Albanian military aircraft include all airplanes and helicopters which have been operated by the Albanian Air Force since its formal inception in 1947. Since Albania has no domestic aircraft manufacturing capacity, all aircraft have been procured from other countries. Additionally, the country's limited resources have meant that such procurement has been primarily through foreign military aid provided to Albania for strategic reasons. Initially, the Warsaw Pact provided equipment through the 1950s, but after a political rift, China supplanted them as the country's main benefactor. After the end of the Cold War and a significant shift in Albanian international relations, as well as a re-posturing of the Albanian Armed Forces, the air force has sought more modern support helicopters from Western Europe to support its new role in partnership with NATO. Fighters In concert with the Albanian Air Force's primary mission for most of its existence to defend the country's airspace, approximately two of every three aircraft which have served with the force have been fighters. Yakovlev Yak-9 The first aircraft to actually arrive for service with the Albanian Air Force were a dozen Yakovlev Yak-9 piston-engine fighters provided by the Soviet Union from stockpiles of World War II equipment. Among the twelve was included a single two-seat operational conversion trainer variant. The aircraft were not competitive with NATO jet fighters that had entered service in Europe by the time the Yak-9 went into service in Albania in 1951. However, they were only intended as a stop-gap to allow the force to develop its organization and skills prior to the provision of its own jet fighter force. Very rapidly after the arrival of jets, the Yak-9 was withdrawn from service in 1956 and its unit converted to the MiG-15. Yakovlev Yak-23 Albania Air Forces nver received or used the Yak-23 ref></ref> probably from Poland. However, their service is unknown. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 The Albanian Air Force gained a significant capability upgrade with the introduction of its first jet aircraft, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15. The Soviet Union provided several of the MiG-15bis improved version of the basic MiG-15 fighter which had gained fame in the Korean War. Soviet deliveries in 1955 replaced the Yak-9 and begin expanding the country's air defense capability, while China stepped in with further examples later. In addition to the single-seaters, several two-seat MiG-15UTI training aircraft were delivered, including examples built in Czechoslovakia under the CS.102 designation. Chinese-supplied single-seaters were