Galleries
Air Force
The efforts to establish an Air Force in Albania date back to early times. The first step towards creating a Military Aviation in Albania was taken in 1914 when the Albanian government ordered the purchase of three Lohner Daimler aircraft from Austria to form the Albanian Air Corps, but as a result of World War I, the order was cancelled.t.
The Albanian Air Force was established after World War II, on April 24, 1951. The first grouping of combat aircraft was established in Tirana in 1951, with PO-2 and JAK-18 aircraft, while the Jet Aviation was established in 1955 in Kuçova and consisted of MIG-15 aircraft. Subsequently, the Military Transport Unit, the Aviation Regiment in Rinas, the Helicopter Regiment, and the Eagle Regiment were established.
During the 1970s, the Albanian Air Force had over 70 MiG-19 aircraft, 12 MiG-21 aircraft, and a fighter squadron with MiG-17 aircraft. Other combat training aircraft such as MiG-15, IL-14, and IL-28 were mainly used for governmental transport as well as military and geographic studies.
At the Higher Aviation School in Vlora, in addition to the MiG-15 jet aircraft, there were also two squadrons with Yak-18 helicopter aircraft, which were used for pilot training.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the level of flight programming was intensive, and pilot training was conducted to high standards and requirements.
After the 2000s, the Air Force was equipped with contemporary aircraft.
The fifth pavilion features objects related to the navy and aviation. This pavilion is divided into three sections, where in the first section, museum objects related to aviation are displayed, such as the cockpit of the MiG-21 aircraft, and a target drone aircraft.
In the second section, objects related to the navy are exhibited, where visitors have the opportunity to see an old model of a diver's suit.
In the third section, there is a large relief map of Albanian territories, which was handcrafted in the 1980s by the Military Geography Institute.
Facing the visitor is the nose of the Yak-18 aircraft, surrounded by blue colors, giving the sensation of flying over Albanian airspace.
Naval Force
The naval tradition of the Albanian people is ancient. It begins with the Illyrians, who in the 5th to 2nd centuries BCE, created the most powerful naval fleet in the Adriatic. The famous Illyrian ship "Liburnia" was small, fast, and manoeuvrable for military purposes.
After the Roman and Byzantine rule, in the 14th century CE, the principalities of the Balshajt and Topiat created their naval powers, but the Ottoman conquest in the 15th century weakened the naval tradition.
With the Declaration of Independence on November 28, 1912, the first attempts were made to organize the Naval Forces by the government of Ismail Qemali, but the outbreak of World War I interrupted the government's engagement.
In 1925, the Albanian Parliament approved the budget for the purchase of two ships in Italy. These ships arrived in Durrës on December 25, 1925, and were named "Shqypnia" and "Skanderbeg". This date marks the creation of the Albanian Naval Forces. In 1934, another 4 motor torpedo boats, "Vlora", "Durrësi", "Saranda", and "Tirana", were purchased in Italy.
From 1945 to 1990, with the support of the Soviet Union and China, Albania established the Naval Fleet. In its arsenal, the Fleet included around 90 vessels such as submarines, corvettes, minesweepers, patrol boats, tugs, landing craft, water tankers, and patrol vessels, among others.
After the 1990s, the Naval Forces, like the entire Albanian military, underwent transformations. Today, it includes vessels of the Coastal Patrol as: "Iliria", "Oriku", "Butrinti", and "Lissus".