BATTLIN’G FOR BANGLADESH.
BANGLADESH HAS shown remarkable resolve and resilience since gaining independence 37 years ago. In doing so it has built a strong and professional military, used more often for nation building than for conflict.
However, like so many countries in this part of the world, a crisis never seems to be far away, which demands a high state of operational readiness from its military. The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF), with a force of about 11,000 personnel operating a mixed bag of fighters, helicopters and transport aircraft from the east and west, has the responsibility of defending its air space from any intruder.
In an exclusive interview, the BAF Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman, told AFM that his force had three main objectives: to defend the air space of the country, provide support to ground forces and to assist the government when called for, particularly during any natural disasters.
Unfortunately, Bangladesh suffers its fair share of these because, as a low-lying delta, it is regularly threatened by floods owing to monsoon rains, tidal bore and cyclones coming off the Bay of Bengal.
As well as handling these crises, the BAF supports UN peacekeeping operations.
Like many former British colonies, the BAF is based on the RAF ranking system. Unlike Pakistan, it has kept its traditional RAF rank lapels. There are four wings at each operational air base: Operations, Flying, Maintenance and Administration. The head of each wing is usually a Group Captain reporting to the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of the base.
Like any professional air force, the BAF keeps its operational readiness at a high level to meet any potential security threats, although none are deemed to be at the severe level they have sometimes been in the past.
Bangladesh currently enjoys good relations with neighbouring India, which surrounds the majority of its borders. However, until the 1996 Ganges Water Treaty, relations between the two countries were strained. This agreement ensures India allows 45% of the River Ganges water, a main source of fresh water for the 37-year-old state, to flow down from the Himalayas into Bangladesh. However, there are concerns that India could cut off this water.
Another source of potential tension would be if India recommenced the sheltering, arming and training of Chakma rebels, should the group choose to launch another insurgency. The Chakma had run a guerrilla campaign against Bangladesh’s security forces, over land disputes, until they were finally resolved in December 1997, when the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord was signed.
There is no official maritime boundary with Myanmar in the south east, so there is also the possibility of a stand-off between the two countries over the exploration of huge amounts of oil and gas, as well as fishing rights, which conceivably could escalate into war. In November 2008, Myanmar allegedly began oil and gas extraction in the disputed waters in the Bay of Bengal, which led to the Bangladesh Navy promptly sending vessels to the area to monitor the situation. One senior government advisor vowed: “we will defend our sovereignty at all costs.”
In 1978 and 1982, Myanmar allegedly forced ethnic minority Muslim Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh and there is concern history could repeat itself.
Fighter Force
With the huge responsibility of defending its air space, the Bangladesh Air Force has built up a strong fighter force, and like many air forces that need a cost-effective solution to defending a nation’s sovereignty, has found China a good source of aircraft inventory, although there is a sprinkling of types from the USA, Russia and the Czech Republic. China has been a regular source for fighters since the late-1970s when the BAF acquired several Shenyang FT-5s (two seat MiG-17 trainers) and FT-6s (two seat MiG-19s). The FT-5s have now gone but the FT-6s soldier on. During the 1980s, Pakistan donated around 20 Shenyang F-6s, however most of these were destroyed during the terrible cyclone that hit BAF Base Zahurul Haque at Chittagong in 1991.
They may have been rendered useless by the effects of corrosion, but many of them have been preserved at BAF facilities all over the country.
In the late-1980s 16 A-5IIIs were delivered to 21 Squadron at Kurmitola to fulfil the ground attack/ close air support role and are still operational today alongside the dual-seat FT-6s, which are used to train A-5 pilots and keep them proficient. Both aircraft types now fly out of Chittagong in southern Bangladesh, not far from the Myanmar border.
Despite their age and creeping obsolescence the BAF is putting them through a life extension programme that will enable them to fly for another ten years. BAF technicians and Chinese specialists have already carried out this work on three FT-6s at Chittagong, and attention has now been switched to three A-5s and another four FT-6s.
Kurmitola Air Base, inside Dhaka’s sprawling military cantonment, is the BAF’s showcase facility, where the majority of its fighters are based, tucked away behind the trees at Dhaka’s Zia International Airport. It has been home to a squadron of Chengdu F-7MB/FT-7Bs (Chinese-built MiG-21s) since December 1989, when the supersonic air defence fighters were delivered to 35 ‘Thundercats’ Sqn. Gp Capt Mafidur Rahman, the current Officer Commanding (OC) of the Flying Wing at Kurmitola, was a young pilot with 5 ‘Supersonics’ Sqn, flying MiG-21MFs, when he was posted to Chengdu in 1989 to train on the new fighter. He was one of the 16 pioneers, led by Wg Cdr Mirza Akter Maruf, who were trained to fly the F-7BG and who subsequently ferried the aircraft to Kurmitola.
They eventually went on to form the nucleus of a new unit, 35 Sqn, when it officially stood up on March 28, 1990.
At the time, the multi-role F-7MB, equipped with two PL-7 air-to-air missiles and an arsenal of rockets and bombs, was the most modern fighter serving the BAF. Only one year later, the BAF retired the MiG-21MFs, which meant that 5 Sqn no longer had their own aircraft, and so the F-7MBs were pooled between 35 and 5 Sqn.
In 1999, the BAF acquired six single-seat MiG-29 Fulcrum-As and two Fulcrum-Bs from Russia for a reputed $115 million. Ten Bangladeshi pilots and 70 technicians travelled to Krasnador in southern Russia for four months to train on the aircraft. The MiG-29s are equipped with the N019M Slot Back air interdiction radar, an IRST (Infra Red Search while Track) sensor and a Helmet Mounted Sighting system that interfaces with the R-60 (NATO name: AA-8 Aphid) and R-73 (AA-11 Archer) air-to-air missiles. The MiG-29s also have tactical air support, close air support and recce roles, and work regularly with the Army and Navy.
Since the MiG-29s have been delivered to 8 Sqn, there have been ten terms of command, with Wg Cdr Hasan Mahmood Khan taking on the role as OC no less than three times in that ten-year period.
Today Wg Cdr Khair ul Afsar is the OC, having taken over in May 2008. There had been much speculation that the MiG-29s are grounded and for sale, but according to the current OC that is not true. While there has been an investigation into alleged corruption by a senior politician at the time of the MiG-29 acquisition in 1999, the BAF has always been happy with the primary air defender.
Talks are currently underway to send four MiG-29s abroad, where work will be done jointly by BAF technicians and a foreign overhaul factory. This is part of the transfer of knowledge policy now being adopted, so that work on the other four aircraft can be done in country.
In 1999, when the BAF COAS was then working as OC Flying Wing at an operational base, he visited Zhuhai Air Show in China, where the double-delta winged F-7MG was being marketed.
Subsequent studies of the aircraft took place over a six-year period, and the Government opted to purchase 12 F-7BGs and four FT-7BGs (B denoting Bangladesh) for the BAF in 2005.
A couple of pilots, including Gp Capt Mafidur Rahman, who had served as OC 5 Sqn three times, were sent to Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in 2005 to evaluate the aircraft and check out the specifications, before the Government signed a formal contract later that year. In 1997, the Pakistan Air Force had also sent two pilots to Chengdu (see Pakistan’s New Fighters, October 2003, p42-49) for an evaluation of the aircraft, followed in 2001 by several PAF pilots that trained on the jets. It was not surprising then that CAC’s Chinese cooks knew how to cook a great spicy curry – much to Gp Capt Mafidur’s delight!
On April 4, 2006, the F-7BGs were formally inducted into the BAF to serve 5 Sqn, under the leadership of Wg Cdr Qazi Mazharul Karim. According to the BAF, these ‘all-weather multi-role advanced supersonic aircraft have an improved air combat manoeuvrability (when compared to the earlier F-7MB) and a longer endurance with a stronger air-to-air and air-to-ground capability’. The F-7BG is equipped with a Chinese SY-80 radar, copied from Italy’s FIAR Grifo, to provide the aircraft with its main sensor and is highly rated for its versatility.
Two weeks before their official entry into service, the BAF signed a contract with PAC Kamra on March 19, 2006, that allows the procurement, repair and overhaul of spare parts for their fleet of F-7, A-5III and FT-6s.
Flying Training
Defending the nation is one of the top priorities of many young Bangladeshi men and women and if they have the necessary qualifications, they can enter the BAF Academy at Mathiur Rahman Air Base in Jessore. The facility is situated in the southwest of the country about 18 miles (30 kms) from the Indian border.
Wg Cdr Mazhar was the OC for Flying Training Wing at Matiur Rahman during my visit. He is a veteran F-7MB/BG fighter pilot who has served as an instructor at the Flying Academy and the advanced jet training squadron/25 Sqn, so he has a great pedigree.
The base is usually very busy with T-37s, PT-6s and Bell 206s taking off, landing or flying in the circuit, however, the area is often susceptible to mist during the winter, as it was during the author’s visit, so instead of flying early the OC FTW delayed it until around 10-11am and continued non stop until 3pm.
When the Officer Cadets come here, they spend the first year studying for a science engineering BSc as well as carrying out their officer training. In the second year, trainee pilots will report to 11 Sqn to fly the Nanchang PT-6 (a Chinese Yak-18). More than 40 of these Chinese radial engine trainers have been delivered to the BAF since 1977, providing the BAF with an affordable and effective solution to their flying training requirements. The Instructors will spend 120 hours teaching the cadet how to fly a military aircraft – starting from the aircraft’s ground handling characteristics right up to formation flying.
If the cadet convinces his instructors he can do this safely, he will progress to a second year of flying. Failure will mean a ground-based trade awaits him – perhaps as an engineer, or in air traffic control, education or administration.
The grades he gains during his primary flying training dictate his next career move: fighters, transports or helicopters. Generally, the top students of the course will go to fighters and they will be posted to the Basic Flying Training phase with 15 Sqn and their Cessna T-37Bs. The BAF acquired 12 T-37Bs from the USAF in 1997, to replace the CM-170R Magisters that now reside in excellent condition on the edge of the 15 Sqn ramp. A handful of ‘Tweetys’, as the T-37Bs are called, remain operational, although all 12 are still with the BAF. Students spend 35 hours spanning five months flying the T-37B. If they fail the course, they will be offered an alternative career flyingCtransports or helicopters. Upon the successful
completion of their basic flying training, the worldCof flying real fighters fast approaches and the next
step is a move to 25 Sqn at BAF Base ZahurulCHaque, Chittagong. This is where the advanced jet training is carried out with one of the eight L-39ZAs supplied in the mid-1980s. During 2003, four L-39ZAs were sent to Aerostar based at Bacau, Romania, for overhaul and a limited upgrade that included the installation of a new US gun-sight.
Any pilots deemed unsuitable for fighters but good enough to fly transport aircraft will still fly the T-37 after the PT-6. It is quite unusual to fly a jet trainer while learning how to become a transport pilot, but a lack of any suitable twin-engined propeller aircraft in the BAF inventory means that there is no alternative solution. These pilots will fly 45 hours in the T-37 without any tactical or formation flying on the course. Once transport training is completed, the pilot will usually be posted to 3 Sqn at Chittagong, flying An-32s.
After completing the primary flying training course flying PT-6s, those pilots selected for the helicopter stream will move to 18 Sqn and the US-built Bell 206Ls. They may have been acquired back in the 1970s, but the four Bells remain a good platform to learn the basics of flying helicopters.
Like all the other courses, pilots will go through a ground school before progressing on to a 45-hour course, which lasts six months. A successful conclusion to helicopter training, will see the pilot progress to Bell 212s or Mi-17s.
Helicopter Ops
Not too surprisingly, given the nature of its regular humanitarian relief work and and air logistics support to the Army in the hilly districts of Chittagong, helicopters play a major part in the BAF’s day-to-day requirements. There are three operational helicopter units flying from two air bases: at Tejgaon: 31 ‘Apollo’ Sqn flies Russian-built Mi-17/171 Hips and 9 ‘Scorpions’ Sqn operates Bell 212s, while in the south of the country at Chittagong, 1 ‘Cobras’ Sqn fly a mix of Bell 212s and Mi-17/171s.
Around ten Bell 212s were delivered to 9 Sqn during 1976-77 for low-medium lift transport, which until that time was being fulfilled by former Indian Air Force Alouette IIIs and ex-Royal Navy Wessex HU.5s that had been operating with the unit since it was formed in 1975 by Air Cdr Erfanuddin.
Lightweight and with a capability of carrying up to 2,200 lbs, the Bell 212s have proved their worth over the past 30 years in many relief flights that have rescued thousands of civilians during the regular monsoon rains that sweep in off the Bay of Bengal between June and October. However, their work is not confined to the country’s domestic needs. Two Bell 212s were deployed to Kuwait and East Timor on UN Missions (see later) for several years, and during the tsunami in late-2005, a pair of Bell 212s was sent to the Maldives and Sri Lanka to help with the relief effort there for around 20 days.
Since the decline in militant operations along the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the air logistics support role of the Bell 212 has diminished, although they are regularly used for disaster relief operations, both at home and abroad.
Helicopter pilots leaving the Flying Academy at Jessore will go to Tejgaon to fly either of two helicopters - Bell 212 or Mi-17. Wg Cdr Sohal Latif, OC 1 Sqn based at Chittagong, is a Mi-17 and a Bell 212 pilot. I met him at Tejgaon, along with his Academy course colleague Wg Cdr Mahmudun Nabi, the OC of 9 Sqn, who flies Bell 212s today, although he is also an Mi-17 pilot. After graduating from the Academy in 1987, they went their own ways, Sohel to Bell 212s and Nabi to Mi-8s that had been operational since 1983. When the Mi-17s were introduced in 1991 he started flying them too until the Mi-8s were eventually retired in 1995. Both pilots served on UN helicopter deployments and enjoyed their overseas operational commitments because it brought them into completely different environments – culturally and at work.
Over the years, the BAF Mi-17 force has increased substantially in size and there are now around 20 Hips of different variants (Mi-17, Mi-171, Mi-171Sh and Mi-17-1V) in service. It is not surprising that the BAF, like so many other other air forces, has looked to this relatively cheap heavyweight helicopter to fulfil many of its transport, troop carrying and special role requirements. Its robustness, as well as the ability of lifting some 6,600 lbs (3,000kg) of cargo, means it can carry four times more than the Bell 212.
The BAF purchased its first armed Mi-171Shon March 21, 2007. During the procurement process, 30 officers and airmen were trained in this new armed role, giving the BAF a combat support capability as well as its more established logistical role. The helicopter was flown to the Rasulpur firing range where it carried out several armament missions. Subsequent work on further Mi-171s is now complete and the BAF is currently training helicopter crews and Special Forces personnel in the Combat Search and Rescue role.
As well as the three operational helicopter squadrons, there is the 101 Special Flying Unit, formed in 2001 to fly VVIPs in its two modified Mi-17-1Vs, which have been acquired over the past couple of years. Most of the unit’s pilots must be highly experienced, with Category A (VVIP) or B (VIP) qualifications although there are several Category C pilots who put the helicopters through ground runs or test-flights.
UN Air Ops
Despite the needs of its own country, the BAF plays an active part in United Nations peacekeeping operations. In fact Bangladesh could be said to put several western countries to shame with its regular contributions to the UN. The BAF deployments are known as (BANAIR – Bangladesh Air) and started in 1995, when seventeen 9 Sqn personnel along with one Bell 212 were deployed to Camp Khor in Kuwait (BANAIR-1). The BAF flew over 20,000 hours without a major mishap in the eight years it was there.
The BAF acknowledge the great experience they gain on such deployments. One pilot told me “It was great being there able to support the people– you felt you were really doing something. My job was to fly UN observers ensuring that the No Fly Zone was enforced, as well as ferrying UN personnel along the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) between Iraq and Kuwait. We also fulfilled a Casevac (Casualty Evacuation) and Medevac (Medical Evacuation) role whenever needed.”
So appreciative was the UN with the BAF’s efforts that it extended the BANAIR-1 mission until the UN pulled out on March 20, 2003, following the US and its allied coalition attacked Iraq.
Within six months of BANAIR-1 ending, the BAF had set up BANAIR-2, an aviation unit and airfield support unit (ASU) detachment at Bunia in north-west Congo as part of MONUC (United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo). The Bangladesh Government also committed 1,300 of its soldiers to this UN Peacekeeping mission in August 2004 and to date the BAF has flown 12,000 hours in the six years they have been at Bunia.
Five Mi-17s deployed from 31 Sqn at Tejgaon are responsible for providing air support to UN troops in the area of their responsibility. Due to the poor road network in the Congo, the Mi-17s main priority is transporting UN troops around the country. BAF Hips regularly fly Pakistani Army troops around the UN’s area of responsibility, with air cover being provided by Indian Air Force Mi-25 Hinds.
It is a unique operation, in which Pakistani and Indian personnel forget their political differences and work together. There have been several incidents where Indian Air Force Mi-25 gunships have saved many Pakistani lives. The BANAIR mission, with its five Mi-17s, continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo today, although six years on it is known as BANAIR-6.
Another UN operation that saw a BAF helicopter commitment, was UNMISET (UN Mission in East Timor). From October 25, 2003 until June 7, 2005, BANAIR-1 was based in East Timor, with a pair of Bell 212s, to transport UN troops keeping the peace and supervising East Timor’s transition from being part of the Indonesia archipelago to independence.
Bangladesh has deployed over 8,000 UN peacekeepers to 12 different countries.
Transports
Four long range C-130B Hercules acquired from US stocks in 2001 and three short-haul An-32s that joined the inventory in 1989 currently fulfill the BAF’s air transport needs. With the domestic road and train networks being relatively slow, they are valuable assets, particularly for transporting troops and helping out with any humanitarian relief work. The An-32’s robustness and short takeoff capabilities are ideal for the latter.
No.3 Sqn at Chittagong flies the An-32s, which are the real workhorses of the BAF’s transport fleet. Testimony to this is a visit to the Czech Republic in November 2007. The An-32 left Jessore on November 17 for a four-day flight that routed through Delhi (India), Karachi (Pakistan – night stopped), Dubai (UAE), King Khalid (Saudi Arabia), Amman (Jordan – night stopped), Ankara (Turkey), Istanbul (Turkey – night stopped), Budapest (Hungary) and finally Kunovice (Czech Republic). Though it was a long haul, it provided the aircrew with an opportunity to fly on international routes, which some had never experienced before. On November 25, the aircraft left the Czech Republic and returned to Bangladesh on November 28. Like the An-32s in India, the BAF examples have a limited bombing capability and often practice their skills in case of war.
All the C-130Bs serve 101 Special Flying Unit, alongside a couple of Mi-171s for VIP/VVIP requirements. Although the C-130Bs may be among the oldest Hercules now flying, three have been through recent overhauls, possibly their first since they were delivered. Work on one was carried out by AIROD in Malaysia, but two went on an epic journey to ENAER in Chile, where they stayed for a year at a time. Another C-130B has been grounded for a while, but work on this aircraft is to be carried out in Bangladesh. TheBAF hopes that it can work in partnership with a foreign company that specialises in overhauling C-130s in Bangladesh and that it will transfer their technological know-how in a bid to stop the flow of much needed foreign currency out of the country as well as keeping the work here.
There have been several instances when the BAF has asked foreign companies to carry out repair work, for example on a runway barrier and a high-g chamber, but the costs were prohibitive. Instead, local people who had specialist skills found solutions and did not charge a penny – preferring to ‘do their bit’ for the country.
Self Sufficiency
During my travels I heard of many cases of the BAF’s ingenuity. In 2006 there was a need for a second radio transmitter for emergency purposes to be installed in their fleet of Mi-17s. Rather than spend much needed foreign currency on procuring the systems from abroad, BAF engineers looked to overcome the problem themselves. With several retired CM-170 Magisters in store, the BAF elected to take the Collins radio out of one of them and install it in a Mi-17 along with other pieces of kit and harnessing. The radio worked well in the air and on the ground, in fact the BAF believe it works better than the original radio system supplied with the aircraft! As a result all the Mi-17s have been fitted with the Magisters’ Collins radio.
Another example of the engineer’s fine work came after the F-7BGs had been delivered in 2006. Although the new Chinese fighters had been delivered with the Chinese TK-11 helmet, the BAF pilots preferred the US made HGU-55/P. When a Chinese specialist was requested to carry out the necessary modification to the unserviceable HGU-55, the BAF were told it was not possible, because of a lack of any proper interface between the radio and the helmet. Undeterred, BAF engineers then studied both items along with their circuit boards and found that if the earphone connection of the US helmet could be modified and the earphone and microphone replaced, then the systems would work. The work was carried out and all F-7BG pilots are flying with their much preferred but modified helmet, which until then had been unserviceable.
Air Marshal Ziaur Rahman wants BAF personnel to be multi-skilled because he believes that the BAF needs around 17,000 serving personnel, but if they can multi-task then 11,000 could be sufficient.
Some BAF officers, around 10-12 (although not pilots), are deputised into the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), although this is only for a limited period (maximum two years), so that their careers are not affected. Under a government mandate, 60% of RAB personnel come from the police, with the remaining 40% are taken from the Armed Forces (Air Force, Army and Navy). Despite all the odds, BAF personnel have overcome the hardships of running an air force on a tight budget. All the people I met were passionate about their country – which serves the BAF well – from the COAS, who in 1971 fought as a freedom fighter, right down to the lowest ranking NCO. Such emotions are often hard to find in an age in which money means everything.
Flt Lt Saiful Azam – Bengali Fighter Ace
Flt Lt Saiful Azam’s official Pakistan Air Force picture. Flt Lt Saiful Azlam served with the Pakistan, Royal Jordanian and Iraqi air forces. During that time he shot down five aircraft and was awarded three medals .PAF.
Flt Lt Saiful Azam was an ace fighter pilot who fought for three different countries during three different wars and emerged as the only fighter pilot in the world who has been awarded a state medal by three different countries – Pakistan (Sitara-i-Jurat, 1965 War), Jordan (Husame Isteqlal, 1967 Arab-Israeli War) and Iraq (Noth-es-Shuja, 1967 Arab-Israeli War).
During the September 1965 India-Pak War, Azam was flying F-86 Sabres with 17 Squadron from PAF Base Sargodha. On September 19, 1965, after successfully executing a ground attack strike, his four-ship formation led by Sqn Ldr Azim Daudpota was ‘bounced’ by Indian Air Force Gnats. In the ensuing fight, Azam shot down one of the two attackers, a Folland Gnat, and let the other aircraft go after sensing it had surrendered.
The pilot of the Gnat, Flying Officer V. Mayadev ejected safely to become a POW.
In November 1966, he was deputised, along with another PAF pilot, Flt Lt Sarwar Shad, to fly Hunters with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, when the 1967 Arab-Israeli War broke out. On June 5, 1967, while flying from al Mafraq, he shot down two Israeli Mystere IVs, distinguishing his abilities in the air.
Two days later, on June 7, 1967, after being seconded to the Iraqi Air Force, the Israelis struck H-3, an airfield in western Iraq where he was based. This time, flying an Iraqi Hunter, he downed a Mirage III and later a Vautour bomber. He was so close to the Vautour when he shot at it, bits from the aircraft were embedded in his Hunter. Many of the Iraqi aircrew at his base, when he returned, believed he had rammed the aircraft!
BAF Heroes
In 1969, Sergeant Zahurul Haque was a Ground Combat Instructor (GCI) with the PAF when he was accused of being involved in a plot renowned as the ‘Argatala Conspiracy’ and following prolonged torture succumbed to his injuries. The BAF has recognised his great contribution to the subsequent liberation of Bangladesh and has named the base at Chittagong after him.
Flt Lt Matiur Rahman was a PAF flying instructor, when he tricked his way into the cockpit of a T-33 being flown by Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas. He intended to fly the aircraft to India, however a struggle ensued in the cockpit and led to the aircraft crashing at Thatta, a few miles from the Indian border.
The heroic attempt to get a much-needed aircraft to East Pakistan (as it was then) has been recognised by the BAF and the nation in awarding him the state’s highest medal – ‘Beershrestha’. Today the officers’ training base at Jessore has been named BAF Base Matiur Rahman in his honour.
Sqn Ldr Khademul Bashar was a Squadron Leader with the BAF during the 1971 War and served as a Section Commander. He later became Air Vice Marshal and Chief of Air Staff (COAS) and eventually saw the BAF air base in Dhaka, named as Bashar in his memory.
BAF Inventory
Aero L-39ZA mid-80s Advanced Jet Training
Antonov An-32 1989 Medium range transport
Bell 206L Long
Ranger mid-70s Helicopter Flying Training
Bell 212 1976-77 Light to Medium Lift transport
Cessna T-37B 1995 Basic Flying Training/Multi-engine
Chengdu FT-7MB/
F-7MB 1990 Air Defence/Ground Attack
Chengdu FT-7BG/
F-7BG 2006 Air Defence/Ground Attack
Lockheed C-130B
Hercules 2001 Long range transport
MiG-29 1999 Air Defence/Ground Attack/Recce
Mi-17 Hip (all variants) 1995- 2007 Medium Lift transport
Nanchang A-5III late-80s Ground Attack/Close Air Support
Nanchang PT-6 1979 Primary Flying Training
Shenyang FT-6 late-80s A-5 Trainer
AFM
