Moldovan Air Force
The Moldovan Air Force (Forțele Aeriene) was born in 1992 from a Soviet MiG-29 regiment its new state could neither crew nor pay for, flew one contested strike in the Transnistria war, then sold its fighters to Yemen, the United States and others — and in 2026 it is a handful of Soviet-built transports and helicopters rebuilding ground-based air defence with European Union money while Russian drones and missiles cross its sky.
The Moldovan Air Force story: a Soviet MiG-29 regiment, one raid on the Dniester and fighters sold abroad
1951–1992: a Soviet MiG-29 regiment in the wrong country
Moldova’s air force began as someone else’s. The Soviet 86th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, a Second World War unit, moved to Mărculești in the north of the Moldavian SSR on 24 October 1951. English Wikipedia, drawing on the Russian historian Anton Pavlov, says it was handed to the Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation on 24 October 1989 to escape cuts to the Soviet Air Force, flew its first MiG-29 at Mărculești on 15 June 1989 and had 33 MiG-29s by November 1990. Moldova declared independence in August 1991 and formed its National Army on 3 September 1991. On 18 March 1992 the 275th Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade passed to Moldovan control, and on 12 April 1992 the MiG-29 regiment followed. The aircraft stayed; most of the people did not. Most of the Soviet officers, including the commander, Colonel Vladimir Koval, left, and the new state had very few pilots qualified to fly what it had inherited.
1992: the Dniester war and one bombing raid
Within weeks the new air force was at war. Fighting on the Dniester between Moldovan forces and the separatist authorities of Transnistria, on the river’s left bank, peaked between March and July 1992. On 22 June 1992, according to English Wikipedia, two Moldovan MiG-29s attacked the bridge between Bender and Parcani; the bombs did not hit it directly, though near misses caused blast and splinter damage. The same account says the Russian 14th Army, under General Alexander Lebed, entered the fighting directly from 23 June, which it calls decisive. A ceasefire signed on 21 July 1992 by Presidents Boris Yeltsin and Mircea Snegur ended the war, which killed nearly 1,000 people by Wikipedia’s estimate. Whether a MiG-29 was lost is disputed: the Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi wrote in 2022 that one was shot down, but no Moldovan official confirmation was found, so the claim is left unconfirmed here.
1994–2010: selling the fighters
A fighter regiment was more than Moldova could afford, and it spent the next decade selling one. MiG-29s went to Yemen in 1994, where English Wikipedia says they were flown by East European mercenaries in the civil war that year; accounts put the number at four or six. The largest sale came on 10 October 1997: the United States bought 21 aircraft, which Wikipedia lists as 14 MiG-29Cs, six MiG-29As and one MiG-29B, with about 500 missiles, for about 40 million dollars plus humanitarian aid. The US Defense Secretary, William Cohen, announced it on 4 November 1997, saying the aim was to keep the nuclear-capable jets from states such as Iran; they were flown in C-17s to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for study. The defence minister who arranged the sale, Valeriu Pasat, was later prosecuted and, per Wikipedia citing Radio Free Europe, acquitted in 2007. One aircraft went to Romania; a claim that six went to Eritrea does not fit the other numbers.
1999–2021: a transport and helicopter force
What was left was a small transport and helicopter service. The air regiment at Mărculești became the Decebal Air Base, which Wikipedia dates to 23 December 1999, and the anti-aircraft brigade became the Dimitrie Cantemir anti-aircraft missile regiment at Durlești, on the edge of Chișinău. Six MiG-29s remained, overhauled in Ukraine, but a 2010 attempt to sell them failed and Wikipedia says they are grounded for lack of spare parts. Personnel fell from about 1,300 in 1994 to 710 in 2019. On 27 May 2005 a PZL-104 Wilga crashed during display practice, killing four. The 2018 Military Strategy gave the air component a modest brief: keep current defensive capacity, modernise ground-based air defence and airspace surveillance, and keep a reconnaissance and transport aviation unit. By 2024 the IISS counted two An-2s, one An-26, one Mi-2 and one Mi-8; the defence minister said in 2022 that 90 per cent of the army’s equipment was Soviet-era.
2022–2026: drones overhead, air defence from Brussels
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 exposed the gap. Ukrainian media reported that Kyiv asked to buy the six grounded MiG-29s in the first days of the war and that Moldova declined; the ex-Moldovan MiG-29s bought by the United States in 1997 were reported in April 2022 to be going to Ukraine as a source of spare parts. The Ministry of Defence counts 81 violations of Moldovan airspace between 2022 and 24 September 2026 by Russian and Iranian-made missiles and drones, 44 of them in 2026 alone, and admits that some flew too low to be detected. The answer has come mostly from the European Union: by July 2026 the European Peace Facility had committed 317 million euros, including air surveillance equipment, short-range air defence and, on 13 July 2026, 120 million euros for a mid-range air defence system. What is still missing is anything that can fly an interception: Moldova, constitutionally neutral, has no combat aircraft.
The Moldovan Air Force in numbers
Service
- Native name
- Forțele Aeriene ale Republicii MoldovaThe Romanian form given by English Wikipedia, which calls the service Air Forces Command. The Ministry of Defence pages checked in September 2026 do not spell out the service’s name; the 2018 Military Strategy calls it the air component (componenta aeriană) of the National Army
- Founded
- 1991–1992English Wikipedia dates the service to August 1991, the month of independence. The National Army was formed on 3 September 1991; the anti-aircraft rocket brigade came under Moldovan control on 18 March 1992 and the MiG-29 regiment on 12 April 1992
- Part of
- National Army of the Republic of MoldovaThe 2018 Military Strategy defines three components of the National Army: land, air and special operations. Moldova is constitutionally neutral and has been a NATO partner since 1994
- Headquarters
- ChișinăuEnglish Wikipedia places the main headquarters at Durlești, Chișinău, with the flying unit at Mărculești in Florești district
- Chief of the General Staff
- Brig. Gen. Vitalie MicovAppointed 11 October 2024; no separate air force commander named on the official pages checked
- Minister of Defence
- Anatolie NosatîiIn office since 6 August 2021; sworn in again with the new government on 22 July 2026
Strength
- Personnel
- About 710 (2019)English Wikipedia’s series: 1,300 (1991–1994), 1,400 (2002), 1,040 (2007) and 710 (2019). No current official figure was found
- Combat aircraft
- NoneThe last six MiG-29s are grounded for lack of spare parts according to English Wikipedia and do not appear in the IISS 2024 inventory it cites
- Fixed-wing transports
-
- An-2 — 2
- An-26 — 1
IISS, The Military Balance 2024, as cited by English Wikipedia. The An-2 was still dropping paratroops at Bălți in July 2026
- Helicopters
-
- Mi-8 — 1
- Mi-2 — 1
IISS 2024 as cited by English Wikipedia. In 1994 and 2006 the service had eight Mi-8s, so the figure has fallen sharply; no official count was published
- Ground-based air defence
- Being rebuilt with EU fundingSoviet SA-3 and SA-5 missiles were inherited in 1992 (12 SA-3 remained in 2006). The European Peace Facility has since funded short-range interceptors (2024), short-range launchers and missiles (2025) and a mid-range system (2026); types were not named in the Council releases
- EU military assistance
- 317 million eurosTotal European Peace Facility commitments to Moldova since December 2021, as stated by the Council on 13 July 2026
Infrastructure
- Air base
- Decebal Air Base, MărculeștiThe former Soviet MiG-29 base in Florești district, in Moldovan hands since 12 April 1992; Wikipedia dates the Decebal name to 23 December 1999
- Air defence regiment
- Dimitrie Cantemir regiment, DurleștiSuccessor to the 275th Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade; reorganised on 3 September 1993 and a regiment by 2011, per English Wikipedia
- Airfield outside government control
- TiraspolTiraspol, in the Transnistrian region on the left bank of the Dniester, is controlled by the region’s separatist authorities, not by the Moldovan government; an explosion at Tiraspol airport was among the 2022 incidents listed by English Wikipedia
- Airspace violations 2022–2026
- 81Ministry of Defence count to 24 September 2026: 4 in 2022, 6 in 2023, 10 in 2024, 17 in 2025 and 44 in 2026; 45 drones, 12 decoy drones, 6 missiles, 17 finds of fragments and one balloon-like object
How the Moldovan Air Force is organised
The air component of the National Army, with its headquarters at Durlești in Chișinău, one air base and one anti-aircraft missile regiment. Moldova has no combat aircraft: its last six MiG-29s are grounded, and the IISS counted two An-2s, one An-26, one Mi-2 and one Mi-8 in 2024. Moldova is constitutionally neutral; the 2018 Military Strategy gives the air component air defence, airspace surveillance and a transport and reconnaissance aviation role.
Air Forces Command
English Wikipedia’s name for the service, with its main headquarters at Durlești, Chișinău; the 2018 Military Strategy calls it the air component of the National Army. No separate air force commander is named on the Ministry of Defence pages checked; the National Army is commanded by Brig. Gen. Vitalie Micov, Chief of the General Staff since 11 October 2024.
Decebal Air Base
The service’s only air base, formed from the Soviet 86th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment taken over on 12 April 1992: a mixed aviation brigade from October 1992 and an air base from 23 December 1999, per English Wikipedia. The last six MiG-29s are grounded here; where the An-2, An-26, Mi-2 and Mi-8 are kept was not confirmed officially.
Dimitrie Cantemir anti-aircraft missile regiment
Successor to the Soviet 275th Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade, under Moldovan control since 18 March 1992 and a regiment by 2011, per English Wikipedia. Ground-based air defence is being rebuilt with European Peace Facility money, from short-range interceptors in 2024 to a mid-range system in 2026.
What the Moldovan Air Force 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonov An-2In service | Light transport and parachute training | 2 | 1992 | Two per IISS, The Military Balance 2024, as cited by English Wikipedia; two also in 2006. | ||
| Antonov An-26In service | Tactical transport | 1 | 1992 | One per IISS 2024 as cited by English Wikipedia; one also in 2006. | ||
| Mil Mi-8In service | Transport helicopter | 1 | 1992 | 1–8. One per IISS 2024 as cited by English Wikipedia; English Wikipedia’s armed forces article gives eight in 1994 and 2006. The fall is not explained in the sources checked. | ||
| PZL Mielec Mi-2In service | Light utility helicopter | 1 | One per IISS 2024 as cited by English Wikipedia. |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-range air defence system (EU-funded)On order | Financed by a 120-million-euro European Peace Facility measure adopted on 13 July 2026, taking EU support since 2021 to 317 million euros.
MoreThe Council did not name the system, supplier or delivery date. |
|||
| Short-range air defence launchers and missiles (EU-funded)On order | A 20-million-euro measure of 24 April 2025, alongside 40 million euros for light tactical vehicles and command and control equipment to integrate air defence systems; a 9-million-euro measure of 13 June 2024 bought short-range interceptors.
More |
Every type the Moldovan Air Force has retired
5 types, from the Mikoyan MiG-29 (9.12, 9.13, 9.13S) and MiG-29UB to the Mikoyan MiG-29 (9.12, 9.13, 9.13S) and MiG-29UB. 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikoyan MiG-29 (9.12, 9.13, 9.13S) and MiG-29UB | Fighter | 1992– | 31–34 inherited. English Wikipedia says about 34, its regimental article 33 in November 1990, and a 1994 count 31.
MoreDisposal, by source: 21 to the United States (US Department of Defense); four (Militarnyi) or six (Wikipedia) to Yemen; one to Romania; one reportedly shot down in 1992 (Militarnyi only); six kept. English Wikipedia’s Eritrean article adds six sold to Eritrea in 2000, which the other totals leave no room for. |
|||
| Antonov An-72 | Transport | 2 | 1992– | Two in 2006 per English Wikipedia’s armed forces article. | ||
| Tupolev Tu-134 | VIP transport | |||||
| Antonov An-24 | Transport | |||||
| PZL-104 Wilga 35 | Liaison and training | 6 | Six in the 1990s and 2000s per English Wikipedia. |
Where the Moldovan Air Force flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins the airfields that have closed. Mărculești is the air force’s only air base; Chișinău International Airport is listed because Moldovan MiG-29s took off from it on 22 June 1992, according to one published account. Tiraspol, a former Soviet air base, lies in the Transnistrian region on the left bank of the Dniester, outside Moldovan government control since the war of 1992 and recognised internationally as part of Moldova; the Moldovan Air Force has never used it.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MărculeștiFlorești District, northern Moldova | LUBM | Active |
|
|
| Chișinău International AirportChișinău municipality | LUKK | Closed |
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Moldovan Air Force
Flying units by base, current units first. The Decebal Air Base is the only Moldovan flying unit; the Soviet 86th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment it grew out of is listed too, marked as not Moldovan. Where a date rests on English Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.
- Decebal Aviation Brigade, from 1999 Decebal Air BaseAir base and flying unit · active
- MiG-29 (six, grounded)
- 86th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (Soviet Air Forces, from 1989 Black Sea Fleet aviation)1951–1992
- MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-21PF, PFM and bis, MiG-29
No unit matches that search.
Moldovan Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
24 October: the Soviet 86th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment moves to Mărculești.
15 June: first MiG-29 flight at Mărculești. 24 October: the regiment passes to the Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation.
August: Moldova declares independence. 3 September: the National Army is formed.
18 March: the 275th Guards Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade comes under Moldovan control. 12 April: the MiG-29 regiment joins the Moldovan Air Force. 22 June: two MiG-29s attack the Bender–Parcani bridge. 21 July: ceasefire on the Dniester.
Moldova joins NATO’s Partnership for Peace. MiG-29s sold to Yemen are used in the Yemeni civil war.
10 October: the United States buys 21 MiG-29s; Defense Secretary William Cohen announces the purchase on 4 November.
23 December: Decebal Air Base is established at Mărculești, per English Wikipedia.
27 May: a PZL-104 Wilga crashes during display practice, killing four.
Former defence minister Valeriu Pasat, prosecuted over the MiG-29 sale, is acquitted, per English Wikipedia citing Radio Free Europe.
March: air force cooperation protocol with Romania, including radar data exchange. An attempt to sell the last six MiG-29s fails.
3 October: the Military Strategy is adopted, giving the air component air defence, airspace surveillance and a transport and reconnaissance aviation role.
2 December: the first European Peace Facility measure for Moldova, 7 million euros.
April: Ukraine’s request to buy the six grounded MiG-29s is reportedly refused. 10 October: three Russian missiles cross Moldovan airspace. 31 October: missile debris falls at Naslavcea.
4 May: 40 million euros from the EU, including air surveillance equipment.
4 April: 41 million euros for mobility, air surveillance and electronic warfare. 13 June: 9 million euros for short-range interceptors. 26 December: National Defence Strategy 2024–2034 makes air defence and drones priorities.
April: 60 million euros in two EU measures, including short-range air defence launchers and missiles.
13 July: 120 million euros for a mid-range air defence system. 24 September: the ministry reports 81 airspace violations since 2022, 44 of them in 2026.
Every war the Moldovan Air Force has fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- Second World War (Soviet predecessor regiment) 1941–1945 Fighter regiment of the Red Army air force; the unit later based at Mărculești and inherited by Moldova in 1992
- Transnistria War 1992 Flew at least one strike with MiG-29s against the Bender–Parcani bridge on 22 June 1992
- Airspace monitoring during the Russian invasion of Ukraine 2022– Tracks missiles and drones crossing from the war in Ukraine, closes airspace when civil aviation is at risk and clears debris; it has no fighters to intercept
Moldovan Air Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Moldovan Air Force and the aircraft it flies. This list refreshes itself — new Afterburner stories appear here automatically.
Everything people ask about the Moldovan Air Force
What is the Moldovan Air Force called in Romanian?
Does Moldova have fighter jets?
What aircraft does the Moldovan Air Force fly?
Why did the United States buy Moldova’s MiG-29s?
Where did Moldova’s other MiG-29s go?
Did Moldova’s air force fight in the Transnistria war?
Does Moldova control Tiraspol airfield?
How often do drones and missiles enter Moldovan airspace?
What air defence is the EU giving Moldova?
Who commands Moldova’s armed forces?
Read the aircraft the Moldovan Air Force 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
- US Department of Defense (American Forces Press Service): U.S. Buys Moldovan MiG-29 Fighters (10 November 1997)21 nuclear-capable MiG-29s; announced by William Cohen on 4 November 1997; Iran; Nunn-Lugar programme; taken to Wright-Patterson AFB.
- Militarnyi: Moldova got scared to sell Ukraine the MiG-29s (18 April 2022)Reports, after Yevropeiska Pravda, that Moldova refused Ukraine’s request; gives 4 to Yemen, 1 to Romania, 21 to the USA, 1 shot down in 1992; six offered for sale in 2010.
- Aviacionline: U.S. to send MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine, but as a source of spare parts (April 2022)Media reports of 19 April 2022 that ex-Moldovan MiG-29s held by the US went to Ukraine as spare-parts sources.
- Ministerul Apărării: Incidentele de survolări neautorizate în anul 2026 atestă o continuă creștere (24 September 2026)81 violations 2022–2026 with annual breakdown, object types, consequences, detection gaps.
- Ministerul Apărării: Antrenamente cu salturi cu parașuta la Bălți (22 July 2026)Parachute jumps from an An-2, 21–24 July 2026.
- Ministerul Apărării: Ministrul apărării Anatolie Nosatîi a depus jurământul (22 July 2026)Oath with the new government on 22 July 2026.
- Ministerul Apărării: Conducere – Marele Stat Major al Armatei NaționaleBrig. Gen. Vitalie Micov, Chief of the General Staff and Commander of the National Army; no air force commander listed.
- Ministerul Apărării: home page and Informează bulletins (30 September 2026)Drone tracked by the national integrated monitoring system on 30 September 2026, lost near Arionești, Donșușeni district.
- Strategia națională de apărare 2024–2034 (adopted 26 December 2024)Air defence, airspace surveillance and UAVs as priorities; Russian forces in the Transnistrian region illegally stationed; commitment to a peaceful settlement.
- Strategia militară (adopted 3 October 2018)Three components of the National Army; tasks of the air component.
- Council of the EU: Timeline – European Peace FacilityMoldova measures from 2 December 2021 (7 million euros) to 13 July 2026.
- Council of the EU: EPF assistance measure in support of the Moldovan armed forces (30 June 2022)40 million euros incl. unmanned aerial reconnaissance.
- Council of the EU: EPF measures for Moldova and Georgia (4 May 2023)40 million euros over 36 months incl. air surveillance.
- Council of the EU: EPF measures for Moldova and Ghana (4 April 2024)41 million euros over 40 months: mobility, air surveillance, electronic warfare, logistics.
- Council of the EU: EPF measure for Moldova’s air defence (13 June 2024)9 million euros for short-range interceptors; 137 million euros in total to date.
- Council of the EU: two EPF measures for the Moldovan armed forces (24 April 2025)20 million euros for short-range air defence launchers and missiles; 40 million for vehicles and air defence C2; 197 million euros in total.
- Council of the EU: EPF measure for Moldova’s air defence (13 July 2026)120 million euros for a mid-range air defence system; 317 million euros in total.
- NATO: Relations with the Republic of MoldovaPartnership for Peace since 1994; constitutional neutrality; DCB package 2023.
- OurAirports: Marculesti Air Base (LUBM)Public database: coordinates, elevation 95 m; runway 07/25, 2,510 m x 39 m, concrete (runway page). Not the AIP.
- OurAirports: Tiraspol Airfield (LUTR)Public database: coordinates, elevation 43 m; runway 16/34, 2,500 m x 44 m, closed (runway page). Not the AIP.
- Oreanda: auction of six MiG-29s at the International Airport of Marculesti failed (3 December 2010)Starting price 8.5 million dollars; failed 30 November 2010; minister on 30 million dollars of repairs and scrapping.
- Unimedia: Explozia de la aerodromul de la Tiraspol s-a auzit la Pârcăni (26 April 2022)Two explosive objects around 23:30, ZIL-131 truck damaged, no casualties; Transnistrian authorities and President Sandu quoted.
- Ukrainska Pravda: news of 17 March 2024 (headlines on Transnistria)Headlines: "Unrecognised Transnistria reports kamikaze drone attack on their military unit" and "Moldovan government responds to claims of Russian drone attack on Tiraspol".
- Counting Stars (Elentir): The strange attack on a Mil Mi-8 helicopter in the Russian-occupied part of Moldova (17 March 2024)Blog, used only for the quoted statements of TV PMR and the Moldovan Bureau for Reintegration; its own characterisation is not adopted.
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: SSGT JOHN E. LASKY, USAF / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: U.S.A.F. Photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher A. Campbell / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: DoD photo / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo (Tu-134 in civil markings shown): Harold / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)