Georgian Air Force
| Aviation and Air Defense Command | |
|---|---|
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 Georgian Air Force emblem | |
| Founded | 1992 (as Georgian Air Force) |
| Country |  Georgia |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size |
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| Part of | Georgian Defence Forces |
| Headquarters | Alekseevka, Tbilisi |
| Anniversaries | 19 September |
| Engagements | |
| Website | MOD Website in georgian |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Salome Zourabichvili |
| Prime Minister | Irakli Kobakhidze |
| Minister of Defense | Irakli Chikovani |
| Chief of Defense Forces | Maj. Gen. Giorgi Matiashvili[1] |
| Commander | Colonel Sergo Ninua [2] |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |   |
| Flag |  |
The Aviation and Air Defence Command of the Defence Forces (Georgian: თავდაცვის ძალების ავიაციისა და საჰაერო თავდაცვის სარდლობა, romanized: tavdatsvis dzalebis aviatsiisa da sahaero tavdatsvis sardloba),[2] formerly Georgian Air Force (Georgian: საქართველოს საჰაერო ძალები, sak’art’velos sahaero dzalebi), is the air force of the Defense Forces of Georgia. It was established as part of the Georgian Armed Forces in 1992 and merged into Army Air Section in 2010. As part of reforms in the Georgian military, the Air Force was reestablished as a separate command of the Defense Forces in 2016.[3]
History
Founding and abolition
The Georgian Air Force and Air Defense Division was established on January 1, 1992. On August 18, 1998, the two divisions were unified in a joint command structure and renamed the Georgian Air Force.[4]
The first combat flight was conducted by Izani Tsertsvadze and Valeri Nakopia on September 19, 1992, during the separatist war in Abkhazia. This date was later designated as the Georgian Air Force Day.[4]
In 2010, the Georgian Air Force was abolished as a separate branch and incorporated into the Georgian Land Forces as Air and Air Defense sections.[5]
Reestablishment and modernization
The Georgian Air Force was formally re-established in 2016 but all fixed wing aircraft were left abandoned till 2020. Under the leadership of Georgian Minister of Defense Irakli Garibashvili the Air Force was re-prioritized and aircraft owned by the Georgian Air Force are being modernized and re-serviced after they were left abandoned for 4 years. The Minister of Defense also announced plans to acquire strike drones to increase Georgia's combat readiness.[6]
Ranks
Commissioned officer ranks
The rank insignia of commissioned officers.
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Georgian Air Force[7] |
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| გენერალი Generali |
გენერალ ლეიტენანტი General leit’enant’i |
გენერალ მაიორი General maiori |
ბრიგადის გენერალი Brigadis generali |
პოლკოვნიკი P’olk’ovnik’i |
ლეიტენანტ პოლკოვნიკი Leit’enant’ p’olk’ovnik’i |
მაიორი Maiori |
კაპიტანი K’ap’it’ani |
უფროსი ლეიტენანტი Uprosi leit’enant’i |
ლეიტენანტი Leit’enant’i | |||||||||||||||
Other ranks
The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Georgian Air Force[7] |
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| მთავარი სერჟანტი Mtavari serzhant’i |
მასტერ-სერჟანტი Mast’er-serzhant’i |
უფროსი სერჟანტი Uprosi serzhant’i |
სერჟანტი Serzhant’i |
უმცროსი სერჟანტი Umtsrosi serzhant’i |
კაპრალ-სპეციალისტი K’ap’ral-sp’etsialist’i |
კაპრალი K’ap’rali |
I კლასის რიგითი I k’lasis rigiti |
რიგითი Rigiti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mission and objectives
The objectives of the Georgian Air Force are defined as follows:
- Warfare and mobilization readiness of the Air Forces sub-units
- Protection of sovereignty and control of the air space of Georgia
- The fight against air terrorism
- Participate in the fight against terrorism on land and at sea
- Air defence of state entities and troops
- Destruction of land and naval targets at the enemy's front line and tactical inmost. Providing air support for friendly land and naval forces
- Participation in collective and multinational exercises.
Functions of the Georgian Air Forces:
- Troop and cargo transportation
- Search and rescue of downed aircraft and pilots
- MEDEVAC
- Informing the leadership of the Air Force and the Army about enemy air assaults
- Destruction of enemy manpower, land and naval targets
- Air forces landing
- Aerial reconnaissance
The two major airfields are located near Tbilisi at Vaziani and Marneuli.
Current inventory
Aircraft
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | ||||||
| Sukhoi Su-25 | Soviet Union | CAS | Su-25KM Su-25UB |
2[8] 2[8] |
2 in storage.[8] 1 lost in 2024.[9] | |
| Transport | ||||||
| Antonov An-2 | Soviet Union | Transport | 6[8] | |||
| Antonov An-28 | Soviet Union | Transport | 2[10] | |||
| Yakovlev Yak-40 | Soviet Union | Transport | 2[8] | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Mil Mi-8 | Soviet Union | Utility | Mi-8/171 | 15[10] | ||
| Mil Mi-14 | Soviet Union | ASW / SAR | 2[10] | |||
| Mil Mi-24 | Soviet Union | Attack | 9[10] | |||
| Bell UH-1 | United States | Utility | UH-1H | 12[10] | ||
| Trainer aircraft | ||||||
| Aero L-39 | Czechoslovakia | Jet trainer / Light attack | 8[10] | |||
| Unmanned aerial vehicle | ||||||
| Elbit Hermes 450 | Israel | Reconnaissance | 1+[8] | |||
Air defence
| Name | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface-to-air missiles | ||||||
| 9K37 Buk | Soviet Union | Medium range | Buk-M1 | 1−2 batteries[8] | Former Ukrainian vehicles.[11] | |
| 9K33 Osa | Soviet Union | Short range | Osa-AKM | 6−10 batteries[8] | Former Ukrainian vehicles, modernized before delivery.[11] | |
References
- ^ "Giorgi Matiashvili - MOD.GOV.GE". mod.gov.ge.
- ^ a b "თავდაცვის ძალების ავიაციისა და საჰაერო თავდაცვის სარდლობა" [Aviation and air defense command of the defense forces] (in Georgian). Ministry of Defense of Georgia. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- ^ ,On Defense of Georgia, (Law 1030). 15 July 2020.
- ^ a b Defence Today 27: 1. September 2009 Archived 2012-05-05 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed February 10, 2012.
- ^ Structure of Land Forces Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine. Ministry of Defense of Georgia. Accessed on February 10, 2012.
- ^ "ავიაციის პარკის განახლების სამუშაოები აქტიურად მიმდინარეობს - YouTube". www.youtube.com. 8 September 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- ^ a b "სამხედრო წოდებები და ინსიგნიები" [Military Ranks and Insignia]. mod.gov.ge (in Georgian). Ministry of Defense of Georgia. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h IISS 2024, p. 185.
- ^ "Accident Sukhoi Su-25 , Tuesday 2 July 2024". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
- ^ a b c d e f Hoyle, Craig (2023). "World Air Forces 2024". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Arms transfer database". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
Bibliography
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (2024). "Chapter Four: Russia and Eurasia". The Military Balance. 124 (1): 158–217. doi:10.1080/04597222.2024.2298592. ISSN 0459-7222. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
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