Kenya Air Force

|| transport helicopter || SA-330G || 12 || 9 built by IAR
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BAE Hawk || || transport || DHC-8 || 3 ||
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Dornier Do 28 || || utility transport || Y-12 || 24 ||
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MD Helicopters MD 500 || || trainer || Bulldog 103

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Bulldog 127 || 3

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2 || 5 built

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9 built
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Shorts Tucano || UK || trainer || Tucano || 11 ||

The anti aircraft capability is formidable with Mistral anti aircraft missiles and 25, 35 and 40mm cannons all under optronic control.

In addition to the Air Force, the police air wing operates 11 aircraft.

Former fleet:
* Aérospatiale SA-342 Gazelle helicopters (in operation since 1979)
* BAC 167 Strikemaster fighters (in operation since 1971) (sold to Botswana 1993-94)
* Hawker Hunter fighters (bought from RAF, in operation 1974-79)
* DHC-1 Chipmunk trainers (in operation 1964-74)
* DHC-2 Beaver bush planes (in operation 1964-83)
* DHC-4 Caribou transport (in operation 1966-87)

History

Kenya Air Force was formed on 1 June 1964, soon after independence, with the assistance of United Kingdom.

After a failed coup by a group of Air Force officers on August 1, 1982, the Air Force was disbanded. Air Force activity was reconstituted and placed under tighter army control as '82 Air Force. The Air force regained its independent status in 1994. Currently it is a professional force with F-5 upgrade and procurement underway (10 F-5E, 2 F-5F, and 3 F-5EM from Jordan [http://www.eastandard.net/InsidePage.php?id=1143989992&cid=159&j=2008&m=7&d=12 link] ). On April 10, 2006 an Harbin Y-12 plane owned by Kenya Air Force crashed near Marsabit. The plane was carrying several local and national politicians. It had 17 on board, of which 14 died. Bonaya Godana, a former minister was among the casualties. The pilot in command was Major David Njoroge.

Commanders

The following officers have been in command of the Kenya Air Force: [http://www.mod.go.ke/Kafsite/history2.htm]
*12 December 1964 Group Captain I S Stockwell CBE DFC RAF [http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Stockwell.htm]
*22 February 1967 Group Captain F Rothwell DFC TD RAF
*9 August 1971 Group Captain David John Edwards CBE AFC RAF [http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Edwards_DJ.htm]
*17 April 1973 Colonel Dedan Gichuru
*27 June 1980 Major General P M Kariuki
*1982 Major General Mohamoud Mohamed (as commander of the 82 Air Force)
*27 February 1986 Major General Dedan N Gichuru (as commander of the 82 Air Force)
*10 May 1989 Major General D K Wachira
*28 June 1994 Major General N L Leshan
*1 December 2000 Major General S K Muttai
*27 November 2003 Major General J W Karangi
*10 August 2005 Major General Harold M Tangai

See also

* Military of Kenya
* 1982 Kenyan coup d'état attempt

References

* The EastAfrican, June 19, 2006: " [http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/19062006/Magazine/Magazine19062006.htm Kenyatta, Kissinger and the fighter jets] "
* http://www.worldairforces.com/Countries/kenya/ken.html
* http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ke%5Eaf.html
* http://aviation-safety.net/database/operator/airline.php?var=5882

External links

* [http://www.mod.go.ke/Kafsite Kenya Air Force - official website]