Air Force
Turkmenistan's air force has four regiments with 2,000 men and 171 fighter and bomber aircraft, of which sixty-five are Su-17s. The main air force base is at Gyzylarbat. In 1994 the organization of the air force remained contingent on further negotiation on disposition and control of former Soviet units. Pending such negotiation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation maintained one air force and one air defense group in Turkmenistan. In the meantime, air force readiness was hampered by the resignation of most Russian pilots in the early 1990s and a shortage of trained Turkmen pilots.
