Algerian Air Force Size

[obrescia]

Any ideas on what the Algerians are up to? They seem to be arming to the teeth. That's a big air force to fight FIS separatists?!?

link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_Air_Force

[f-22fan12]

Any ideas on what the Algerians are up to? They seem to be arming to the teeth. That's a big air force to fight FIS separatists?!?

link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_Air_Force

It never hurts for a country located in that region of the world to arm itself. And also, the Russian weapons they are buying are pretty cheap. Algeria is also a large country. It takes a good air force to defend their homeland quickly.

[kato]

The airforce is not there to fight the guerillas, it's to counter the considerable air forces of Lybia and Morocco. When you consider that Morocco has just ordered F-16 Block 52 - and Lybia has a MoU on Rafale and some 400+ airworthy (comparably obsolete) fixed-wing aircraft - it does make some sense.

The numbers in wikipedia are rather screwy though of course.

Examples:

the "44 Su-30MKA". Those are actually a contract on 28 Su-30MKI(A), and the current offer of Algeria to exchange the contract of 34 MiG-29SMT/UBT for 14-16 further Su-30MKI(A) - not yet oked by Russia though afaik.
The 8 active aircraft might be correct; out of those contracts, Algeria had received 4 (four) aircraft as of 03/2008.
the "12 MiG-25" (of various variants): primarily used for recon. And about half of them are in storage in Ukraine anyway. Diminishing numbers, originally 29 MiG-25P/U/RB were delivered in 1979.
the MiG-29 numbers. actual deliveries are 8 MiG-29UB from Russia (via Belarus), 5 MiG-29A from Ukraine, 28 MiG-29S from Belarus. A further 15 MiG-29SMT from Russia were returned early this year, those were bought on a contract that would trade the above 36 MiG-29S/UB for 34 MiG-29SMT/UBT. No idea how they get 86 (!) MiG-29S... or wait. I do. There were 86 MiG-21MF/UB delivered originally in the 70s, and the MiG-29 are supposed to replace these. Except they don't do it in the same numbers.
Su-24, minor thing in comparison: 35 MK, 2 MR bought since 1991. Doesn't make 19 "recon variant", or 39 total.

Numbers from SIPRI, which i trust far more than random wikipedia entries.

[obrescia]

Interesting man! Thank you!

[kato]

Another note on the MiG-29: At least three crashed. That explains why there are only 36 aircraft to trade for new ones.

As for their MiG-23, they're also part of the "trade-in contract" - or at least some of them. Active numbers have occasionally been stated as "around 30", not the "56" on wikipedia. The Algerian MiG-23 use downgraded systems (MiG-21 radar, no IRST) and can't fire any AAMs other than the obsolete AA-2 Atoll.

The Zlin-142 and Fernas-142 in the list are actually identical. Combined number around 45. Safir-43 (aka Zlin-43) are only listed with 5 units in SIPRI though, not 20.

Mi-8/17 helos: 35 Mi-8T, 47 Mi-8MTV, 42 Mi-171Sh in SIPRI, 2/5/2 less in wiki. Considering the Mi-8MTV were only delivered 10 years ago, 10% losses seem somewhat high.
Mi-24 helos: 36 Mi-24D (Mi-25), 44 Mi-24V (Mi-35) delivered. Wikipedia combines them both (total number 70, likely), and claims they're all upgraded, rather unlikely.

[youcef84]

any one have new picturs for air force algerian
cus all pics in net thos old