The Guinea-Bissau Air Force (Portuguese: Força Aérea da Guiné-Bissau) is the air force arm of the military of Guinea-Bissau.
| Guinea-Bissau Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Força Aérea da Guiné-Bissau | |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Country |  Guinea-Bissau |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Part of | Revolutionary Armed Forces of the People |
| Headquarters | Bissau |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Transport | Cessna 208[1] |
History
editOn leaving Bissalanca by 1973–74, the Portuguese Air Force left three North American T-6Gs,[2] nine C-47 Skytrains, two Dornier Do 27s, and two Aérospatiale Alouette IIIs.[3] After achieving independence from Portugal, the air force was formed by officers returning from training in Cuba and the USSR. The FAGB was re-equipped with eight or ten MiG-17Fs and two MiG-15UTIs supplied by East Germany and the Soviet Union.[3]
In 1978 France provided more aircraft aid in the form of a Reims-Cessna FTB.337 for coastal patrol and a surplus Alouette II.[3] A Dassault Falcon 20F was donated by the Angolan government but was soon sold to the USA.[citation needed] In 1978, the Soviet Union provided a Mil Mi-8T helicopter as aid. In 1986, the Soviets delivered seven MiG-21bis fighters and MiG-21UM trainer aircraft.[3]
The force's title was changed to Força Aérea da Guiné-Bissau (FAGB) after the outbreak of the civil war in 1998.[2] Cooper and Weinert state 'when sighted for the last time in...1991, most of the [MiG] fleet was in 'storage' inside several hangars on the military side of Bissalanca IAP (Osvaldo Vieira International Airport), and in a deteriorating condition.'[4]
By 2011, Guinea-Bissau had two 'probably' non-operational MiG-17s and a MiG-15UTI, while its MiG-21s and fixed-wing transport aircraft were withdrawn from service, leaving only an Aérospatiale Alouette II and a couple of Alouette IIIs for liaison.[5][6][7]
Aircraft
edit
Current inventory
editThe Air Force has only a Cessna 208B as of 2023.[1]
Former inventory: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, Aérospatiale Alouette II, Aérospatiale Alouette III, Dassault Falcon 20, Dornier Do 27, North American T-6 Texan, Reims-Cessna FTB.337, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, Antonov An-24, Mil Mi-8.[8][9]
References
edit- ^ a b International Institute for Strategic Studies (February 2023). The Military Balance 2023. Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Incorporated. pp. 457–458. ISBN 978-1-032-50895-5. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ a b Cooper & Weinert 2010, p. 207.
- ^ a b c d "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ Cooper & Weinert 2010, p. 210.
- ^ World Air Forces 2011/2012 (PDF) (Report). FlightGlobal. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ Wragg, David (23 February 2011). The World Air Power Guide. Casemate Publishers. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-84468-784-8.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2011). The Military Balance 2011. Routledge. pp. 311–312. ISBN 978-1-85743-606-8.
- ^ "World Air Forces listing F-I". Flight Global. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ "World Air Forces 2004 pg. 62". Flightglobal Insight. 2004. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
Bibliography
edit- Cooper, Tom; Weinert, Peter (2010). African MiGs: Angola to Ivory Coast. Harpia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9825339-5-6.