Myanmar Air Force
The Myanmar Air Force was formed as the Burmese Air Force on 16 January 1947, before independence, and has spent almost its whole life flying against insurgents inside its own borders — and since the February 2021 military takeover it has become the military government’s main weapon in the civil war, with air strikes that the UN, rights groups and major media say have killed hundreds of civilians a year, while resistance groups claim a growing list of aircraft shot down.
The Myanmar Air Force story: born into a civil war in 1947, supplied by China and Russia, and at the centre of the war since 2021
1947–1962: an air force born into a civil war
The Burmese Air Force was created on 16 January 1947, a year before Burma left the British Empire, and it inherited a training fleet rather than a fighting one: Wikipedia, drawing on Maung Aung Myoe’s history of the armed forces, lists 40 Airspeed Oxfords, 16 Tiger Moths, four Austers and three Spitfires from the RAF by 1948. Independence in January 1948 was followed almost at once by communist and Karen insurrections, and the small air force was used from the start for transport and close support of the army. Mingaladon, outside Rangoon, became its main base on 16 June 1950, and No. 2 Squadron formed there with nine Dakotas that December. In 1953 it bought 30 Spitfires from Israel and 20 Seafires from Britain, followed by 40 Percival Provosts and eight Vampire T.55 jet trainers in 1954 and 21 Hawker Sea Furies in 1957–1958.
1962–1988: isolation, Swiss trainers and armed T-33s
Its one air-to-air victory came against a foreign intruder. Kuomintang troops who had retreated from China into the Shan hills were supplied by air, and on 15 February 1961 Burmese Sea Furies intercepted a Republic of China Air Force PB4Y Privateer dropping supplies to them. The Privateer was brought down near the Thai border; Wikipedia’s Sea Fury article, citing Lednicer, gives five of its crew killed and two captured, and the Myanmar Air Force article records that one Burmese fighter was also lost and a Burmese airman killed. After the 1962 coup Burma turned inward. T-33 jets arrived by December 1964 and, according to Mackay’s history of the Sea Fury, armed T-33s replaced the Sea Furies around 1968. In the 1970s and 1980s Burma bought Bell helicopters, SIAI-Marchetti SF.260s and 16 Pilatus PC-7 and 10 PC-9 trainers,.
1988–2011: buying from China, Yugoslavia and Russia
After the military’s 1988 takeover, and once the service was renamed the Myanmar Air Force in 1989, Western suppliers fell away and China became the main one. Wikipedia counts more than 100 Chinese aircraft bought in the 1990s: 64 F-7 fighters and FT-7 trainers delivered between 1990 and 1999, 24 A-5C attack jets in 1997–1998, K-8 jet trainers and Y-8 transports. About six of 20 Soko G-4 Super Galebs ordered from Yugoslavia in 1991 are reported delivered before the country broke up, and Poland supplied Mi-2 and W-3 Sokol helicopters. The first MiG-29s, ten single-seaters and two trainers, came from Belarus in 2001; a further 20 were bought from Russia in December 2009 for a reported 570 million dollars, together with ten Mi-35 gunships.
2011–2021: Kachin, Kokang and a modern shopping list
The air force was back in heavy use from late 2012. On 2 January 2013 the government confirmed air strikes against the Kachin Independence Army around Laiza, which it described as self-defence; UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked Myanmar to avoid endangering civilians. In the 2015 Kokang fighting, bombs from Myanmar aircraft killed four people in Yunnan on 13 March 2015, and Myanmar apologised to China. Meanwhile the shopping list modernised: six Yak-130s ordered from Russia in June 2015, 16 JF-17 Block 2s from China and Pakistan in 2015, about 20 German Grob G 120TP trainers, a MiG-29 upgrade revealed in 2017 and six Su-30SMEs agreed during Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu’s visit in January 2018. Much of this equipment was in service when the army took power again on 1 February 2021.
Since February 2021: the air war over the civil war
Since the 2021 takeover the air force has become central to the military government’s war against the National Unity Government’s People’s Defence Forces and the ethnic armed organisations. Monitors and the UN describe a rising curve: ACLED counted 1,716 air strikes in 2024 and 2,165 from January to late November 2025, and the UN human rights office, as quoted by the Irrawaddy, recorded 982 civilians killed by air strikes in 2025, up from 641. One of the deadliest, on Pazigyi in Sagaing Region on 11 April 2023, killed at least 100 people and later tallies by BBC Burmese reached 171; the military spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun confirmed the strike and said it targeted the opening of a People’s Defence Force office. The military government says it strikes only legitimate military targets; the National Unity Government called Pazigyi a war crime.
2024–2026: new jets, lost aircraft, fuel and the question of who supplies it
The same years brought losses. The Irrawaddy counted 13 aircraft claimed shot down by resistance groups between the coup and July 2025, including Mi-35 and Mi-17 helicopters, two K-8Ws, two FTC-2000Gs and an F-7, and about ten more lost to accidents or weather; most claims could not be independently verified and the military has usually attributed its losses to technical failure. Fresh aircraft kept coming: the Su-30SMEs from 2022, FTC-2000G light fighters from China and further Yak-130s. UN investigators say foreign states and firms continue to supply arms and jet fuel, and the United States sanctioned jet fuel suppliers in August 2023. The March 2025 earthquake did not stop the bombing, and by 2026, after elections that ended in January and Min Aung Hlaing’s election as president by parliament in April, the air campaign was still continuing.
The Myanmar Air Force in numbers
خدمة
- الاسم الأصلي
- တပ်မတော်(လေ)Tatmadaw (Lay), “armed forces (air)”, the name given in the English Wikipedia article; the armed forces article uses မြန်မာ လေတပ်မတော် (Myanmar air force). Known as the Burmese Air Force until 1989
- تأسست
- 16 January 1947Formed while Burma was still under British rule. Wikipedia’s article gives 16 January in the text and 15 January in its infobox; the anniversary is marked at an Air Force Day in December
- جزء من
- Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw)The air arm of the armed forces, whose commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, led the 1 February 2021 takeover and was elected president by parliament in April 2026
- المقر الرئيسي
- NaypyidawOffice of the Commander-in-Chief (Air), Ministry of Defence. Mingaladon near Yangon was the first main base from 1950
- Commander-in-Chief (Air)
- Tun WinIn post since 21 April 2026, according to Wikipedia citing BBC Burmese; predecessor General Htun Aung (10 January 2022 to 10 April 2026)
- Government
- Military-ledThe State Administration Council formed on 2 February 2021 was dissolved on 31 July 2025, when its powers passed to the National Defence and Security Council and a State Security and Peace Commission; voting in the military-run election ran from December 2025 to the end of January 2026
قوة
- الأفراد
- 23,000–25,000Wikipedia’s air force article gives 25,000 personnel and 356 aircraft citing IISS The Military Balance 2024; its armed forces article gives 23,000. No official figure is published
- طائرات حربية
-
- MiG-29SM/SE and UB — 36 (2022)
- Su-30SME — 6 ordered, 6–10 reported
- JF-17 Block 2 — 11 reported of 16 ordered
- F-7M/F-7IIK/FT-7 — 36 F-7 and 6 FT-7 in 2012
- A-5C — 20–24
- FTC-2000G — about 12 reported
Open-source counts only; several types have lost aircraft since 2021 and the JF-17s were reported largely grounded in 2022
- مدربين
-
- Yak-130 — 18–24
- K-8W — 40–60+
- Grob G 120TP — at least 20 bought
- PC-7 — 16 bought, PC-9 — 10 bought
The Yak-130 and K-8W are used in combat as well as training
- طائرات الهليكوبتر
-
- Mi-17 — 25+
- Mi-35P — about 9
- Mi-2 — about 20
- W-3 Sokol, Bell 206 and others
Several Mi-17s and one Mi-35 are claimed shot down since 2021
- ينقل
-
- Y-8 — about 8
- Y-12 — about 15
- ATR 42/72 — about 10
- Beech 1900, Fokker 70
Wikipedia figures; a Beech 1900 crashed near Pyin Oo Lwin on 11 June 2021
- ميزانية الدفاع
- 2.7 billion US dollars (2023)The armed forces figure announced by the military government, as given by Wikipedia; there is no separate air force budget
بنية تحتية
- Air commands
-
- Southern Air Command — Hmawbi
- Western Air Command — Magway
- Eastern Air Command — Namsang
Organisation as given by Wikipedia
- Main air bases
-
- Mingaladon (Yangon)
- Hmawbi
- Meiktila
- Magway
- Myitkyina
- Taungoo
- Pathein
- Myeik
- Namsang
- Homalin
- Naypyidaw
- Tada-U (Mandalay)
Hmawbi and Meiktila were the other main bases by 1953; Su-30s were seen at Naypyidaw in 2022 and the Yak-130s were commissioned at Tada-U in 2018
- Training and repair
- Meiktila and ShanteAircraft Production and Repair Base and Ground Training Base at Meiktila; Flying Training Base at Shante
- Radar
- Four radar squadronsNos. 71 to 74 at Namsang, Myeik, Myitkyina and Hmawbi, according to Wikipedia
- Attacks on bases
- Several since 2021Resistance groups claimed rocket or drone attacks on Magway (November 2022), Hmawbi (February 2022) and Mandalay airport (September 2026); the claims are disputed or unverified
How the Myanmar Air Force is organised
The air arm of the Myanmar Armed Forces, run from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Air) in Naypyidaw through three air commands — Southern at Hmawbi, Western at Magway and Eastern at Namsang — according to Wikipedia. Its front line mixes Russian and Chinese types: MiG-29s, Su-30SMEs, F-7s, A-5Cs, JF-17s and FTC-2000Gs, with Yak-130 and K-8W trainers also used in combat. Repair and ground training are at Meiktila, flying training at Shante, and four radar squadrons are spread from Myitkyina to Myeik.
Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Air)
In Naypyidaw, under the Ministry of Defence: the air arm of the Myanmar Armed Forces, whose commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, led the 1 February 2021 takeover and was elected president by parliament in April 2026. Tun Win took over as Commander-in-Chief (Air) on 21 April 2026, according to Wikipedia citing BBC Burmese; his rank on appointment was reported differently.
Southern Air Command
Headquartered at Hmawbi, one of the three main bases since 1953, where Wikipedia places No. 56 Squadron with Mi-17 helicopters and No. 74 Radar Squadron.
Western Air Command
Headquartered at Magway, which Wikipedia calls the base of several fighter types. The Irrawaddy reported F-7s flying from it in 2018; resistance groups claimed MiG-29s destroyed there in November 2022, a claim that has not been verified.
Eastern Air Command
Headquartered at Namsang in Shan State, where six FTC-2000G light fighters from China were delivered in two batches in 2022, according to The Irrawaddy, and where Wikipedia places No. 71 Radar Squadron.
Training and repair commands
The Aircraft Production and Repair Base and the Air Force Ground Training Base Command are at Meiktila, and the Flying Training Base Command at neighbouring Shante, according to Wikipedia. The Grob G 120TP trainers are kept at Meiktila, The Irrawaddy reported, grounded by accidents and a lack of spare parts.
What the Myanmar Air Force flies today
كل نوع متاح برسوم، ويرتبط بصفحته في كتاب الوحوش إن وجدت. تشير الأرقام إلى الطائرات المسجلة، وليس الطائرات المتاحة في يوم معين.
| يكتب | دور | في الخدمة | منذ | الوحدات | ملحوظات | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sukhoi Su-30SMEفي الخدمة | مقاتل متعدد المهام | 6 | 2022 | — | Six ordered in 2018. Two arrived in March 2022; Wikipedia reports more on 15 December 2023 and two on 15 December 2024 and puts the fleet at 8–10, which would exceed the reported order.
أكثرRange published: 6–10. |
|
| Mikoyan MiG-29SM/SE and MiG-29UBفي الخدمة | مقاتل | 36 | 2001 | — | 31 single-seat SM/SE and five UB trainers in 2022 per Wikipedia’s operators list; the air force article gives 38. At least one MiG-29SMT crashed on 29 February 2024 (Magway Region). | |
| PAC/CAC JF-17 Thunder Block 2في الخدمة | مقاتل متعدد المهام | 11 | 2018 | — | 16 ordered in 2015; 11 reported in service. The Irrawaddy reported in November 2022 that most were grounded by technical faults. | |
| Chengdu F-7M/F-7IIK and FT-7في الخدمة | مقاتل | 42 | 1990 | — | 64 delivered 1990–1999; 36 F-7 and six FT-7 in service in 2012. One F-7 was lost on 10 June 2025 (see note). | |
| Nanchang A-5C (A-5IIIK)في الخدمة | هجوم أرضي | 24 | 1997 | — | 24 delivered 1997–1998; Wikipedia’s Q-5 article says 20 remained in December 2025. Range: 20–24. | |
| Guizhou FTC-2000Gفي الخدمة | Light fighter and trainer | 12 | 2022 | — | About 12 reported delivered 2022–2024; the order size is not confirmed (Wikipedia’s inventory table mentions 60 on order). | |
| Yakovlev Yak-130في الخدمة | Advanced trainer and light attack | 18 | 2017 | — | Six ordered in 2015 and delivered by December 2017, six more later, and a further six revealed after 2021; Wikipedia’s Yak-130 article gives 18, the air force article 24. | |
| Hongdu K-8 / K-8Wفي الخدمة | طائرة تدريب نفاثة وطائرة هجومية خفيفة | 40 | — | 40+ (Wikipedia’s JL-8 article) to 60+ (air force article). | ||
| Grob G 120TPفي الخدمة | مدرب أساسي | 20 | 2015 | — | At least 20 bought in 2015; several grounded. | |
| بيلاتوس بي سي-7في الخدمة | مدرب | 16 | — | 16 bought 1976–1987. | ||
| بيلاتوس بي سي-9في الخدمة | مدرب | 10 | — | Ten bought between 1976 and 1987. | ||
| HAL HJT-16 Kiranفي الخدمة | مدرب نفاث | 6 | — | Six ex-Indian Air Force. | ||
| Mil Mi-35Pفي الخدمة | مروحية هجومية | 9 | — | Ten bought in 2009 (package reported at 71 million dollars); about nine in service. One claimed shot down by the KIA on 3 May 2021. | ||
| ميل مي-17في الخدمة | مروحية نقل | 25 | 1991 | — | 13 delivered 1991–1997, 25+ now. Several claimed lost: 3 January 2024 (KIA), 20 and 21 May 2025 near Shwegu (KIA), 23 June 2026 (Magway PDF drone attack). | |
| بي زد إل مي-2في الخدمة | مروحية خفيفة | 20 | 1991 | — | 20 delivered 1991–1997; Wikipedia’s table gives 22. | |
| PZL W-3 Sokolفي الخدمة | طائرة هليكوبتر متعددة الأغراض | 13 | 1991 | — | 13 delivered in the 1990s; how many remain is not confirmed. | |
| Shaanxi Y-8في الخدمة | ينقل | 8 | — | About eight. | ||
| Harbin Y-12في الخدمة | النقل الخفيف | 15 | — | About 15. | ||
| ATR 42 / ATR 72في الخدمة | ينقل | 10 | — | About ten in total. | ||
| Beechcraft 1900في الخدمة | النقل الخفيف | 7 | — | About seven; one crashed on 11 June 2021 near Pyin Oo Lwin, killing 12 including a senior monk. |
عند الطلب
| يكتب | تم الطلب | التسليم الأول | ملحوظات | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guizhou FTC-2000Gعند الطلب | — | 2022 | Order first reported in April 2020 for an unnamed Southeast Asian customer. About 12 delivered by 2024; Wikipedia’s inventory table mentions 60 on order, which could not be corroborated. | |
| PAC/CAC JF-17 Thunder Block 2عند الطلب | 5 | 2018 | The balance of the 16 ordered in 2015 if 11 have been delivered; no delivery of the remainder was confirmed. |
Every type the Myanmar Air Force has retired
15 types, from the Airspeed Oxford, de Havilland Tiger Moth and Auster to the Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 and T.20. تمثل الأرقام القصوى عدد الطائرات التي تم استلامها على مدار فترة الخدمة بأكملها، وليس قوة الأسطول في أي تاريخ محدد.
| يكتب | دور | قمة | تم تقديمه | تم استبداله بـ | ملحوظات | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 and T.20 | مقاتلة قاذفة | 21 | 1957–1968 | Armed T-33 | 21 received 1957–1958, mainly ex-Fleet Air Arm. | |
| Soko G-4 Super Galeb | مدرب نفاث | 6 | 1991– | — | 20 ordered in 1991; about six delivered before Yugoslavia broke up. | |
| لوكهيد تي-33 شوتينغ ستار | طائرة تدريب نفاثة وطائرة هجومية خفيفة | — | 1964– | — | الأرقام غير مؤكدة. | |
| سوبرمارين سبيتفاير | مقاتل | 33 | 1948– | Sea Fury | Three from the RAF by 1948 and 30 bought from Israel in 1953. | |
| Supermarine Seafire | مقاتل | 20 | 1953– | — | 20 bought from Britain in 1953. | |
| دي هافيلاند فامباير تي.55 | مدرب نفاث | 8 | 1954– | — | Eight bought in 1954. | |
| Percival Provost T.53 | مدرب وهجوم خفيف | 40 | 1954– | — | 40 bought in 1954. | |
| Airspeed Oxford, de Havilland Tiger Moth and Auster | Trainers and liaison | 60 | 1947– | — | 40 Oxfords, 16 Tiger Moths and four Austers from the RAF by 1948. | |
| دوغلاس داكوتا | ينقل | 9 | 1950– | — | Nine with No. 2 Squadron from December 1950. | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter | النقل الخدمي | 9 | 1957– | — | Nine from Canada in 1957. | |
| Kawasaki-Bell 47G and Vertol H-21 | طائرات الهليكوبتر | 18 | 1956– | — | Six Bell 47G (1956), the first helicopter unit, and 12 H-21 from the US (1958). | |
| Cessna 180 | مسؤول الاتصال | 10 | 1956– | — | Ten bought in 1956. | |
| SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 | مدرب | 20 | 1975– | — | 20 bought in March 1975. | |
| Bell 205A and 206B | Utility helicopters | 25 | 1975– | — | 18 Bell 205A and seven 206B delivered in 1975; Wikipedia lists three Bell 206 and two UH-1 still in service. | |
| Pilatus PC-6 Porter | النقل الخدمي | 7 | — | — | Seven bought 1976–1987. |
Where the Myanmar Air Force flies from
الدبابيس السوداء تمثل القواعد النشطة، أما الدبابيس المجوفة فتمثل المطارات التي تم إغلاقها. Mingaladon, Hmawbi and Meiktila have been main bases since the early 1950s; the newest aircraft have gone elsewhere, with Yak-130s commissioned at Tada-U in 2018, FTC-2000Gs delivered to Namsang and a Su-30 seen at Naypyidaw in 2022. Resistance groups have claimed rocket or drone attacks on several bases since 2021; the claims are disputed or unverified. Pakokku is listed because defectors and resistance sources report it reactivated for military jets in 2024. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| قاعدة | منظمة الطيران المدني الدولي (ICAO) | حالة | المدرج | الوحدات والطائرات |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HmawbiYangon Region, Hmawbi Township | VYHB | نشيط | 09/272440 مترًا |
|
| HomalinSagaing Region, Homalin Township | نشيط | — | — | |
| MagwayMagway Region, Magway Township | VYMW | نشيط | 01/192600 مترأسمنت |
|
| MeiktilaMandalay Region, Meiktila Township | VYML | نشيط | — |
|
| MingaladonYangon Region, Mingaladon Township | VYYY | نشيط | 03/213,414 m |
|
| MyeikTanintharyi Region, Myeik Township | نشيط | — |
|
|
| MyitkyinaKachin State, Myitkyina Township | نشيط | — |
|
|
| NamsangShan State, Namsang Township | VYNS | نشيط | — |
|
| NaypyidawAye LarNaypyidaw Union Territory | نشيط | — |
|
|
| Pakokku Airportmilitary useMagway Region, Pakokku Township | VYPU | نشيط | — | — |
| PatheinAyeyarwady Region, Pathein Township | نشيط | — | — | |
| ShanteMandalay Region, Meiktila Township | VYST | نشيط | — |
|
| Tada-UMandalay Region, Tada-U Township | VYMD | نشيط | 17/354267 متراًأسمنت |
|
| TaungooBago Region, Taungoo Township | نشيط | — |
|
لا توجد قاعدة جوية مطابقة لهذا البحث.
Who is stationed where in the Myanmar Air Force
الوحدات الجوية حسب القاعدة، والوحدات الحالية أولاً. The Myanmar Air Force publishes few unit designations: only No. 56 Squadron, the radar squadrons numbered 71 to 74 and the early No. 1 and No. 2 Squadrons are named, so most entries are named by aircraft type. RAF and American Volunteer Group units of the Second World War are listed and marked as not Burmese. Where a unit’s base rests on Wikipedia, The Irrawaddy or resistance sources alone, the entry says so.
- Mi-35P helicopter squadronسرب طائرات الهليكوبتر الهجومية · نشط
- Mil Mi-35P
- Aircraft Production and Repair BaseMaintenance, repair and assembly · active
- —
- Air Force Ground Training Base CommandGround training · active
- —
- Grob G 120TP trainer fleetBasic trainers · active
- Grob G 120TP
- No. 221 (Tactical) Group RAF and RAF squadrons1945–1946
- Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane IIC, Republic Thunderbolt II, de Havilland Mosquito VI, Westland Lysander IIIA, Douglas Dakota, Handley Page Halifax A.7
- Air Force Flying Training Base Commandالتدريب على الطيران · نشط
- —
- No. 56 Squadronسرب طائرات الهليكوبتر · نشط
- ميل مي-17
- No. 74 Radar SquadronRadar squadron · active
- —
- RAF squadrons1945–1946
- de Havilland Mosquito, Douglas Dakota
- No. 1 Squadron and Flying Training School (historic)1950–
- —
- No. 2 Squadron1950–
- دوغلاس داكوتا
- American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) and RAF1941–1942
- Curtiss P-40, Hawker Hurricane
- Fighter units (designations not published)أسراب المقاتلات · نشطة
- Chengdu F-7, Mikoyan MiG-29
- RAF wing and American Volunteer Group1942–1942
- Curtiss P-40, Hawker Hurricane
- Yak-130 and A-5 units (designations not published)Light attack and training · active
- Yakovlev Yak-130, Nanchang A-5
- Su-30SME detachment (designation not published)Fighter · active
- Sukhoi Su-30SME
- Air force units (designations not published)Fighter and helicopter units · active
- —
- American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers)1941–1941
- Curtiss P-40
- Helicopter units (designations not published)Helicopters · active
- ميل مي-17
- No. 73 Radar SquadronRadar squadron · active
- —
- FTC-2000G unit (designation not published)Light fighter · active
- Guizhou FTC-2000G
- No. 71 Radar SquadronRadar squadron · active
- —
- No. 72 Radar SquadronRadar squadron · active
- —
لا توجد وحدة مطابقة لهذا البحث.
Myanmar Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
16 January: the Burmese Air Force is formed under British rule.
4 January: independence. The air force has 40 Oxfords, 16 Tiger Moths, four Austers and three Spitfires, and is soon flying against communist and Karen insurgents.
16 June: Mingaladon becomes the main base; No. 2 Squadron forms with nine Dakotas on 18 December.
30 Spitfires bought from Israel and 20 Seafires from Britain; Mingaladon, Hmawbi and Meiktila are the main bases.
The first of 21 Hawker Sea Furies arrive (1957–1958).
15 February: Sea Furies intercept and bring down a Republic of China Air Force PB4Y Privateer supplying Kuomintang forces; a Burmese fighter and airman are also lost.
Lockheed T-33 jets in service by December; armed T-33s replace the Sea Furies around 1968.
Renamed the Myanmar Air Force. The 1990s bring more than 100 Chinese aircraft, including 64 F-7s and FT-7s.
Ten MiG-29s and two MiG-29UBs arrive from Belarus.
December: 20 more MiG-29s and ten Mi-35 gunships ordered from Russia.
2 January: the government confirms air strikes against the Kachin Independence Army near Laiza.
13 March: bombs from Myanmar aircraft kill four people in Yunnan; Myanmar apologises to China. Yak-130 and JF-17 orders follow.
January: six Su-30SMEs agreed during Sergei Shoigu’s visit. December: JF-17s shown at Air Force Day.
1 February: the military takes power. 3 May: the KIA shoots down an Mi-35 near Momauk, the first loss claimed after the takeover.
March: the first two Su-30SMEs arrive. 23 October: an air strike on a KIO anniversary concert at Hpakant kills at least 80, according to the KIO; the military denies civilian casualties.
11 April: the Pazigyi strike kills at least 100 people (171 by BBC Burmese’s count). 23 August: the US sanctions Burma’s jet fuel sector.
28 March: the Sagaing earthquake; the military declares a truce on 2 April but, according to the UN, keeps attacking. 31 July: the State Administration Council is dissolved.
21 April: Tun Win becomes Commander-in-Chief (Air). 28 September: a strike on a market in Kyauktaw kills at least 33 (Arakan Army) or at least 50 (UN human rights office).
Every war the Myanmar Air Force has fought
الطلعات الجوية والخسائر حيثما يسمح السجل بذلك، وفراغ تام حيثما لا يسمح بذلك.
- Communist and ethnic insurgencies 1948–1962 Transport and close air support for the army against communist and Karen insurgents
- Operations against Kuomintang forces in Burma 1950–1961 Supported army operations against Kuomintang troops who had retreated from China, and intercepted their air supply
- Kachin conflict 2011–2021 Air strikes against Kachin Independence Army positions
- 2015 Kokang offensive 2015 Air strikes against the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army
- Myanmar civil war 2021– Air strikes, close support and transport for the military government’s forces against the People’s Defence Forces of the National Unity Government and ethnic armed organisations
Myanmar Air Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Myanmar Air Force and the aircraft it flies. يتم تحديث هذه القائمة تلقائيًا - تظهر قصص Afterburner الجديدة هنا تلقائيًا.
Everything people ask about the Myanmar Air Force
What is the Myanmar Air Force called in Burmese?
What aircraft does the Myanmar Air Force fly in 2026?
When was the Myanmar Air Force founded?
Has the Myanmar Air Force ever shot down an aircraft?
How many civilians have Myanmar air strikes killed since 2021?
What happened at Pazigyi in April 2023?
How many Myanmar military aircraft have been shot down?
Who supplies the Myanmar Air Force?
What are the jet fuel sanctions on Myanmar?
Who commands the Myanmar Air Force?
Read the aircraft the Myanmar Air Force flew
كل نوع له صفحة في كتاب الوحوش، في الخدمة أولاً، ثم حسب السنة التي غادر فيها الأسطول.
كل حقيقة، تم التحقق منها
- TRT World: Myanmar confirms deadly air strike that is feared to have killed 100 (12 April 2023)Zaw Min Tun’s statement on the Pazigyi strike.
- Al Jazeera: Dozens killed and wounded in Myanmar military air attacks (11 April 2023)Fighter jets and Mi-35s at Pazigyi; early tolls.
- Amnesty International: Myanmar: Urgent need to suspend aviation fuel as air strikes wreak havoc (11 April 2023)Call to suspend aviation fuel imports.
- OHCHR: Myanmar: Foreign indifference compounds suffering of civilians – UN report (22 June 2026)702 verified civilian deaths August 2025 to January 2026, 476 from air strikes; transfers of arms and jet fuel.
- OHCHR: Human rights situation in Myanmar plummets to new low (25 August 2026)UN report covering 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2026.
- OHCHR: Myanmar: Türk deplores deadly strikes at busy Rakhine market (29 September 2026)Kyauktaw, 28 September 2026: at least 50 killed, 58 injured.
- Al Jazeera: Myanmar military launches air strike on Rakhine market, killing at least 33 (28 September 2026)Arakan Army toll; military says it strikes only legitimate targets; Min Aung Hlaing elected president in April 2026.
- Al Jazeera: Myanmar airport closed following reported drone attack (11 September 2026)Mandalay airport; state media reported no damage; unverified.
- Al Jazeera: Dozens killed as Myanmar military government launches air strike on hospital (11 December 2025)Mrauk-U, at least 33 killed; ACLED air strike counts for 2024 and 2025.
- VOA: Air attack in Myanmar kills 17 including children, but military denies responsibility (January 2024)Kanan, 7 January 2024; MRTV denial.
- The Irrawaddy: 22 people, mostly children, dead in junta airstrike on boarding school in Rakhine (12 September 2025)Two 500-pound bombs; tolls from the Arakan Army and local media.
- The Irrawaddy: UN denounces Myanmar junta attacks amid earthquake devastation (11 April 2025)OHCHR: more than 120 attacks since the quake; NUG count of 72 civilians killed 28 March to 8 April.
- US Treasury: Treasury expands Burma-related sanctions and designates additional jet fuel suppliers in Burma (23 August 2023)Jet fuel sector determination; two individuals and three Singapore companies.
- The Irrawaddy: Who sustains Myanmar’s murderous air force? (guest column, 30 September 2026)Opinion column; used only for sourced figures: UN count of 982 civilians killed by air strikes in 2025; Amnesty count of 109,604 t aviation fuel imported in 2025; Tun Win as chief.
- The Irrawaddy: How China, Russia keep Myanmar junta’s deadly aerial campaign aloft (12 June 2023)Suppliers and munitions; Yak-130 commissioned at Tada-U in 2018; defector accounts.
- The Irrawaddy: Myanmar military planes grounded by accidents and lack of parts (28 February 2023)Grob G 120TP at Meiktila; DART-450 project.
- The Irrawaddy: Three Myanmar junta fighter jets destroyed: resistance (16 November 2022)Rocket attack on Magway air base; unverified claim.
- The Irrawaddy: Myanmar regime takes delivery of two Su-30 fighter jets from Russia (4 July 2022)Two delivered March 2022 of six agreed in 2018.
- The Irrawaddy: Russian Su-30s add wings to Myanmar junta’s ‘man-eating tiger’ (10 November 2022)Su-30s at Naypyidaw; Htun Aung sanctioned by the EU on 8 November 2022.
- The Irrawaddy: Thirteen Myanmar junta aircraft shot down since coup (5 July 2025)Loss claims by date, type and group, with verification caveats.
- The Irrawaddy: Resistance blows up Myanmar regime helicopter in Magwe’s Myaing (24 June 2026)Mi-17 hit by drones on 23 June 2026; claim unverified.
- OurAirports: airports in MyanmarICAO codes, including military VYML, VYHB, VYST and VYNP.
- OurAirports: Meiktila Air Base (VYML)Position and 699 ft elevation; public-domain data.
- OurAirports: Shante Air Base (VYST)Position and 630 ft elevation.
- OurAirports: Nampong Air Base (VYNP)Military airfield near Myitkyina.
- OurAirports: Namsang Airport (VYNS)Position and 3,100 ft elevation.
- OurAirports: Taungoo Airport (VYTO)Civil listing; not tagged military.
- The Irrawaddy: Myanmar military air bases attacked in Magwe and Meiktila (29 April 2021)Rockets on both bases; confirmed by the military’s information team.
- The Irrawaddy: Three Myanmar junta fighter jets destroyed by resistance (16 November 2022)Unverified claim: rocket attack on Magway air base.
- The Irrawaddy: Chinese-made fighter jets crash in Magwe, killing girl, pilots (16 October 2018)Two F-7s from Magway air base; three killed.
- The Irrawaddy: Myanmar military air base in Yangon attacked by resistance for second time (19 December 2022)Hmawbi; claims of 18 February and December 2022; unverified.
- The Irrawaddy: Resistance rockets slam Myanmar regime’s airbase in Bago (30 March 2023)Taungoo, 25 and 27 March 2023; unverified claim.
- The Irrawaddy: Junta air force commissions Russian, Chinese-made fighter jets (13 March 2026)Ceremony at Meiktila Air Base on Thursday 12 March 2026.
- The Irrawaddy: How Myanmar junta uses air force to fight its corner (Swe Taw, 13 May 2025)Analysis by a former officer: key bases Magwe, Tada-U, Naypyitaw, Taungoo, Hmawbi and the Shante training headquarters.
- The Irrawaddy: Myanmar junta revives Pakokku airport to launch airstrikes (25 November 2024)List of air bases by region; Pakokku and Kyaukhtu claims from unnamed and defector sources.
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.
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