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The Myanmar Air Force Since 1988: Expansion and Modernization1
Before the creation of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) in 1988, the Burma Air Force was small, illequipped and crippled by its dependence on foreign logistics. It was hard-pressed to keep its aircraft flying, and could only perform a limited role in support of the army's counterinsurgency operations. Yet, the air force has always been, and remains, an important factor in Myanmar's security. The dramatic growth of the (renamed) Myanmar Air Force (MAF) under the SLORC suggests that the new generation of military leaders in Yangon shares this view. In addition to strengthening the MAF's internal security role, the SLORC (and now its successor, the State Peace and Development Council) seems to envisage a significant external defence role for this element of the armed forces. If this ambitious modernization programme is successful, then in a few years time Myanmar will have a credible air defence capability for the first time in its history.
The army has always dominated Myanmar's armed forces (Tatmadaw) and will continue to do so.2 Since the advent of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) in 1988, however, the Myanmar Air Force (MAF or Tatmadaw Lei) has increasingly claimed a share of international attention.3 This is likely to continue under the SLORC's recent successor, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).4 The greater level of attention has been due mainly to the MAF's dramatic expansion in recent years, and its acquisition of several new and more modern types of aircraft. These additions to the MAF's inventory give it the potential for significantly increased operational capabilities. For long a mere adjunct to the ground forces in their internal security role, the MAF is now emerging as a significant force in its own right with a much greater capacity for conventional air defence.5
The Myanmar Air Force Before 1988
The MAF traces its history back to the United Kingdom's (UK) Burma Act of December 1947, which set the stage for the colony's independence.6 At first, the Burma Air Force (BAF), as it was then known, was extremely small, consisting of only eight officers and twenty airmen. By 1953 it had grown to some hundreds, but attrition rates were...