The Benin Air Force (French: Forces Aériennes du Bénin or FAB) is the aerial service branch of the Benin Armed Forces. It was formed in 1960 when Benin gained independence from France as the Dahomey Air Force. The Air Force provides support to the army and various transport duties, including 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. In the 2020s, new capability was acquired to support counterterrorism activities. The current operational fleet consists of two fixed-wing aircraft and eight helicopters.
| Benin Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Forces Aériennes du Benin | |
| Country |  Republic of Benin |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Part of | Benin Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Cotonou |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lieutenant-colonel Hermann William Avocanh |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Fin flash |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Multirole helicopter | Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma |
| Utility helicopter | Eurocopter AS350 Fennec |
| Transport | de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Xi'an MA600 |
History
editBeginnings
editWhen the Republic of Dahomey became a self-governing colony 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 (Force Aérienne de Dahomey or FAD).[1] The first aircraft arrived in 1961 after the country had gained full independence. The original donations, a Douglas C-47 transport and an Sud Aviation Alouette II helicopter along with a number of Max Holste Broussard 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.[2] The C-47 fleet was expanded to three aircraft and, in 1973, a French-manufactured Rheims Cessna Skymaster was added to the force.[3] To supplement the Aero Commander, an Aérospatiale Corvette was acquired, further reinforcing the tie between the country and French aircraft industry.[4]
Benin People's Air Force
edit
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 (Forces Aériennes Populaire du Bénin or FAPB).[5] 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 added in 1978.[4] Soon after, two Antonov An-26 transports were introduced, heralding a change in allegiance to the Eastern bloc.[5]
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 for VIP transport, and a single Alouette II and two Aérospatiale AS350 Écureuil helicopters.[6]
Benin Air Force
editWhen 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, Forces Aériennes du Bénin, which can be translated Benin Air Force.[1] The original roundel was restored, although the red star was still visible on aircraft in 1994.[7] 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.[8] 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 transports. One of these was used for spare parts in an effort to provide continuity for the fleet, another recurring problem.[8] Helicopters were also later provided by the Belgian Army under the same condition.[9]
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.[10] 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.[11] However, despite these measures, the operational fleet continued to shrink. By 2018, the air force consisted of two active aircraft.[12]
During the following decade, the Air Force was increasingly active in counterterrorism.[13] This included involvement in joint counterterrorism exercises with other forces, both with other branches of the Benin armed forces and cooperation with other countries.[14] To support these efforts, in 2023, the air force received two H125M variants of the Eurocopter AS350 Fennec and three Eurocopter Super Puma helicopters.[15][16] By 2024, four AgustaWestland AW109BA and a single Eurocopter AS350B were added to the air force, which, alongside the other aircraft, meant that helicopters formed the majority of the fleet.[17]
Current capabilities
editThe Air Force is tasked with a range of military tasks, including national defence, surveillance and intelligence gathering, support to the Army and participation in peacekeeping operations. It also undertakes a number of other roles, including search and rescue, environmental protection, anti-poaching patrols and fighting smuggling, as well as providing air transport for the president.[18]
The Air Force is led by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (Chef de d’Etat-Major des Forces Aériennes or CEMFA). On 14 November 2016, Lieutenant colonel Hermann William Avocanh was appointed to this role.[19] Two bases are operated, Base Aériennes de Cotonou (BACO) and Base Aériennes de Cana (BACA) at Cadjehoun Airport, Cotonou, and Cana Airport respectively.[20] In 2018, the latter was commanded by Captain Luc Biobou.[21]
Aircraft
edit| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | ||||||
| DHC-6 Twin Otter | Canada | transport | 300 | 1[22] | ||
| Xi'an MA600 | China | transport | 1[17] | |||
| Helicopter | ||||||
| Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma | France | multi-role | H215 | 3[17] | ||
| Eurocopter AS350 Fennec | France | utility | H125M (2) AS350B (1) | 3[17] | ||
| AgustaWestland AW109 | France | utility | BA | 4[17] | ||
The air force has also operated and retired the following aircraft:
- Aérospatiale Corvette.[4]
- Aero Commander 500B.[2]
- Antonov An-2.[23]
- Antonov An-26.[10]
- Boeing 727.[24]
- Dassault Falcon 20.[23]
- Dornier Do-28 Skyservant.[6]
- Douglas C-47.[3]
- Fokker F.28.[6]
- Fokker F27-600.[4]
- Hawker Siddeley HS 748.[24]
- Humbert Tétras.[25]
- LH Aviation LH-10 Grand Duc.[24]
- Max Holste Broussard.[2]
- Mil Mi-8.[25]
- Rheims Cessna Skymaster.[3]
- Sud Aviation Alouette II.[23]
Golf legend
editThere 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 fighters crashing into the remaining four.[26] Unfortunately for the story, the Benin Air Force has never operated the Mirage or any combat aircraft.[6]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ a b Wragg 2003, p. 23.
- ^ a b c Rawlings 1971, p. 927.
- ^ a b c Wheeler 1973, p. 144.
- ^ a b c d Wheeler 1980, p. 1327.
- ^ a b Wheeler 1980, p. 1326.
- ^ a b c d Hatch 1987, p. 42.
- ^ Moulin 1994.
- ^ a b Ripley 2004, p. 45.
- ^ Decock 2012.
- ^ a b Housnou 2018, p. 26.
- ^ Guisnel 2010.
- ^ Hoyle 2018, p. 12.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024, p. 54.
- ^ Lawson 2018.
- ^ "Benin's Air Force Boosts Counterterrorism Efforts with New H125M Helicopters". Military Africa. 2023-06-24. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ "Benin receives Puma Helicopters from France to enhance Counter-Terrorism fight". Military Africa. 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ a b c d e International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024, p. 55.
- ^ Ministère de la Defense Nationale. "Forces Aériennes". defense.bj (in French). Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- ^ Housnou 2018, p. 27.
- ^ Youri 2018, p. 8.
- ^ Youri 2018, p. 9.
- ^ Hoyle 2023, p. 14.
- ^ a b c International Institute for Strategic Studies 1984, p. 133.
- ^ a b c International Institute for Strategic Studies 2023, p. 435.
- ^ a b Defenceweb 2023, p. 56.
- ^ Connor 2001, p. 63.
Bibliography
edit- Connor, Floyd (2001). Golf's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of the Great Game's Outrageous Duffers, Deadly Divots, and Other Oddities. Washington, D.C.: Brassey's. ISBN 978-1-57488-360-2.
- Decock, Jean-Paul (13 May 2012). "L'hélico démo nouveau est arrive". Hangar Flying (in French). Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- Defenceweb (2023). "Super Pumas Join Benin's Air Force". Africa Defence Forum. Vol. 16, no. 3. p. 56.
- Guisnel, Jean (21 November 2010). "Le Grand Duc, un avion pour l'Afrique". Le Point (in French). Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- Hatch, Paul (28 November 1987). "World Air Forces 1987". Flight. 132 (4090): 37–106. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- Housnou, Lucien; et al. (10 September 2018). "Entretien Avec Le Lieutenant-Colonel Hermann Avocanh, Chef D'etat-Major Des Forces Aériennes "Il faudra réorganiser les Forces Aériennes"" (PDF). Le Mirador (in French). 16: 24–27. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- Hoyle, Craig (2018). World Air Forces 2018. Flight Global.
- Hoyle, Craig (2023). World Air Forces 2024. Flight Global. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (December 1984). "The Military Balance 1984/85: Sub-Saharan Africa". Air Force Magazine. Vol. 67, no. 12. pp. 127–134.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (2023). The Military Balance 2023. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-00348-583-4.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (2024). The Military Balance 2024. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-00348-583-4.
- Lawson, Ben (23 November 2018). "Menace terroriste : le Bénin organise des manœuvres militaires". La Nouvelle Tribune (in French). Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- Moulin, Jacques (1994). "Les Forces Aérienne Béninoises". le bloc (in French). Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- Rawlings, John (24 June 1971). "World's Air Forces". Flight. 99 (3250): 922–940.
- Ripley, Tim (16–22 November 2004). "World's Air Forces 2004". Flight International. 166 (4960): 41–100. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- Wheeler, Barry (26 July 1973). "World's Air Forces". Flight. 104 (3359): 139–162.
- Wheeler, Barry (4 October 1980). "World's Air Forces". Flight. 118 (3726): 1323–1378.
- Wragg, David (2003). Jane's Air Forces of the World: The History and Composition of the World's Air Forces. London: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00711-567-9.
- Youri, Alladaye (29 May 2018). "Echanges de Vœux de Nouvel an Chez les Aviateurs: Le CEMFA Prend un Nouveau Départ avec la Troupe" (PDF). Le Mirador (in French). 14: 8–9. Retrieved 24 August 2019.