Air Force of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Not to be confused with Congolese Air Force.

Air Force of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Active	1961-Present
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Size	Numbers of aircraft uncertain 1,800 personnel (estimated)
Part of	Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Commanders
Chief of Staff	Brigadier General Bitanihirwa Kamara (2005)[citation needed]
Insignia
roundel

The Air Force of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo Air Force (French: Force Aérienne du Congo), is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. From 1971 to 1997, the Air Force was known as the Zaire Air Force (French: Force Aérienne Zairoise).

History

In July 1970 the Institute for Strategic Studies described the Force Aérienne Zairoise (FAZ) as numbering 650 with 21 combat aircraft. Aircraft strength was listed as 10 T-6 Texan and 8 T-28 Trojan armed trainers, 2 DC-4 and 10 Dc-3 transports, and 6 Alouette helicopters. The ISS said that 17 MB-326GB ground attack/trainer aircraft were on order, of which about five had been received.^[1]

In July 1974 the International Institute for Strategic Studies described the FAZ as numbering 800 personnel with 33 aircraft. The Military Balance for 1974-75 listed one fighter wing with 17 MB-326GB, 6 AT-6G and 10 T-28 armed trainers, one transport wing with 9 C-47, 4 C-54, and 3 C-130, one training wing wing with 8 T-6 and 12 SF-260MC, and one helicopter squadron with 20 Alouette II/III and 7 SA-330 Pumas.^[2] It noted that 17 Mirage V and 3 C-130H were on order.

The Air Combat Information Group states that by the mid 1980s the FAZ suffered from the same problems as the rest of the Zairean military, including lack of funding and widespread corruption.^[3] In the 1980s the air force was theoretically organised into the 1er Groupement Aérien, at Kinshasa (N'djili Airport?), with the 19th Logistics Support Wing (C-130s and Dakotas), the 12th Liaison Wing (helicopters, MU-2Js, and CEssna 310Rs) and the 13th Training Wing. The 2e Groupement Aérien Tactique at Kamina comprised the 21st Fighter-Attack Wing with Mirage 5s and MB.326Ks, and the 22nd Tactical Transport Wing, with 221 Squadron operating the two of three originally delivered Buffalos.^[4]

The extreme corrpution of the force meant that Zairean aircraft were more often used for private 'business' of their fliers and their superiors than operations against rebels. From an originally delivered eight Dassault Mirage 5Ms, only seven were left by 1988, with no less than five being lost in different accidents. By the mid 1990s the last three were sold.

The FAZ played little part in the First Congo War, with most aircraft inoperable. Some aircraft were imported and used by Serbian mercenaries, but had little operational effect.^[3]

Current structure

As of 2007, all military aircraft in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were operated by the Air Force. Jane's World Air Forces states that the Air Force has an estimated strength of 1,800 personnel and is organised into two Air Groups. These Groups command five wings and nine squadrons, of which not all are operational. 1 Air Group is located at Kinshasa and consists of Liaison Wing, Training Wing and Logistical Wing and has a strength of five squadrons. 2 Tactical Air Group is located at Kaminia and consists of Pursuit and Attack Wing and Tactical Transport Wing and has a strength of four squadrons. Foreign private military companies have reportedly been contracted to provide the DRC's aerial reconnaissance capability using small propeller aircraft fitted with sophisticated equipment. Jane's states that People's Air and Air Defence Force of Angola fighter aircraft would be made available to defend Kinshasa if it came under attack.^[5]

Like the other services, the Congolese Air Force is not capable of carrying out its responsibilities. Few of the Air Force's aircraft are currently flyable or capable of being restored to service and it is unclear whether the Air Force is capable of maintaining even unsophisticated aircraft. Moreover, Jane's states that the Air Force's Ecole de Pilotage is 'in near total disarray' though Belgium has offered to restart the Air Force's pilot training program.^[6]

Aircraft

In comparison with the extensive Aviation Week and Space Technology table of aircraft below, the IISS Military Balance 2007 lists the Air Force with 6 combat capable jet aircraft (2 MiG-23 Flogger and 4 Su-25 Frogfoot) and 7+ helicopters, 6 Mi-24 Hind, 1 Mi-26 Halo, and an unknown number of Mi-8 Hips. The IISS estimates air force strength at 4,000.^[7] It is likely that in compiling the list below, AW&ST, a specialist U.S. aviation magazine with limited specific knowledge of the DRC, simply recorded known deliveries and removals from service without fully checking on the exact current status of the Air Force.^{[citation needed]}

Jane's World Air Forces 2007 can only confirm that the Air Force has four fixed-wing aircraft in service (2 C-130, 1 DHC-5D, 1 Boeing 727) and an unknown number of Su-25s (no more than 8 in the air force's fleet following losses), C-47s, MB-326GBs and possibly some MiG-23s. Jane's also states that the Air Force operates between 9 and 22 Mil Mi-24/35s attack helicopters, a Super Puma transport helicopter and possibly a single Mi-26. The condition of the DRC's aircraft which are not currently in service is generally so poor that they cannot be repaired and returned to flyable status.^[8]

Of the thirteen aircraft in service that AW&ST and the IISS agree on, probably the latest available information concerns the DRC's single Mil Mi-26 'Halo'. Air Forces Monthly (AFM)'s July 2007 issue includes a photo of the helicopter without obvious rust and appearing to be in good condition which was taken on April 12, 2007, at Lubumbashi.^[9] It was delivered in 2005. AFM says that a second Mi-26 prepared for the DRC has been stored with Skytech at Liège Airport, Belgium since at least June 2002, and was still there in May 2007.

On the 50th Independence Commemoration June 30, 2010, at least 6 Mi-24, 2 Mi-17, 1 An-26, and 1 B727 took part in a fly-past.^[10]

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service[11]	Notes
Aermacchi MB-326	Italy	trainer attack	MB-326GB MB-326K	8	Originally 8 GB and 6 K; by mid 1990s only 8 total[3]
Aermacchi SF-260	Italy	trainer	SF-260M	5
Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III	France	utility helicopter	SA 316B	2
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma	France	transport helicopter	SA 330	4
Antonov An-26 Coke	Soviet Union	tactical transport		1
Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander	United Kingdom	utility transport	BN-2A	1
Cessna 150	United States	utility		12
Cessna 310	United States	utility		3
de Havilland Canada DH-5 Buffalo	Canada	tactical transport	DHC-5D	2
Douglas C-47 Skytrain	United States	tactical transport	C-47	4
Eurocopter AS 332 Cougar	Spain  France  Germany	transport helicopter	AS 332	1
Lockheed C-130 Hercules	United States	tactical transport	C-130H	2	2 more impounded in France
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 Flogger	Soviet Union	fighter	MiG-23MS MiG-23UB	1 1
Mil Mi-35 Hind-E	Soviet Union	attack helicopter	Mi-35	6
Mil Mi-26 Halo	Soviet Union	transport helicopter		1	Serial 9T-HM15
Reims Cessna 337 Skymaster	France	liaison	FTB 337 MILROLE	10
Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot	Georgia	attack	Su-25K	8?

References

1. ^ ISS Military Balance 1970-71, p.47-48
2. ^ IISS, Military Balance 1974-75, p.45
3. ^ ^{a b c} Tom Cooper & Pit Weinert, Zaire/DR Congo since 1980, 2 September 2003, Air Combat Information Group, accessed August 2007
4. ^ Lindsay Peacock, The World's Air Froces, Salamander, 1991, p.156
5. ^ Jane's World Air Forces. Issue 25, 2007. Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. pp. 134–135. 
6. ^ Jane's World Air Forces. Issue 25, 2007. Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. pp. 135. 
7. ^ IISS Military Balance 2007 p.271
8. ^ Jane's World Air Forces. Issue 25, 2007. Pages 135–136.
9. ^ Air Forces Monthly No.232, July 2007, p.27
10. ^ Images of the DRC Armed Forces on skyscrapercity
11. ^ Congolese military aviation OrBat

External links

• Air Combat Information Group, Congo, Part 1: 1960-63