阿尔巴尼亚空军

战斗序列 · Albania

阿尔巴尼亚空军

Forca Ajrore · Forca Ajrore e Republikës së Shqipërisë

The Albanian Air Force (Forca Ajrore) flew its first aircraft on 24 April 1951, grew under Soviet and then Chinese patronage into a fleet of well over a hundred MiG-19 copies kept flying long after the spares ran out, lost its bases in the 1997 unrest and its last jets in 2004–2005 — and in 2026 is a helicopter and drone force with Black Hawks, Bayraktars and a NATO-rebuilt air base at Kuçovë, but no fighters of its own.

国家标志The roundel: red outside and at the centre, with a black ring between, the colours of the national flag
0战斗机
3现役空军基地
1951创立
17已退役的类型
Photo: Gerd 72 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
国家阿尔巴尼亚创立1951地位积极的总部Tirana指挥官Edmond Voci
故事

The Albanian Air Force story: a Yak-9 in 1951, Chinese MiGs in a mountain and drones at Kuçovë

1914–1951: false starts, and a Yak-9 on 24 April

Albania tried to build an air arm three times before one stuck. In 1914 the new state ordered three Lohner Daimler aircraft from Austria, and the First World War cancelled the order. After 1928 King Zog formed a Royal Albanian Air Corps under the army, but its five Albatros aircraft, according to Wikipedia, were never put into full service, and the Italian invasion of April 1939 ended it without a fight. The service that exists today dates from the communist state: an air surveillance company was formed on 14 February 1947, and on 24 April 1951 Peço Polena took off in a Yak-9P that Albanian technicians had assembled. The First Fighter Aviation Squadron, commanded by Babaçe Faiku, had 12 Yak-9s at Lapraka airfield in Tirana. Albania still keeps 24 April as Aviation Day.

1951–1978: Soviet jets, then Chinese copies

Soviet help built the force quickly. The first jet unit formed at Kuçovë in 1955 with MiG-15s, a transport regiment followed in 1957 with Po-2s, Yak-18s and Mi-1 and Mi-4 helicopters, and in October 1959, according to Wikipedia, 12 MiG-19PM interceptors arrived. Then politics intervened: Albania broke with Moscow in 1961 and turned to China. A regiment formed at Rinas in 1962 and an aviation school opened at Vlorë; from 1965 Shenyang F-6s, Chinese copies of the MiG-19, arrived in large numbers — 71 by 1971 by SIPRI’s count, over 100 by a former commander’s. Twelve Chengdu F-7As, obtained in exchange for the Soviet MiG-19PMs, gave Albania its fastest fighters. By the 1970s the ministry counts over 70 operational MiG-19s, a MiG-17 squadron and a helicopter regiment of over 30 Mi-4s — a large force for a country of two million.

1978–2005: isolation, 1997 and the end of the jets

The weakness was supply. When Albania fell out with China in 1978 it lost its only source of spares, and the fleet was kept flying on cannibalised parts and poor locally refined fuel. Wikipedia records 35 pilots killed between 1955 and 2005, mostly through mechanical failure, and German Wikipedia records the collision of two Z-5 helicopters with mountains near Vuno on 22 November 1989. The communist regime fell in 1991 with some 200 jets on strength, few of them serviceable. In March 1997 the armed forces disintegrated in the unrest: two pilots flew their aircraft to Italy on 4 March, rebels seized Kuçovë and its MiGs, and Gjadër was looted and abandoned. The jets limped on until an F-6 crashed on take-off at Tirana on 16 September 2004; the fighters were withdrawn in 2004–2005, and some 40 retired aircraft were put up for auction in 2016.

Gjadër: the cave base and its strange second life

Gjadër, near Lezhë, was the most ambitious thing the regime built for its air force. Construction began in 1969 against the threat of Yugoslav air attack; the ministry dates the first landing, by Haki Jupasi and Serafin Shegani in an F-6 and an F-7A, to 50 years before July 2024, while Wikipedia gives 10 July 1973 and an official opening on 15 March 1974. Behind the runway, tunnels cut into the mountain could hold about 50 aircraft, and the F-7A squadron moved in in 1976. The base’s oddest chapter came after communism: in 1994 the CIA flew Gnat-750 drones from it over Bosnia, and in 1995 the US Army’s Predators followed. It was looted in March 1997, jet flying stopped in 2000 and the tunnels became a store for retired fighters — until July 2024, when Gjadër reopened for Black Hawk crew training.

2005–2026: helicopters, NATO and Kuçovë

After the jets, Albania rebuilt a small helicopter force from the West: AB-206s from 2001, AB-205s from 2004, an A109 and Bo 105s in 2007, EC145s from 2012 and four AS532 Cougars between 2012 and 2014. NATO membership on 1 April 2009 settled the question of fighters: Greek and Italian jets police Albanian airspace. The big investments of the 2020s came from allies. NATO spent about 50 million euros, and Albania over 5 million euros, rebuilding Kuçovë, inaugurated as a NATO tactical air base on 4 March 2024. The United States paid over US$50 million for two UH-60A+ Black Hawks delivered in January 2024, and Turkey sold three Bayraktar TB2 drones that began flying from Kuçovë in 2024. What was good: a force sized to its tasks, busy every summer fighting wildfires. What was bad: two decades with no fixed-wing pilots at all.

What is still missing

By 2026 defence spending had reached 2.6 per cent of GDP, and the air force marked its 75th anniversary at Kuçovë on 30 April under a new commander, Brigadier General Edmond Voci. The gaps are plain in the ministry’s own words. In April 2025 the minister said Albania must return to fixed-wing aircraft and train more pilots; the aviation school at Vlorë, closed for two decades, is to reopen by 2029, but no aircraft type has been named. The helicopter fleet is still to be completed, and air defence exists as a plan: in 2023 the new commander listed a ground-based air defence battalion among his priorities. Kuçovë gives NATO a runway in the Western Balkans; whether Albania itself will fly anything from it beyond drones is the open question.

Soviet help built the force quickly. The first jet unit formed at Kuçovë in 1955 with MiG-15s, a transport regiment followed in 1957 with Po-2s, Yak-18s and Mi-1 and Mi-4 helicopters, and in October 1959, according to Wikipedia, 12 MiG-19PM interceptors arrived.Albanian Air Force · verified 2026-09-30

一览

The Albanian Air Force in numbers

服务

本地名称
Forca AjroreThe name the Ministry of Defence uses for the service (abbreviated FAj); the long form, as given by Wikipedia, is Forca Ajrore e Republikës së Shqipërisë. Albanian is the only official language
创立
24 April 1951The day Peço Polena flew a Yak-9P assembled by Albanian technicians; Albania marks it as Aviation Day. A royal air corps of 1928–1939 never became operational
一部分
Albanian Armed ForcesUnder the General Staff; Chief of Defence Lt. Gen. Arben Kingji since August 2022
总部
Tirana (Rinas)Air Force Command sits in the military section of Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza
指挥官
Brig. Gen. Edmond VociTook command on 3 April 2026 from Maj. Gen. Ferdinant Dimo (commander from 21 September 2023)
国防部长
Ermal NufiIn office by April 2026; preceded by Pirro Vengu (in office from 2024) and Niko Peleshi (to 2024)

力量

人员
About 650Wikipedia’s figure; no official air force headcount was found. The whole armed forces have about 7,000 active personnel per the minister in 2025
战斗机
没有任何The last jet fighters were withdrawn in 2004–2005; the minister said in April 2025 that Albania must return to fixed-wing aircraft
直升机
  • UH-60A+ Black Hawk — 2
  • AS532 Cougar — 4
  • EC145/H145 — 2
  • Bo 105 — 4
  • AB-205A — 3
  • AB-206C — 3
  • AW109 — 1
  • Bell 505 — 2

Counts per Wikipedia; the ministry confirms two UH-60A+ and four Cougars delivered 2012–2014. Of three EC145s delivered (2012, 2015) one was lost in Lake Shkodra in April 2016

无人机
  • Bayraktar TB2 — 3
  • RQ-20 Puma — 6

Three TB2s per the ministry, flying from Kuçovë since 2024; the RQ-20 count is Wikipedia’s

国防预算
2.6 per cent of GDP (2026)The 2025 budget was 52.7 billion lek, the second year at 2 per cent; the government plans at least 0.15 points more a year

基础设施

空军基地
  • Kuçovë — NATO tactical air base, drone unit
  • Farkë — helicopter squadron, Black Hawk hangar
  • Tirana (Rinas) — Air Force Command, air surveillance centre
  • Lapraka — government helicopters

Wikipedia’s list of operating bases; the ministry confirms the Kuçovë, Farkë and Rinas roles

Former jet bases
  • Gjadër — cave base, jets to 2000, helicopter training since 2024
  • Rinas — fighter regiment from 1962
  • Vlorë — aviation school from 1962

Jet flying ended in 2004–2005; the ministry plans to reopen the Vlorë aviation school by 2029

空中警戒
By NATO alliesAlbania has no fighters; its airspace is policed by Greek and Italian fighters under NATO. A 2018 agreement lets NATO patrol aircraft cross the Montenegrin border freely
NATO investment
About 55 million euros at KuçovëAbout 50 million euros from NATO and over 5 million euros from Albania; inaugurated 4 March 2024
洞穴机库
One site: GjadërTunnels cut into the mountain for about 50 aircraft (Wikipedia); now storage for retired jets

结构

How the Albanian Air Force is organised

An Air Force Command at Rinas over two air bases, Kuçovë for the drones and Farkë for the helicopters, and since July 2026 a National Flight School. Albania has flown no jets since 2005 and owns no fighters; its airspace has been policed by Greek and Italian fighters under NATO since it joined the Alliance in 2009. Gjadër, the old cave base, was reopened in 2024 for Black Hawk crew training.

电动汽车

Brigadier General (gjeneral brigade)Edmond VociCommander of the Air Force (Komandanti i Forcës Ajrore) · in office since 2026
空军司令部
总部

空军司令部

Rinas, Tirana

In the military section of Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza at Rinas, under the General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces. Brig. Gen. Edmond Voci took command on 3 April 2026 from Maj. Gen. Ferdinant Dimo. Wikipedia places the Air Surveillance Centre, which reports to NATO’s CAOC Torrejón, at Rinas too.

无人机

库乔夫空军基地

巴扎·阿杰罗雷·库乔维
Kuçovë

One of the air force’s two air bases, 350 strong in March 2025, rebuilt with about 50 million euros of NATO money and reopened as a NATO tactical air base on 4 March 2024. Its drone unit flies three Bayraktar TB2s on surveillance, border and wildfire missions.

直升机

法尔克空军基地

Baza Ajrore Farkë
Farkë

The helicopter base since the Helicopter Regiment of 1967: two UH-60A+ Black Hawks, delivered in January 2024 and housed in a new hangar, four AS532 Cougars and lighter Western types fly firefighting, flood relief and mountain rescue. Lt Col Bedri Kaloshi has commanded since 14 September 2026.

训练

National Flight School

Shkolla Kombëtare e Fluturimit
Rinas, Tirana

Opened on 3 July 2026 at Rinas with two Bell 505 helicopters and 25 first students, to train five pilots a year. The government plans to reopen the old aviation school at Vlorë by 2029; no fixed-wing trainer has been chosen.


在服役

What the Albanian Air Force 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
西科斯基 UH-60A+ 黑鹰在服役 通用及搜救直升机 2 2024 Two delivered in January 2024, paid for with over US$50 million of US aid. Wikipedia reports four more on order; the ministry pages checked give no total.
欧洲直升机公司 AS532 美洲狮在服役 通用及搜救直升机 4 2012 Four: delivered 3 December 2012, 25 April 2013, 18 December 2013 and 27 October 2014.
Eurocopter EC145 (Airbus H145)在服役 VIP and search and rescue helicopter 2 2012 Three delivered (one VIP on 28 July 2012, two on 31 October 2015); two in service per Wikipedia after the loss of one in Lake Shkodra in April 2016.
MBB博105在服役 轻型多用途直升机 4 2007 Four in service per Wikipedia; six were contracted in 2006.
Agusta-Bell AB-205A在服役 通用直升机 3 2004 根据维基百科,共有三个。.
Agusta-Bell AB-206C在服役 轻型直升机 3 2001 根据维基百科,共有三个。.
阿古斯塔A109在服役 VIP helicopter 1 2007 一。.
贝尔505喷气游侠X在服役 轻型多用途直升机 2 根据维基百科的说法,有两个;官方页面尚未确认。.
Baykar Bayraktar TB2在服役 武装侦察无人机 3 2024 Three per the ministry (30 June 2024). Wikipedia gives nine or more, which was not confirmed.
AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma在服役 Tactical drone 6 2021 Six per Wikipedia (acquired 2021).
空中拖拉机 AT-802在服役 Firefighting aircraft 1 2024 One per Wikipedia, received in 2024, with two more reported to follow.
RQ-206
美洲狮4
Bo 1054
AB-2053
AB-2063
TB23
UH-60A+2
EC1452

已下单

类型 已订购 首批交付 笔记
西科斯基 UH-60 黑鹰直升机已下单 Wikipedia reports four more on order after the first two of January 2024.

更多的

The ministry pages checked give no number; in April 2026 the minister named completing the helicopter fleet as a priority.

Fixed-wing training aircraft (type not chosen)已下单 Minister Vengu said on 24 April 2025 that Albania must return to fixed-wing aircraft; the government plans to reopen the Vlorë aviation school by 2029 as a National Flight School.

更多的

No type, number or contract was found.


以前运营

Every type the Albanian Air Force has retired

17 types, from the Yakovlev Yak-9P to the Ilyushin Il-14. 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
Ilyushin Il-14 运输 4 Four: two Soviet-built, one Avia 14T and one East German-built.
沈阳F-6(歼-6)和FT-6 战斗机 1965–2005 71–107.

更多的

SIPRI counts 71 F-6/FT-6 delivered 1965–1971; a former air force commander (Bytyçi, 2022) spoke of 12 plus 95; Wikipedia’s air force article gives 65–71 in one table and 142 in its text. The ministry says over 70 were operational in the 1970s.

米格-17F 和沈阳 F-5/FT-5 战士兼教练 1957–2004 Wikipedia gives 12 MiG-17F plus 35 or more Chinese F-5/FT-5; six FT-5s went to Gjadër in May 1976.
成都F-7A 拦截者 12 1969–2004 12. Wikipedia’s J-7 article dates them from 1969; the air force article says early 1970s.
米格-15bis 和米格-15UTI(以及中国制造的同等机型) 战斗机和喷气式教练机 1955–2000 32–48 or more per Wikipedia; no official total found.
波利卡尔波夫Po-2 培训员和联络员 78 1951–1985 78 per Wikipedia.
米高扬-古列维奇 MiG-19PM 和 MiG-19S 全天候拦截器 12 1959–1965 F-6C / F-7A 12 MiG-19PM delivered in October 1959 (Wikipedia), plus three second-hand MiG-19S according to the MiG-19 article.
雅科夫列夫 Yak-9P 战斗机 84 1951年— 米格-15 84 per Wikipedia (72 fighters and 12 trainers); the first squadron had 12.
雅科夫列夫 Yak-18 教练 10 1951年— Ten per Wikipedia.
雅科夫列夫 Yak-11 教练 6 根据维基百科,共有六个。.
伊留申伊尔-28和哈尔滨H-5 轻型轰炸机 2 One Il-28 (the ministry places it at Rinas) and one H-5 per Wikipedia.
安东诺夫 An-2 光运输 12 12 at Lapraka in the 1970s per the ministry.
Lisunov Li-2 运输 号码未知。.
Nanchang CJ-6 (BT-6) 教练 30 30 per Wikipedia (10 BT-6 and 20 BT-6A).
Mil Mi-1 轻型直升机 2 1957年— 维基百科上有两个。.
米尔米-4 运输直升机 41 1957年— Z-5 41 per Wikipedia; the ministry says over 30 new Mi-4s equipped the helicopter regiment in 1967.
Harbin Z-5 运输直升机 37 37 per Wikipedia (31 Z-5A and six Z-5D); 18 in the 1970s–80s peak table.

空军基地

Where the Albanian Air Force 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。. Kuçovë is a NATO tactical air base and Farkë the helicopter base, but the fighters that guard Albanian airspace are allied, not Albanian: Greek and Italian jets fly NATO air policing, and the only jets at Kuçovë are allied visitors. Gjadër, the cave base of the 1970s, has no aircraft of its own but has trained Black Hawk crews since 2024, and Tirana’s airport at Rinas houses the Air Force Command; the aviation school airfield at Vlorë has closed, and Lapraka, where it all began in 1951, has no runway in use. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.

活跃空军基地 关闭或预订点击图钉即可打开基础页面
根据 国际民航组织 地位 跑道 部队和飞机
FarkëTirana County (Qarku i Tiranës) 积极的
  • Helicopter squadrons, Farkë Air Base: 西科斯基 UH-60 黑鹰直升机, Airbus Helicopters AS532 Cougar, Leonardo AW109, Bell 205, Bell 206, Airbus H145 and MBB Bo 105 (per Wikipedia)
  • Helicopter Regiment: Mil Mi-4 (more than 30)
GjadërLezhë County (Qarku i Lezhës) 积极的 16/342800米具体的
Kuçovë培拉特县 (Qarku i Beratit) LAKV 积极的 14/322,840 米具体的
  • 无人机中队(无人机部队): Baykar Bayraktar TB2
  • 库乔夫空军基地支援和机场部队
  • 来访的盟军飞机: 罗马尼亚 C-27J 斯巴达运输机和 C-130 大力神运输机(消防用途,2024 年 8 月),欧洲战斗机和 F-16 战斗机(落成典礼飞行表演,2024 年 3 月 4 日)
  • “23 Peza”航空团(第一喷气式飞机团): 米格-15bis(1955年起), 沈阳F-6(中国米格-19)
Tirana International AirportRinasDurrës County (Qarku i Durrësit) 拉蒂 关闭 17/353,000 米
  • Albanian Air Force Command and Staff
  • National Flight School (Shkolla Kombëtare e Fluturimit): Bell 505 Jet Ranger X (2)
  • Rinas Aviation Regiment: Soviet and Chinese jet fighters, Chengdu F-7A (to 1976), Harbin H-5 (one, per Wikipedia)

没有找到符合搜索结果的空军基地。.


战斗序列

Who is stationed where in the Albanian Air Force

按基地排列飞行部队,当前部队优先。. The two air bases are themselves the units, Kuçovë Air Base and Farkë Air Base, and their squadron designations are not published; the jet regiments of the communist era, the US drone detachment at Gjadër and the allied aircraft that visit Kuçovë are listed too, the foreign ones marked as not Albanian. Where a unit number or date rests on Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.

库乔夫空军基地 · LAKV库乔夫空军基地
无人机中队(无人机部队)无人机中队 · 现役
Baykar Bayraktar TB2
库乔夫空军基地支援和机场部队Base support · active
来访的盟军飞机Allied detachments (temporary) · allied
罗马尼亚 C-27J 斯巴达运输机和 C-130 大力神运输机(消防用途,2024 年 8 月),欧洲战斗机和 F-16 战斗机(落成典礼飞行表演,2024 年 3 月 4 日)
“23 Peza”航空团(第一喷气式飞机团)1955–1995
MiG-15bis (from 1955), Shenyang F-6 (Chinese MiG-19)
Farkë · 法尔克空军基地
Helicopter squadrons, Farkë Air BaseHelicopter squadrons · active
西科斯基 UH-60 黑鹰直升机, Airbus Helicopters AS532 Cougar, Leonardo AW109, Bell 205, Bell 206, Airbus H145 and MBB Bo 105 (per Wikipedia)
Helicopter Regiment1967年—
Mil Mi-4 (more than 30)
Gjadër Air Base · 阿尔巴尼亚空军
Gjadër Aviation Regiment (Regiment 5646, later 4010)1974–2000
Shenyang F-6 (Chinese MiG-19), Chengdu F-7A (Chinese MiG-21), Shenyang FT-5 trainer
US Predator detachment (Operation Nomad Vigil)1995–1995
General Atomics RQ-1 Predator

没有符合搜索条件的单位。.


时间线

Albanian Air Force milestones, 1914 to today

1914

The government orders three Lohner Daimler aircraft from Austria for an Albanian Air Corps; the order is cancelled when the First World War breaks out.

1928

King Zog forms the Royal Albanian Air Corps; its five Albatros aircraft never enter full service, and the Italian invasion of April 1939 ends it.

1951

24 April: Peço Polena flies a Yak-9P assembled by Albanian technicians. The First Fighter Aviation Squadron forms at Lapraka with 12 Yak-9s.

1955

The first jet unit forms at Kuçovë with MiG-15s.

1959

October: 12 MiG-19PM interceptors arrive from the Soviet Union, according to Wikipedia.

1962

After the break with Moscow a new regiment forms at Rinas with MiG-19s and MiG-17s, and an aviation school opens at Vlorë. Chinese aircraft replace Soviet supply.

1965

First deliveries of Shenyang F-6 fighters; SIPRI counts 71 by 1971.

1967

A helicopter regiment forms with over 30 new Mi-4s.

1974

Gjadër opens with its mountain tunnels; the ministry marks the first landing by Haki Jupasi and Serafin Shegani, Wikipedia dates it 10 July 1973 and the opening 15 March 1974.

1994

February: the CIA flies Gnat-750 drones from Gjadër over Bosnia; US Army Predators follow in 1995.

1997

March: during the unrest two pilots fly their aircraft to Italy on 4 March, bases are looted and rebels seize Kuçovë and Gjadër.

1999

April–June: Tirana airfield hosts the US Army’s Task Force Hawk during the NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia.

2004

16 September: an F-6 crashes on take-off at Tirana, the last fatal jet accident; the jet fighters are withdrawn in 2004–2005.

2009

1 April: Albania joins NATO; allies take over air policing of Albanian airspace.

2012

3 December: the first of four AS532 Cougars is delivered; the fourth follows on 27 October 2014.

2018

4 August: NATO announces over 50 million euros to rebuild Kuçovë as its first air base in the Western Balkans.

2024

January: the first two UH-60A+ Black Hawks arrive. 4 March: Kuçovë is inaugurated as a NATO tactical air base. 30 June: the first Bayraktar TB2 imagery is released.

2026

3 April: Brig. Gen. Edmond Voci takes command. 30 April: the 75th anniversary is marked at Kuçovë, with a plan to reopen the Vlorë aviation school.


战斗记录

Every war the Albanian Air Force and the royal air corps before it have faced

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。.

3冲突
1939第一的
0飞机失事
0被杀
  • The Italian invasion of Albania 1939 Did not fly; the air corps’ few aircraft had never entered full service
  • The 1997 unrest in Albania 1997 No combat flying is recorded; the air force lost control of its bases as the armed forces disintegrated
  • Kosovo crisis and Operation Allied Force 1999 Did not fly combat missions; Albania made Tirana airfield available to the US Army’s Task Force Hawk

打开完整战斗记录


问答

Everything people ask about the Albanian Air Force

阿尔巴尼亚空军用阿尔巴尼亚语叫什么?
Forca Ajrore, abbreviated FAj, which is how the Albanian Ministry of Defence (mod.gov.al) names it; the long form is Forca Ajrore e Republikës së Shqipërisë, the Air Force of the Republic of Albania. Its English name follows the Wikipedia article title, Albanian Air Force.
阿尔巴尼亚有战斗机吗?
No. Albania withdrew its last Chinese-built F-6 (MiG-19) 和 F-7A fighters in 2004–2005, after an F-6 crashed on take-off at Tirana on 16 September 2004. Since joining NATO in 2009 its airspace has been policed by Greek and Italian fighters. In April 2025 the defence minister said Albania must return to fixed-wing aircraft, starting with a new flight school.
2026年阿尔巴尼亚空军将使用哪些飞机?
It is a helicopter and drone force: two UH-60A+ Black Hawks delivered in 2024, four AS532 Cougars, and smaller EC145, Bo 105, AB-205, AB-206, A109 and Bell 505 helicopters. It flies three Bayraktar TB2 drones from Kuçovë and, per Wikipedia, six RQ-20 Puma drones and an AT-802 firefighting aircraft.
What is Kuçovë Air Base?
Albania’s oldest jet base, home of the first MiG-15 unit in 1955, rebuilt as a NATO tactical air base and inaugurated on 4 March 2024. NATO put in about 50 million euros and Albania over 5 million euros. Today it hosts the Albanian drone unit and can receive NATO aircraft and troops for training and operations.
What was Albania’s cave air base at Gjadër?
Gjadër, north of Lezhë, opened in 1974 with tunnels cut into the mountain that Wikipedia says could hold about 50 aircraft; it was home to the F-7A and F-6 fighters. The CIA and the US Army flew reconnaissance drones from it over Bosnia in 1994–1995. It was looted in March 1997, jet flying ended in 2000, and in July 2024 it reopened for Black Hawk crew training.
When was the Albanian Air Force founded?
On 24 April 1951, when Peço Polena flew a Yak-9P assembled by Albanian technicians; Albania marks the date as Aviation Day, and the 75th anniversary was held at Kuçovë in 2026. An earlier royal air corps (1928–1939) never became operational.
Why did Albania fly Chinese MiGs?
Albania broke with the Soviet Union in 1961 and turned to China, which supplied Shenyang F-6s from 1965 and 12 F-7As, the latter in exchange for Albania’s Soviet-built MiG-19PMs. When relations with China collapsed in 1978 spares dried up and the fleet was kept flying on poor local fuel; Wikipedia records 35 pilots killed between 1955 and 2005, mainly through mechanical failures.
What happened to the Albanian Air Force in 1997?
During the unrest of March 1997 the armed forces disintegrated and bases were looted. According to Wikipedia two pilots flew their aircraft to Italy on 4 March, rebels seized 19 MiGs at Kuçovë, and Gjadër was abandoned; figures for aircraft destroyed differ between sources. The losses hastened the end of the jet force.
Who commands the Albanian Air Force?
Brigadier General Edmond Voci, who took over on 3 April 2026 from Major General Ferdinant Dimo. Air Force Command is at the military section of Tirana International Airport.



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