| Air Command of Cyprus | |
|---|---|
| Template:Nativename Template:Nativename | |
 Cyprus Air Force emblem | |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Country |  Cyprus |
| Branch | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 1,200 personnel 20 helicopters, 2 fixed wing aircraft, 4 unmanned aerial vehicles. On order: 4 helicopters + 4 UAVs |
| Part of | Cypriot National Guard |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Βrigadier General Pattihis Gabriel |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Fin flash | |
The Cyprus Air Command (Greek: Διοίκηση Αεροπορίας Κύπρου, Turkish language: Kıbrıs Hava Komutanlığı), also known as the Cyprus Air Force or Cypriot Air Force, is the armed air wing of the National Guard. This force is equipped with attack and anti-tank helicopters, surface-to-air missile systems and integrated radar systems.
History[]
The history of Cypriot aviation began on 16 August 1960, after it won its independence from the United Kingdom, when an Air Wing was established on the island which. It was equipped with a small number of light aircraft and mainly performed search and rescue tasks (SAR), transport of the sick, control of fires and marine pollution as well as defense and police forces on the Cypriot coast and territory.
Until 1987, the aircraft of the Cypriot aviation still operated with brands civilians, as the usual military nature of the young air force had not yet developed. In the same year, 3 light helicopters Bell 206, 4 utility helicopters Aérospatiale Gazelle and 2 intermediate trainers Pilatus PC-9.
From this moment on, the Cypriot air force began to adopt for its aircraft a camouflage livery and nationality insignia with the national flag and the classic cockade that perfectly follows that of Greece, the nation with which it exists a strong bond, not only military.[1]
In July 2022, the Cypriot government announced that six Eurocopter EC145 helicopters would be procured from Airbus with an option for six more. These helicopters would cover the roles of reconnaissance and attack. They will be replacing the ageing Mil Mi-24 helicopters in service which are hard and costly to maintain. Turkish Cypriot authorities have called the helicopter purchase as a “provocation”. [2]
Organisation[]
The Cyprus Air Force consists of two aircraft squadrons.[3] Note that the aircraft of the Cyprus Police operate under a separate command-structure during peacetime.
Air Force bases and stations[]
- Andreas Papandreou AFB, Paphos (ACTIVE)
- The primary airbase of the Cyprus Air Force, this base adjacent to the Paphos International Airport has a runway, taxiway, hardened aircraft-shelters, and integrated command, control and communication facilities.
- Lakatamia AFB, Nicosia (HEADQUARTERS)
- The reserve airbase of the Cyprus Air Force lay just south of the Cypriot capital of Nicosia. The base rarely hosted fixed-wing aircraft, and simply served as a staging-post for helicopters operating in and out of the Nicosia area.
- Troodos Stations (ACTIVE)
- The Troodos Mountains, the highest mountain range in Cyprus, hosts a number of radar and air-defense facilities. Their unit designations and deployment status are not made public.
Equipment[]
Aircraft[]
An attack helicopter Mil Mi-35P of the Cyprus Air Command.
A National Guard's Aérospatiale Gazelle anti-tank helicopter flying during a parade.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Photo | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed wing aircraft | ||||||
| Embraer ERJ-135 |  Brazil
|
VIP Transport |  |
EMB-135BJ | 1 | Donated by Greece to Cyprus in September 2022. The aircraft is used to transport the President of the Republic, the minister of Defence, the minister of foreign affairs, the minister of finance and other government officials[5] |
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Mil Mi-35 |  Russia
|
Attack helicopter |  |
Mi-35PN-Hind-F | 11 | To be sold to Serbia upon delivery of the new H145M helicopters.[4][3][6][7] |
| Airbus H145 |  France /  Germany
|
Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter |  |
H145M | 0 | 6+6 on order. Expected to arrive by late 2023.[8][9] |
| Aérospatiale Gazelle | France
|
Utility/Anti-tank |  |
Gazelle SA 342L | 4 | Armed with 4 HOT Anti-tank Guided Missiles.[3][10][11] |
| AgustaWestland AW139 |  Italy
|
SAR/Utility |  |
AW139 | 5 | Used primarily for Search and Rescue (SAR).[4][3][10] |
| Bell 206 | United States | Utility/Transport |  |
LongRanger III | 2 | [4][3] |
| Unmanned aerial vehicles | ||||||
| Aerostar |  Israel
|
Surveillance/Recon |  |
4 | +4 on order.[3][12] | |
| IAI Searcher | Israel
|
Surveillance/Recon |  |
2 | [13] | |
Air Defense[]
.jpg){kind=link}
A Tor-M1 surface to air missile system
| Name | Origin | Type | In service | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-aircraft | ||||||
| 9K37M1-2 Buk M1-2[14] | Russia | mobile SAM system | ||||
| 9K331 Tor M1 | Russia | mobile SAM system | 6 | Self-propelled firing units. [15] | ||
| Aspide | Italy | SAM system | 12[15] | |||
| Oerlikon GDF | Switzerland | anti-aircraft gun | 30[15] | towed 35mm gun | ||
Aerial incidents between Cyprus and Turkey[]
Paphos Incident – 22 October 2000[]
On 22 October 2000, TOR-M1 air-defense batteries operated by the Cyprus National Guard at Papandreou Air Base tracked a pair of Turkish warplanes detected approaching the airbase by "locking-on" to them. By Jean Christou, Cyprus Mail, 7 April 2002. The action of engaging the Turkish aircraft with radar forced the warplanes to retreat from the area, as Greek Cypriot and Greek forces conducted joint military maneuvers in the Paphos region. The incident prompted an angry outburst from the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, who was reported in the media to have condemned the radar lock-on as a provocation that could lead to war.[16]
Paphos Incident – 5 April 2002[]
It was variously reported in the Cyprus media that combat radars of the Cyprus National Guard, based at Papandreou Air Base in Paphos, had tracked two Turkish F-16 warplanes at 11am on 5 April 2002, by "locking-on" to them. The two Turkish aircraft were reported to have incurred into the Nicosia Flight Information Region and then passed directly over the Greek Cypriot airbase at an altitude of 3500 feet. Upon realizing that they were being tracked, the two Turkish aircraft turned back towards Turkey, and then returned to their airbase.
Cyprus EEZ - 18 August 2022[]
On 18 August 2022, Cypriot and Greek radars spotted a Turkish Navy ATR 72 whilst flying over Block 6 of the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus. According to media sources, the plane did a low pass at 4,500 feet, however a Cypriot official claimed that the plane did no such thing and remained at 29,000. [17]
See also[]
- Armoured vehicles of the Cypriot National Guard
- Cypriot National Guard
- Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Center
- List of equipment of the Cypriot National Guard
References[]
- ↑ JP4 - Monthly of Aeronautica - n ° 8 year XXXIV - August 2005.
- ↑ "Cyprus signs deal for Airbus attack helicopters". ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/cyprus-signs-deal-airbus-attack-helicopters-85636687.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Cyprus Air Command". 9 April 2016. http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/user/fleet/cyprus-af-britten-norman-bn2b-21-maritime-defender.htm.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Cyprus Air Force" (in en-GB). http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/tag/cyprus-air-force.
- ↑ HD, NEMESIS. ""Ένδειξη κύρους της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας" | Έτοιμο το Κυπριακό κυβερνητικό αεροσκάφος" (in el). https://nemesishd.gr/news/endeixi-kyroys-tis-kypriakis-dimokr/.
- ↑ "Trade Registers". https://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php.
- ↑ "Η Κύπρος διώχνει τα επιθετικά ελικόπτερα Mi-35 & τα αντικαθιστά με ελαφρά εξοπλισμένα H-145M" (in el). 2022-06-21. https://www.defencenet.gr/asfaleia/ethnika-themata/919130_i-kypros-diohnei-ta-epithetika-elikoptera-mi-35-ta-antikathista-me.
- ↑ "Cyprus signs deal for Airbus attack helicopters" (in en). https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/cyprus-signs-deal-airbus-attack-helicopters-85636687.
- ↑ "Κύπρος: Αυτά είναι τα νέα ελικόπτερα της Εθνικής Φρουράς που "τρέμουν" οι Τούρκοι [pics"] (in el). 2022-06-25. https://www.gargalianoionline.gr/κύπρος-αυτά-είναι-τα-νέα-ελικόπτερα-τη/.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "World Air Forces 2018". Flightglobal Insight. 2018. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-world-air-forces-maintaining-strength-443655/.
- ↑ Andreou, Evie. "Helicopters to be bought for National Guard". https://cyprus-mail.com/2017/11/28/helicopters-bought-national-guard/.
- ↑ "Εξοπλίζεται με drones τελευταίας τεχνολογίας από το Ισραήλ η Εθνική Φρουρά". http://www.reporter.com.cy/politics/article/569021/.
- ↑ "Current Aircraft Inventory | Cyprus Air Command". http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/user/in-service/cyprus-af-current-aircraft-inventory.htm.
- ↑ "The Cypriot Missile Crisis". May 2008. http://geimint.blogspot.co.uk/2008/05/cypriot-missile-crisis.html.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Trade Registers Archived 14 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine.. Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved on 14 December 2017.
- ↑ Alex Efty (24 October 2000). "Denktash Warns of War Risk". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/denktash-warns-of-war-risk-635037.html.
- ↑ "Turkish 'spy plane' makes low pass over Cyprus' EEZ | Cyprus Mail". https://cyprus-mail.com/2022/08/18/turkish-spy-plane-makes-low-pass-over-cyprus-eez/.
Sources[]
- Cyprus National Guard Official website (Air Force section – in Greek)
- Cyprus Air Force
- Cyprus National Guard, Air Force Command
- Tom Cooper "Cyprus, 1955–1973", ACIG Journal
- Tom Cooper & Nicholas Tselepidis "Cyprus 1974", ACIG Journal
- Dirk Jan de Ridder "Cypriot Gunships", Ridder.aero
- Air Defence of Cyprus (in Greek)
| |||||||
| ||||||||
The original article can be found at Cyprus Air Command and the edit history here.