Albanian Air Force
After World War II, Albania was equipped with Soviet aircraft. The first jet fighter used was the MiG-15, followed by the MiG-17. The basic jet fighter became the MiG-19. 12 MiG-19PM were bought from the USSR, and after a collapse of Soviet-Albanian relations, many Shenyang F-6s (the Chinese copy of MiG-19S) were bought from China. As of 2004, Albania still had 65 MiG-19 and F-6 aircraft, although most were not operationally used. In the early 1970s, Albania bought 12 Shenyang F-7A fighters (the Chinese copy of the MiG-21F-13). From 1974 they operated from a base in Gjadër. Although obsolete by modern standards, they were Albania's finest fighter jets before they went out of service in late 2005
The Albanian Air Force Today
The Albanian Air Force today currently consists of cargo helicopters and some other various aircraft. Albanian fighters like the Shenyang F-2s and some other Chinese versions of older MiG planes are currently stored and are flown often, if flown at all these days. It seems as if air defense is not the priority of the Albanian Air Force as of now, but if there is a good deal on a small batch of decent fighter jets being sold from a nearby country, it wouldn't be surprising if the Albanian Air Force would make an attempt for a purchase. For example, in 2002, Albania was in negotians with Ukraine for buying 12 MiG-21bis fighter jets. The deal was cancelled, but every once in a while rumors will state that Albania will have a new fighter jet. The most recent rumors are that Albania is thinking about buying a small batch of F-5s from Turkey.
See also
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