Turkmen Air Force

Key facts

Official Name Turkmen Air Force
Local Name Türkmenistanyň Harby howa güýçleri
Country🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
World rank#75
Active aircrafts91 as of 2025
Aircrafts on order8
Roundel

Roundel of Turkmenistan air force

Overview

The Turkmenistan Air Force is structured around a core of Soviet-era units and equipment inherited after the collapse of the USSR, now undergoing a deliberate modernization program. It operates as a distinct service branch under the Ministry of Defense, with its headquarters in Ashgabat and primary operational airbases near Mary and Ashgabat. The force is organized into several aviation regiments and squadrons, including the 99th Aviation Base at Mary-2, which operates MiG-29 fighters and Su-25 attack aircraft. A separate mixed aviation squadron based at Ashgabat fields transport aircraft and helicopters. While many older airframes inherited from the Soviet Union are not operational, the core combat capability for air defense and ground attack is maintained.

The force's operational capabilities are focused on territorial air defense and supporting ground forces. Its strategic doctrine is strictly defensive, in line with Turkmenistan's constitutionally enshrined policy of permanent neutrality, which precludes participation in military alliances. This doctrine emphasizes maintaining sufficient military strength to deter aggression and protect national sovereignty, prioritizing diplomatic and non-military measures to prevent conflict. Military exercises focus on defensive scenarios, such as repelling air attacks and countering sabotage groups. There have been no reported combat engagements, consistent with its neutral foreign policy.

A targeted program aims to replace legacy Soviet systems with a mix of Western and Turkish platforms. This effort has focused on enhancing ground-attack, transport, and reconnaissance capabilities. Recent acquisitions include Italian Leonardo M-346 Master light combat aircraft and C-27J Spartan transport aircraft. To bolster its counter-insurgency and light attack capabilities, the air force procured Embraer A-29B Super Tucano aircraft from Brazil, which are equipped with electro-optical/infrared sensors and can deploy a range of munitions. Furthermore, Turkmenistan has acquired Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles from Turkey, significantly expanding its unmanned surveillance and strike options. These acquisitions represent a shift from reliance on traditional Russian suppliers and provide a qualitative improvement for border security and COIN-style operations, likely driven by instability in neighboring Afghanistan.

Origin countries of aircrafts

Country Active Aircraft
🇨🇳 Ex-USSR 77
🇮🇹 Italy 9
🇧🇷 Brazil 5
🇬🇧 United Kingdom 1

Evolution of Turkmen Air Force fleet

Aircrafts by type in 2025

Aircraft type Active
Combat Combat 49
Helicopter Helicopter 26
Training Training 11
Transport Transport 5

Full inventory in 2025

Turkmenistan Air Force

Aircraft Type Model Origin Country Model Year Active 𝚫 YoY Ordered
CombatCombat Su-25 🇨🇳 1981 25
0
0
CombatCombat MiG-29 🇨🇳 2009 24
0
0
HelicopterHelicopter Mi-8 🇨🇳 1967 15
0
0
HelicopterHelicopter Mi-24 🇨🇳 1972 10
0
0
HelicopterHelicopter AW109 🇬🇧 🇮🇹 1976 1
0
0
HelicopterHelicopter AW139 🇬🇧 🇮🇹 2003 0
0
8
TransportTransport An-74 🇨🇳 1985 2
0
0
TransportTransport C-27J 🇮🇹 1978 2
0
0
TransportTransport An-26 🇨🇳 1969 1
0
0
TrainingTraining EMB-314 (A-29) 🇧🇷 1983 5
0
0
TrainingTraining M-346FA 🇮🇹 2015 4
-1
0
TrainingTraining M-346 🇮🇹 2015 2
+2
0
Various public data, including Wikipedia, Flightglobal.com, SIPRI Arms Transfer and official government websites.