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{{Infobox military unit
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = Air Command of Cyprus
| unit_name = Air Command of Cyprus
| native_name = {{nativename|el|nolink=on|Διοίκηση Αεροπορίας Κύπρου}}
| native_name = {{nativename|el|nolink=on|Διοίκηση Αεροπορίας Κύπρου}}<br/>{{nativename|tr|nolink=on|Kıbrıs Hava Komutanlığı}}
| image = [[File:Cypriot Air Force badge.svg|180px]]
| image = [[File:Cypriot Air Force badge.svg|180px]]
| image_size =
| image_size =
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}}
}}


The '''Cyprus Air Command''' ({{lang-el|Διοίκηση Αεροπορίας Κύπρου}}), also known as the '''Cyprus Air Force''' or '''Cypriot Air Force''', is the armed air wing of the [[Cyprus National Guard|National Guard]]. This force is equipped with [[Attack helicopter|attack]] and [[Anti-tank warfare|anti-tank]] [[helicopter]]s, [[surface-to-air missile]] systems and integrated [[radar]] systems.
The '''Cyprus Air Command''' ({{lang-el|Διοίκηση Αεροπορίας Κύπρου}}, {{lang-tr|Kıbrıs Hava Komutanlığı}}), also known as the '''Cyprus Air Force''' or '''Cypriot Air Force''', is the armed air wing of the [[Cyprus National Guard|National Guard]]. This force is equipped with [[Attack helicopter|attack]] and [[Anti-tank warfare|anti-tank]] [[helicopter]]s, [[surface-to-air missile]] systems and integrated [[radar]] systems.


== History ==
== History ==

Revision as of 10:10, 2 May 2023

Air Command of Cyprus
Διοίκηση Αεροπορίας Κύπρου (Greek)
Kıbrıs Hava Komutanlığı (Turkish)
Cyprus Air Force emblem
Founded1964
Country Cyprus
BranchAir force
RoleAerial warfare
Size1,200 personnel
20 helicopters, 2 fixed wing aircraft, 4 unmanned aerial vehicles. On order: 4 helicopters + 4 UAVs
Part ofCypriot National Guard
Commanders
Current
commander		Βrigadier General Pattihis Gabriel
Insignia
Roundel
Fin flash

The Cyprus Air Command (Template:Lang-el, Template:Lang-tr), 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.

  • 450th Attack Helicopter Squadron (450 M.E/P)[4]
  • 460th Search And Rescue Squadron (460 MED) [4]

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

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

References

  1. ^ JP4 - Monthly of Aeronautica - n ° 8 year XXXIV - August 2005.
  2. ^ "Cyprus signs deal for Airbus attack helicopters". abcnews.go.com. ABC News. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Cyprus Air Command". Aeroflight. 9 April 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Cyprus Air Force". Aeroflight. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  5. ^ HD, NEMESIS. ""Ένδειξη κύρους της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας" | Έτοιμο το Κυπριακό κυβερνητικό αεροσκάφος" (in Greek). Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Η Κύπρος διώχνει τα επιθετικά ελικόπτερα Mi-35 & τα αντικαθιστά με ελαφρά εξοπλισμένα H-145M". Defencenet (in Greek). 21 June 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Cyprus signs deal for Airbus attack helicopters". ABC News. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Κύπρος: Αυτά είναι τα νέα ελικόπτερα της Εθνικής Φρουράς που "τρέμουν" οι Τούρκοι [pics]". Γαργαλιάνοι Online - Οι ειδήσεις και τα νέα της Τριφυλιας, της Μεσσηνίας και της Πελοποννήσου στην ώρα τους! (in Greek). 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  10. ^ a b "World Air Forces 2018". Flightglobal Insight. 2018. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  11. ^ Andreou, Evie. "Helicopters to be bought for National Guard". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  12. ^ "Εξοπλίζεται με drones τελευταίας τεχνολογίας από το Ισραήλ η Εθνική Φρουρά".
  13. ^ "Current Aircraft Inventory | Cyprus Air Command".
  14. ^ "The Cypriot Missile Crisis". geimint.blogspot.co.uk. May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  15. ^ a b c Trade Registers Archived 14 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved on 14 December 2017.
  16. ^ Alex Efty (24 October 2000). "Denktash Warns of War Risk". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Turkish 'spy plane' makes low pass over Cyprus' EEZ | Cyprus Mail".

Sources

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