From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
Cuba?Angola airbridge
(
Portuguese
:
Ponte aerea Cuba-Angola
) was an
airbridge
conducted in 1974 and 1975 to allow the arrival of Cuban troops and military equipment in Angola. Its goal was to support the
MPLA
political party, as part of a larger Cuban operation known as
Operation Carlota
.
[1]
The airbridge allowed the entry of Cuban troops and military equipment in Angola to strengthen the weakened
People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola
(FAPLA), the military wing of the MPLA. The Cuban special troops and military equipment were initially transported from Cuba in two old four-engine
Bristol Britannias
by the Cuban national airline,
Cubana de Aviacion
. The establishment of the airbridge revitalized the MPLA and is seen as a turning point in its consolidation of power in Angola.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Heywood, Linda (2000).
Contested Power in Angola, 1840s to the Present
. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press.
ISBN
9781580460637
.