Cyprus Air Command
| Air Command of Cyprus Διοίκηση Αεροπορίας Κύπρου | |
|---|---|
 Cyprus Air Forces roundel | |
| Active | 1200 |
| Country |  Cyprus |
| Branch | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | (On order) - 8 helicopters + a contingent of UAVs |
| Part of | Cypriot National Guard |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Βrigadier general Philokypros Giannakis |
| Insignia | |
| Fin Flash |  |
The Cyprus Air Command (Template:Lang-el, Template:Lang-tr) 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.
Current Air Force organization
The Cyprus Air Force consists of two aircraft squadrons[1]. The Cyprus Air Force is also integrated with a Joint Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, based in Larnaca [2]. Note that the aircraft of the Cyprus Police operate under a separate command-structure during peacetime.
- 450th Attack Helicopter Squadron (450 M.E/P) [3]
- 460th Search And Rescue Squadron (460 MED) [3]
- Search & Rescue Coordination Centre (Κέντρο Συντονισμού Έρευνας – Διάσωσης)
Air Force bases and stations
- Andreas Papandreou AFB, Paphos (ACTIVE)
- The primary air base of the Cyprus Air Force, this base adjacent to the Paphos International Airport has runway, taxiway, hardened aircraft-shelters and integrated command, control and communication facilities.
- Lakatamia AFB, Nicosia (CLOSED)
- The reserve air base 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. The base is now closed and its resident 449 MAE aircraft squadron disbanded.
- Troodos Stations (ACTIVE)
- The Troodos Mountains, the highest range in Cyprus, host a number of radar and air-defence facilities. Their unit designations and deployment status are not made public.
Note: In an emergency, Cypriot and allied military aircraft can operate from Paphos and Larnaca international airports, as well as from prepared stretches of motorway equipped with landing zones and with paved operating-areas.
Equipment
Aircraft
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Air Defense
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| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | ||||||
| Britten-Norman BN-2 | United Kingdom | transport / utility | BN-2B-21[1] | 1[4] | ||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Bell 206 | United States | utility | 206L | 2[3] | ||
| Mil Mi-35P | Russia | attack | Mi-24 | 11[4] | ||
| Unspecified Attack Helicopter | Unspecified | attack | Unspecified | 4 | 4 on order via tender competition [5] | |
| Aérospatiale Gazelle | France | utility | 342 | 4[4] | +4 on order [6] | |
| AgustaWestland AW139 | Italy | SAR / utility | 3[4] | |||
| Trainer Aircraft | ||||||
| Pilatus PC-9 | Switzerland | trainer / attack | PC-9M | 1[3] | ||
| Unmanned Aerial Vehicle | ||||||
| Unspecified | Unspecified | Surveillance UAV | Unspecified | Unspecified | On order via tender competition. [7] | |
| Name | Origin | Type | In service | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAM | ||||||
| 9K331 Tor M1 | Russia | mobile SAM system | 1 battery / 6 self-propelled firing units[8] | |||
| Aspide | Italy | SAM system | 3 batteries / 12 modular firing units [8] | 130 live rounds[8] | ||
| 9K37M1-2 Buk M1-2 | Russia | mobile SAM system | 3 batteries / 21 self-propelled firing units [9][10] | |||
| Anti Aircraft Artillery | ||||||
| Oerlikon GDF | Switzerland | anti-aircraft | 30[8] | towed 35mm anti-aircraft gun | ||
| Zastava M55A3 | Serbia | anti-aircraft | 50 | towed 20mm anti-aircraft gun | ||
Aerial incidents between Cyprus and Turkey
Paphos Incident – 22 October 2000
On 22 October 2000, TOR-M1 air-defence batteries operated by the Cyprus National Guard at Papandreou Air Base tracked a pair of Turkish warplanes detected approaching the air base by "locking-on" to them [11] 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 manoeuvres 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.[12]
Paphos Incident – 5 April 2002
It was variously reported in the Cyprus media [11] 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 air base at an altitude of 3500 feet. Upon realising that they were being tracked, the two Turkish aircraft reportedly turned back towards Turkey, and then returned to their airbase.
See also
- Armoured vehicles of the Cypriot National Guard
- Cypriot National Guard
- Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Center
- Military Equipment of Cyprus
References
- ^ a b "Cyprus Air Command". Aeroflight. 9 April 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Centre - JRCC". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d "Cyprus Air Force". Aeroflight. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d "World Air Forces 2018". Flightglobal Insight. 2018. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Andreou, Evie. "Helicopters to be bought for National Guard". Cyprus Mail. Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ Andreou, Evie. "Helicopters to be bought for National Guard". Cyprus Mail. Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ Andreou, Evie. "Helicopters to be bought for National Guard". Cyprus Mail. Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d Trade Registers Archived 14 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved on 14 December 2017.
- ^ "The Cypriot Missile Crisis". geimint.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ "Cyprus unveiling new «secret» Air Defense Systems during the national military parade". Defencegreece (in Greek). 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Radars 'lock on to Turkish F-16s'" By Jean Christou, Cyprus Mail, 7 April 2002
- ^ Alex Efty (24 October 2000). "Denktash Warns of War Risk". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)