The National Air Force of Angola or FANA ( pt, Força Aérea Nacional de Angola) is the
air branch of the
Armed Forces of Angola.
With an inventory of more than 300 aircraft, FANA is (on paper) one of the largest and strongest air forces of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
.
History
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
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, capital = Luanda
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, religion_year = 2020
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became independent from
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
on 11 November 1975. However, the foundations for the establishment of the air force were laid before independence when members of the then Flying Club of Angola () were assembled at Luanda in October 1975.
These people and aircraft left behind by the
Portuguese Air Force
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formed the basis for the air transport branch of the force.
The force was formally established on 21 January 1976 as the People's Air Force of Angola / Air and Antiaircraft Defense or FAPA/DAA (). Its first batch of Soviet MiG fighter aircraft was delivered in mid-December 1975.
The FAPA/DAA fought several battles with
South African Air Force
"Through hardships to the stars"
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aircraft in November 1981, October 1982, and twice in September 1987.
Circa 1983–85, in order to enhance MPLA's combat capacity, Romania sent 150 flight instructors and other aviation personnel, who contributed to the establishment of an Angolan Military Aviation School.
The FANA has bases at
Luanda
Luanda () is the capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seaport ...
,
Catumbela
Catumbela is a city and municipality of the Benguela province in Angola. The municipality had a population of 175,805 in 2014.
History
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Portuguese built ''Forte de São Pedro'' to establish themselv ...
,
Belas,
Luena,
Kuito,
Lubango
Lubango, formerly known as Sá da Bandeira, is a municipality in Angola, capital of the Huíla Province, with a population of 914,456 in 2022. The city center had a population of 600,751 in 2014 making it the second-most populous city in Angola af ...
and
Moçâmedes
Moçâmedes is a city in southwestern Angola, capital of Namibe Province. The city's current population is 255,000 (2014 census). Founded in 1840 by the Portuguese Angola, Portuguese colonial administration, the city was named Namibe between 198 ...
.
The World Factbook
''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The official print version is available ...
, produced by the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
, reported that by 2007 the name of the force had changed to "National Air Force".
Most of the inventory is out of service, and refers to historical equipment delivered along the years. FAN has many bases – most of them, former Portuguese Air Force bases and other courtesy of the Cold War – but few airplanes that actually fly. The main body of the active air force is made of transport/cargo planes, used for moving supplies, equipment and personnel between parts of the country.
Organization
The National Air Force of Angola is headed by the Chief of Staff of the FANA (). The Chief of Staff of the FANA is a General directly subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Angola.
FANA follows a Russian/ex-Soviet organizational model, with its air units being aviation regiments (), each one including several squadrons (). To each of the six aviation regiments corresponds an air base. Besides the aviation regiments, there is also a Pilot Training School.
Its order of battle is:
* 25th Fighter Aviation Regiment (
Kuito Air Base)
** 13th Fighter Squadron (Su-27 and Su-27UB)
** 12th Fighter Squadron (MiG-23ML and MiG-23UB)
** 11th Fighter Squadron (MiG-21bis, MiG-21M, MiG- 21F-13 and MiG-21U)
* 26th Fighter Aviation Regiment (
Moçâmedes Air Base)
** 14th Fighter Squadron (Su-24MK)
** 16th Fighter Squadron (Su-25K and Su-25UBK)
** 15th Fighter Squadron (Su-22M-4K and Su-22UM-3K)
* 24th Training Regiment (
Menongue Air Base)
** 8th Training Squadron (L-39ZA, EMB-312, PC-9 and PC-7)
** 9th Training Squadron (L-29 Delfin, MiG-15UTI, Yak-11 and PC-6B)
** 10th Training Squadron (Cessna 172 and Z-142C)
* 23rd Air Transportation Regiment (
Luanda Air Base)
** 5th Light Transportation Squadron (An-2, An-12, An-24, An-26, An-28, An-32, An-72, An-74, F-27, C-212-300, C-212-200, BN- 2A-21 Commander Turbo, Do-27, Do-28C and Do-228)
**6th Transportation Squadron (Il-76T, C-130K, Lockheed L-100-20 and Boeing 707)
**7th Transportation Squadron (Boeing 707 and EMB-120)
* 21st Transportation Helicopter Regiment (
Luena Air Base)
**1st Helicopter Squadron (SA-315, IAR-316, SA-342m, AB-212 and SA-365m)
**2nd Helicopter Squadron (Mi-8, Mi-17 and AS-532)
* 22nd Combat Helicopter Regiment (
Huambo Air Base)
** 3rd Helicopter Squadron (Mi-25, Mi-35, AS-565AA, AS-565UA and SA-342m)
** 4th Helicopter Squadron (Mi-24, Mi-25 and Mi-35)
* Pilot Basic Training School (
Lobito
Lobito is a Municipalities of Angola, municipality in Angola. It is located in Benguela Province, on the Atlantic Coast north of the Catumbela Estuary. The Lobito municipality had a population of 393,079 in 2014.
History
The city was founded in ...
)
Inventory
Aircraft
Air Defense
Armaments
Accidents and incidents
On 14 September 2011, an
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia is a twin-turboprop 30-passenger commuter airliner designed and manufactured by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.
The EMB 120 began development during 1974. While initially conceived as a modular series ...
, operated by the Air Force, crashed just after takeoff from
Nova Lisboa Airport,
killing 11 army officers (including three generals, among them
Kalias Pedro) and six civilians.
The accident occurred at 11:30 am at the airport, with a military delegation on board the flight at
Albano Machado Airport
The Albano Machado Airport is a public airport southeast of Huambo, the capital of Huambo Province, Angola. It was formerly named Nova Lisboa Airport, after the former name of the city.
Airlines and destinations
During July and August 1975, t ...
.
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Air Force Of Angola
Military of Angola
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
Aviation in Angola
Military units and formations established in 1976
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...