Rwandan Air Force

Roundel of Rwanda

The Rwandan Air Force (French: Force aérienne rwandaise) is an air branch of the Rwandan Defence Forces.

History

After achieving independence in 1962, the air arm was formed with Belgian help. By 1972 the first modern equipment started to arrive in the form of seven Alouette IIIs. Other deliveries included SA 342L Gazelles, Britten-Norman Islanders, Nord Noratlas, SOCATA Guerrier armed light planes and AS 350B Ecureuils. After fighting began between the RPA and the government in 1990 most aircraft were shot down, destroyed on the ground or crashed. Few survived.

Current inventory

Flight International's World Air Forces 2017 states the Rwandan Air Force has twelve Mil Mi-8/17 helicopters, five Mil Mi-24 and four Aerospatiale Gazelle SA.342.

Type Manufacturer Origin Class Role In service[1] Notes
Mi-24 Mil Soviet Union Helicopter 5
Mi-8/17 Mil Soviet Union Helicopter 12 During December 2012 an aviation unit of three helicopters was sent to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).[2] The Rwandan Aviation Unit was subsequently increased to six helicopters - reportedly Mi-17.[3]
SA.342 Gazelle Aerospatiale France Helicopter 4

References

  1. ↑ "World Air Forces 2017". Flightglobal: 14. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  2. ↑ 'Rwanda deploys Aviation Units in UN Mission in South Sudan', RDF website, 27 December 2012, viewed 13 February 2013.
  3. ↑ 'Female Rwandese pilots deployed with UNMISS', RDF website reprinted from UNMISS News Issue 4, 16 April 2015, viewed 20 April 2015.

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/rwanda/air-force.htm

https://www.rwandan-flyer.com/rwanda-air-force-guide-2014

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.