The Benin Air Force (french: Forces Aériennes du Benin or FAB) is the
aerial service branch of the
Benin Armed Forces
The Benin Armed Forces (french: Forces Armées Béninoises; FAB) constitutes the army, navy, air force, and national gendarmerie of Benin. For a number of years, the Belgian Armed Forces have had an active programme of co-operation with Benin, o ...
. It was formed in 1960 when
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...
gained independence from
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
as the Dahomey Air Force. The Air Force provides support to the army, primarily through transport and liaison, and presidential transportation. It has relied heavily on donations, initially from France and more recently from Belgium. During the short lived
People's Republic of Benin, when it was known as the Benin People's Air Force, Soviet aircraft were acquired to demonstrate the change of political allegiance. The current operational fleet consists of two aircraft.
History
Beginnings
When the
Republic of Dahomey
The Republic of Dahomey (french: République du Dahomey; ), simply known as Dahomey, was established on 4 December 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Prior to attaining autonomy, it had been French Dahomey, part of t ...
became a
self-governing colony
In the British Empire, a self-governing colony was a colony with an elected government in which elected rulers were able to make most decisions without referring to the colonial power with nominal control of the colony. This was in contrast to ...
in the
French Community on 11 August 1958, the colonial power provided the new country with a small nascent air arm named the Dahomey Air Force ( or FAD). The first aircraft arrived in 1961 after the country had gained full independence. The original donations, a
Douglas C-47
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...
transport and an
Sud Aviation Alouette II
Sud or SUD may refer to:
Places
* Sud (Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg constituency), a constituency in Luxembourg
* Sud (department), an administrative subdivision of Haiti
* Sud Department (Ivory Coast), defunct administrative subdivision of ...
helicopter along with a number of
Max Holste Broussard
The Max Holste MH.1521 Broussard is a 1950s French six-seat utility monoplane designed by Max Holste to meet a French Army requirement.
Design and development
Following the end of the Second World War, Avions Max Holste designed and built a n ...
utility aircraft, a similar package that France provided to many of its ex-colonies when they gained their freedom, were soon complemented by an
Aero Commander 500B VIP transport. The C-47 fleet was expanded to three aircraft and, in 1973, a French-manufactured
Rheims Cessna Skymaster was added to the force. To supplement the Aero Commander, an
Aérospatiale Corvette
The Aérospatiale SN 601 Corvette is a French business jet of the early 1970s developed and manufactured by aerospace manufacturer Aérospatiale. Sales of the type were disappointing, leading to only 40 Corvettes being constructed, including the ...
was acquired, further reinforcing the tie between the country and French aircraft industry.
Benin People's Air Force
On 30 November 1975, the nation of Dahomey was renamed the
People's Republic of Benin and the air force became the Benin People's Air Force ( or FAPB). A new roundel was introduced that included a red star to designate the new political allegiance of the country. Internally, however, little changed. The air force initially saw no new purchases except a single
Fokker F27-600
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Europe ...
added in 1978. Soon after, two
Antonov An-26
The Antonov An-26 ( NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.Gordon, Yefim. Komissarov, Dmitry & Sergey. "Antonov's Turboprop Tw ...
transports were introduced, heralding a change in allegiance to the
Eastern bloc.
During the next few years, the air force continued to expand but so did costs. To curb these, and to also support economic development in the country, in 1984, the Air Force started to jointly operate its larger transport aircraft with the national airline, Transports Aeriens de Benin. At the same time, the air force returned to procuring aircraft from West Europe. By 1987, the fleet included two An-26, three C-47s and two
Dornier Do 128-2 transports, an Aero Commander 500B and
Fokker F28 Fellowship
The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a twin-engined, short-range jet airliner designed and built by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.
Following the Fokker F27 Friendship, an early and commercially successful turboprop-powered regional airliner, Fokk ...
for VIP transport, and a single Alouette II and two
Aérospatiale AS350 Écureuil helicopters.
Benin Air Force
When the country's name was changed again on 1 March 1990 to the République du Bénin, the name of the air force was also renamed to the current name. The original roundel was restored, although the red star was still visible on aircraft in 1994. Some things stayed the same. The air force continued to operate under financial constraints, which increasingly impacted serviceability. To help solve this, the country was provided aid from Belgium. The C-47 transports were retired, along with the remaining older aircraft. The Belgian Air Force provided a three-year service programme and also three
Hawker Siddeley HS 748
The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed and initially produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro. It was the last aircraft to be developed by Avro prior to its absorption by Hawker Siddeley ...
transports. One of these was used for spare parts in an effort to provide continuity for the fleet, another recurring problem. Helicopters were also later provided by the Belgian Army under the same condition. A
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter utility aircraft joined the two An-26 transports in joint operation with the national airline and collaboration with civil aircraft operations became an increasingly important part of the way that the service operated.
In 2010, the air force added a pair of
LH Aviation LH-10 Grand Duc light aircraft in an attempt to reduce costs as well as add capability. However, despite these measures, the operational fleet continued to shrink. By 2018, the air force consisted of two active aircraft.
Current Capabilities
The Air Force is tasked with a range of military tasks, including national defence, surveillance and intelligence gathering, support to the Army and VIP transportation and participation in peace keeping operations. It also undertakes a number of other roles, including search and rescue, environmental protection, anti-poaching patrols and fighting smuggling.
The Air Force is increasingly also involved in joint anti-terrorism exercises.
Organisation
The Air Force is led by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force ( or CEMFA). On 14 November 2016,
Lieutenant colonel Hermann William Avocanh was appointed to this role.
Two bases are operated, Base Aériennes de Cotonou (BACO) and Base Aériennes de Cana (BACA) at
Cadjehoun Airport
Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport is an airport in the Cadjehoun neighborhood of Cotonou, the largest city in Benin, in West Africa. The airport is the largest in the country, and as such, is the primary entry point into the country by air, with fligh ...
, Cotonou, and
Cana Airport respectively. In 2018, the latter was commanded by Captain Luc Biobou.
Aircraft
Current inventory
Retired Inventory:
Dornier Do-28 Skyservant,
Bell 47G
The Bell 47 is a single-rotor single-engine light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was based on the third Bell 30 prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young. The 47 became the first he ...
,
Fokker F.28
The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a twin-engined, short-range jet airliner designed and built by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.
Following the Fokker F27 Friendship, an early and commercially successful turboprop-powered regional airliner, Fokke ...
,
Fokker F27-600
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Europe ...
,
Boeing 707,
Rockwell 500 Commander,
Antonov An-26
The Antonov An-26 ( NATO reporting name: Curl) is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.Gordon, Yefim. Komissarov, Dmitry & Sergey. "Antonov's Turboprop Tw ...
,
Antonov An-2,
Max Holste Broussard
The Max Holste MH.1521 Broussard is a 1950s French six-seat utility monoplane designed by Max Holste to meet a French Army requirement.
Design and development
Following the end of the Second World War, Avions Max Holste designed and built a n ...
,
Douglas C-47
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...
,
Cessna Skymaster
The Cessna Skymaster is an American twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. Its engines are mounted in the nose and rear of its pod-style fuselage. Twin booms extend aft of the wings to the vertical stabilizers ...
,
Aérospatiale Corvette
The Aérospatiale SN 601 Corvette is a French business jet of the early 1970s developed and manufactured by aerospace manufacturer Aérospatiale. Sales of the type were disappointing, leading to only 40 Corvettes being constructed, including the ...
,
Sud Aviation Alouette II
Sud or SUD may refer to:
Places
* Sud (Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg constituency), a constituency in Luxembourg
* Sud (department), an administrative subdivision of Haiti
* Sud Department (Ivory Coast), defunct administrative subdivision of ...
.
Golf legend
There is a story that a golfer named Mathieu Boya destroyed the entire Benin Air Force in 1987 with a golf shot that led to one of the force's
Dassault Mirage Mirage is a name given to several types of jet aircraft designed by the French company Dassault Aviation (formerly Avions Marcel Dassault), some of which were produced in different variants. Most were supersonic fighters with delta wings. The most s ...
fighters crashing into the remaining four. Unfortunately for the story, the Benin Air Force has never operated the Mirage or any combat aircraft.
References
Citations
Bibliography
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{{Authority control
Air forces by country
Military of Benin
Aviation in Benin
1961 in military history
Military aviation in Africa