| Mongolian Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Монгол Улсын Зэвсэгт Хүчний Агаарын цэрэг | |
 Emblem of the Mongolian Air Force[1] | |
| Founded | 1925 1992(replacing the Mongolian People's Republic Air Corps) |
| Country |  Mongolia |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 1,500[2] |
| Part of |  Mongolian Armed Forces |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Colonel Ganbat[3] |
| Chief of Staff | Brigadier-General B. Batbayar[4] |
| Notable commanders | Hamza Zaisanov[5][6] |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
| Combat Banner |  |
| Fin flash[7] |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Su-30SM |
| Helicopter | Mi-171 |
| Trainer | MiG-29UB |
| Transport | An-26 |
TheMongolian Air Force (Mongolian:Монгол Улсын Зэвсэгт Хүчний Агаарын цэрэг) is theair force service branch of theMongolian Armed Forces .
On 25 May 1925, aJunkers F.13 piloted by Lieutenant Colonel D. Shatarragchaa[8] entered service as the first aircraft in Mongolian civil and military aviation, landing in Mongolia that day.[9] By 1935 Soviet aircraft were based in the country. In May 1937 the air force was renamed theMongolian People's Republic Air Corps. During 1939–1945 the Soviets deliveredPolikarpov I-15s,Polikarpov I-16s,Yak-9s andIlyushin Il-2s.
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By 1966 the firstS-75 Dvina SAM units entered service, and the air force was renamed the Air Force of the Mongolian People's Republic. TheMiG-15UTI andMiG-17 the first combat jet aircraft in the Mongolian inventory, entered service in 1970 and by the mid-1970s was joined by 25MiG-21s,Mi-8s andKa-26s.Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa, the first Mongolian to fly into space, was born on 5 December 1947, in theGurvan-Bulak settlement ofBulgan Province, into the family of a cattle-breeder. He graduated from a military school of aircraft technicians in the Soviet Union. In 1972 he was enrolled at theZhukovsky Air Force Academy. After graduating from the academy, he worked as an aircraft equipment engineer in an air squadron of the Mongolian People's Army. In 1978, Jugderdemidiyn Gurragchaa started training atGagarin cosmonauts' training center and completed a course of training under theIntercosmos program. His flight withVladimir Dzhanibekov onSoyuz 39 as a Research Cosmonaut, launched 22 March 1981, lasted 7 days, 20 hours, 42 minutes, 3 seconds. He later became the head of a scientific institute in Ulan Bator and eventually Mongolian Minister of Defence.
The Civil Air Transport Administration, responsible forMongolian Airlines (MIAT), was thought to be affiliated with the air force. All airline pilots had military ranks, and they flew Soviet-built transport aircraft on crop dusting, forest and steppe fire patrol, and air ambulance missions. During the mid-1960s the USSR assisted the People's Republic of Mongolia in setting up an air defense system, which also was closely coordinated with theSoviet Air Defence Forces.
After the end of the Cold War and the advent of the Democratic Revolution, the air force was effectively grounded due to a lack of fuel and spare parts. Due to a complete lack of resources, as of 2006 Mongolia did not anticipate being able to reform its flying Air Force in the foreseeable future. However, as air defense is part of the Air Force, the US was pursuing specific training line items in this field as well as air-related fields that may support peacekeeping deployments and operations (For example, slots to theUnited States ArmyAir Defense Artillery Branch officer basic course, tarmac security, and cargo load planning).
The government has been trying to revive the air force since 2001. The current Armed Forces maintains an Air Forces Defense Command (Агаарын довтолгооноос хамгаалах цэргийн командлал), under the command of the General Staff. The country has the goal of developing a full air force in the future.[10]
Russia's 2008 decision to provide to Mongolia around $120 million worth of conventional weapons and other military equipment, including MI-24 attack helicopters and possibly materials, fighter jets, has drawn renewed attention to the bilateral relationship. Although the terms of the deal were not initially clear, it would be a combination of grant aid and low-interest loans.[11]
In 2011, the Ministry of Defense announced that they would buyMiG-29s from Russia by the end of the year, but this did not materialize, but two MiG 29 were donated in 2019, four more later in 2021.[12][13] From 2007 – 2011 the fleet ofMiG-21s was reduced.[14][15][16]
In October 2012 the Ministry of Defense returned anAirbus A310-300 toMIAT Mongolian Airlines.[17] In 2013 the Air Force looked at buying three Lockheed MartinC-130J planes, however a deal was never reached.[18] Left without Russian aid, the Mongolian air force's inventory had gradually been reduced to a few Antonov An-24/26s and a dozen airworthy Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters by 2019.[13]
The first Su-30SM fighter arrived on March 31, 2019, and four have been delivered so far.[19]
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat aircraft | ||||||
| Sukhoi Su-30 | Russia | Multirole fighter | Su-30SM | 4[20] | ||
| Trainers | ||||||
| Mikoyan MiG-29 | Russia | Supersonic trainer | MiG-29UB | 2 | ||
| Transports | ||||||
| Antonov An-26 | Soviet Union | Transport | 6[21] | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Mil Mi-17 | Soviet Union | Transport | Mi-17 | 12[21] | ||
| Airbus H145 | France | Transport | H145 | 4 | ||
| Name | Type | Quantity | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-125 Neva/Pechora | Surface-to-air missile | 2 batteries[2] | Russia | Upgraded to the Pechora 2M standard.[22] |
| ZPU-4 | Anti-aircraft gun | 150[2] | Soviet Union | |
| ZU-23-2 | Anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | ||
| AZP S-60 | Anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union |
Former aircraft operated by the Mongolian Air Force includes:Lavochkin La-5, Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighters,Tupolev TB-3 bombers,Polikarpov R-5 reconnaissance bombers,Polikarpov Po-2,Antonov An-2,Ilyushin Il-14,Antonov An-12 andLisunov Li-2 transports,Yakovlev Yak-11, andYak-18 trainers, MiG-15 and MiG-21 jet fighters,MiG-23 multirole fighters,Mil Mi-4 andMi-24 helicopters.[23]
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