Kosovo Air Force
editKosovo Air Force
editdespite its size, as a NATO member, Kosovo maintains a small yet capable air force which operates a mix of modern western equipment as well as leftover aircraft from Yugoslavia and Serbia, the cornerstone of these being the MiG-29s, which have recently received a massive overhaul including sensor, weapons and avionics refits bringing these aircraft into the 21st century, these aircraft have also been augmented with several Pilatus PC-9s, which function as Close-Air-Support. Fleet-wide modernisation efforts have not only been focused on the KAFs combat aircraft, with the KAFs Yugoslav-era Antonov An-12 transport aircraft being retired in early 2019 and replaced with 4 new CASA C-295 multipurpose transport aircraft. With the increased threat of ethnic violence and Serbian aggression, the KAF has also sought to bolster its helicopter force with more modern equipment, the Mi-2 trainer helicopters and older Gazelle utility helicopters have been retired in favour of Robinson R44 trainers and Bell 429 light utility helicopters, the KAF has also been eying up a replacement for the Gazelle attack helicopters in the form of the AH-64 Apache, however progress has yet to be made since the scrapping of the KAF Modernisation Plan 2030. The Kosovian Air Force relies on a handful of elderly ex-Yugoslav G-2 Galeb jet trainers and Utva 75s to perform basic training as well as some CAS duties, these aircraft were slated to be replaced in late 2022 with T-6 Texen IIs and ex-RAF BAe Hawks, as part of KAF Modernisation Plan 2030, however a change in government saw the deal scrapped.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Aircraft | |||||
| Mikoyan MiG-29 | Soviet Union | multirole | MiG-29BK | 10 | |
| Pilatus PC-9 | Switzerland | CAS | 7 | ||
| Transport | |||||
| Airbus A319 | Europe | VIP transport | 1 | ||
| CASA C-295 | Spain | transport | C-295M | 4 | |
| Daussult Falcon 7X | France | VIP transport | 1 | ||
| Helicopter | |||||
| Bell 429 | United States | light utility | 5 | ||
| Mil Mi-8 | Soviet Union | utility | Mi-8T | 8 | |
| Robinson R44 | United States | trainer | 5 | ||
| Soko Gazelle | Yugoslavia | light utility | 11 | ||
| Trainer | |||||
| G-2 Galeb | Yugoslavia | attack / trainer | N-60 | 5 | |
| Utva 75 | Yugoslavia | trainer | V-53 | 10 | |
| UAV | |||||
| Bayraktar TB2 | Turkey | UACV | 1 | 2 on order | |