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The FAR Today
I Part
By Rubén
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Summary
 DAAFAR
chief: Brigade General Pedro
J. Mendiondo Gómez
Strengh: Today 10,000 (in the eighties 20,000)
Time of service: 3 year.
Equipment. Have 226 combat aircrafts, 60 transports, 70 trainers
and 70 helicopters. In total, with miscelaneus and reserves, are near 420
aircrafts, the 90% are soviet built.
The Revolutionary Air Force (FAR) is part of the DAAFAR (Revolutionary
Air Force and Air Defense Forces), one of the three components of the Revolutionary
Armed Forces (FAR). In this corp are included too surface to air missiles
and anti/aircrafts artillery. |
Brigade General
Pedro J. Mendiondo Gómez
|
The commander of the Revolutionary Air Force and Air Defense Forces rank
as a vice minister and reports directly to the chief of the General Staf.
The Air Force commander rank as an equal with the comanders of the Revolutionary
Army and Navy. The Air Force commander controls the General Staff of the
Revolutionary Air Force and Air Defense Forces, and exercises authority
over a subordinate command structure which is similar to that of the Army.
The role of the Revolutionary Air Force and Air Defense Forces is to preserve
the integrity of Cuban airspace, to give tactical and logistical support
to the Revolutionary Army and Navy and to provide such aviation services
for civilian agencies as may be required. By the quantity of combat aircraft,
their quality and the combat experience of their men, the Revolutionary
Air Force is the stronger Air Force of Latin America. Their pilots give
a useful operational experience in military campaigns overseas, and in
operations in national territory. Many pilots have hundreds combat sorties
and thousands of flight hours.
Organization
 The
Revolutionary Air Force is divided into three territorial commands, known
as air zones, each containing an air brigade made up of a variable number
of air regiments and independent squadrons. Each air regiment has had a
minimum front line strenght of 30 aircraft, and the independent squadrons
are of variable composition. The air force supposedly operating some 130
or more aircraft from the total of 230, by scarcity of fuel and replacement
parts. In total are 9 regiments of combat aircrafts MiG-21,
MiG-23,
MiG-29 (6 of interceptors and 3 of fighter-bombers),
3 transport regiment, 3 of helicopter, and 4 squadron in the Aviation School.
The troops of the Air Defense Forces have 4 brigades of surface to air
missiles with and 28 battalions.
Organization at 1990
| Zona Aérea Occidental.
2° Brigada de la Guardia "Playa Girón" ("Bay of Pigs"
Guard Brigade) |
21° Regimiento de Caza, San Antonio (air
defence role)
- 211° Escuadrón de Caza, 15 MiG-21bis/UM
- 212° Escuadrón de Caza, 15 MiG-21bis/UM
22° Regimiento de Caza, Baracoa (air defence
role)
- 221° Escuadrón de Caza, 15 MiG-21bis/UM
- 222° Escuadrón de Caza, 15 MiG-21bis/UM
- 223° Escuadrón de Caza, 21 MiG-23MF
y 1 MiG-23UB)
23° Regimiento de Caza, San Antonio y San Julian
(air defence role)
- 231° Escuadrón de Caza de San Antonio de
los Baños, 12 MiG-29 y 2 MiG-20UB
- 232° Escuadrón de Caza de San Julian,
14 MiG-23ML y 1 MiG-23UB
24° Regimiento de Apoyo Táctico, Guines
(attack role)
- 241° Escuadrón de Caza, 13 MiG-23BN
y 1 MiG-23UB
26º Regimiento de Helicópteros, Ciudad
Libertad (helicopters)
- 261º Escuadrón de Helicópteros de
Propósitos Generales, Mi-8, Mi-2
- 262º Escuadrón de Helicópteros de
Propósitos Generales, Mi-8, Mi-2
25º Regimiento de Transporte, San Antonio y José
Martí (transport)
- 251º Escuadrón de Transporte, Aeropuerto
Jose Martí, 2 Il 76, 2 An-32, 2 An 30, An 24, An 2
- 252º Escuadrón de Transporte, San
Antonio de los Baños, 2 Yak-40, An-2, An-26
Escuela de Aviacion Militar "Comandante Che Guevara",
de San Julian (aviation school)
Four squadrons of training aircraft, 20 Z-326,
25 L-39 |
| Zona Aérea Central.
1° Brigada de la Guardia "Batalla de Santa Clara" ("Battle of
Santa Clara" Guard Brigade) |
11° Regimiento de Caza, Santa Clara (air
defence role)
- 111° Escuadrón de Caza, 15 MiG-21bis/UM
- 112° Escuadrón de Caza, 15 MiG-21bis/UM
12° Regimiento de Caza, Sancti Spiritus
(air defence role)
- 121° Escuadrón de Caza, 15 MiG-21MF/UM
- 122° Escuadrón de Caza, 15 MiG-21MF/UM
14° Regimiento de Apoyo Táctico, Santa
Clara (attack role)
- 141° Escuadrón de Caza, 13 MiG-23BN
y 1 MiG-23UB
16º Regimiento de Helicópteros, Cienfuegos
(helicopters)
- 162º Escuadrón de Helicópteros,
Mi-17
- 163º Escuadrón de Helicópteros,
Mi-8
Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, Cienfuegos
(Navy)
161º Escuadrón de Helicópteros
de Guerra Anti-Submarina, Mi-14PL (anti submarine warfare)
15º Regimiento de Transporte, Cienfuegos
(transport)
- 151º Escuadrón de Transporte, An-2,
An-26 |
| Zona Aérea Oriental.
3° Brigada de la Guardia "Cuartel Moncada" ("Moncada Barracks"
Guard Brigade) |
31° Regimiento de Caza, Camagüey (air
defence role)
- 311° Escuadrón de Caza, 15 MiG-21MF/UM
- 312° Escuadrón de Caza, 15 MiG-21MF/UM
34° Regimiento de Apoyo Táctico, Holguín
(attack role)
- 341° Escuadrón de Caza, 13 MiG-23BN
y 1 MiG-23UB
36º Regimiento de Helicópteros, Santiago
de Cuba (helicopters)
- 361º Escuadrón de Helicópteros de
Combate, 12 Mi-24D
- 362º Escuadrón de Helicópteros,
Mi-8
- 363º Escuadrón de Helicópteros,
Mi-8
35º Regimiento de Transporte, Santiago de Cuba
(transport)
- 351º Escuadrón de Transporte, |
Training
 Most
training is carried out at the Aviation Cadet School (Escuela Militar de
Pilotos de Aviación -EMPA), at San Julián, which offers courses
in sophisticated aircraft and missile operations, with specialist technical
and flight training schools. The period of instruction for officers varies
between four and five years according to specialisation. The Instituto
Técnico Militar (ITM), at Havana, offers comprehensive specialist
training in communications, avionics and aeronautical engineering, and
training for anti -aircraft troops. All flying personnel formerly received
part of their instruction in the Soviet Union, where combat aircrews also
received additional advanced training. In the former USRR in more of 30
years were training a total of 3.380 Cuban military aviators (pilots and
specialist). To compare the importance of the Cuban aviation program, here
were too trained only 3,061 aviator from Iraq; 2,543 from Vietnam; 1,698
from East Germany; 1,632 from Ethiopie; 1,310 from Angola; 1,286 from Egypt;
and 985 from North Corea (among others countries). They have intensified
considerably the training in simulators.
Officers also receive post -graduate training at specific points in
their careers at the General M ?ximo Gomez Academy. Following the collapse
of the Soviet Union all foreign training assistance was withdrawn. The
previous dependence of the Revolutionary Air Force on foreign assistance
is reflected in its small inventory of training aircraft relative to its
overall size. Lack of fuel has all but put an end to flight training. Even
without this handicap the available number of training aircraft would be
inadequate to produce a sufficient output of qualified aircrews for the
future. Today only part of the pilots already have the normal flight time,
made in theirs MiG-29 between 100 and 200
hours annual. The pilots of others aircrafts have very limited flight time
in fighters, and completed their flight time flying in transport aircrafts.
II Part:
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