Malagasy Air Force
| Malagasy Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Tafika Anabakabaka Malagasy Armée de l'air malgache | |
 | |
| Active | 1960–present |
| Country |  Madagascar |
| Type | Air force |
| Size | 14 aircraft |
| Part of | Madagascar People's Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Antananarivo |
TheMalagasy Air Force(French:Armée de l'air malgache) is the aerial warfare branch of theMadagascar People's Armed Forces.
History
[edit]The Malagasy Air Force was founded in 1960 with mainly former French aircraft such asDouglas DC-3s,Max Holste MH.1521 BroussardsandDassault MD 312s.[1]As of 1970, the air force had 400 personnel on strength, and operated 10 transport aircraft, 11 liaison aircraft, three trainer aircraft and 10 helicopters.[2]The Malagasy Air Force received fourMiG-17F fighters from North Korea in 1979. The firstMil Mi-8swere delivered in 1976, and twoAntonov An-26sfollowed in 1980.[3]SeveralAlouette IIIswere also received in the early 1980s.[1]At an unknown time in the 1980s, the Malagasy Air Force received 10MiG-21bisfighters and two MiG-21UM trainers. MiG-21s are confirmed to have been operational between 1990 and 2001. They flew little, and all of them were eventually put into storage.[4]
In 2009 the Malagasy Air Force acquired four ex-BelgianAlouette IIs.For over a decade the only aircraft operational were Alouette IIs,CASA C-212sand some old light aircraft, as the last An-26 had been retired around 2009. In 2019 the Malagasy Air Force acquired aCASA/IPTN CN-235to help replace some of its ageing equipment.[1]
Organisation
[edit]The Malagasy Air Force operates out of bases at Antalah, Antsohihy, Arivoniamamo, Diego Suarez, Fianarantsoa, Fort Dauphin, Majunga, Nosy-Be, Tamatave, and Tulear. The newCASA/IPTN CN-235provides transport together with the helicopter fleet. Basic training is provided by a small fleet ofCessna 206sfrom South Africa. ABoeing 737provides VIP transport.
Fleet
[edit]Current fleet
[edit]
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | |||||
| CASA/IPTN CN-235 | Spain/Indonesia | Transport | 1[5] | ||
| CASA C-212 | Spain | Transport | 1[citation needed] | ||
| Boeing 737 | United States | VIP | 1[citation needed] | ||
| Trainer | |||||
| Cessna 206 | United States | General trainer | 5[5] | Delivered Via South Africa | |
| Helicopters | |||||
| Aérospatiale Alouette II | France | Multi-purpose helicopter | 2[6] | ||
| Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil | France | Multi-purpose helicopter | 3[6] | ||
| MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 | Germany/Japan | Multi-purpose helicopter | 1[7] | ||
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^abc"African Aerospace - Aircraft boost for Madagascar".www.africanaerospace.aero.Retrieved2021-03-25.
- ^Cooper et al. 2011,p. 33
- ^Cooper et al. 2011,p. 34
- ^Cooper et al. 2011,p. 36
- ^abAllport, Dave (2019-08-15)."Significant expansion for Malagasy Air Force".Key Publishing.Retrieved2023-06-06.
- ^ab"World Air Forces 2022".Flightglobal. 2022.Retrieved29 December2021.
- ^Martin, Guy (September 2019). "Madagascar's military receives more aircraft".Air International.Vol. 97, no. 3. p. 9.ISSN0306-5634.
Bibliography
[edit]- Cooper, Tom; Weinert, Peter; Hinz, Fabian; Lepko, Mark (2011).African MiGs, Volume 2: Madagascar to Zimbabwe.Houston: Harpia Publishing.ISBN978-0-9825539-8-5.