| Congolese Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Force Aérienne Congolaise | |
 Congolese Air Force roundel | |
| Founded | 29 July 1959; 66 years ago (1959-07-29) |
| Country |  Republic of the Congo |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Part of | Congolese Armed Forces |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Mirage F1 |
| Helicopter | Mil Mi-35,Mil Mi-17 |
| Transport | An-32,CN235Ilyushin Il-76 |
TheCongolese Air Force (French:Force Aérienne Congolaise) is the air branch of theArmed Forces of the Republic of the Congo, in theRepublic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).
After achieving independence fromFrance in 1960, theCongolese air force (Force Aerienne Congolaise) was started with equipment such as theDouglas C-47s,Broussards andBell 47Gs, these were followed byNord Noratlas tactical transports andSud Alouette helicopter. In the 1970s the air force switched to Soviet equipment. This included fiveIlyushin Il-14 and six turbopropAntonov An-24 transports and anAn-26 in return for providing bases forCubanMiG-17 operations overAngola. These fighters and a fewMiG-15UTI combat trainers were transferred to the FAC. In 1990 these fighters were replaced by 16USSR suppliedMiG-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 After the Soviets left there was only limited funding for MiG operations and they were withdrawn. SixMi-8 helicopters were delivered fromUkraine in mid-1997 before the Cobra rebel takeover.
A small, but adequate budget and personnel. Financial aid also came from the former USSR and some personnel were either Soviets or Cubans.
Its role was as aCommunist bastion in centralAfrica and to counter the politically unstable,[1] pro-Western regime inZaire[1] (the then former name of theDRC). 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 fromFrance and Zaire's independence fromBelgium.
It was organised into fighter, counterinsurgency, transport and support wings.
France,China and theSoviet 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 | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat aircraft | |||||
| Mirage F1 | France | Fighter | 2[2] | ||
| Transport | |||||
| Antonov An-32 | Ukraine | Transport | 2[2] | ||
| CASA CN-235 | Spain | Transport /Utility | 1[2] | ||
| Ilyushin Il-76 | Russia | Transport | 1[2] | ||
| Helicopters | |||||
| Mil Mi-8 | Russia | Transport /Utility | Mi-8/17 | 6[2] | |
| Mil Mi-24 | Russia | Attack | Mi-35 | 1[2] | |
Previous aircraft operated by the Air Force consisted of theMiG-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 theMiG-15UTI.[3][4]
France,China andUkraine 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]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook (2003 ed.).CIA.