Military of Gabon

Military of Gabon
National flag of Gabon
Founded	1960
Service branches	Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential (Republican) Guard (charged with protecting the president and other senior officials), National Gendarmerie, National Police
Manpower
Military age	20 years of age
Expenditures
Budget	70.8 million (FY01)(CIA)
Percent of GDP	2% (FY01)(CIA)
Industry
Foreign suppliers	France
Related articles
History	1964 Gabon coup d'etat

The African country of Gabon has a small, professional military of about 5,000 personnel, divided into army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, and national police. Gabonese forces are oriented to the defense of the country and have not been trained for an offensive role. A well-trained, well-equipped 1,800-member guard provides security for the president.

Army

Major Units

• 1 Republican Guard Battalion group - Libreville^{[citation needed]} with:
  • 1 Light Armored Recon. Squad;
  • 3 Infantry Coys;
  • 1 Artillery Battery;
  • 1 Air Defense Battery.
• 1 Airborne Regiment with:
  • 3 Airborne Coys;
  • 1 Recon and Support Coy;
  • 1 Command Coy.
• 1 Light Armored Reecon Battalion with:
  • 1 Logistic and Command Coy;
  • 2 Armored Sqds.
• 1 Support Command Regiment with:
  • 1 Artillery Battery;
  • 1 Mortar Battery;
  • 1 MRLS Battery;
  • 1 Engineer Coy;
  • Logistic Units.
• 7xMilitary Regions with:
  • 1 Motorized Infantry Battalion or Coy-each.

Equipment

Hand Guns

• PA-15  France
• MAC-50  France
• MR73  France

Submachineguns

• Beretta Mod-12S  Italy
• IMI Uzi  Israel
• MAT-49  France
• Sterling Mk 4 (L2A-3)  United Kingdom

Rifles

• 2,000x Colt M16A1  United States
• 2,000x Colt CAR-15A-1 R653 Carbine  United States
• FN CAL  Belgium
• SIG SG 540  Swiss
• 800x FAMAS F-1  France
• Kalashnikov AK-47  Soviet Union
• Type 56  China
• Kalashnikov AKM  Soviet Union\AKM Misr  Egypt \ AKM M-63  Romania
• Heckler & Koch G3A3  Germany

Machineguns

• FM-24/29 7.5mm machine gun  France
• AA-52 7.5mm machine gun  France
• FN MAG 60-40 Coaxial 7.62mm machine gun  Belgium
• M1917A1 .30 caliber machine gun  United States
• M1919A4 .30 caliber machine gun  United States
• Browning M2HB .50 caliber machine gun  United States

Grenade Launchers

• 25x Colt M-203  United States

Recoilless Rifles

• M-40 A1-C-1 106mm  United States

Missile Launchers

• 10 MBDA HOT  France Germany
• 4-10 MBDA Milan ATGM Launchers with 40 missiles  France Germany

Infantry Fighting Vehicles

• 9 Cadillac Gage Commando LAV V150  United States 4x4
• 12 Engesa EE-11 Urutu  Brazil 6x6 20mm gun
• 22 Pandur I 6x6  Austria 6x6
• 1 Pandur II 8x8 +20 on order  Austria 8x8 30mm gun
• 3 WZ551  China 6x6
• 9 Giat VAB  France 4x4 (One with ground force radar).

Armoured Personnel Carriers

• 5 IAI Ramta RAM-2V  Israel 4x4
• 5 ACMAT VLRA TPK 4.15 STL  France 4x4
• 14 Panhard VBL  France 4x4 (One with Radar)
• 10 Panhard M3  France 4x4
• 15 VBX170  France 4x4
• 6 ZFB05  China Xinxing 4x4
• 3 VBRG Berlinet 4x4 APCs  France

Armoured Response Vehicles

• 10 Panhard ERC-90 Sagie  France 6x6 90mm main gun
• 14 Engesa EE-9 Cascavel  Brazil 6x6 90mm main gun
• 24 Panhard AML 90  France 4x4 90mm main gun
• 12 Panhard AML 60  France 4x4 60mm mortar
• 12 Engesa EE-3 Jararaca  Brazil 4x4
• 10 M-8 Greyhound  United States 6x6 37mm main gun-status unknown.
• 20 Matadotr 4x4 MPV \ APCs  South Africa

Light Anti-Tank Rocket Launchers

• LARC LR 89mm  France

Multiple Rocket Launchers

• 11 Teruel MRL 140mm  Spain
• 20 Type 89 40x122mm  China (ZDF-1)
• 16 Type 63 107mm  China
• 10 Type 82 130mm MRL  China
• 4 Type 90 122mm MRL  China

Artillery

• 10 Type-59 130mm towed gun  China
• 4 M101 howitzer 105mm towed howitzer  United States
• 5 M102 howitzer 105mm towed howitzer  United States
• 4 Thomson-Brandt F1 120mm Mortar  France
• 35 Brandt mle 27/31 81mm Mortar  France

MANPADS

• 4 launchers\60 MBDA Mistral missiles  France

Anti-Aircraft Guns

• 4 Panhard ERC-20 2x20mm SP-AAG Kriss with 2x M621 SP-AAGs (6x6) 20x128mm  France
• 5 Aspic mount chassis  France
• 24 ZSU-23 2x23mm  Soviet Union
• 12 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)  Soviet Union
• 3 Bofors 40mm  Sweden

Trucks

• Peugeot P4  France
• ACMAT  France
• Engesa EE-15  Brazil
• Engesa EE-25  Brazil

Army Aircraft Inventory

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service[1]	Notes
Aérospatiale SA 342 Gazelle	France	attack\ scout helicopter	SA-342L (with MBDA HOT missiles)	5
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma	France	transport helicopter	SA-330	7

Navy

Ships

Fast Attack Craft

• 1 La Combattante III Fast Attack Craft with MBDA MM-40 Exocet SSMs  France

Patrol Craft

• 2 P400 class patrol vessel with SS-12M SSMs  France
• 4 small costal PCs (from Spain)  Spain
• 1 Swift ships Type 205 class PC  United States
• 1 Omar Bongo class FAC with SS-12M SSMs  France

Landing Craft

• 1 BATRAL class landing ship  France
• 1 Landing Craft - Mechanized  France

Weapons

• MBDA Exocet SSMs - 4 Launchers  France
• Nord Aviation SS.12M SSMs - 16 Launchers  France
• Oerlikon-Buhrle 20x128mm AAG  Swiss

Air Force

The Air Force operates 33 aircraft, including 4 combat jets and 5 helicopters. In addition to the Air Force, the Army operates its own fleet of 8 helicopters.

Aircraft Inventory

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service[2]	Notes
Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III	France	utility helicopter	SA 316B	3	6 delivered
ATR-42	France  Italy	passenger transport	ATR 42	1
Eurocopter AS350	France	light helicopter	AS350B	2x AS-350B Ecureuil
Eurocopter AS355	France	light helicopter	AS355	1
Beechcraft T-34 Mentor	United States	trainer	T-34C	4
Bell 205	United States	utility helicopter	Iroquois	1
Bell 412	United States	transport helicopter	412SP	1
Bell 212	United States	transport helicopter		1	2 delivered.
Douglas DC-8	United States	VIP transport	DC-8	1
CASA CN-235	Spain	tactical transport	CN-235-200M	1
Reims F152	United States  France	utility		1
Reims F337	United States  France	light attack	G Super Skymaster	4
Reims F404	United States France	utility aircraft	Titan-1	1
Dassault Falcon 20	France	VIP jet transport			2 delivered.
Dassault Falcon 900	France	VIP transport		1	2 delivered.
Dassault Mirage F1	France	ground attack	F1AZ	8 Ordered, 6 Received, 2 Outstanding [2]	ex-SAAF
Dassault Mirage V	France	trainer fighter	>Mirage 5DG Mirage 5G	the total order was for 13 Mirage Vs. ( 4xMirage V-DG, 2xMirage V-RG-not delivered, 3xMirage V-G and 4xMirage V-G-II)	status unknown
Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet	France Germany	trainer fighter	SM-2	6 reported.
Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante	Brazil	transport maritime patrol	EMB-110P1 EMB-111A	3 1	in total 1xEMB-111A+4xEMB-110P-1 were delivered.
Eurocopter SA 332 Super Puma	France  Germany  Spain	transport helicopter	SA-332F	1[2]
Fouga Magister	Finland France via  Austria	trainer	CM 170	4	built by Valmet. A total of 8x CM-170 were delivered.
Gulfstream II	United States	VIP- jet		1
Gulfstream III	United States	VIP-jet		1
Gulfstream IV	United States	VIP-jet	SP	1
British Aerospace 125	United Kingdom	VIP-jet	HS.125 Series 400	out of service	1 delivered.
Lockheed C-130 Hercules	United States	tactical transport	C-130H L-100-20 L-100-30	1 1 1	A total of 4 C-130s were delivered (1xC-130H, 1xC-130-20, 2x C-130-30)
Douglas A-1 Skyraider	United States	attack		Out of service	9 delivered
Matra R-530D\F Super	France	AAMs
Matra R.550 Magic 2	France	AAMs
Aerospatiale AS-30L	France	AGMs
MBDA HOT	France Germany	ATGMs for SA-342 helicopters

• Aircraft sensors:-

AN\APS-128 MP radar  United States for EBM-111MP x1
AN\ALR-93  United States

Air Bases

• Chilbanga
• Franceville
• Libreville

Air Force Units

• 1 Fighter Squadron 1-02 Leyou at BA02 Franceville with:
  • Mirage F-1;
  • Mirage M-5;
  • CM-170;
  • Alpha Jet(?).
• 1 Light Transport Squadron at BAO1 Libreville with:
  • EMB-110;
  • EMB-111;
  • SA-316.
• 1 Heavy Transport Squadron at BA01 Libreville with:
  • C-130 Hercules;
  • CN-235.
• 1 Ministral Air Liaison Group at BA01 Libreville with:
  • DC-8;
  • Falcon-900EX;
  • Gulfstream-III.

Historical Aircraft

• 4 Aero L-29 Delfin  Czech Republic-reported (world air forces website)
  
• 1 Bell G-47 Sioux  United States
  
• 5 Douglas C-47 Dakota  United States
  
• 1 Douglas DC-6B  United States
  
• 1 Fokker F-28-1000C Fellowship  Holland
  
• 1 Grumman Mallard  United States
  
• 5 Max Holste HM.1521M Broussard  France
  
• 1 MFI MFI-9B Bolkow Junior  Sweden
  
• 2 NAMC YS-11A  Japan
  
• 3 Nord-2051 Noratlas  France
  
• 6 North American AT-6 Texan  United States
  
• 1 Piper PA-18 Super-Cub  United States
  
• 1 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain  United States
  
• 3 Aerospatiale Alouette-II  France
  
• 1 SNIAS Caravelle GR  France
  
• 3 SNIAS Fregate N-262C  France

References

1. ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Gabonese military aviation OrBat