Whether serving as the 4th Commander of the Uzbekistan Air and Air Defence Forces from 2001 to 2003, a 3rd, 2nd, 1st class of a military pilot with a ‘Pilot Sniper’ badge, becoming a squadron leader, serving as the Commander of the 735th Aviation Regiment, or doing international visits as Commander of the Uzbek Air Force to Turkey, US, Russia, UK, and Italy, Colonel Madaminov has experienced the essence of what the Air Force mission truly encompasses.
Early Life
Born in 1957 in Osh, Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union, Saydulla is a retired Uzbek colonel whose life, career, and battles are a list of inspirational achievements.
He received his education from Yeisk Higher Military Aviation Institute (EVVAUL) from 1974 to 1978. Upon graduation, he was sent to the Transbaikal Military District, where he joined the 23rd Air Army, first at Step and then at Dzhida in 1980. In 1982, he was promoted to flight commander. In 1983, he got transferred to Brand Airbase in East Germany to join the GSFG. By 1987, he rose to become a squadron leader.
Soviet & Uzbek Military Service
From late 1988 till mid-1991, Saydulla earned an additional military degree from the Gagarin Air Force Academy in Monino. Upon accomplishing his second tertiary qualification, he was sent to continue his Soviet military service at the Turkestan Military District. In the summer of 1991, he arrived at the Khanabad Air Base, where he became the Chief of staff and the First Deputy to the Commander of the 735th Aviation Regiment.
Following the collapse of the USSR, by 1993, the Soviet military authority faded away in Uzbekistan. Saydulla was appointed the Commander of the 735th Aviation Regiment, which in August 1995 was renamed as the 60th Aviation Regiment of the newly formed Uzbek Air and Air Defence Forces. The newly established Uzbek military was rearranged. Khanabad Air Base became the largest air force base in the country.
Battles & Awards
In the mid-90s, Colonel Madaminov carried out over 120 sorties targeting the Islamic extremists when the Uzbek Air Force became embroiled in the Tajik Civil War. In the late 90s, he participated in military operations to neutralize the IMU fighters who had taken over some mountainous areas in the northern Surxondaryo and launched an incursion into the Batken and Osh regions of Kyrgyzstan.
In March 1999, the Ministry of Defense transferred Saydulla to the capital Tashkent where he was promoted to the Deputy Commander of the Uzbek Air and Air Defence Forces. In October 2001, by decree of the President Islam Karimov, Colonel Madaminov was appointed the Commander of the Uzbekistan Air and Air Defence Forces. He remained in that role until late 2003. After that, he was transferred to become a senior military advisor and inspector for the Ministry of Defense of Uzbekistan. In August 2007, he retired from the military.
Colonel Saydulla was awarded a Medal “For Distinction in Military Service” and “Jasorat.” He received the “Shon-Sharaf Order,” or The Order of Glory, for his devotion and courage in defending the country and strengthening the defense and national security of Uzbekistan.
Throughout his entire career, he has mastered aircraft including L-29, L-39, MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-23, Su-7, Su-17, Su-24, An-26, and Yak-42. He has taken 10,274 flights and spent total flight hours of 4072 during military service and 770 in commercial aviation.
Later Life
After leaving the military, Saydulla transitioned to civil aviation. From 2011 and 2013, he worked as a Yak 42 captain for Tulpar Air. He was initially based at Kazan but later relocated to Vnukovo Airport in Moscow.
In 2014, Saydulla became the Deputy Head of Gosavianadzor for the North Caucasian Federal District. Working from the Mineralnye Vody Airport, he remained in that position until late 2021. After that, he fully retired from all aviation work and moved back to Uzbekistan.
