Royal_Cambodian_Air_Force
Royal Cambodian Air Force
Air warfare branch of Cambodia's armed forces
The Royal Cambodian Air Force (Khmer: កងទ័ពជើងអាកាស, romanized: Kâng Toăp Cheung Akas [kɑːŋtɔəp cəːŋ ʔaːkaːh]; lit. 'Air Army') is the branch of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces which is charged with operating all military aircraft in Cambodia.
| Royal Cambodian Air Force | |
|---|---|
| កងទ័ពជើងអាកាស | |
Badge of the Royal Cambodian Air Force | |
| Founded | 9 November 1953; 70 years ago (1953-11-09) |
| Country |  Cambodia |
| Allegiance | HM The King |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Part of | Royal Cambodian Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
| Motto(s) | "ការពារព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា" (Khmer) ("Defend the Kingdom of Cambodia") |
| Mascot(s) | Aafra Zarnaz Auhona |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | General Soeung Samnang |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel | |
| Fin flash | |
The Royal Cambodian Air Force is commanded by General Soeung Samnang, who has four deputy commanders beneath him. The Air Force itself is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Defence.
Air Force headquarters are located at Phnom Penh International Airport and is still sign posted Pochentong Air Base. The only operational aircraft at Pochentong Air Base are from the VIP squadron. Maintenance of aircraft and helicopters is also at Pochentong. The airworthy Z-9 and Mi-17 helicopters from the helicopter squadron are based at Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport.
Recently, the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense plans to purchase five L-39NG light fighter jets from the Czech Republic. In the past, the Cambodian Air Force has already purchased Mil Mi-17 and Mil Mi-171 helicopters.
Previous inventory
In the past some MiG-21 fighters were operational. These aircraft in 2023 could be seen on ground in Phnom Penh international airport.
Current inventory
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | |||||
| Airbus A320 | France | VIP transport | 1[2] | ||
| Xian MA60 | China | transport | 2[3] | ||
| Harbin Y-12 | China | transport / utility | 1[3] | ||
| Britten-Norman BN-2 | United Kingdom | transport | 1[3] | ||
| Helicopters | |||||
| Mil Mi-8 | Russia | transport | 9[3] | ||
| Mil Mi-17 | Russia | transport | 6[3] | ||
| Harbin Z-9 | China | utility | 9[3] | ||
| Eurocopter AS350 | France | utility | 3[3] | ||
| AgustaWestland AW109 | Italy | utility | 2[4] | ||
| Trainer | |||||
| Aero L-39 | Czechoslovakia | trainer / light attack | L-39C | 5[5] | |
The force maintains a professional association football team as one of its branches, which formerly played in the C-League.
| Rank group | General/Flag/Air officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Royal Cambodian Air Force |
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| នាយឧត្តមសេនីយ៍ Néay ŭtdâmôséniy |
ឧត្តមសេនីយ៍ឯក Ŭtdâmôséniy êk |
ឧត្តមសេនីយ៍ទោ Ŭtdâmôséniy toŭ |
ឧត្តមសេនីយ៍ត្រី Ŭtdâmôséniy trei |
វរសេនីយ៍ឯក Vôrôséniy êk |
វរសេនីយ៍ទោ Vôrôséniy toŭ |
វរសេនីយ៍ត្រី Vôrôséniy trei |
អនុសេនីយ៍ឯក Ânŭséniy êk |
អនុសេនីយ៍ទោ Ânŭséniy toŭ |
អនុសេនីយ៍ត្រី Ânŭséniy trei |
នាយចំណង់ Néay châmnáng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Royal Cambodian Air Force |
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| Warrant Officer | Command Sergeant Major | Master Sergeant | Staff Sergeant | Chief Corporal | Corporal | Airman 1st Class | Airman 2nd Class | Airman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- "World Air Forces 2015 pg. 12". Flightglobal Insight. 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- "Air Force One of Cambodia". alfredmeier.me. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- "World Air Forces 2023". Flightglobal Insight. 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
- "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- Vogel, Ben (16 October 2019). "Cambodia could buy more L-39s". janes.com. Jane's Defence Industry. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". Flight International, 11–17 December 2012, Vol. 182 No. 5370. pp. 40–64. ISSN 0015-3710.
- Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". Flight International. Vol. 194, No. 5665, 4–10 December 2018, pp. 32–60. ISSN 0015-3710
- World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing, London. File 337 Sheet 05