尼泊尔陆军航空兵
The Nepalese Army Air Service is the small aviation wing of the Nepali Army — about 25 helicopters and light transports with no combat jets — whose history runs from a 1960s army flight through an air force status in 1979, the Maoist civil war of 1996–2006 and the 2015 earthquake to a fleet rebuilt since 2017 with Mi-17V5s, AW139s, a CN-235 and American-donated Skytrucks.
The Nepalese Army Air Service story: an army flight, a civil war and the earthquake of 2015
1960s–1995: an army flight in a country without roads
Nepal’s military aviation has always been an army affair. English Wikipedia says the air arm was formed in the 1960s and became an air force unit in 1979 before returning to the army; the 1965 founding date often repeated could not be confirmed on a Nepali Army page, because the aviation pages of nepalarmy.mil.np refuse automated reading. What the public record does show is the job. In a country where many district headquarters could be reached only on foot or by air, the army flew soldiers, supplies and the royal family in light transports and helicopters. The record is also one of losses, as Wikipedia lists them from Aviation Safety Network data: a DHC-6 Twin Otter at Jomsom on 27 February 1970, one killed; a Douglas DC-3 that struck a power line near Panchkhal on 13 September 1972, all 31 aboard killed; a Short Skyvan near Dhangadi on 30 December 1985, 25 soldiers killed; and a Twin Otter that flew into a hillside between Surkhet and Jumla on 10 July 1991, three killed.
1996–2006: the civil war and the armed helicopter
The Maoist insurgency launched on 13 February 1996 changed the service’s purpose. The police fought it alone until the state of emergency of November 2001, when the Royal Nepal Army was deployed for the first time. Wikipedia’s article on the service says the war drove the growth of an armed helicopter capability, and that the United Kingdom gave two Islanders and two Mi-17s free of charge; India supplied helicopters too, among them the armed Cheetah variant known as the Lancer, and in early 2004 Nepal placed the first export order for India’s Dhruv. Private helicopters were also hired to move troops, and one army helicopter was reported hit by Maoist fire in February 2004. The war killed more than 17,000 people; figures quoted by Wikipedia attribute over 8,200 killings in 1996–2005 to government forces and over 4,000 to the Maoists, and both sides were accused of extrajudicial killings and disappearances. Britain and India suspended material support after the king assumed direct rule in February 2005. The Comprehensive Peace Accord of 21 November 2006 ended the war.
2015: the earthquake and the limits of a small air arm
At 11:56 on 25 April 2015 an earthquake of magnitude 7.8–7.9 struck central Nepal; 8,962 people were killed in the country. The army launched Operation Sankat Mochan and, according to Wikipedia, sent about 90 per cent of its soldiers to the stricken districts. Its own air arm, a handful of helicopters, could not carry a relief effort of that size, and the airlift depended on foreign militaries: India’s Operation Maitri began on 26 April with Il-76, C-130J and C-17 transports, Dhruvs and up to eight Mi-17s, and the United States sent C-130s, helicopters and four MV-22 Ospreys. On 12 May a US Marine UH-1Y crashed near Charikot while delivering aid, killing six Marines and two Nepali soldiers. In the middle of the crisis the army’s own reinforcements arrived: two new Mi-17V5s came in by An-124 in June and were inducted by Prime Minister Sushil Koirala at Mid Air Base, Kathmandu, on 22 June 2015, then flown straight to relief work in Dhading.
2017–2020: CN-235, AW139, Skytrucks and a plan for 31 aircraft
The rebuilding that followed was steady rather than dramatic. The army signed for a CN-235-220 transport from Indonesia’s PTDI on 16 June 2017, and it had joined the fleet by December 2019. Two AgustaWestland AW139s, the first delivered in October 2018 and the second flown in August 2019, took over VIP flying from two AS332L1 Super Pumas that were sold to China; a Bell 407GXP and an H125 arrived in 2018 and two Piper Archer trainers in February 2019. From December 2019 US Indo-Pacific Command granted four PZL M28 Skytrucks, valued by Aviation Nepal at about NRs 1 billion each. An earlier Skytruck had crashed at Bajura on 30 May 2017, killing its pilot. In 2019 the army told Aviation Nepal it wanted 31 aircraft by 2022, eleven fixed-wing and 20 helicopters, with new West and East air bases at Surkhet and Biratnagar. Wikipedia’s August 2025 list adds up to about 25; that total could not be checked against an official inventory.
2024–2026: floods, a political crisis and the Bell 412
Today the service’s work is still almost entirely logistics and rescue. Its helicopters flew in the floods of 26–29 September 2024, when more than 3,000 security personnel used boats, rafts and helicopters and people were lifted off Kathmandu rooftops, and it airlifted oxygen during the Covid-19 wave of 2021. During the Gen Z protests of September 2025 the army took charge of security on the night of 9 September and, according to Wikipedia, evacuated politicians to Tribhuvan International Airport; the Chief of the Army Staff, General Ashok Raj Sigdel, in post since 9 September 2024, then helped broker the interim government of Sushila Karki. Wikipedia lists two Bell 412s on order for mid-2027, which this research could not confirm from an official source. The limits are plain: no combat aircraft, one main base shared with the country’s only busy international airport, and the country’s only helicopter pilot school, run by the army since 2004, still training on the same few airframes that fly the rescues.
The Nepalese Army Air Service in numbers
服务
- 本地名称
- नेपाली सैनिक हवाई सेवाNepali name as given by English Wikipedia; the Nepali Army’s own aviation page could not be read for this research. The English name is also given as Nepali Army Air Service and Nepal Army Air Wing, and older sources use Royal Nepalese Army Air Service
- 创立
- 1960s; air force unit from 1979Wikipedia: formed in the 1960s, became an air force unit in 1979 and is now again part of the army. The 1965 date often quoted was not confirmed on an official page
- 一部分
- Nepali ArmyThe Nepalese Armed Forces consist of the Nepali Army with its small air service; there is no separate air force. The army dropped “Royal” from its name after the monarchy ended; Wikipedia dates the renaming to 28 May 2008
- 总部
- Directorate General of Army Aviation, Mid Air Base, KathmanduInside Tribhuvan International Airport (Gauchar); No. 11 Brigade is the flying formation
- Chief of the Army Staff
- General Ashok Raj SigdelSince 9 September 2024
- Supreme commander
- President Ram Chandra PaudelIn office since 13 March 2023
力量
- 人员
- 大约1000Wikipedia’s figure for the air service; the Nepali Army as a whole has about 96,500 active personnel
- 战斗机
- 没有任何Armed capability is limited to a few helicopters, such as the HAL Lancer (an armed Cheetah)
- 直升机
-
- Mil Mi-17V5 / Mi-171 — 4–6
- AgustaWestland AW139 — 2
- Airbus Helicopters AS350/H125/AS550 — 2–4
- 贝尔 206 — 2
- Bell 407GXP — 1
- HAL Cheetah/Lancer — 1–2
- HAL Dhruv — 1
Counts differ between Aviation Nepal’s 2018 fleet list and Wikipedia’s list of 30 August 2025; no official inventory was reachable
- 固定翼运输机
-
- PZL M28 Skytruck — 5 (Wikipedia)
- CASA/IPTN CN-235-220 — 1
- 布里顿-诺曼 BN-2 Islander — 1
The M28 total includes four granted by the United States from December 2019
- 教练
-
- Piper PA-28 Archer DX — 2
Arrived February 2019; first flight at Tribhuvan in August 2019
- 所有飞机
- About 25Sum of Wikipedia’s August 2025 list. In 2019 the army planned 31 by 2022
基础设施
- 主基地
- Mid Air Base, Tribhuvan International AirportShares the single 3,350 m runway of Nepal’s main international airport; airport plans include relocating the army hangar
- Other locations
-
- Surkhet — planned West Air Base; night IFR trials June 2020
- Biratnagar — planned East Air Base
- Dipayal
Base plans as reported in 2019; Wikipedia also names Surkhet and Dipayal. Their status in 2026 was not confirmed
- Helicopter pilot school
- Since 2004, within 11 BrigadeThe only helicopter pilot school in Nepal; trains military and civilian pilots on the Mi-17 and Ecureuil
- Recent relief and security flying
-
- Covid-19 oxygen airlift — May 2021
- Flood rescues — September 2024
- Evacuation of politicians during the Gen Z protests — September 2025
Attributed: Aviation Nepal for 2021; Wikipedia, citing Al Jazeera, AP and BBC, for 2024; Wikipedia for 2025
- VIP flight
- AW139Carries the President, Vice President, Prime Minister and visiting heads of state
How the Nepalese Army Air Service is organised
The Directorate General of Army Aviation at Mid Air Base, Kathmandu, runs the Nepali Army’s air service, with No. 11 Brigade as its flying formation. There are no combat aircraft: the fleet is helicopters and light transports, and its work is almost entirely logistics, rescue and VIP flying. In 2019 the army planned 31 aircraft by 2022 and new West and East air bases at Surkhet and Biratnagar; their progress was not confirmed.
Directorate General of Army Aviation
At Mid Air Base, inside Tribhuvan International Airport. The air service is part of the Nepali Army and Nepal has no separate air force; the name of the current director general was not found, and the army is commanded by General Ashok Raj Sigdel, Chief of the Army Staff since 9 September 2024.
No. 11 Brigade
The flying formation: about 25 helicopters and light transports by Wikipedia’s list of August 2025, among them Mi-17V5s and Mi-171s, two AW139s for VIP flying, a CN-235 and PZL M28 Skytrucks, and no combat aircraft.
Army helicopter pilot school
Run by the army within No. 11 Brigade since 2004, the only helicopter pilot school in Nepal, training military and civilian pilots on the Mi-17 and Ecureuil.
What the Nepalese Army Air Service flies today
每种收费类型都链接到其在《野兽之书》中的页面（如果存在）。. 统计的是登记在册的飞机数量，而不是某一天可用的飞机数量。.
| 类型 | 角色 | 在服役 | 自从 | 单位 | 笔记 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 米尔 Mi-17V5 和 Mi-171在服役 | 中型运输直升机 | 4–6. Aviation Nepal counted four Mi-17s in November 2018; Wikipedia lists six Mi-171 in August 2025. The two sources disagree and no official count was reachable. | ||||
| 阿古斯特维斯特兰 AW139在服役 | VIP transport and search and rescue | 2 | 2018 | Two: the first arrived in October 2018, the second flew in Italy in August 2019. | ||
| Bell 407GXP在服役 | 轻型多用途侦察直升机 | 1 | 2018 | 一。. | ||
| 贝尔206喷气游骑兵在服役 | 轻型多用途直升机 | 2 | 二。. | |||
| Airbus Helicopters AS350 / H125 / AS550 Ecureuil在服役 | Light utility helicopter and trainer | 2–4. Aviation Nepal counted three Ecureuils in November 2018 and an H125 arriving that year; Wikipedia lists two AS550 in August 2025. | ||||
| HAL Cheetah and Lancer在服役 | 轻型多用途武装直升机 | 1–2. One Lancer in Aviation Nepal’s 2018 list; two Cheetah/Lancer in Wikipedia’s 2025 list. | ||||
| HAL Dhruv在服役 | 通用救援直升机 | 1 | 2004 | One in service per Wikipedia (2025). Three received in all: two bought and one gifted. | ||
| PZL Mielec M28 Skytruck (including ex-US C-145A)在服役 | Light transport and air ambulance | 5 | Five per Wikipedia (August 2025): one earlier aircraft plus four granted by US Indo-Pacific Command from December 2019. Aviation Nepal counted three in October 2020. One was lost in 2017. | |||
| CASA/IPTN CN-235-220在服役 | 战术运输 | 1 | 2019 | One. Talks on a second began in February 2018; no second delivery was confirmed. | ||
| 布里顿-诺曼 BN-2T 岛民在服役 | 光运输 | 1 | One in service; Wikipedia says the UK gave two during the civil war. | |||
| Piper PA-28-181 Archer DX在服役 | 基础教练 | 2 | 2019 | 二。. |
已下单
| 类型 | 已订购 | 首批交付 | 笔记 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 贝尔412已下单 | 2 | 2027 | Listed by Wikipedia (August 2025) as two on order for mid-2027. Not confirmed on an official Nepali Army page or in reachable news reports. |
Every type the Nepalese Army Air Service has retired
6 types, from the Aérospatiale AS332L1 Super Puma to the Aérospatiale AS332L1 Super Puma. 峰值数字是指飞机在整个服役期内接收的机身数量，而不是任何某一天的机队规模。.
| 类型 | 角色 | 顶峰 | 已上菜 | 被替换为 | 笔记 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 航空航天 AS332L1 超级美洲狮 | VIP运输直升机 | 2 | AW139 | 二。. | ||
| 霍克·西德利 HS 748 | 运输 | 1 | 一。. | |||
| 德哈维兰加拿大DHC-6双水獭飞机 | 短距起降运输 | |||||
| 道格拉斯DC-3 | 运输 | |||||
| 短款 SC.7 Skyvan | 短距起降运输 | |||||
| HAL Chetak（云雀III） | 轻型多用途直升机 |
Where the Nepalese Army Air Service flies from
黑色的标记代表正在使用的基地，空心的标记代表已经关闭的机场。. Mid Air Base, inside Tribhuvan International Airport, is the Nepali Army’s main and only permanent air base, sharing the airport’s single 3,350 m runway. Surkhet and Biratnagar are civil airports that the army planned in 2019 as its West and East air bases, and Dipayal is a small civil airstrip where Wikipedia reports an army presence. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| 根据 | 国际民航组织 | 地位 | 跑道 | 部队和飞机 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biratnagar AirportKoshi Province, Morang District | VNVT | 积极的 | 09/271,775 m | |
| Doti AirportDipayal-SilgadhiSudurpashchim Province, Doti District | VNDT | 积极的 | 14/32490 m | |
| MidTribhuvan International AirportBagmati Province, Kathmandu | VNKT | 积极的 | 02/203,350 米 |
|
| Surkhet AirportKarnali Province, Birendranagar | VNSK | 积极的 | 02/201,255 m |
没有找到符合搜索结果的空军基地。.
Who is stationed where in the Nepalese Army Air Service
按基地排列飞行部队，当前部队优先。. The whole air service is one formation, No. 11 Brigade, at Mid Air Base; no squadrons are named in the sources read. Where a type or count rests on Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.
- No. 11 Brigade (Nepalese Army Air Service)航空旅·现役
- Mil Mi-17V5 / Mi-171, AgustaWestland AW139, Bell 407GXP, Bell 206, Airbus Helicopters AS350 / H125 / AS550, HAL Cheetah / Lancer, HAL Dhruv, PZL M28 Skytruck, CASA/IPTN CN-235-220, Britten-Norman BN-2T Islander, Piper PA-28 Archer DX
- Army helicopter pilot schoolHelicopter flying school · active
- 米尔米-17, Ecureuil
没有符合搜索条件的单位。.
Nepalese Army Air Service milestones, 1914 to today
The army’s flying unit is formed, according to Wikipedia. The 1965 date often quoted was not confirmed on an official page.
27 February: a Twin Otter crashes at Jomsom; one killed.
13 September: a DC-3 strikes a power line near Panchkhal; all 31 aboard killed.
The air arm becomes an air force unit, per Wikipedia; it later returns to the army.
30 December: a Skyvan crashes near Dhangadi; 25 soldiers killed.
13 February: the Maoist insurgency begins.
November: state of emergency; the Royal Nepal Army is deployed against the Maoists for the first time.
Nepal places the first export order for India’s Dhruv (two aircraft); the army opens a helicopter pilot school in 11 Brigade.
21 November: the Comprehensive Peace Accord ends the civil war.
28 May: the monarchy is abolished; Wikipedia dates the renaming to Nepali Army to that day.
18 October: an Islander on an ambulance flight crashes near Dhorpatan; six killed.
November: India gifts a Dhruv during Prime Minister Modi’s visit.
25 April: earthquake; Operation Sankat Mochan. 22 June: two new Mi-17V5s inducted at Mid Air Base.
30 May: M28 NA-048 crashes at Bajura; pilot killed. 16 June: CN-235 ordered from PTDI.
October–November: first AW139 and a Bell 407GXP delivered.
February: two Piper Archer trainers. December: CN-235 in the fleet and the first of four US-granted M28s arrives.
9 September: General Ashok Raj Sigdel becomes Chief of the Army Staff. 26–29 September: helicopters in flood rescues.
9 September: the army takes charge of security during the Gen Z protests and evacuates politicians to Tribhuvan airport.
Every war and emergency the Nepalese Army Air Service has flown in
记录中有出击次数和损失的地方都如实记录，没有记录的地方则保持空白。.
- Nepalese Civil War 1996–2006 From November 2001 flew troop transport, supply, casualty evacuation and, with armed helicopters, fire support for the army
- Operation Sankat Mochan 2015 Rescue, casualty evacuation and relief flights alongside Indian, US and other foreign military aircraft
Everything people ask about the Nepalese Army Air Service
What is the Nepalese Army Air Service called in Nepali?
Does Nepal have an air force?
Does Nepal have fighter jets?
What aircraft does the Nepalese Army Air Service fly?
What did the air service do in the Nepalese Civil War?
How did the Nepali Army use aircraft after the 2015 earthquake?
Who flies Nepal’s President and Prime Minister?
Where is the Nepalese Army Air Service based?
Does the Nepali Army train helicopter pilots?
Is the Nepalese Army Air Service buying new aircraft?
Read the aircraft the Nepalese Army Air Service flew
每种类型都在《野兽之书》中占有一席之地，先按服役年份，再按离开舰队的年份。.
所有事实均已核实
- Nepali Army: home page (nepalarmy.mil.np), as served to the research fetchTwo Mi-17V5 inducted by Prime Minister Sushil Koirala at Mid Air Base, Gauchar, on 22 June 2015; Operation Sankat Mochan after the 25 April 2015 earthquake. The aviation pages of the site refuse automated reading.
- Embassy of India, Kathmandu: About India–Nepal relationsArmy-to-army cooperation: exercise Surya Kiran, training and supply of equipment; honorary general ranks for each other’s army chiefs.
- Aviation Nepal: Two Mi-17s of Nepal Army have commenced operation (22 June 2015)Two new Mi-17s inaugurated by Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and flown to Dhading for earthquake relief.
- Aviation Nepal: Army Skytruck crash at Bajura (30 May 2017)Pilot Kailash Gurung killed; flight technician Purna Khadka and pilot Anita Ale Magar injured.
- Aviation Nepal: Nepal Army begins negotiations for second CN-235 (9 February 2018)First CN-235-220M ordered from PTDI in June 2017, under construction at Bandung in February 2018.
- Aviation Nepal: Nepalese Army new Bell 407 GXP lands TIA (29 November 2018)13 aircraft before the Bell 407: four Mi-17, three Ecureuil, two Bell 206, one Lancer, one AW139, one Islander, one M28; two AS332L1 Super Pumas sold to China.
- Aviation Nepal: First Piper Archer joins Mid Air Base (20 February 2019)Fleet of 14; HS 748 unserviceable; plan for 31 aircraft (11 fixed-wing, 20 rotary) by 2022 and West (Surkhet) and East (Biratnagar) air bases; No. 11 Brigade at Mid Air Base.
- Aviation Nepal: Nepalese Army’s second AW139 makes maiden flight (11 August 2019)First AW139 arrived October 2018; VVIP role; Directorate General of Army Aviation at Mid Air Base inside Tribhuvan International Airport; replaced two AS332L1 Super Pumas.
- Aviation Nepal: Nepali Army CN-235 arriving in October (7 August 2019)CN235-220 for paratroop, medevac, VIP and cargo; two M28 due December 2019 as a US grant; AW139, H125 and Bell 407 GXP received in 2018.
- Aviation Nepal: Nepal Army brand new Skytruck to land Kathmandu (4 December 2019)One of four M28s granted by US Indo-Pacific Command, SP-DGO to become NA-063, about NRs 1 billion each; fixed-wing fleet of six (M28, BN-2, HS 748, CN-235, two Piper Archer).
- Aviation Nepal: Nepal Army night IFR test flight at Surkhet (29 June 2020)M28 NA-063 flew three GPS approaches including night landings at Surkhet on 25 June 2020.
- Aviation Nepal: Nepal Army to deploy its aircraft for Dashain leave (18 October 2020)Three large helicopters, three small helicopters and three Skytrucks used to fly soldiers home.
- Aviation Nepal: Nepal Army airlifting oxygen to Kathmandu (22 May 2021)Army aircraft carried oxygen cylinders via Biratnagar during the Covid-19 second wave.
- Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Aeronautical Information Management: Nepal eAIP home pageReached on 30 Sep 2026, but the AIP and AD 2 pages refused automated reading (robots), so no aerodrome data were taken from the AIP.
- Aviation Nepal: Fund for the expansion of Surkhet Airport freezes (11 July 2021)Runway 1,255 m, planned 1,555 m; about NRs 1 billion frozen; photo of a Nepal Army Skytruck at Surkhet.
数据已于 2026 年 9 月 30 日核实。战斗序列页面由单个数据集重新生成；如果此处的数字与《野兽之书》页面不一致，则此页面为两者中较新的页面。.
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