Alexander Wilhelm Andreas Freiherr von Kaulbars (; 25 January 1925) was a Baltic German military leader who served in the Imperial Russian Army during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A noted explorer of Central Asia, he was also regarded as one of the original organisers of the Russian Air Force. Biography Kaulbars was born in Mödders in the Governorate of Estonia to Baron Hermann Wilhelm von Kaulbars and Alexandrine Emilie and had an older brother, Nikolai Reinhold Friedrich. Alexander and Nikolai grew up in Saint Petersburg and was of Lutheran faith. He came from the Baltic German noble of Pomeranian origin. The family was of Swedish nobility. Both his father and his brother rose to the rank of general in the Imperial Russian Army. He was educated at the . His first experience in combat was in 1861, while serving with the Egersky Guards Regiment in the suppression of the Polish Uprising. After graduating from the Nicholas General Staff Academy, Kaulbars was commissioned as a lieutenant, and was assigned to serve on the staff of the Turkestan Military District. He was promoted to senior aide in 1870, to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1871, and to colonel in 1872. Soon after his arrival in Russian Turkestan, he explored the country beyond the Issyk-Kul into the Tien Shan mountains. His report was published as "Materials on the Geography of the Tien Shan", and was awarded the gold medal by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society In 1870, he explored the Russian-Chinese border, surveying the summit of Khan Tengri and looking for mountain passes into Kashgar, which he visited in 1872 for negotiations on a commercial treaty with its ruler, Yaqub Beg. In 1873, Kaulbars participated in the Russian conquest of the Khanate of Khiva under General Konstantin Kaufman. During this expedition, he explored the delta and riverbed of the Amu Darya river, and located a navigable route to the Aral Sea. He also explored the dry riverbed of the Syr Darya, and the connections between both rivers, the Caspian Sea and Aral Sea, and the now dry Uzboy River. His research on these topics resulted in technical papers which were awarded a second gold medal by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. In 1874, Kaulbars was made Chief of Staff of the 8th Cavalry Division, a position which he held until his return to the General Staff in 1875. He