The Naval Academy is at Vlore. It fields the remnants of some 200 aircrafts issued by the Soviet Union and China during the 1950s and 1960s. The present structure includes three fighter regiments, a transport regiment, and a helicopter regiment. A red digit on the aircraft's side identifies the parent unit - three for Tirana, four for Berat, eight for Shingjin, and six for the helicopter regiment at Farkas, near Tirana. A secondary airfield with a 4000 m runway is located at Akerni, near Vlore.
Some bases also have shelters in the nearby hills.
However, even if these provide good protection and are reasonably camouflaged, they also create problems for material storage because of the high humidity. These helicopters are charged also with coastal maritime patrol as well as search and rescue duties. At present, the threat posed by Albanians to Western countries is certainly not of a military nature but is more socio-economic. Young Albanians are emigrating at an alarming rate - during March 1995, the Italian police and coast guard stopped some 200 immigrants daily along the shores of the southern Adriatic, most being Albanians. Criminal organizations represent another threat.