The Gabonese Air Force (French: Armée de l'air Gabonaise) is the official aerial warfare branch of the Armed Forces of Gabon.
History
In the early 1960s, following the country's independence from the French Republic, aerial detachments were inside the country, with the first official aerial installation being the Mouila Training Center which was established in 1966 in the south-west of the country. On January 25, 1972, by presidential decree signed by President Omar Bongo, the Gabonese Air Force became an official branch of the armed forces, separate from the army. In January 1980, at the initiative of President Bongo, the Air Force developed and adopted a combat structure, acquiring a fleet of fighters, and creating the Mvengue Air Base in the capital.[1][2]
Order of battle
- Fighter Squadron 1-02 Leyou at BA02 Franceville with:
- Heavy Transport Squadron at BA01 Libreville with:
- Ministerial Air Liaison Group (Groupe de Liaison Aérien Ministériel or GLAM) at BA01 Libreville with:
Current inventory
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Aircraft | ||||||
| Mirage F1 | France | fighter | 6[3] | |||
| Transport | ||||||
| ATR 42 | France | VIP transport | 1[4] | |||
| CASA CN-235 | Spain / Indonesia | transport | 1[3] | |||
| EADS CASA C-295 | transport | W | 1[5] | |||
| C-130 Hercules | United States | transport | C-130H | 1[3] | ||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Alouette III | France | light utility | 2[3] | |||
| SA342 Gazelle | France | scout / attack | 3[3] | |||
| Eurocopter AS332 | France | transport | 1[3] | |||
| Aérospatiale SA 330 | France | transport / utility | 5[3] | |||
| Eurocopter EC135 | France | utility | 2[3] | |||
| Eurocopter EC120 | France | light utility | 2[3] | |||
Retired aircraft
Previous aircraft operated by the Air Force consisted of the CM.170 Magister, C-130H Hercules, Embraer EMB 110, Fokker F28, Aérospatiale N 262, Reims C.337, and the Alouette II helicopter.[6][7] The first fighters flown by the air force were Dassault Mirage 5Gs.[8]
References
- ^ "LE DETACHEMENT DE L 'ARMEE DE L' AIR AU GABON". Centerblog. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Gabon Air Force / L'Armee de l'air". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "World Air Forces 2023". Flightglobal Insight. 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- ^ "ATR42 Gabon TR-KJD". airport-data.com flightglobal.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ "Gabonese C295 arrives home". defenseWeb. 2023-09-06. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
- ^ "World Air Forces 1987 pg. 56". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ "World Military Helicopter Markey 1971 pg. 577". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ Ristor, p. 7