Uganda Air Force
Uganda People's Defence Force Air Forces | |
---|---|
Founded | 1964 (Uganda's first air force) 2005 (current air force) |
Country | Uganda |
Type | Air force |
Role | Aerial warfare |
Size | 1200 personnel [1] |
Part of | Uganda People's Defence Force |
Headquarters | Entebbe |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
L-39 Albatross, SF.260 | |
Transport | Cessna 208 Caravan |
Uganda People's Defence Force Air Force, more commonly known as Ugandan Air Force, is the branch of the Uganda People's Defence Force that deals with the air warfare. Its headquarters is located at Entebbe, Uganda. The current air force commander is Charles Lutaaya,[2] while Emmanuel Kwihangana serves as chief of air staff.[3]
History
Uganda Army Air Force
The Ugandan Air Force traces its history to 1964, when the country's first air force was established with
Much of the UAAF was destroyed in
By late 1978, the UAAF was commanded by
Air forces from 1979
After
The Bush War was won by the rebel National Resistance Movement (NRM) in 1986, resulting in the organization of yet another national military. The NRM government began rebuilding the air force, but the "Ugandan People's Defence Air Force" remained extremely small until the 1990s, counting just 100 personnel by 1994.[19]
Modern air force
The modern air force, in its current form, was established in 2005 by the Defence forces Act, section (3) sub- section (2) with mission of the country's comprehensive Defence policy mainly in the threat analysis despite being a landlocked country.[20] It was formed as a statutory institute and service in the arms of the Uganda Defence Forces.[21]
In 2011, Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile, the central bank governor, caused large volatility in the Ugandan shilling when he told the Financial Times that President Museveni had ignored technical advice against using Uganda's small foreign exchange reserves to buy new Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft.[22]
In June 2022, Uganda took delivery of at least three Mi-28N Havoc attack helicopters from Russia.[23]
Mission of the UPDF Air Force
The UPDF Air Force's mission is to defend the country's air space, and provide support to the army's operations. Other missions include:[4][24]
- Participation in regional peace missions
- Provision of support to the army
- Building of a standard well-trained officer and enlisted corps capable of adequately contributing to the fulfillment of the Uganda Air Force's mission
- To remain Uganda's strategic defence power by deterring potential threats and establishing superiority in combat
Base and training facilities
The Ugandan Air Force has their training facilities located at Gulu Air Base including the equipment and additional trainer aircraft all located at Gulu, it also has it training center located there established since 2011, a five-year training programs.[25] The Gulu airport is controlled by the Air wing of the Uganda People Defence Forces.[26] The Gulu airport is at Gulu District.
Air base upgrading
As of 14 November 2019, the President of Uganda has set up a committee to upgrade the Gulu Airport to international standards; the construction will determine the features and installations of the aircraft hangars, access routes, vehicles water treatment systems, ground markings, parking areas for both aircraft and control towers, according to the President.[27][28]
As of 28 March to 31 March 2020, six training combat aircraft were upgraded by the Ukraine's state owned defence conglomerate
During the passing out ceremony of the 2020 graduation set in Gulu airport, the President of Uganda had promised to start the construction of 30,000 housing units countrywide to solve the UPDF housing shortage in the country.[27]
Service contract
In March 2022, the UPDF Air Force signed a
Other affiliation
The UPDAF commended the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act signed by President Barack Obama, leading to cooperation between the Ugandan People Defence Force, Ugandan People's Defence Air Force, and Air Forces Africa for establishing good partnerships and military engagement.[31] In 2018 the UPDAF promoted 107 soldiers to commissioned and higher ranks.[32]
Air force commanders
Uganda Army Air Force
- Wilson Toko (died 1973)[33]
- Smuts Guweddeko (1973–1974)[33]
- Zeddy Maruru (1974–1975)[33]
- Idi Amin (1975 – ?)[33]
- Godwin Sule (acting, c. 1976)[34]
- Christopher Gore (1978[35] – 1979)[10]
- Andrew Mukooza (1979)[36]
UNLA air wing
- Peter Oringi (1982 – ?)[18]
UPDF Air Force
- Samuel Turyagyenda (2013[37] – 2017[2])
- Charles Lutaaya (2017[2] – present)
Inventory
Current inventory
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat aircraft | ||||||
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 | Soviet Union | fighter | 5[38] | |||
Sukhoi Su-30 | Russia | multirole | 6[38] | 6 aircraft ordered. One destroyed in 2020.[39] | ||
Transport | ||||||
Cessna 208 Caravan | United States | utility | 2[38] | |||
Helicopters
| ||||||
Bell UH-1 Iroquois | United States | utility | UH-1H
|
5[38] | ||
Bell 206 JetRanger | United States | utility | 5[38] | |||
Mil Mi-17 | Russia | utility | 10[38] | |||
Mil Mi-24 | Soviet Union | attack | 6[38] | |||
Mil Mi-28 | Russia | attack | 2[40][38] | 1 unit crashed in 2024.[41] | ||
Trainer Aircraft
| ||||||
Aero L-39 Albatros | Czechoslovakia | jet trainer | L-39ZA
|
12[38] | ||
SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 | Italy | trainer | 4[38] |
References
Citations
- ^ "Uganda People's Defence Force". defenceWeb. 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ a b c Nakiyimba, Gloria (11 January 2017). "President Museveni reshuffles top military posts in Uganda, promoting Son to Senior Advisor". Tuck Magazine. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
- ^ "Air force gets new Chief of Staff". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ a b "Ministry Of Defense and Veteran Affairs". www.defence.go.ug. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, pp. 8–10.
- ^ Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, pp. 10–18.
- ^ a b Brzoska & Pearson 1994, p. 203.
- ^ "1976: Israelis rescue Entebbe hostages". BBC News. British Broadcasting Company. 4 July 1976. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
- ^ Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, p. 22.
- ^ a b Avirgan & Honey 1983, p. 50.
- ^ Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, p. 18.
- ^ Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, p. 19.
- ^ a b Seftel 2010, p. 227.
- ^ Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, p. 32, 36.
- ^ Honey, Martha (14 April 1979). "The Fall of Idi Amin: Man on the Run". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
- ^ Avirgan & Honey 1983, p. 123.
- ^ Cooper 2004, p. 142.
- ^ a b Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, p. 42.
- ^ Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, p. 52.
- ^ "Uganda Air Force". www.globalsecurity.org.
- ^ "Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces – The Mighty UPDF". Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ Butagira, Tabu; Ssebuyira, Martin (13 July 2011). "New Russian-built jet fighters arrive". The Monitor. Kampala. Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
- ^ "Uganda acquiring Mi-28N Havoc attack helicopter from Russia * Military Africa". Military Africa. 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
- ^ "Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces - The Mighty UPDF". Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ "Ugandan Air Force graduates new pilots". defenceWeb. 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ Independent, The (2019-11-06). "UPDF passes out 18 combat aircraftc pilots in Gulu". The Independent Uganda. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ a b By, Admin (21 November 2020). "Museveni passes jet fighter pilot". www.newvision.co.ug. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ "Uganda to upgrade Gulu airport to meet international standards". Construction Review Online. 2019-11-14. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ "Ukrainians wrap up Ugandan aircraft upgrade". Janes.com. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
- ^ Kenneth Kazibwe (4 March 2022). "India signs deal to maintain Uganda's fighter jets". Nile Post Uganda. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "17th Air Force engages with Ugandan Air Force leaders". U.S. Air Forces in Europe & Air Forces Africa. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ "100 air force soldiers promoted". www.newvision.co.ug. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ a b c d Muhumuza, Rodney (15 July 2007). "What I Know: Former Air Force Commander Tells His Life Under Amin". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ "Magembe book tells how Amin was declared 'Life President of Uganda'". The Observer. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "Lt Col Gore appointed air force base commandant". Translations on Sub-Saharan Africa. No. 1863. United States Joint Publications Research Service. 1977.
- ^ Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, p. 36.
- ^ Kakaire, Sulaiman (29 May 2013). "New Army Big Wigs: Who Are They?". The Observer (Uganda). Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Embraer, In association with. "2024 World Air Forces directory". Flight Global. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "India to repair Uganda's Su-30 fighter jets - AeroTime". 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ "Uganda acquiring Mi-28N Havoc attack helicopter from Russia * Military Africa". Military Africa. 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
- ^ "Uganda loses new Mi-28N attack helicopter in fatal crash". 3 January 2024.
Works cited
- Avirgan, Tony; Honey, Martha (1983). War in Uganda: The Legacy of Idi Amin. Dar es Salaam: Tanzania Publishing House. ISBN 978-9976-1-0056-3.
- Brzoska, Michael; Pearson, Frederic S. (1994). Arms and Warfare: Escalation, De-escalation, and Negotiation. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 9780872499829.
- Cooper, Tom (2004). African MiGs : MiGs and Sukhois in Service in Sub Saharan Africa. Wien: SHI Publications. ISBN 978-3-200-00088-9.
- Cooper, Tom; Fontanellaz, Adrien (2015). Wars and Insurgencies of Uganda 1971–1994. ISBN 978-1-910294-55-0.
- Seftel, Adam, ed. (2010) [1st pub. 1994]. Uganda: The Bloodstained Pearl of Africa and Its Struggle for Peace. From the Pages of Drum. Kampala: Fountain Publishers. ISBN 978-9970-02-036-2.