Cyprus Air Command
The Cyprus Air Command (Διοίκηση Αεροπορίας Κύπρου) is the small helicopter-and-drone air arm of the Republic of Cyprus’s National Guard, founded in 1964 and never equipped with a combat jet: it fought the 1974 war with no aircraft at all, spent two decades flying Russian Mi-35P gunships from Paphos, and since 2022 has swapped them for Airbus H145Ms, Israeli drones and Western air defence while the island stays divided and its airspace is guarded, in practice, with help from Greece and the British bases.
The Cyprus Air Command story: a republic with no air force, a war without aircraft and the turn to the West
1960–1964: a republic with no air force
The Republic of Cyprus became independent on 16 August 1960 with a constitution that allowed an army of 2,000 men, 60 per cent Greek Cypriot and 40 per cent Turkish Cypriot, according to Wikipedia. What aviation it had was civil in all but name: an Air Wing with a few light aircraft for search and rescue, ambulance flights, fire-fighting and pollution control, flying in civilian markings until 1987. The constitutional order broke down in the intercommunal crisis of 1963–64 — which the Turkish Cypriot authorities describe as a planned campaign against them — and a National Guard was set up in June 1964. It had no combat aircraft. When the Guard attacked the Kokkina enclave in August 1964, Turkish F-100 Super Sabres struck its positions and patrol boats; on 8 August a 40 mm gun shot down Captain Cengiz Topel, the circumstances of whose death in Greek Cypriot custody are still disputed.
1974: the war fought without aircraft, and the night of the Noratlas
The 1974 war began with a coup on 15 July, staged against President Makarios by the military junta in Athens. Turkey landed on 20 July; the Turkish Cypriot foreign ministry says it intervened under Article IV of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee to prevent the island’s annexation to Greece and to protect Turkish Cypriots, while the Cypriot government calls it an invasion and describes the north as under Turkish occupation. The UN says Turkish aircraft raided Nicosia airport from the first day. The National Guard fought, in Wikipedia’s words, without air power. Its one air episode was a tragedy: on the night of 21–22 July Greek Noratlas transports flew commandos from Crete to Nicosia (Operation Niki), and Guard anti-aircraft gunners who had not been warned shot one down. The UN took over the airport as a protected area on 23 July, and after the second Turkish offensive of 14–16 August the ceasefire lines became the UN buffer zone.
1983–2000: Gazelles, missiles and a base at Paphos
The north declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on 15 November 1983; the UN Security Council called the declaration legally invalid in Resolution 541, and only Turkey recognises it. The Air Command became a military service in the proper sense only in 1987, when, according to Wikipedia, it bought Aerospatiale SA-342L Gazelles armed with HOT anti-tank missiles, Bell 206 helicopters and Pilatus PC-9 trainers. In 1997 Cyprus ordered two Russian S-300PMU-1 long-range missile systems; Turkey threatened to strike them, and in December 1998 President Glafcos Clerides had them sent to Crete, taking Tor-M1 short-range systems in exchange. The air arm’s home became the military side of Paphos airport, named after the Greek prime minister Andreas Papandreou, with hardened shelters beside a 2,700 m civil runway. Cypriot media reported that air defence radars there locked on to Turkish aircraft in October 2000 and April 2002.
2002–2022: the Mi-35 years
In 2001–2002 Cyprus quietly bought 12 new Mil Mi-35P attack helicopters, serials 811 to 822, which Wikipedia says were first seen in a three-ship flypast at the funeral of Lieutenant General Evangelos Florakis on 12 July 2002. Florakis, chief of the National Guard, had been killed two days earlier with four other officers when a Bell 206 caught fire and crashed near Kouklia on the way from Lakatamia to Paphos. More losses followed: a PC-9M crashed into a church bell tower near Kolossi on 10 September 2005 during an unauthorised manoeuvre, killing both pilots, and Mi-35P 822 crashed after take-off from Paphos on 5 July 2006, killing a Russian instructor and a Cypriot student. The gunships gave a small army real firepower, but they tied it to Russian support; after the sanctions of 2022 Cypriot Russian-made systems were short of spare parts, the Cyprus Mail reported. Lakatamia, the Nicosia air base, closed in April 2013, according to Wikipedia.
2022–2025: the turn to the West
The United States eased its 1987 arms embargo on Cyprus in 2020 and lifted it on 1 October 2022, and in January 2025 opened Foreign Military Sales to the island. The helicopter fleet turned west first. In June 2022 Cyprus signed a contract with Airbus Helicopters for six H145M light attack helicopters, with an option for six more; the Cyprus Mail puts the price at 140 million euros. The 11 remaining Mi-35Ps were sold to Serbia in November 2023, for 105 million euros according to the Cyprus Mail. Airbus delivered the first two H145Ms on 26 March 2025. Greece donated an Embraer ERJ-135 for the president in September 2022, two Air Tractor AT-802 fire-bombers moved from the forestry department to a new National Guard unit in February 2025, and Israeli Aerostar and Searcher drones and the Barak MX air defence system (operational from December 2024, per Wikipedia) moved the air arm from Russian suppliers to Israeli ones.
2026: drones over the island, and what is still missing
In March 2026 the war with Iran reached Cyprus. A drone hit the runway at RAF Akrotiri, a British sovereign base and not Cypriot territory, on the night of 1–2 March, and Paphos airport was evacuated when two more drones approached. The government said National Guard radars tracked the whole flight and that the Akrotiri drone came from Lebanon; Britain’s defence ministry said it was not launched from Iran. Greece sent F-16s, a deployment the defence minister called temporary, and the government said Paphos is lent to the Americans only for humanitarian evacuations. The Paphos base is to be rebuilt from 2027 with a key US role; EU SAFE loans of up to 1.18 billion euros and a target of 2 per cent of GDP by 2028 pay for drones and counter-drone systems. What is still missing is an air force in the usual sense: about 1,200 people, no fighter, and, by a Cypriot think-tank’s count, a military balance that still favours Turkey.
The Cyprus Air Command in numbers
Service
- Native name
- Διοίκηση Αεροπορίας ΚύπρουGreek, the name given by English Wikipedia; its Turkish form there is Kıbrıs Hava Komutanlığı (German Wikipedia gives Kıbrıs Hava Kuvvetleri). The National Guard’s own site, army.gov.cy, could not be reached to confirm the official spelling; the Cyprus Mail calls it the Aviation Command or Air Command
- Founded
- 1964Wikipedia dates the Air Command to 1964, the year the National Guard was formed (4 June 1964 per the Cyprus Mail, 15 June per Wikipedia). An Air Wing with light aircraft in civilian markings had existed since independence in 1960; military designation came in 1987
- Part of
- Cypriot National GuardOne of three commands with the ground forces and the Naval Command. The Chief of the National Guard is Lt Gen Emmanouel Theodorou, a Greek officer, since 9 October 2025
- Main base
- Andreas Papandreou Air Base, PaphosThe military side of Paphos International Airport (LCPH), sharing its runway. Wikipedia also lists Lakatamia near Nicosia as a reserve base; the National Guard article says Lakatamia closed in April 2013
- Chief of Air Command
- Brig. (pilot) Alexandros GeorgiouCyprus Mail, 18 June 2026. English Wikipedia names Brig. Gen. George Alexandrou; start date not confirmed
- Minister of Defence
- Vasilis PalmasDefence minister in all Cyprus Mail reports checked from November 2024 to September 2026
Strength
- Personnel
- About 1,200German Wikipedia, citing Flight International’s World Air Forces 2024 (end of 2023); English Wikipedia gives the same figure
- Helicopters
-
- Airbus H145M — 3–5 delivered of 6 ordered
- Aerospatiale SA-342L Gazelle — 4, with HOT missiles
- AgustaWestland AW139 — 3, search and rescue
- Bell 206L LongRanger — 2
No fixed-wing combat aircraft. H145M numbers differ between sources: Airbus delivered the first two on 26 March 2025; the Cyprus Mail said three in October 2025; Wikipedia says four delivered in 2025
- Fixed-wing aircraft
-
- Embraer ERJ-135 — 1, presidential transport
- Air Tractor AT-802 — 2, fire-fighting
The ERJ-135 was donated by Greece in September 2022; the AT-802s came from the Department of Forests in February 2025
- Drones
-
- Aeronautics Aerostar — 4 (since 2019)
- IAI Searcher — 2
- Swarmly Poseidon H-10 — Cypriot-built, from 2025
Israeli types; four more Aerostars on order. The Poseidon H-10 is flown by the artillery
- Ground-based air defence
-
- Barak MX — about 2 batteries
- Tor-M1 — about 6
- Buk-M1-2 — about 8
- Aspide with Skyguard, Mistral, 35 mm guns
Wikipedia’s estimates; the National Guard does not publish numbers. Barak MX operational from December 2024; Tor-M1 received in the 1998 S-300 exchange
- Defence budget
- 588.4 million euros (2025)Up from 584.5 million euros in 2024; the ministry aims at 2 per cent of GDP by 2028. EU SAFE loans of up to 1.18 billion euros come on top
Infrastructure
- Air bases
-
- Andreas Papandreou, Paphos — main base, shared runway 11/29, 2,700 m
- Lakatamia, Nicosia — reserve base, reported closed 2013
Radar and air defence sites in the Troodos Mountains complete the network
- Closed airfield
- Nicosia International AirportThe pre-1974 international airport and former RAF Nicosia. A UN Protected Area since 23 July 1974, inside the buffer zone, with no civil traffic
- Foreign bases on the island
-
- RAF Akrotiri — UK Sovereign Base Area
- Lefkoniko (Geçitkale) — Turkish drones, in the north
Akrotiri is British sovereign territory under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment, not part of the Republic; Cyprus calls the bases a remnant of colonialism. The Lefkoniko airfield in the north, which Turkish Cypriots call Geçitkale, is described by the Cyprus Centre for Strategic Studies as a base for Turkish Bayraktar drones
- UN buffer zone
- About 180 kmThe ceasefire line of 16 August 1974, patrolled by UNFICYP; the National Guard does not fly over the north
- Hardened shelters
- At PaphosWikipedia describes the Paphos base as having hardened aircraft shelters; their number is not published
How the Cyprus Air Command is organised
One of the National Guard’s three commands, based at Andreas Papandreou Air Base, Paphos, with a helicopter squadron there and a search and rescue squadron whose base is not confirmed. Cyprus has never owned a fighter or any combat jet: the Air Command flies helicopters, Israeli drones and two fire-bombers, and Greek F-16s have operated from Paphos since March 2026 in a deployment the Cypriot defence minister calls temporary. Ground-based air defence, from Barak MX to Tor-M1 and Buk-M1-2 by Wikipedia’s estimates, and radar sites in the Troodos Mountains complete the network.
Cyprus Air Command
One of three commands of the National Guard, with the ground forces and the Naval Command, based at Andreas Papandreou Air Base, Paphos. The Cyprus Mail named Brig. (pilot) Alexandros Georgiou as its chief in June 2026; English Wikipedia names Brig. Gen. George Alexandrou, and the date of appointment is not confirmed.
450 Squadron
Formed at Paphos in May 2002, per Aeroflight, and for two decades the home of the Mi-35P gunships, whose 11 survivors went to Serbia in November 2023. The Airbus H145M replaces them: six were ordered in June 2022 and the first two delivered on 26 March 2025. Where the H145Ms are based has not been confirmed officially.
460 Squadron
Formed in 2011 with AW139s for search and rescue with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at Larnaca; the Air Command has three. Aeroflight bases the squadron at Lakatamia, but whether Lakatamia is still open is disputed, so its current base is not confirmed.
What the Cyprus Air Command flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus Helicopters H145MIn service | Light attack and utility helicopter | 2025 | 3–5 in service. Six ordered in June 2022 with an option for six more.
MoreAirbus delivered the first two on 26 March 2025; the Cyprus Mail reported three in service and three more due in 2026 (October 2025); Wikipedia says four were delivered in 2025 and lists five with one on order. |
|||
| Aerospatiale SA-342L GazelleIn service | Anti-tank and scout helicopter | 4 | 1987 | Four in service. Wikipedia’s National Guard article says six were bought in June 1987; its Air Command article says four; one airframe was reportedly used for spares. | ||
| AgustaWestland AW139In service | Search and rescue helicopter | 3 | Three, per Wikipedia. | |||
| Bell 206L LongRangerIn service | Utility and liaison helicopter | 2 | 1987 | Two left of three bought in the 1980s. | ||
| Embraer ERJ-135 (EMB-135 Legacy)In service | Presidential transport | 1 | 2022 | One. | ||
| Air Tractor AT-802In service | Fire-fighting aircraft | 2 | 2025 | Two. | ||
| Aeronautics AerostarIn service | Reconnaissance drone | 4 | 2019 | Four, with four more on order, per Wikipedia. | ||
| IAI SearcherIn service | Reconnaissance drone | 2 | Two, per Wikipedia. | |||
| Swarmly Poseidon H-10In service | VTOL reconnaissance drone | 2025 |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus Helicopters H145MOn order | 2025 | 1–3 still to come of the six ordered in June 2022 (Wikipedia: one; Cyprus Mail, October 2025: three in 2026), with an option for six more. | ||
| Aeronautics AerostarOn order | 4 | Four more reconnaissance drones on order, per Wikipedia; delivery dates not published. | ||
| ALTUS-LSA Kerveros (ATLAS 8) combat droneOn order | A Greek-Cypriot programme announced in July 2026 to develop and co-produce an armed drone under the EU SAFE framework, tested with MBDA’s Akeron MP missile in Crete.
More |
Every type the Cyprus Air Command has retired
3 types, from the Light aircraft of the Air Wing to the Mil Mi-35P (Mi-24PN export) Hind. Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mil Mi-35P (Mi-24PN export) Hind | Attack helicopter | 12 | 2002–2023 | H145M | 12 new-build aircraft, serials 811 to 822; one lost in 2006 and 11 sold to Serbia in 2023. | |
| Light aircraft of the Air Wing | Search and rescue, ambulance and patrol | 1960–1987 | A small number; types and numbers not confirmed. | |||
| Pilatus PC-9 and PC-9M | Trainer and light attack | 1987– | At least two: Wikipedia says two PC-9s arrived in 1987; a PC-9M serialled 902 was lost in 2005. Total numbers and retirement date were not confirmed. |
Where the Cyprus Air Command flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins the airfields that have closed. The Air Command flies from Andreas Papandreou Air Base, the military side of Paphos International Airport; Lakatamia near Nicosia is listed as open by Aeroflight and as closed since April 2013 by Wikipedia, and the question is left open. Nicosia International Airport has been a UN Protected Area in the buffer zone since 23 July 1974, and Larnaca is the island’s main civil airport, used jointly by the Air Command according to Aeroflight. RAF Akrotiri, in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, is United Kingdom territory, not a Cypriot base, and is not listed. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andreas PapandreouPaphos District | LCPH | Active | 11/292,700 masphalt concrete |
|
| LakatamiaNicosia District | Active |
|
||
| Larnaca International AirportLarnaca District | LCLK | Closed | 04/223,000 m |
|
| Nicosia International AirportNicosia District (United Nations buffer zone) | LCNC | Closed 1974 | 14/322,707 m09/271,825 m |
|
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Cyprus Air Command
Flying units by base, current units first. Cypriot squadrons are numbered 449, 450 and 460, and the first two grew out of a single mixed Helicopter-Seaplane Squadron that split in May 2002; the Greek F-16 detachment at Paphos and the RAF squadrons at Nicosia before 1966 are listed too, each marked as not Cypriot. Where a unit’s base or dates rest on Aeroflight or Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.
- 450 Squadron (450 Mira Elikopteron)Helicopter and aircraft squadron · active
- Mil Mi-35P (withdrawn), Pilatus PC-9, Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander (to 2012)
- Hellenic Air Force F-16 detachmentAllied fighter detachment (temporary) · allied
- Lockheed Martin F-16 (Greek)
- 460 Squadron (460 Mira Elikopteron)Search and rescue helicopter squadron · active
- AgustaWestland AW139
- Helicopter-Seaplane Squadron (Mira Elikopteron-Aeroskafon)1996–2002
- Aerospatiale SA 342L Gazelle, Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, Pilatus PC-9, Bell 206L
- 449 Squadron (449 Mira Antiarmatikon Elikopteron)2002–2013
- Aerospatiale SA 342L Gazelle, Bell 206L
No unit matches that search.
Cyprus Air Command milestones, 1914 to today
16 August: independence. An Air Wing with light aircraft in civilian markings is set up for rescue, ambulance and patrol flights, according to Wikipedia.
June: the National Guard is founded (4 June per the Cyprus Mail, 15 June per Wikipedia). 8 August: Turkish F-100s attack at Tillyria; a Guard 40 mm gun shoots down Capt. Cengiz Topel.
15 July: coup backed by the Athens junta. 20 July: Turkish landing and air raids on Nicosia airport. 21–22 July: Operation Niki; Guard gunners shoot down a Greek Noratlas. 23 July: Nicosia airport becomes a UN Protected Area. 14–16 August: second Turkish offensive and ceasefire.
15 November: the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is declared; UN Security Council Resolution 541 (18 November) calls it legally invalid.
The air arm takes military markings and buys SA-342L Gazelles with HOT missiles, Bell 206s and Pilatus PC-9s.
December: after a year of Turkish threats, the S-300 missiles ordered in 1997 are diverted to Crete; Cyprus receives Tor-M1 systems instead.
22 October: Tor-M1 radars at Andreas Papandreou Air Base reportedly lock on to Turkish aircraft; another lock-on on two F-16s is reported on 5 April 2002.
10 July: a Bell 206 crashes near Kouklia, killing the National Guard chief Lt Gen Evangelos Florakis and four officers. 12 July: the new Mi-35Ps appear in public at his funeral.
10 September: PC-9M 902 crashes near Kolossi; both pilots killed.
5 July: Mi-35P 822 crashes after take-off from Paphos; a Russian instructor and a Cypriot student are killed.
April: Lakatamia air base near Nicosia closes, according to Wikipedia; its Gazelles move to Paphos.
June: six H145Ms ordered. September: Greece donates an ERJ-135. 1 October: the US lifts its 1987 arms embargo.
November: the 11 remaining Mi-35Ps are sold to Serbia.
December: Barak MX air defence becomes operational, according to Wikipedia.
January: Cyprus is admitted to US Foreign Military Sales. February: two AT-802 fire-bombers join. 26 March: the first two H145Ms are delivered. 9 October: Lt Gen Emmanouel Theodorou becomes chief of the National Guard.
1–2 March: drone strike on RAF Akrotiri; Air Command air defences on alert, Greek F-16s deployed. June: 2026 declared the Year of Maintenance. 31 August: Greece and Israel sign Achilles Shield, which Cyprus says will also protect it.
Every war and crisis the Cyprus Air Command has faced
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- The Battle of Tillyria 1964 The Guard had no aircraft; its anti-aircraft guns engaged the Turkish Air Force, and one shot down an F-100
- The 1974 war in Cyprus 1974 Fought on the ground without air cover; its anti-aircraft units defended Nicosia airport and, by mistake, shot down a Greek transport bringing reinforcements
- Air defence of Cyprus in the Iran war 2026 Placed its air defences on alert, tracked drones with its radars and worked with Greek and British forces on air threats to the island
Who built the Cyprus Air Command fleet
Every company behind the aircraft on this page has its own page: the story, every type it built, the numbers and the other air forces that fly them.
Current fleet and orders
Aeronautics Ltd, Airbus Helicopters, Aérospatiale, ALTUS LSA, AgustaWestland, Air Tractor, Bell, Embraer, Israel Aerospace Industries
Everything people ask about the Cyprus Air Command
What is the Cyprus air force called?
Does Cyprus have fighter jets?
What aircraft does the Cyprus Air Command fly in 2026?
What happened to Cyprus’s Mi-35 helicopters?
Did Cyprus have an air force in 1974?
How many died when the Noratlas was shot down at Nicosia in 1974?
Why is Nicosia International Airport closed?
Is RAF Akrotiri a Cypriot air base?
How do Cyprus and Turkey describe the division of the island?
Is the Paphos air base used by the United States or Greece?
Read the aircraft the Cyprus Air Command flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- Airbus: Airbus delivers first two H145Ms to Cyprus (26 March 2025)Two of six delivered; HForce; roles.
- ABC News (AP): Cyprus signs deal for Airbus attack helicoptersSix H145M plus six options; to replace 11 Mi-35s; minister Charalambos Petrides.
- Cyprus Mail: ‘Behind every safe flight’: National Guard declares 2026 the ‘Year of Maintenance’ (18 June 2026)Brig. (pilot) Alexandros Georgiou, Aviation Command chief; EMAR; Andreas Papandreou Air Base.
- Cyprus Mail: Helicopter crash victims’ memory remains a ‘reference point’ for Cyprus (5 July 2026)Bell 206 crash near Kouklia, 10 July 2002, five officers killed, Lakatamia to Paphos.
- Cyprus Mail: Cyprus’ air force, navy declared terrorist organisations by Iran (22 February 2026)Iranian reciprocal designation after the EU listed the IRGC.
- Cyprus Mail: Defence minister confirms plans to upgrade key infrastructure (23 April 2026)Paphos air base and Mari naval base works from 2027; Palmas on continued Turkish occupation.
- Cyprus Mail: Paphos air base opened to public for weekend visit (6 November 2025)Feast of the Archangel Michael, patron saint of the air force.
- Cyprus Mail: What are Cyprus’ defence funds being spent on? (12 October 2025)H145M 140 million euros contract June 2022, three in service and three in 2026; 11 Mi-35P sold to Serbia for 105 million euros; Barak MX; Paphos expansion.
- Cyprus Mail: New chief for the National Guard (10 September 2025)Lt Gen Emmanouel Theodorou from 9 October 2025, succeeding George Tsitsikostas.
- Cyprus Mail: Defence ministry receives new Airbus H145M helicopters (30 May 2025)Ceremony; Palmas quote.
- Cyprus Mail: Cyprus presses ahead with EU-backed defence plans, base upgrades and Nato aspirations (21 June 2026)Paphos upgrade with key US role from spring 2027; SAFE up to 1.18 billion euros, 170 million euros pre-approved; Kentavros; NATO aspiration.
- Cyprus Mail: Greek fighter jets, frigate not permanently in Cyprus (15 June 2026)Greek F-16s deployed since March 2026; temporary, per Palmas.
- Cyprus Mail: Cyprus to buy arms directly from US govt (15 January 2025)FMS, EDA and Title 10 eligibility; Russian systems short of spares.
- Cyprus Mail: Defence ministry aims at 2 per cent GDP for army by 2028 (22 November 2024)2025 budget 588.4 million euros, 2024 584.5 million euros; 2 per cent by 2028.
- Cyprus Mail: Report says military balance in Cyprus continues to favour Turkey (15 May 2026)Cyprus Centre for Strategic Studies report; Lefkoniko as Turkish drone base.
- Cyprus Mail: ‘Achilles Shield protects Greece, Israel and Cyprus from Turkey’ (4 September 2026)Greece-Israel agreement 31 August 2026; Barak MX; four Kentavros; Palmas statements.
- Cyprus Mail: Cyprus and Greece plan joint combat drone project (16 July 2026)Kerveros UCAV by ALTUS-LSA on the ATLAS 8; SAFE funding; Akeron MP tests in Crete.
- Cyprus Mail: National Guard marks 62 years since foundation (4 June 2026)Founded 4 June 1964.
- Cyprus Mail: National Guard completes operational assessment of Air Command (29 April 2023)24–27 April 2023; drone reconnaissance, close air support, airlift.
- Cyprus Mail: Paphos airport evacuated (2 March 2026)Two drones fired at Cyprus; government spokesman said both dealt with.
- Cyprus Mail: National Guard receives Cypriot-made drones (12 January 2026)Headline only checked; used for the fact of delivery.
- Cyprus Times: Government assurances that there are no American aircraft at Paphos (3 March 2026)Deputy spokesman Yannis Antoniou: National Guard tracked the drone from Lebanon; facilities for humanitarian purposes only.
- Hellenic Air Force: 2nd Generation Aircraft12 of 15 Noratlas landed at Nicosia; shoot-down cost a crew of four and 12 parachutists.
- UNFICYP: The United Nations Protected Area and Nicosia AirportTurkish air raids from 20 July 1974; UN Protected Area 23 July 1974; closed since.
- UNFICYP: About the buffer zoneAbout 180 km; ceasefire of 16 August 1974.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Turkish Cypriot): Historical PerspectiveTurkish Cypriot official position: 1963 events; 15 July 1974 coup; intervention under Article IV of the Treaty of Guarantee; TRNC 15 November 1983.
- Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign AffairsStates that Türkiye does not recognise the Greek Cypriot Administration of South Cyprus.
- Aeroflight: Cyprus Air CommandSpecialist database: bases Papandreou AFB and Lakatamia AFB, joint use of Paphos and Larnaca airports; squadron list; status as of November 2024.
- Aeroflight: 449 Squadron, Cyprus Air CommandLakatamia from May 2002; Gazelle and Bell 206L; shown as current (not updated for the 2013 closure reported elsewhere).
- Aeroflight: 450 Squadron, Cyprus Air CommandPaphos from May 2002; Mi-35P, PC-9, BN-2 Islander (to 2012); formed from the split of the Helicopter-Seaplane Squadron.
- Aeroflight: 460 Squadron, Cyprus Air CommandFormed 2011 for search and rescue with two AW139; base given as Lakatamia.
- Aeroflight: Mira Elikopteron-Aeroskafon, Cyprus Air CommandFormed 1982; Larnaca and Limassol 1982–1996; Lakatamia 1996–May 2002; split into 449 and 450 Squadrons in May 2002.
- Aeroflight: Mira Aeroskafon, Cyprus Air CommandFirst flying unit formed June 1964 at Nicosia; disbanded after 1974. The page’s later fleet rows carry Papua New Guinea serials and were not used.
- Aeroflight: Cyprus Air Command historical order of battle 2000One squadron at Lakatamia in 2000: BN-2, four Gazelles, two PC-9s, two Bell 206L.
- Cyprus Mail (via HRI archive): Turkey to take air base issue to Security Council, 25 January 1998Jean Christou: contractors hand the base to defence staff without ceremony; Charalambides calls it a defensive work; Denktash threat; naming proposed by Clerides.
- Cyprus Mail (via HRI archive): Greek jets land at Paphos base, 17 June 1998Jean Christou: four Greek F-16s and a C-130; handover on 24 January 1998; S-300 designation; Omirou, Denktash and Turkish foreign ministry statements.
- Cyprus Mail (via HRI archive), 19 June 1998Six Turkish F-16s land at Lefkoniko airfield in the north on 18 June 1998; Denktash statements.
- Aviation Safety Network wikibase: Mil Mi-35, 5 July 2006Cypriot National Guard; departed Paphos Air Base; 2 fatalities of 2 occupants; cites Air International, August 2006.
- Cyprus Mail: US officials visit Paphos airbase to prepare upgrade, 23 January 2025USAF 435th contingency response assessment team; study on airport operations, logistics and communications; Yiannis Antoniou quote.
- Cyprus Mail: Saudi air force squadron perform display over Paphos base, 27 May 202326 May 2023: eight Saudi Hawks and two C-130s refuel at Andreas Papandreou; defence ministry statement.
- Cyprus Times: government assurances that there are no American aircraft in Paphos, 3 March 2026 (Greek)Deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou: no American aircraft at Andreas Papandreou; facilities granted for humanitarian purposes; National Guard radars tracked the drones.
- Cyprus Mail: Greek F-16s to remain in Cyprus, 19 May 2026Greek F-16s deployed in March 2026 after the drone strike on Akrotiri; two to be stationed at Andreas Papandreou according to Proto Thema.
- Cyprus Mail: Greek F-16s and French transport aircraft behind low flights over Larnaca, 13 August 2026Defence minister Vasilis Palmas: the F-16s operate from Andreas Papandreou under existing bilateral protocols; a French C-130 departed Larnaca.
- Cyprus Mail: Greek fighter jets, frigate not permanently in Cyprus, 15 June 2026Palmas: the F-16s remain but the deployment is temporary; no talks on permanent basing.
- Cyprus Mail: Six Turkish F-16s in north a ‘reaction’ to EU support, 9 March 2026Six Turkish F-16s and air defence systems in the north; positions of President Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman.
- UNFICYP: The United Nations Protected Area and old Nicosia AirportDeclared a UN Protected Area on 23 July 1974 by Gen. Prem Chand; Canadian, Irish, Finnish, Swedish and British troops; closed since; 1993–1994 reopening talks failed.
- UNFICYP: Events in the summer of 1974Ceasefire 16:00 on 22 July 1974; fighting resumed near the airport on 23 July; airport declared a UN protected area with the agreement of both sides’ local commanders.
- OurAirports airport database (public domain)
Figures verified 2026-09-30. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
Photographs: Photo: Communication Specialist 3rd Class Bill Dodge / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo (H145M in other markings shown): Matti Blume / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo (Gazelle in other markings shown): Savvas Petoussis / Wikimedia Commons (Attribution) · Photo: Staff Sgt. John Yountz / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo (Bell 206 in other markings shown): Savvas Petoussis / Wikimedia Commons (Attribution) · Photo (Aerostar in civil markings shown): Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Photographer: Mosbatho / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) · Photo (PC-9 in other markings shown): slovenskavojska.si / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)