Editing Armed Forces of Tajikistan (section)

=== Air Force ===
{{main|Tajik Air Force}}

Throughout the 1990s, the military did not have an air force and relied on the [[Russian Air Force]] for air defense, however, the government planned on making one aviation squadron. In 2007, the Air Force had 800 troops and 12 helicopters. The organizational structure of the Air Force is unknown. Tajik airspace is patrolled by the Russian Air Force.

The Tajik Air Force remains small as Dushanbe doesn't expect an attack on Tajikistan from the air, and that Russian Air Force units at Gissar in Tajikistan and other such Russian contingents in Kazakhstan would detect any such assault. Tajikistan is also patrolled by Russian aircraft as part of the [[Joint CIS Air Defense System]]. The air force is mostly used for search and rescue missions, transportation, and the occasional attack on militant groups.

For funding, the government relied upon modest foreign funds. In February 2013, a [[Armed Forces Day (Tajikistan)|20th anniversary parade]] occurred in Dushanbe, celebrating the creation of the armed forces. During the parade, 20 helicopters flew over the city. India made a deal in which the Tajik and Russian Air Forces share an air base. The base is commanded jointly by Indian, Tajik, and Russian personnel, who rotate units there periodically.<ref>{{cite web |author=John Pike |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/centralasia/tajik-airforce.htm |title=Tajikistan- Air Force |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org |access-date=22 September 2013 |archive-date=22 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122025304/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/centralasia/tajik-airforce.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Presidential National Guardsman.jpg|thumb|A National Guardsmen.]]Because of the civil war, air force development was slow. The first equipment to arrive was 10 MI-8MTBs and 5 MI-24 in 1993 based at Dushanbe. The first transport aircraft were AN-24s(?) and AN-26s(?) were supplied in 1996. A plan from the 1990s to acquire SU-25s from Belarus to form an attack squadron did not occur. However, Moscow did help bolster the Tajik's helicopter contingents in 2006–07 by giving them six [[Mil Mi-8]] and [[Mil Mi-24 Hind]] attack helicopters. It also provided four [[L-39 Albatros]].

An accident occurred on 6 October 2010 when a [[Mil Mi-8|Mi-8]], military helicopter from the Tajik National Guard crashed in the [[Rasht Valley]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://planecrashinfo.com/2010/2010-36.htm |author=Richard Kebabjian |title=Accident Details |publisher=PlaneCrashInfo.com |access-date=22 September 2013 |archive-date=27 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927113200/http://planecrashinfo.com/2010/2010-36.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> close to [[Ezgand]] and [[Tavildara]]. The helicopter got caught in some power lines while attempting to land. The helicopter caught fire and crashed without survivors. This is the deadliest accident in Tajik aviation since 1997.