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Air Force of Zimbabwe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromZimbabwe Air Force)
Air warfare branch of Zimbabwe's military

Air Force of Zimbabwe
Founded1980; 45 years ago (1980)
Country Zimbabwe
TypeAir force
RoleAerial warfare
Size5,000 personnel (1999)
90 aircraft(2024)[1]
Part ofZimbabwe Defence Forces
Motto(s)Latin:Alæ Præsidio Patriæ
"Our wings are the fortress of the nation"
Engagements
Commanders
Chief of the Air ForceAir MarshalElson Moyo[2]
Notable
commanders
Air Chief MarshalAzim Daudpota
Air Chief MarshalJosiah Tungamirai
Insignia
Roundel
Fin flash
Aircraft flown
FighterChengdu J-7,MiG-23
Attack helicopterMi-35P
Multirole helicopterMil Mi-17,Mi-24
ReconnaissanceCessna Skymaster
TrainerAermacchi F-260,Nanchang K-8,BAE Hawk
TransportIlyushin Il-76,Antonov An-12,CASA C212 Aviocar,Britten-Norman Islander,Bell 412
Military unit

TheAir Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) is theair force of theZimbabwe Defence Forces. It was known as theRhodesian Air Force until 1980. The Air Force of Zimbabwe saw service in theMozambican Civil War in 1985 and theSecond Congo War of 1998–2001.

History

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Formation and early days

[edit]

TheRhodesian Air Force (RhAF; previously known as the Royal Rhodesian Air Force), was reconstituted into the Air Force of Zimbabwe in 1980. The RhAF's mixed collection of aircraft were joined by other aircraft from 1981 onwards, supplied by Kenya, Britain, China and elsewhere.[citation needed]Support also came from thePakistan Air Force who trained most of the Zimbabwean pilots in the initial days, assisted in the re-construction ofThornhill Air Base, and providedAir MarshalAzim Daudpota to Zimbabwe as the Chief of Air Staff (1983–1986).[3][4]

In 1981, the Air Force of Zimbabwe ordered 8 eightHawk MK60s, which were delivered in July 1982. On the night of 25 July 1982 a sabotage attack onThornhill Airbase damaged four Hawks, nine Hunters and a single FTB-337G. One Hawk was written off, another was repaired on site and the other two were returned to BAE for a rebuild. A follow-up order for five additional Hawks was completed in September 1992.

The first supersonic interceptor operated by the air force was the Chinese-builtChengdu J-7/F7 Airguard, 12 of the II and IIN variants were delivered in 1986. TwoEurocopter AS532 Cougar helicopters were reported to be in use for VIP duties in 1997, delivered in April 1995 and September 1996. In April 2021 a newer (refurbished)Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma was added to the fleet.[5]

Second Congo War 1998–2003

[edit]

TheSecond Congo War, also known as "Coltan War" and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo (formerly called Zaire), and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; although hostilities are currently ongoing.Zimbabwe's well-trained military entered the war as the best-equipped side. In mid-August 1998, the AFZ deployed five or six F-7s, most of the C.212s, at least four Cessna 337G Lynxs, and a dozen or more helicopters, including Alouettes, Bell 412s and Mi-35s, to Congo. All aircraft were flown by Zimbabwean pilots. After receiving an urgent shipment of spare Hawks, the AFZ apparently deployed some of them as well. At the start of the war, the Hawks had been reported to be in unflyable condition. Due to these circumstances the AFZ contingent in the Congo in August and September 1998 consisted of flights from No.3, No.4, No.5, No.7 and No.8 Squadrons, while a flight from No.2 Squadron was to follow later.

The No.2 AFZSquadron deployed 12BAe Hawk T.Mk.60/60As, which were used as strike-fighters and equipped withAIM-9B Sidewinder AAMs,Mk.82-series bombs, andHunting BL.755 cluster-bomber units (CBUs), as well as launchers for unguided rockets. Only six or seven F-7s From No.5 squadron were fully mission-capable. Prior to the war in Congo, Zimbabwe was in the middle of negotiations with China for 12 additional F-7s.

For transport, the AFZ had the No.3 Squadron, flying 12CASA C-212 Aviocar and sixBritten-Norman BN-2A Islander light transports which had already seen heavy service, and were to see even more of this in Congo. Transport and liaison were also duties of the No.7 Squadron, equipped withAérospatiale SA 316B Alouette IIIs (including ex-Portuguese Air Force – and Romanian IAR-built examples), as well as of the No.8 Squadron, equipped withAgusta-Bell 412SPs which were later armed with rocket launchers for this war. However, the latter unit would soon play a significant role in the war in DRC, as it was only recently equipped with the newest addition to the AFZ: six Mi-35 helicopters (including two Mi-35Ps). The first AFZ Mi-35-crews were trained atThornhill AB, in Gweru, by Russian instructors. CO of this unit was Sqn. Ldr. Mukotekwa.

Thefirst noted AFZ operation took place on 26 August 1998, where they destroyed a 5 km armoured column of rebels as they were approachingKinshasa.[6] After defeating the invaders in Kinshasa, the Zimbabweans, in the belief that Kabila's government was already safe, suggested that there was no need to continue the war, and peace should be negotiated. This resulted in the reinforcement of rebel efforts as well as the Rwandans and Ugandans rushing better-equipped units into the battle. The garrisons in eastern Congo that remained loyal to Kabila fell to rebel attacks. The Ndigili airport, in Kibanseke Province, as well as Kitona, both held by Zimbabwean troops, were attacked simultaneously. In both cases, the AFZ responded with fierce air strikes. Rebels claimed that up to 100 civilians were killed by their bombs.

A series of fierce battles were fought between 4 and 13 September 1998, during which the Angolan mechanised forces were finally able to deploy their full firepower. TheChadian contingent was meanwhile deployed in NE Congo, where it participated in re-capture of Lubutu. The AFZ and FAC were active in this area for several days, flying a number of strikes during which cluster-bomb units (CBUs) were used. According to government reports, 45 rebels were killed and 19 captured in this battle.

On 13 September, when the Angolans attacked towards Kamina, the Zimbabweans found themselves under fierce attacks by thousands of rebels in the Manono area. It was in this area that the AFZ suffered its first documented loss of this war: on 4 September theAermacchi SF.260 flown by wing commander Sharaunga crashed in bad weather, killing the pilot. Nine days later an Alouette III helicopter carrying several high-ranking officers, including Col. Kufa and Sqn. Ldr. Vundla, was shot down by rebels in eastern central Congo. Kufa and Vundla were killed, while Flt. Sgt. Sande was captured byRCD.

In late October 1998, the Zimbabweans launched an offensive in SE Congo. The offensive was made possible owing to the deployment of additional foreign troops in Congo, including some 2,000 Namibians. This began with a series of air strikes, partially flown by BAe Hawk T.Mk.60s of the No.2 Squadron, newly deployed in Congo, and by F-7s of the No.5 Squadron. These units first targeted airfields in Gbadolite, Dongo and Gmena, and then rebel and Rwandan communications and depots in theKisangani area, on 21 November. On the following day the No.2 Squadron launched a strike package of six aircraft, armed with Mk.82 bombs andMatra 155 rocket launchers for unguided rockets calibre 68mm, which reached out far over central Congo. They deployed overLake Tanganyika and attacked ferries used to transportBurundi troops and supplies into the war in Congo. According to Zimbabwean reports their strike came as a complete surprise. With machine-guns and light infantry weapons as the only means of air defense, six ferries were sunk and 600Burundi andRwandan troops killed. In a similar attack, on 7 December 1998, Zimbabwean planes or helicopters sank two rebel boats on Lake Tanganyika some 40 km north of Moba.[7]

In November 1998, it was reported that a $54 million shipment of helicopters, fighters and spotter aircraft had arrived in Zimbabwe to assist in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is unclear who received the delivered weapons. There were only very few reports about the fighting in the next few days, probably because the Congolese, Zimbabwean and Angolan governments found themselves under heavy pressure from Western powers because of this offensive. The few reports released from sources close to the rebels indicated Zimbabwean and Congolese attacks on Nuyuzu, Kasinge and towards Manono, supported byT-62 tanks and heavy artillery. According to Zimbabwean reports the Hawks and F-7s continued their operations and made additional attacks against Kalemi on 24 November, and a new round of strikes against different airfields in eastern Congo two days late. After the attacks the pilots of No.5 Squadron claimed destruction of an unidentifiedAn-12 transport on the ground.[8]

When Congolese PresidentLaurent Kabila was assassinated in early 2001, the Zimbabwean Air Force deployed fiveChengdu J-7/F7 Airguard toKinshasa to participate in a fly-past at the state funeral. One of the five fighter planes crashed en route to the event and while four subsequently made the fly-past, two of the remaining aircraft also crashed during the return flight home. The crashes were blamed on low flying hours for pilots in the air force and insufficient training time.[9]

Current organizational structure

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The AFZ is subdivided into the Administration Wing, the Engineering Wing, the Flying Wing, and the Regimental Wing.[10] The Administration Wing supports equipment purchasing, recruitment, staff support, food supplies, and related functions. The Engineering Wing maintains and inspects aircraft and related equipment, and covers the School of Technical Training, a tertiary education institution responsible for training aircraft maintenance engineering technicians. The training institute is the only federation aviation school in Africa. The Flying Wing handles aircrew personnel divided into eight squadrons at three primary bases. It also covers the schools for flying and parachute training. The Regimental Wing covers those squadrons specially selected to guard other AFZ assets, such as personnel and installations.[10]and weapon activations.

Directorates found in the air force of Zimbabwe:

Aircraft

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Current inventory

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Ascertaining a list of aircraft types operated by the Air force of Zimbabwe is difficult because of secrecy. AFZ has been constantly linked toMikoyan MiG-29 since 1980 and even sent pilots to the then-USSR for training. In February 2002 theEU enforced an arms embargo on Zimbabwe in reaction to severe violations of human rights in the nation. Unable to buy spare parts for the British designed and manufacturedBAE Systems Hawk, in 2006 the air force received the firstK-8. The air force also hasMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 fighter jets donated by the lateMuammar Gaddafi. In the late 1980s an order forMiG-29s placed with Russia, but was cancelled in 1992.[11] Negotiations to buy 14 MiG-29SMTs from Russia were held again in 2004[12] but an order forJF-17 fighters was apparently placed instead. One BAE Systems Hawk was returned to service in 2019 for the AFZ 40th anniversary mass flypast and was noted in a flypast at the April 2022 Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.[13] Between 2022 and 2023, the AFZ was able to restore more of its BAE Systems Hawks to service; a spokesman for the defense forces declined to comment on the circumstances of their refurbishment.[14]

K-8 Karakorum Trainer at Ysterplaat Airshow,Cape Town.
A Mil Mi-8 on takeoff
AircraftOriginTypeVariantIn serviceNotes
Combat aircraft
Chengdu J-7ChinaMultiroleF-77[15]
MiG-23Soviet UnionMultirole3[15]
Transport
BN-2 IslanderUnited KingdomUtilityBN-2A5[15]
CASA C-212SpainTransport9[15]
Helicopters
Alouette IIIFranceUtility13[15]
Bell 412United StatesUtilityAB4128[15]
Mil Mi-17Soviet UnionUtilityMi-1721[15]
Mil Mi-24Soviet UnionAttackMi-356[15]
Trainer
Hongdu JL-8ChinaJet trainerK-89[15]
SIAI-Marchetti SF.260ItalyTrainer28[15]
BAE Systems HawkUnited KingdomAdvanced trainerUnknownRestored to service in 2022-23.[14]

Retired aircraft

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Previous notable aircraft operated by the Air Force consisted of theEnglish Electric Canberra,de Havilland Vampire,C-47 Dakota,Aermacchi AL-60,Reims 337 Lynx[16]

Rank structure

[edit]

The AFZ's rank structure is similar to theRAF's rank structure from where, via the Rhodesian Air Force, its ranks were derived.

Officers/Commissioned Ranks
Rank groupGeneral / flag officersSenior officersJunior officers
 Air Force of Zimbabwe[17]
Air chief marshalAir marshalAir vice-marshalAir commodoreGroup captainWing commanderSquadron leaderFlight lieutenantAir lieutenantAir sub-lieutenant
Airmen/Other ranks/Non Commissioned Ranks
Rank groupSenior NCOsJunior NCOsEnlisted
 Air Force of Zimbabwe[17]
No insignia
Warrant officer class 1Master technicianWarrant officer class 2Master sergeantFlight sergeantSergeantCorporalSenior aircraftmanLeading aircraftmanAircraftman

Aircraft losses

[edit]

Exact figures for the Air Force of Zimbabwe's aircraft losses have not been publicly published. It is believed four Hawks were lost, three F7s and several helicopters.

  • Michael Enslin, 21 years of age the time, was shot down in a BAe Hawk at 1000 feet while recovering from a dive. He survived for 5 days in the bush until he was rescued. He was the third pilot to be shot down.
  • SF.260MC flown by Wing Commander. Sharaunga crashed in bad weather, killing the pilot.
  • The Pilot Wing Commander became disorientated at night while on the way to take part in aflypast atLaurent Kabila's funeral, and the pilot ejected. He was found alive in the jungle by Zimbabwean troops five days later.

Incidents and accidents

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  • The Air Force suffered a major setback on 25 July 1982 when four of their eightBAE Hawks were damaged in a sabotage attack a few days after their arrival atThornhill Air Base. Plane 602 was written off, plane 601 was kept in Zimbabwe for repairs, whilst planes 600 and 603 were shipped back to British aerospace for repairs to airworthy status[citation needed]
  • 22 July 1985, aUFO was witnessed by dozens of persons on the ground and in the control tower at Bulawayo Airport nowJoshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport. The air traffic controllers watched it hover and tracked it on radar and twoBAE Systems Hawk jets were scrambled to pursue it and the pilots described it as incredibly shiny, reflecting the colours of the sunset they estimated that the UFO was travelling at twice the speed of sound[citation needed]
  • More than 20 airspace intrusions were reported in the first nine days of October 1992. The violations appeared to be in the vicinity ofThornhill Air Base and the violators are believed to beSouth African transport planes on their way toAngola.[citation needed]
  • February 1995, a Chengdu F-7 crashed nearLalapanzi after encountering some engine problems. Fight Lieutenant Zisengwe died in the plane crash[citation needed]
  • 21/22 January 2001, an unnamedWing Commander flying aChengdu F7 became disoriented at night while on the way to take part in a flypast at Laurent Kabila's funeral. He ejected and was found alive in the jungle by Zimbabwean troops five days later.[citation needed]
  • In 2005, aCASA C212-200 Aviocar military transport plane came down during take-off at theHarare International Airport, killing two pilots –Wing Commander Lysias Charuka and Air Lieutenant Aletini Silaigwana[citation needed]
  • 1 April 2005Aérospatiale Alouette III Crashed soon after take-off in Gokwe, the pilot tried to avoid telephone lines. All four on board survived[citation needed]
  • 5 September 2008, a K-8 Karakoram training jet crashed into Block 1 Married Quarters flats atThornhill Air Base in the Midlands town ofGweru during a training sortie. The jet skimmed over trees and houses as it headed for a school before turning sharply and smashing into two high-rise residential flats. There were no injuries or deaths other than the two pilotsFlight Lieutenant Kudzai Kelvin Majongosi ofChirumanzu and Flight Lieutenant Dumisani Ndlovu ofBulawayo. Both were 28 years old[18]
  • On 22 September 2010, K-8 serial number 2021C piloted by "Venom" practicing for theAfrica Aerospace and Defence Expo display burst a tire on landing and rolled to the end of the runway atAFB Ysterplaat,Cape Town. It took some time to get the runway open again and aircraft in the air at the time diverted toCape Town International Airport[citation needed]
  • On 4 September 2014 a SIAI-MarchettiSF.260 trainer aircraft crashed into ashanty town on the western outskirts of the capital soon after takeoff from theCharles Prince Airport on a routine training mission over the Mount Hampden area when it suddenly nose-dived and crashed. The two pilots,Squadron leader Taurayi Jombo aged 36, and Air Lieutenant Evidence Edzai Begede aged 28 died on the spot. Such was the force of the impact that one of the pilots was decapitated but there were no further casualties only extensive structural damage to buildings nearby[19]
  • On the morning of 23 April 2015 aK-8 crashed in an open field a few kilometers from Thornhill Airbase after catching fire. Both pilots ejected safely[20]
  • An SIAI-Marchetti trainer aircraftSF.260 crashed into a compound in Somabhula, about 24 km south-west ofGweru on 24 November 2020 killing Flight Instructor andSquadron Leader Mkhululi Dube and trainee pilot Silungile Sweswe[21]
  • On 23 April 2021, an Agusta Bell 412AB-412 helicopter from Number 8 Squadron crashed in Arcturus just 32 km east ofHarare. It was on a general handling sortie. Four crew members and one child on the ground died. Among the crew was Annita Mapiye, the country's first female Air Force helicopter pilot. Nomayday was transmitted[22]
  • AnMi-35 helicopter gunship made an emergency landing in an open field inChitungwiza on 8 July 2021 after the pilot, agroup captain, tried his luck on an empty tank against the advice of the engineer. On board were two pilots and five aircraft technicians. They all survived without injuries.[23]
  • On 3 February 2023 anSF-260 on a training sortie crashed in the Mlezu college area near Gweru. Both Pilots Group Captain Benson Munyanduki and Wing Commander Daniel Manyenga perished. This was the air force's fourth crash in a little over two years.[24]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
Notes
  1. ^Hoyle, Craig (2023)."World Air Forces 2024".FlightGlobal. Retrieved5 October 2024.
  2. ^"General Chiwenga Retires As Mnangagwa Promotes Military 'Coup' Leaders". Voice of America.
  3. ^Group Captain (R) Husseini & Pakistan Air Force.PAF over the Years (Revised ed.). Directorate of Media Affairs, Pakistan Air Force.
  4. ^"War hero Daudpota passes away". Dawn.com. 14 April 2017. Retrieved28 May 2024.
  5. ^"Zimbabwe President takes delivery of an Airbus EC225 (19 April 2021)".helihub.com. 19 April 2021. Retrieved25 May 2024.
  6. ^"Curfew in Kinshasa".BBC News. 26 August 1998. Retrieved30 March 2010.
  7. ^Dinar, Ali B."IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-Up 50–98 1998.12.11".African Studies Center.University of Pennsylvania.
  8. ^Cooper, Tom."Zaire/DR Congo since 1980".Central Eastern, & Southern Africa Database. ACIG.org. Archived from the original on 26 February 2005.
  9. ^"ANALYSIS: Mugabe's air force disaster".
  10. ^ab"Air Force of Zimbabwe". Aeroflight. 9 March 2003. Archived fromthe original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved27 July 2007.
  11. ^Latimer Clarke Corporation Pty Ltd."Zimbabwe – Atlapedia® Online". Atlapedia.com. Retrieved22 February 2013.
  12. ^"The Zimbabwe Situation". The Zimbabwe Situation. Retrieved22 February 2013.
  13. ^"Shinn Paper"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 16 June 2013. Retrieved25 September 2009.
  14. ^abShumbare, Theseus; Kafe, Emmanuel (20 August 2023)."There's Zimbabwe beyond elections".The Sunday Mail. Harare. Archived fromthe original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved21 October 2023.
  15. ^abcdefghijHoyle, Craig (2023)."World Air Forces 2024".FlightGlobal. Retrieved12 December 2023.
  16. ^"World Air Forces 1983 pg. 380". flightglobal.com. Retrieved3 April 2019.
  17. ^ab"RANKS AND BADGES IN THE AFZ".afz.gov.zw. Air Force of Zimbabwe. Archived fromthe original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved29 May 2021.
  18. ^Nkatazo, Lebo."Zimbabwe Air Force jet crashes, 2 pilots said. old". newzimbabwe.com. Archived fromthe original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved27 January 2012.
  19. ^"Tales of a plane crash in a squatter camp".
  20. ^"Pilots survive Zimbabwean K-8 crash". 29 April 2015.
  21. ^"Pilots killed in Air Force of Zimbabwe SF-260 trainer crash". 10 December 2020.
  22. ^NA, NA."Airforce Of Zimbabwe Speak On Helicopter Crash".
  23. ^"Incident Mil Mi-35, 08 Jul 2021".
  24. ^"AFZ trainer, crashes kills two pilots". 3 February 2023.
Bibliography
  • Roy Nesbit and Dudley Cowdery with Andrew Thomas,Britain's Rebel Air Force: The War from The Air in Rhodesia 1965–1980 (Grub Street, 1998)ISBN 1-902304-05-5 includes an AFZ chapter
  • World aircraft information files brighstar publishing File 340 Sheet 5

External links

[edit]
Security forces ofZimbabwe
President's Office
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Home Affairs
International
National
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