Congolese Air Force

Congolese Air Force
Congolese Air Force
Force Aérienne Congolaise
	CN235

The Congolese Air Force (French: Force Aérienne Congolaise) is the air branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo, in the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).

Former Cold War air force

After achieving independence from

USSR supplied MiG-21MF/bis Fishbeds plus a couple of MiG-21US trainers. Together with a Soviet training mission which stayed until late 1991, during that time there were numerous accidents that involved both Soviet and Congolese personnel. After the Soviets left there was only limited funding for MiG operations and they were withdrawn. Six Mi-8 helicopters were delivered from Ukraine

in mid-1997 before the Cobra rebel takeover.

Former personnel and budget

A small, but adequate budget and personnel. Financial aid also came from the former USSR and some personnel were either Soviets or Cubans.

Political and combat role

Its role was as a

Communist bastion in central Africa and to counter the politically unstable,^[1] pro-Western regime in Zaire^[1] (the then former name of the DRC). Its role is now one of countering cross-border smuggling operations, intermittent counterinsurgency actions in the northern provinces and successfully containing the crisis in the DRC along its border. Its first batch of aircraft, the MiG-15s and some of the MiG-17s, arrived in the early 1960s just after the Congo's independence from France and Zaire's independence from Belgium

.

It was organised into fighter, counterinsurgency, transport and support wings.

Arms suppliers and personnel training

France, China and the Soviet Union supplied arms and aircraft. The Soviets and Cubans trained the air force as a whole, but France also trained some of its officers.^{[citation needed]}

Aircraft

Current inventory

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Variant	In service
Combat Aircraft
Mirage F1	France	fighter		2^[2]
Transport
CASA CN-235	Spain	utility / transport		1^[2]
Antonov An-32	Ukraine	transport		2^[2]
Helicopters
Mil Mi-8	Russia	utility / transport	Mi-8/17	6^[2]
Mil Mi-24	Russia	attack	Mi-35	1^[2]

Retired aircraft

Previous aircraft operated by the Air Force consisted of the MiG-21, MiG-17F, C-47 Dakota, SN.601 Corvette, N.2501F Noratlas, Ilyushin Il-14, Antonov An-24, Antonov An-26, Alouette II, Alouette III, AS365 Dauphin, and the MiG-15UTI.^[3]^[4]

Arms suppliers and personnel training

France, China and Ukraine supplied the arms and aircraft. France and China also trained the air force as a whole, but France has also trained most of its air force officers.^{[citation needed]}