The Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar’s Defence Services, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, welcomed ten new aircraft — six Yak-130s, two Fokker 70s, and two ATR 42s — to the Myanmar Air Force as part of a ceremony to commemorate its 70th anniversary on December 15.
The Yaks had been delivered in two batches of three in 2016 and 2017; more are expected this year, but the total number ordered has not been revealed. The Russian-built trainers are a perfect fit as lead-in fighter trainers for Myanmar’s Sino-Pak-built JF- 17 fighters expected to be delivered to the air force later in the year. The two Fokker 70s, delivered late in 2017 for use as executive transports, are former KLM Cityhopper aircraft, but the provenance of the ATR-42s, known to be second-hand, is unknown.
Noting that Myanmar’s air force lags a technological generation behind those of other countries in the region the C-in-C, speaking at the Air Training School in Meiktila Station in Mandalay, stressed the importance of air power in the current era of asymmetric warfare around the world: “The Tatmadaw [air force] must sharpen its combat prowess and power to become a modern armed force standing shoulder to shoulder with international counterparts. The Tatmadaw must turn out skilled pilots, technicians, and gunners.”
