Nepalese Army Air Service

Nepalese Army Air Service
Active	1965 - present
Country	Nepal
Branch	Nepal Army
Type	Army aviation
Role	Battlefield support and transport
Size	500
Part of	Military
Garrison/HQ	Kathmandu Surkhet Dipayal
Engagements	Nepalese Civil War

Nepal has no separate Air Force but flies several aircraft within Nepalese Army Service, also known as the Nepal Army Air Wing. It was formed in 1960s, but finally became an air force unit in 1979. It is now again a part of the Army and has very limited combat capabilities. The main objective of this flying element is transport, flying paratroopers and assistance in case of an emergency (e.g. natural disasters). Apart from the 11th Brigade the country has established a VIP Flight from Tribhuvan Airport, mostly the aircraft are stationed at Kathmandu, Surkhet and Dipayal.

From 1996 - 2006 the country was in civil war against Maoist rebels who strove to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and establish a communist republic. Their attacks increased since the massacre of the Royal Family in 2001. This development led to the need for armed helicopters. Several types of aircraft have entered service since: MI-17s, M28 Skytruck, ALH Lancer and HAL Dhruv. The UK has delivered two Britten-Norman Islanders and two MI-17s free of charge. China decided to supply an MA-60 (an Y-7 derivative). Nepal has also purchased HAL Cheetah and HAL Chetak helicopters.

The NAAS consists of about 500 members.

Aircraft

Hawker Siddeley HS 748 at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu

This is a list of currently-active aircraft in use with the Nepalese Army Air Service:

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service	Notes
Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III	France	light utility helicopter		4	Upgraded
BAE Avro 748	United Kingdom	Troop Transport		2
PZL M28 Skytruck	Poland	Paratroop Transport & Light Cargo		2
Shorts Skyvan	United Kingdom	Troop Transport & Cargo		2
Mil Mi-17	Russia	transport helicopter		4	Upgraded for "hot and high" conditions. GPMG guns can also be mounted to give ground support to the troops.
Mil Mi-17 Hip-H	Russia	transport helicopter/Light Ground Support		5	2 delivered free of charge from UK and 3 bought by Nepal government; one of the MI-17 helicopters got damaged in April 2006 during clashes in Sarlahi District between security forces and the Maoist People's Liberation Army. It has been repaired. It is fitted with Night Vision equipments, GPMG Gun and provision for drop bomb facility. [1]
Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil	France	Light utility helicopter		7	Upgraded
Eurocopter AS 332 Super Puma	France	utility helicopter	AS 332L	2	Stretched civil version with uprated engines, lengthened fuselage, more cabin space, increased fuel capacity and airline like interior.
HAL Dhruv	India	Utility helicopter		4	Improved
Aérospatiale Lama	India	light utility helicopter		4	Indian license-produced SA 315B variant by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited called Cheetah(utility) and Lancer(light attack)
Britten-Norman Islander	United Kingdom	Light Transport		1	Meant for VIPs & other Army/Government Officials One lost to crash 2011.
Embraer Tucano	Brazil	Counter Insurgency Aircraft/Light Attack			Nepal had planned to buy 30 Aircraft during Maoist insurgency, during King's direct rule. Purchase put on hold due to ongoing peace process.
Xian MA-60	People's Republic of China	Troop Transport/Cargo		0	Placed orders for 2 Aircraft. Delivery put on hold due to ongoing peace process.

Facilities

In all Nepal there are 36 airfields that are able to support military operations. See also the full list of airports in Nepal

• Tribhuvan Airport Kathmandu,
• Chandragadhi Airport Jhapa
• Biratnagar Airport Biratnagar
• Janakpur Airport Janakpur
• Simara Airport Bara
• Bharatpur Airport, Bharatpur
• Meghuli Airport, Bharatpur
• Pokhara Airport Pokhara
• Jomsom Airport Mustang
• Dang Airport Tribhuvannagar
• Nepalgunj Airport Nepalgunj
• Surkhet Airport Birendranagar
• Jumla Airport Jumla
• Dipayal Airport Doti
• Mahendranagar Airport Mahendranagar
• Dhangadhi Airport

Army pilots training School

The Nepal Army Air service has its flying and Helicopter Pilots training school since 2004 within the 11no. Brigade and is the only Helicopter Pilot training school in Nepal. Along with the army air service pilots, the school also produces civilian pilots. The school provides MI-17, Lancers, Bell and Ecureuil Helicopter flight training exercise.

See also

• Military of Nepal
• Armed Police Force Nepal
• Nepalese Police Force
• National Investigation Department of Nepal

References

1. ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/06/news/nepal.php

External links

• Nepal Army Air Wing @ scramble.nl
• Official website of the Nepal Army