Guinea-Bissau Air Force
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2018) |
| Guinea-Bissau Air Force | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1973-2015 (2015 when aircraft stopped flying) |
| Country | Guinea-Bissau |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Defence |
| Garrison/HQ | Bissau |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Mig-21, Mig-17, Mig-15UT |
| Utility helicopter | Alouette II, Alouette III |
| Transport | Falcon 20 |
The Guinea-Bissau Air Force (Template:Lang-pt) is the air force arm of the military of Guinea-Bissau.[citation needed]
History
|
On leaving Bissalanca by 1973-74, the Portuguese Air Force left three North American T-6Gs.[citation needed]
After achieving independence from Portugal, the air force was formed by officers returning from training in Cuba and the USSR.[citation needed] The FAGB was re-equipped by the Soviet Union with a limited aid package in which its first combat aircraft were introduced.[citation needed] Five MiG-17s and two MiG-15UTI trainers entered service with a single Mil Mi-8 helicopter. In 1978 France provided more aircraft aid in the form of a Reims-Cessna FTB.337 for coastal patrol and a surplus Alouette III. A Dassault Falcon 20F was donated by the Angolan government but was soon sold to the USA.[citation needed] In the late 1980s a similar number of MiG-21s replaced the MiG-17s, also delivered an Antonov An-24, a Yakovlev Yak-40 and another Mi-8 helicopter.[citation needed] In the early 90s they received ex-polish PZL-Mielec Lim-6 Fresco fighter bombers from Poland and East Germany.[citation needed]
The force's title was changed to Força Aérea da Guiné-Bissau (FAGB) after the outbreak of the civil war in 1998. Cooper and Weinert state 'when sighted for the last time in ..1991, most of the MiG fleet was in 'storage' inside several hangars on the military side of Bissalanca IAP (Osvaldo Vieira International Airport), and in a deteriorating condition.'[citation needed]
As of 2015 Guinea-Bissau has no aircraft in flying condition, with the last know type a SE.3105 helicopter, which ceased operating in 2011.[citation needed]
Aircraft
Current inventory
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Aircraft | ||||||
| MiG-21 | Soviet Union | fighter / interceptor | 4[citation needed] | withdrawn from service 2004[1] | ||
| MiG-17 | Soviet Union | fighter | MiG-17F | 5[citation needed] | 2 placed in storage[1] | |
| MiG-15 | Soviet Union | fighter / trainer | MiG-15UTI | 1 | 1 placed in storage[1] | |
| Transport | ||||||
| Falcon 20 | France | VIP | 2 | 1 unserviceable[1] | ||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Alouette II | France | light utility | 1[citation needed] | 1 placed in storage[1] | ||
| Alouette III | France | liaison | 3 | 2 placed in storage[1] | ||