Summary
The Malagasy Air Force (French: Armée de l'air malgache) is the aerial warfare branch of the Madagascar People's Armed Forces.
| Malagasy Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Tafika Anabakabaka Malagasy Armée de l'air malgache | |
 | |
| Active | 1960–present |
| Country |  Madagascar |
| Type | Air force |
| Part of | Madagascar People's Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Antananarivo |
History edit
The Malagasy Air Force was founded in 1960 with mainly former French aircraft such as Douglas DC-3s, Max Holste MH.1521 Broussards and Dassault 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 four MiG-17F fighters from North Korea in 1979. The first Mil Mi-8s were delivered in 1976, and two Antonov An-26s followed in 1980.[3] Several Alouette IIIs were also received in the early 1980s.[1] At an unknown time in the 1980s, the Malagasy Air Force received 10 MiG-21bis fighters 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-Belgian Alouette IIs. For over a decade the only aircraft operational were Alouette IIs, CASA C-212s and some old light aircraft, as the last An-26 had been retired around 2009. In 2019 the Malagasy Air Force acquired a CASA/IPTN CN-235 to 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 new CASA/IPTN CN-235 provides transport together with the helicopter fleet. Basic training is provided by a small fleet of Cessna 206s from South Africa. A Boeing 737 provides 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
- ^ a b c "African Aerospace - Aircraft boost for Madagascar". www.africanaerospace.aero. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
- ^ Cooper et al. 2011, p. 33
- ^ Cooper et al. 2011, p. 34
- ^ Cooper et al. 2011, p. 36
- ^ a b Allport, Dave (2019-08-15). "Significant expansion for Malagasy Air Force". Key Publishing. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ a b "World Air Forces 2022". Flightglobal. 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ Martin, Guy (September 2019). "Madagascar's military receives more aircraft". Air International. Vol. 97, no. 3. p. 9. ISSN 0306-5634.
Bibliography edit
- Cooper, Tom; Weinert, Peter; Hinz, Fabian; Lepko, Mark (2011). African MiGs, Volume 2: Madagascar to Zimbabwe. Houston: Harpia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9825539-8-5.