Active 1988 Size 10,000 | Country Algeria | |
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Role Défense et protection de l'espace aérien, surveillance et police du ciel | ||
The Territorial Air Defence Force (forces de défense aérienne du Territoire (en arabe : قوات الدفاع الجوي عن الإقليم) abbreviated as DAT) is an armed service/branch of the People's National Army, the armed forces of Algeria. It is one of the four service branches of the Algerian Armed Forces, along with the army, navy, and air force. It is tasked with the Algerian airspace protection mission. Its current commander is Major-General Amer Amrani.
The higher military school of the Air Defence Forces (école supérieure de la défense aérienne du territoire) is located at Reghaïa in Algeria's 1st Military Region. It provides engineering training.
Created in 1988, after being separated from the Ground Forces Command, it is currently under the command of the commander of air defense of the military region forces. Its equipment includes the S300 missile, batteries of Pantsir-S1s, and the Tor missile system, which is the most important weapon owned by the Territorial Air Defence Force. Other systems include: the SA-6 "Gainful" and Buk missile systems, the S-125 Neva/Pechora and the SA-8 Gecko, as well as the "Shilka" armed with 23 mm rockets and man portable 9K32 Strela-2s. In addition, the force possesses many types of radar.
Currently there are three air defence brigades and five surface-to-air missile regiments with SA-2, SA-3, SA-6, and SA-20.