| South Sudan Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 24 June 2008; 17 years ago (2008-06-24) |
| Country |  South Sudan |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 19 aircraft |
| Part of | South Sudan People's Defence Forces |
| Headquarters | Juba Air Base |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | PresidentSalva Kiir Mayardit |
| Commander of the Air Force | Charles Lam Chol (since June 2017)[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Fin flash |  |
| Roundel |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Mi-35 |
| Trainer | L-39 Albatross |
| Transport | Beech 1900,Mi-172,Mi-17V-5 |
TheSouth Sudan Air Force (SSAF), also previously known as theSudan People's Air Force orSudan People's Liberation Air Force, is theair force of theSouth Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) ofSouth Sudan. The headquarters are located inJuba Air Base,Juba.
On 24 June 2008, the South Sudan Air Force was formally created by the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, although it didn't have any aircraft at that time. The U.S. Air Force Special Operations School announced in July 2009 that Sudan participated in the Building Partner Aviation Capacity Course.[2] In May 2010, Major General Kuol Dim Kuol of the Sudan People's Liberation Army said: "SPLA has formed a nucleus air force and navy. Our pilots and engineers have been trained, and local support and administrative units will follow suit."[2]
On 8 August 2010, the South Sudanese government impounded aMi-8,Mi-17 variant fromSudanAir as an effort to stop smuggling of weapons in the South, a few days before delivery of the first SSAF Mi-17s.
British magazineJane's Defence Weekly said in September 2010 that "Bloomberg News had reported earlier that the fleet consisted of nineMi-17V-5 transport helicopters and oneMi-172 variant, purchased for a total US$75 million from Russia'sKazan Helicopters, in a contract negotiated in May 2007 for deliveries set to begin in March 2010."[3] The deal was reported to be worth US$75 million; deliveries of the first eight aircraft had taken place by December 2010, with the helicopters delivered toJuba Airport inAntonov An-124 transports, with the remaining two aircraft were delivered in January 2011.[4] Nine of the helicopters were Mi-17V-5s configured for transport, with the remaining aircraft being a Mi-172 configured for VIP transport.[4]
On 11 January 2011, PresidentSalva Kiir launched the region's air force as the South Sudan Air Force in the presence of senior officials of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) and foreign diplomats. TheSPLA purchased its first batch of 10Mil Mi-17helicopters fromKazan, a Russian supplier, and ordered unarmed aircraft for transport purposes.[5]
On 13 September 2014, six air force military officers and engineers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) loyal to South Sudanese president Salva Kiir Mayardit have joined the rebels orSPLM-IO, saying their decision to join the SPLM/A-in Opposition is a result of lack of diversity in the army of training opportunities and poor promotion policy.[6] The deserted SPLA personnel also said that the government of South Sudan used the air force to transport militias and SPLA regular soldiers who participated in the killing of innocent civilians in Juba.
On 25 November 2015, the South Sudanese government launched an aerial campaign on rebel positions in a SPLA-IO's designated area inMundri County ofWestern Equatoria State. It was said that the South Sudan Air Force unleashed helicopter gunships and attacked the designated cantonment area of the rebels.[7] The action was a violation of the ceasefire deal and the security arrangements signed by the two parties (GRSS and SPLA-IO).
The air force is divided into 2 wings.
It is difficult to ascertain a list and number of aircraft types operated by the air force of South Sudan because of secrecy.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | ||||||
| Boeing 727 | United States | Transport | 1[8] | |||
| An-26 | Ukraine | Transport | 2[8] | |||
| L410 | Czech Republic | Utility aircraft | 2[8] | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| AW109 | Italy | Utility | 2[8] | |||
| Mil Mi-17 | Russia | Utility /VIP transport | Mi-172 / Mi-17V-5 | 7[8] | 1 configured for VIP transport | |
| Mil Mi-24 | Russia | Attack | Mi-35 | 6[8] | ||
The first aircraft was received in February 2010, and the first helicopters from an initial order of ten were received in December 2010.
Headquarters –Juba Air Base.
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