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Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force

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Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force
Emblem of Lao People's Armed Forces
Founded1975; 49 years ago (1975)
Country Laos
TypeAir force
RoleAerial warfare
Size37 aircraft
Part ofLao People's Armed Forces
HeadquartersVientiane
Commanders
Chief of Air ForceMajor General Khamlek Sengphachanh[1]
Insignia
Roundel
Fin flash
Aircraft flown
HelicopterMil Mi-17, Kamov Ka-32, Bell UH-1H, Harbin Z-9
TrainerYakovlev Yak-130
TransportXian MA600

The Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force (LPLAAF) is the air force of Laos.[2]

History

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The present-day LPLAAF is descended from the Aviation Laotienne, which was established by the French and later became the Royal Lao Air Force. Pathet Lao guerrilla forces began to operate a few aircraft from 1960, as did another rebel group led by Kong Le. Kong Le forces were later re-incorporated into the Royal Lao Air Force. The communist take-over in 1975 resulted in the adoption of the present title.[3]

A military co-operation agreement with Russia in 1997 resulted in 12 Mil Mi-17 (second hand) helicopters entering service in mid-1999 to follow on from previous deliveries of Mi-8s. SAM systems also entered service such as the SA-3 'Goa'.[4]

Bases

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The LPLAAF operates from two main bases, Vientiane and Phonsavan, with another three bases supported by detachments from the main units. Apart from the main military air bases, there are also a number of smaller airports and airfields around the country which are frequently used by the air force and the semi-military airline Lao Airlines. In 1961 Laos had 25 airstrips capable of landing a C-47.[5]

Aircraft

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Current inventory

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A retired Antonov An-2 on display
Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
Transport
Xian MA600 China transport 2[6]
Antonov An-26 Soviet Union transport 1[6]
Helicopters
Mil Mi-17 Soviet Union utility / transport Mi-17/172 17[6]
Bell UH-1 United States utility UH-1H 4[6]
Harbin Z-9 China utility 4[6]
Kamov Ka-27 Soviet Union utility Ka-32 2[6]
Trainer aircraft
Yakovlev Yak-130 Russia advanced trainer 3 6 on order.[6] 1 crashed in 2024.[7]
Hongdu K-8 China jet trainer 4[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Senior General meets Laotian Air Force Chief". 23 January 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2010-12-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force". aeroflight.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  4. ^ armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php
  5. ^ "Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force". aeroflight.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "World Air Forces 2023". Flightglobal Insight. 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  7. ^ https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/449697
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference World Air Forces 2024 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).