5 More Planes Added to Myanmar Air Force

10 November 2025

Two airlifters and three helicopters inducted into Myanmar Air Force (photo: Myanmar MoI)

Mizzima | Two Y-8F 200WB transport aircraft and three Mi-38 helicopters have been added to the Military Commission Air Force, according to the Military Commission’s press release issued yesterday (November 7).

The four-engine Y-8 aircraft, which are used not only for logistics and supply of ground forces but also for air strikes, were purchased from China, while the Mi-38 helicopter was purchased from Russia.

Military aircraft, the helicopters are usually “inducted” into the military on December 15, the anniversary of the air force, but this time they were registered more than a month in advance at a ceremony in Nay Pyi Taw.

Myanmar received three Mi-38 helicopters from Russia (photo: Myanmar MoI)

Myanmar Witness, a civil society organization that analyzes satellite imagery, reported on June 4 that two new Y8F 200WB aircraft (aircraft registration numbers 5923 and 59 24) were found at a site at Kunming International Airport, China.

The three modern Russian-made Mi-38 transport helicopters arrived at the Nay Pyi Taw air base last September, according to the Myanmar Military and Security Studies Institute (MDSI).

The Mi-38 can carry 30 to 40 soldiers and carry up to six tons of cargo, and can conduct operations even in bad weather and at night.

Myanmar also received two Y-8 transport aircraft from China with tail numbers 5923 and 5924 (photo: Myanmar MoI)

The Military Commission has held 15 official acceptance ceremonies for military aircraft and helicopters into the air force over the 15-year period from 2011 to 2025.

According to military observers and Mizzima Research Group, the military aircraft that crashed and were shot down between the coup and July 2025 include two K-8s, two FTC 2000s, and one F-7, while the helicopters include two Mi-35s, five Mi-17s, and one Eurocopter.

The Military Commission conducted 124 airstrikes across the country in October, killing 165 civilians, including children, and injuring more than 300, according to the MDSI.

(Mizzima News)