2005, soldiers of the Air Force Air Defense Wing started the respective training course. One Air Defense Battery was to be supplied with the armament; and the personnel training of the Air Defense Wing was completed by the end of 2007.
It was planned to accommodate all the air force units at the Lielvārde military base in the near future. AF Air Operations Center was opened in 2009. Renovation of the air base was finished by 2014.
In July 2018, it was reported that theMinistry of Defence was planning to buy four helicopters for search and rescue, evacuation, and firefighting operations.[23] On August 3, 2018, theUS State Department issued a news release, stating that it had approved a possibleForeign Military Sale of fourUH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Latvia.[24] On September 11, 2018, an intergovernmental agreement with the United States for the acquisition of the four UH-60M helicopters was concluded by theCabinet of Ministers.[25] The first deliveries would take place at the end of 2022.[26]
In May 2020,Ministry of Defence announced plans to renovate three of fourAn-2. One aircraft is already in use, which was completely refurbished in 2016.[26] The second refurbished An-2 was received in August 2020 and the third in December 2021, with plans to modernize the fourth An-2 within two years.[27] In September 2021, the air force signed a contract for the purchase of two locally made ultralightPelegrin Tarragons with delivery planned in 2022 and 2023.[27]
Following theRussian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Latvia has donated to Ukraine 2Mil Mi-8MTV-1 transport helicopters,[28] 2Mil Mi-2 transport helicopters[28] and 2Mi-17 helicopters.[29]
Freed up funds have allowed the Ministry of Defence to purchase fourMD 530F Cayuse Warrior light helicopters; delivery date is planned to be between 2026 and 2027.[30][31]
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The air force carries out Latvian airspacesurveillance, control and defense, provides air defense support to the Land Forces units and participates insearch and rescue operations over theBaltic Sea, theGulf of Riga and dry land. They also transport NAF soldiers and cargo, provide transport for the State President, as well as other high-level Latvian and foreign officials during their visits to Latvia and abroad. AF aircraft also assist other NAF units, the Interior Ministry and the Crisis Medicine Centre. The air force carries out the national airspace surveillance by militaryradars included in its armament.
One of the key priorities for the development of the AF is their integration into theNATO Air Defense System. The modernization of air defense equipment and the training of personnel is carried out with this purpose in mind. Enhancing the Air Space Surveillance System, developing a search and rescue helicopter subdivision and personnel training are also included on this list of priorities.air force helicopters in co-operation with the Disaster Medicine Center also transport patients in grave condition, persons injured in accidents and persons injured in traffic accidents from rural regions to Riga hospitals.
Development of the Lielvārde military base will ensure centralization of air force units and establishment of an efficient command and control system, which will result in a reduction of the maintenance costs of the air force units.
The main mission of air force is to:
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | |||||
| Antonov An-2 |  Soviet Union | Transport | 4[27] | ||
| Helicopters | |||||
| Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk |  United States | Utility | UH-60M | 3 | 1 on order[34][35] |
| MD Helicopters MD 500 | United States | Utility | MD 530F Cayuse Warrior | 0 | 4 on order, delivery date is planned to be between 2026 and 2027.[30][31] |
| Mil Mi-17 | Soviet Union | Utility | ? | In 2018 Latvian Air Forces had 4 Mi-17.[36] At least 3 donated to Ukraine.[37][28] | |
| Trainer aircraft | |||||
| Pelegrin Tarragon | Latvia | Basic trainer | 2[38] | Also used for reconnaissance[39] | |
Previous aircraft flown since 1991 wereLet L-410UVP Turbolet,PZL-104 Wilga 35-A,Mil Mi-8MTV,Mi-17 and thePZL Mi-2U.[40][41][42][28][29]
| Name | Origin | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-aircraft weapons | |||
| PPZR Piorun | Poland | MANPADS | [43] |
| RBS-70 | Sweden | MANPADS | [44] |
| Bofors 40 mm L/60 andL/70 | Sweden | Towedanti-aircraft gun | L60 and L70 variants[45][46][47] |
The following are the current insignia ofcommissioned officers.
| NATO code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Latvian Air Force[48] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||||
| Ģenerālleitnants | Ģenerālmajors | Brigādes ģenerālis | Pulkvedis | Pulkvežleitnants | Majors | Kapteinis | Virsleitnants | Leitnants | ||||||||||||||||
The rank insignia ofnon-commissioned officers andenlisted personnel.
| NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latvian Air Force[48] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Augstākais virsseržants | Galvenais virsseržants | Štāba virsseržants | Virsseržants | Seržants | Kaprālis | Dižkareivis | Kareivis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||
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