Malian Air Force

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(Redirected from
Armée de l'Air du Mali
)
Malian Air Force
Armée de l'air du Mali
Malian Armed Forces emblem
Founded1961; 63 years ago (1961)
Country Mali
TypeAir force
RoleAerial warfare
Part ofMalian Armed Forces
Engagements
Commanders
Chief of Air StaffGeneral Alou Boi Diarra
C-295, Y-12

The Mali Air Force (French: Armée de l'air du Mali), established in 1961, serves as the primary aerial warfare branch of Mali's armed forces.[3] The force was initially created with the assistance of the French military, which provided training and equipment to establish the air force's initial capabilities.[4] In the following years, the Mali Air Force received significant support from the Soviet Union, which provided both equipment and training to the force.[5]

History

The Mali Air Force (

Antonov AN-2 Colt biplane transports and four Mi-4 light helicopters.[6]

In the mid-1960s the Soviets delivered five

Bamako–Sénou initially with Soviet pilots. Two Ilyushin Il-14 transports and a Mil Mi-8 helicopter were delivered in 1971 followed by two Antonov An-24
transports.

In 1974, 12 MiG-21Bis were obtained from the

Bamako–Sénou International, with the aim of refurbishing the MiG-21s, but the project was abandoned. Other jets withdrawn from service were six L-29 Delfins, which were used for training.[7]

In June 2015 the Malian government ordered

Super Tucano light attack aircraft from the Brazilian company Embraer.[8] Four were paid for and were delivered in 2018.[9] One of these crashed in Sévaré two years later, killing both pilots.[10]

In December 2020, the

Mi-171 helicopters. They were delivered by Russia on 30 September 2021.[11]

In September 2023, the Malian government has lost their last

Su-25 due to a crash caused by missile launched by Azawad rebels. However the pilot safely ejected.[12]

Equipment

Aircraft Origin In service Type Variant Notes
Combat aircraft
Aero L-39 Albatros Czech Republic 12 Attack / Jet trainer L-39C [13]
MiG-21
Soviet Union 9 Fighter [13]
Reconnaissance aircraft
Cessna 208
United States 1 Reconnaissance [13]
Transport
Antonov An-26 Soviet Union 1 Transport [13]
Basler BT-67 United States 1 Utility [13]
CASA C-295
Spain 2 Transport [13]
Harbin Y-12 China 2 Utility [13]
Helicopters
Airbus Helicopters H215
France 2 Utility H215M [13]
Mil Mi-8 Russia 1 Utility [13]
Mil Mi-17 Russia 4 Utility Mi-171Sh [14]
Mil Mi-24 Russia 7 Attack Mi-24D
Mi-35M
1 on order.[13]
Trainer aircraft
Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano Brazil 3 Trainer [13]
SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 Italy 1 Trainer [13]
Unmanned aerial vehicle
Bayraktar TB2 Turkey 6 UCAV [15]

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of

commissioned officers
.

Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet
 Malian Air Force[16]
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel-major Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
 Malian Air Force[16]
Major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef
Caporal
Soldat de première classe Soldat

References

  1. ^ "Участники встречи с Президентом переходного периода Республики Мали А.Гойтой".
  2. ^ https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1645
  3. ^ "Mali Air Force". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  4. ^ "French Air Force (2023)". www.wdmma.org. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  5. ^ "Here's what we know about the military aircraft delivered to Mali Air Force - AeroTime". 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  6. ^ World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing, London. Files 337, Sheet 04.
  7. ^ Sands, Glenn (February 2018). "Mali's Air Force". Air Forces Monthly (359): 84–86.
  8. Flightglobal. Archived
    from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  9. ^ Secretdefense.org, "Mali : les nouveaux avions de chasse d’IBK seraient inutilisables (Exclusif)", https://www.secret-defense.org/16/07/2018/ibk-mali-avions-scandale//
  10. ^ Aviation Safety Network, April 7, 2020, https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/234839
  11. ^ "Mali receives 4 helicopters, weapons from Russia: Defense Minister". Devdiscourse. ANI — Sputnik. 1 October 2021.
  12. ^ Abdul, Kazim (September 11, 2023). "Last remaining Malian air force Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft crash". Archived from the original on October 3, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Hoyle, Craig (December 2023). World Air Forces 2024. FlightGlobal (Report). London: Flight Global Insight. p. 24. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  14. .
  15. ^ "Mali receives more TB2, L-39 aircraft". Janes.com. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  16. ^ a b "2011 - Plaquette sur les insignes et blasons des Forces Armées du Mali" (in French). 23 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2020.