Few details are available on its formation, but it is reported to have been established by Viyacheslav Eshba, originally operating several Yak-52 trainer aircraft armed with machine guns.[2] Its first combat mission was conducted on 27 August 1992, which has come to be celebrated in Abkhazia as "Aviation Day." The Abkhaz Air Force claims to have made 400 operational flights during the 1992-1993 Abkhaz-Georgian war.[2] Abkhaz combat losses during the civil war are uncertain, but include a Yak-52 on a reconnaissance mission near Sukhumi on 4 July 1993.[3]
In the autumn of 2001, Abkhazia's air force was reported to comprise 250 personnel, 1 Su-25, 2 L-39, 1 Yak-52, and 2 Mi-8.[1] The display of three L-39s at a parade in 2004 suggests a possible recent acquisition.[4] In February 2007 a Russian website reported that Abkhazia has 2 Su-27 fighters, 1 Yak-52, 2 Su-25 attack aircraft, 2 L-39 combat trainers, 1 An-2 light transport, 7 Mi-8 helicopters and 3 Mi-24 helicopters.[5] However, an undated 2007 Abkhaz source gave the inventory for the Abkhazian Air Force as 16 MiG-21, 46 Su-25, 2 L-39, 1 Yak-52, and 2 Mi-8.[6] In March 2008, a military aviation enthusiast website repeated this inventory but added 9 Mi-24/35 attack helicopters.[7] In 2021, President Aslan Bzhania announced intentions to modernize the air force.[8]
Equipment
An accounting of exact types, quantities, and service dates for aircraft serving in the Abkhazian Air Force is difficult to accurately provide due to a number of factors including Abkhazia's disputed status, a lack of official available information, multiple conflicts over the course of its existence, and the regular involvement of Russian aircraft and pilots in the conflicts and region. In general, the air force has relied on aircraft inherited from the former Soviet forces based in Abkhazia with possible reinforcement in recent years by Russia with second-hand aircraft. No traditional contracts for aircraft purchases by Abkhazia have been reported.
^ abSlavic & East European Collections at UC Berkeley (September–October 2001). [1]. Army & Society in Georgia: Military Chronicle – Armed forces of Abkhazia. Drawn from an entry published in "Kviris Palitra" No. 44, October 29-November 4, 2001, p.9. Retrieved 17 January 2007.
^ abSlavic & East European Collections at UC Berkeley (June 1998). [2]. Army & Society in Georgia: Military Chronicle – Miscellany. Drawn from an entry published in 7 Dge, No. 72, June 22–23, p.3 (reprinted from "Abkhazia" No. 5, a periodical issued in Russia). Retrieved 17 January 2007.
