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Further Reading

Austria - Fliegerdivision - Austrian Air Force

The armed forces consist solely of the army, of which the air force is considered a constituent part. Shortly before declaring neutrality on October 26, 1955, Austria formed an air arm which was tasked with defending Austria's air space. Basic flying training for the Kommando Luftstreitkräfte (Austria's aviation division and an element of the new "Federal Army") began in December 1955 using Yak-11 Moose and Yak-18 Max aircraft which had been abandoned, still in their crates, by retreating Soviet troops. Twenty-two Cessna L-19A Bird Dog observation and liaison aircraft were subsequently purchased under the Mutual Aid Plan for a nominal one Dollar from US forces based in Austria.

Today, the Luftstreitkräfte have three main tasks:

1. maintaining the sovereignty of its air space,
2. providing reconnaissance, transport, liaison and combat support for its ground forces,
3. acting in an emergency relief capacity both at home and abroad. The latter ranges from search and rescue (SAR) missions after avalanches, earthquakes and floods to fire-fighting duties.

Austria's air force (Fliegerdivision) is headquartered at Tulln-Langenlebarn Air Base twenty-five kilometers northwest of Vienna. The air force has as its missions the defense of Austrian airspace, tactical support of Austrian ground forces, reconnaissance and military transport, and search-and-rescue support when requested by civil authorities.

By the early 1990s the air force was organized into a division of three flying regiments and one radar (air defense) regiment. Air Regiment I at Tulln-Langenlebarn consisted of the light transport squadron plus one helicopter wing of AB-206s and OH-58s. Air Regiment II at Graz-Thalerhof, Aigen in Ennstal, and Zeltweg consists of the air interceptor wing of Drakens and a wing of two Alouette helicopter squadrons. Air Regiment III at Linz-Hörsching consists of the fighter-bomber wing of Saab 105Oes and a helicopter wing of AB204s and AB-212s. An air defense battalion equipped with 20mm and 35mm antiaircraft guns and a variety of radar systems is attached to each air regiment.

Goldhaube (Golden Hat), Austria's air defence system, has been operational since 1988, at about the same time as the introduction into service of the Saab Draken. It consists of fixed radar sites and mobile radar stations. Two Saab 105s or two Eurofighter jets are permanently held on quick reaction alert to intercept unidentified aircraft approaching the border. In June 1991, during the crisis in Slovenia, several airspace violations were made by Yugoslav jets. On one occasion, a Yugoslav fighter even overflew the city of Graz, which is 50km (31 miles) from the border. Following this incident, the Bundesheer was put on alert for several weeks, with anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) units positioned around the air base near Graz. There was another incident in October 1991, when two Saab 105s intercepted a JRV MiG-21 flown by a deserting Croatian pilot and accompanied him to the airport of Klagenfurt, where he landed. However, most of the unidentified traffic transpires to be airliners which have not adhered to their assigned track or time over checkpoints.

The Luftunterstützungsgeschwader (Air Support Wing) consists of three staffel (squadrons); the first two being equipped with S-70 "Black Hawk" and "Alouette" III transport helicopters. Being the fixed wing transport squadron, the 3rd staffel is equipped with Pilatus PC-6 "Turbo Porters". The Turbo Porters have a variety of duties, including transport, Search and Rescue, fire-fighting (with an 800 lit/176 Imp gal water tank), observation, target towing and paradropping. Additionally the Luftunterstützungsgeschwader flys OH-58B "Kiowa" helicopters, which are the AAF's only armed helicopters, with the ability to carry a 7.62mm six-barrel machine gun, capable of firing 4,000 rounds per minute.

By the early 1990s the air transport fleet was seriously deficient, a fact underscored by its inability to support the armed forces in their UN peacekeeping and humanitarian activities. The air force has at its disposal two Short Skyvans and twelve Pilatus PC-6s that can handle only light cargoes. Among air force priorities-- unfulfilled because of budgetary constraints--is the procurement of three to six medium-transport aircraft. The Hubschraubergeschwader (Helicopter Wing) is based at Aigen-in-Ennstal with permanent detachments (Stützpunkte) to Klagenfurt and Schwaz/Tirol near Innsbruck. Some of the Alouettes, nicknamed Christoph, are equipped as rescue helicopters. The helicopter fleet included Agusta-Bell (AB) 204s (mainly medical evacuation), AB206s (training and liaison), and AB-212s (used by air-mobile troops and for light transport). French Alouettes are available for search-and-rescue tasks, including high mountain operations. The Bell OH-58 Kiowa, a scout helicopter, is mounted with a rapid-firing machine gun, but the air force lacks a true attack helicopter. Most of the helicopters, except the AB-212s, were becoming obsolete by the early 1990s.

The Überwachungsgeschwader (Surveillance Wing) is equipped with Eurofighters and Saab 105 aircraft. They are operated from the airbases in Zeltweg, Styria, and Hörsching, Upper Austria. Until 1985, when the first of twenty-four Saab J-350e Drakens were delivered, the country had remained essentially without the capacity to contest violations of its airspace. The Drakens, reconditioned after having served the Swedish air force since the early 1960s, are armed only with a cannon, in accordance with the restrictions on missiles in the State Treaty of 1955. However, following Austria's revised interpretation of its obligations under the treaty, a decision was made in 1993 to procure Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. The first of these missiles will be purchased used from the Swedish air force. A higher performance model of the Sidewinder will be purchased directly from the United States; deliveries may begin in 1995. French Mistral surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) were purchased to add ground-based protection against air attack. The first of the French missiles arrived in Austria in 1993; final deliveries are to be concluded in 1996.

Phaseout of the Drakens was scheduled to begin about 1995, and studies were under way to select a replacement, one that can be configured for both air defense and ground support missions. Possible replacements for the Draken were the United States F-16 and F/A-18. In addition to the two squadrons of Drakens, the air force had thirty-one Saab 105Oe fighters available for reconnaissance and close air support of ground troops; however, eight Saabs, borrowed from the combat squadrons, are regularly employed as jet conversion trainers. Acquired in 1970-72 after service in the Swedish air force, the subsonic Saabs were of limited value in a combat role.

The Central Flying School at Zeltweg was equipped with Saab 91D Safirs and Saab 105Oes, while transport pilots train on PC7s. Austrian pilots are sent to northern Sweden for training in operation of the Drakens.