Malian Air Force

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Malian Air Force
Armee de l'air du Mali
Malian Armed Forces emblem
Founded 1961 ; 63 years ago  ( 1961 )
Country   Mali
Type Air force
Role Aerial warfare
Part of Malian Armed Forces
Engagements
Commanders
Chief of Air Staff General Alou Boi Diarra [1]
Deputy Chief of Air Staff Lieutenant Colonel Adama Bagayoko [2]
Insignia
Roundel
Alternate roundel
Aircraft flown
Attack Aero L-39
Fighter MiG-21
Helicopter H215 , Mi-8 , Mi-17
Attack helicopter Mi-24 , Mi-35
Reconnaissance Cessna 208
Trainer EMB-314 , SF.260
Transport An-26 , BT-67 , C-295 , Y-12

The Mali Air Force ( French : Armee de l'air du Mali ), established in 1961, serves as the primary aerial warfare branch of Mali's armed forces . [3] The force was initially created with the assistance of the French military , which provided training and equipment to establish the air force's initial capabilities. [4] In the following years, the Mali Air Force received significant support from the Soviet Union , which provided both equipment and training to the force. [5]

History [ edit ]

The Mali Air Force ( French : Armee de l'air du Mali ) was founded in 1961 with French-supplied military aid. This included MH.1521 Broussard utility monoplane followed by two C-47 transports until replaced by Soviet aid starting in 1962 with four Antonov AN-2 Colt biplane transports and four Mi-4 light helicopters. [6]

In the mid-1960s the Soviets delivered five MiG-17F fighters and a single MiG-15UTI fighter trainer to equip a squadron based at Bamako?Senou initially with Soviet pilots. Two Ilyushin Il-14 transports and a Mil Mi-8 helicopter were delivered in 1971 followed by two Antonov An-24 transports.

In 1974, 12 MiG-21Bis were obtained from the Soviet Union , with a pair of two-seat MiG-21UMs to follow a couple of years later. These initial Fishbeds served alongside the four remaining MiG-17 Fs and saw combat on two occasions during the Agacher Strip War in 1974 against Upper Volta , and again in 1985 with the same country, now renamed Burkina Faso . In 2005, another three MiG-21MFs were delivered from the Czech Republic , reinforcing the surviving jets. By 2010, the Fishbeds were only flown on ceremonial occasions. By January 2012, only one MiG-21MF and one MiG-21UM remained operational until they were grounded for lack of spare parts, ammunition, and pilots a few months later. In January 2013, the Nigerian Air Force sent a technical team to Bamako?Senou International , with the aim of refurbishing the MiG-21s, but the project was abandoned. Other jets withdrawn from service were six L-29 Delfins , which were used for training. [7]

In June 2015 the Malian government ordered Super Tucano light attack aircraft from the Brazilian company Embraer . [8] Four were paid for and were delivered in 2018. [9] One of these crashed in Sevare two years later, killing both pilots. [10]

In December 2020, the Malian government ordered 4 Mi-171 helicopters. They were delivered by Russia on 30 September 2021. [11]

In September 2023, the Malian government has lost their last Su-25 due to a crash caused by missile launched by Azawad rebels. However the pilot safely ejected. [12]

Equipment [ edit ]

Aircraft Origin In service Type Variant Notes
Combat aircraft
Aero L-39 Albatros Czech Republic 12 Attack / Jet trainer L-39C [13]
MiG-21 Soviet Union 9 Fighter [13]
Reconnaissance aircraft
Cessna 208 United States 1 Reconnaissance [13]
Transport
Antonov An-26 Soviet Union 1 Transport [13]
Basler BT-67 United States 1 Utility [13]
CASA C-295 Spain 2 Transport [13]
Harbin Y-12 China 2 Utility [13]
Helicopters
Airbus Helicopters H215 France 2 Utility H215M [13]
Mil Mi-8 Russia 1 Utility [13]
Mil Mi-17 Russia 4 Utility Mi-171Sh [14]
Mil Mi-24 Russia 7 Attack Mi-24D
Mi-35M 		1 on order. [13]
Trainer aircraft
Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano Brazil 3 Trainer [13]
SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 Italy 1 Trainer [13]
Unmanned aerial vehicle
Bayraktar TB2 Turkey 6 UCAV [15]

Ranks [ edit ]

Main article: Military ranks of Mali

Commissioned officer ranks [ edit ]

The rank insignia of commissioned officers .

Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet
  Malian Air Force [16]
General d'armee General de corps d'armee General de division General de brigade Colonel-major Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant

Other ranks [ edit ]

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel .

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
  Malian Air Force [16]
Major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de premiere classe Soldat

References [ edit ]

  1. ^ "Участники встречи с Президентом переходного периода Республики Мали А.Гойтой" .
  2. ^ https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1645
  3. ^ "Mali Air Force" . www.globalsecurity.org . Retrieved 2023-03-16 .
  4. ^ "French Air Force (2023)" . www.wdmma.org . Retrieved 2023-03-16 .
  5. ^ "Here's what we know about the military aircraft delivered to Mali Air Force - AeroTime" . 2022-08-10 . Retrieved 2023-03-16 .
  6. ^ World Aircraft Information Files . Brightstar Publishing, London. Files 337, Sheet 04.
  7. ^ Sands, Glenn (February 2018). "Mali's Air Force". Air Forces Monthly (359): 84?86.
  8. ^ Hoyle, Craig (June 15, 2015). "T"PARIS: Mali to boost defences with Super Tucano" " . Flightglobal . Archived from the original on June 21, 2015 . Retrieved June 20, 2015 .
  9. ^ Secretdefense.org, "Mali : les nouveaux avions de chasse d’IBK seraient inutilisables (Exclusif)", https://www.secret-defense.org/16/07/2018/ibk-mali-avions-scandale//
  10. ^ Aviation Safety Network, April 7, 2020, https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/234839
  11. ^ "Mali receives 4 helicopters, weapons from Russia: Defense Minister" . Devdiscourse . ANI ? Sputnik. 1 October 2021.
  12. ^ Abdul, Kazim (September 11, 2023). "Last remaining Malian air force Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft crash" . Archived from the original on October 3, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Hoyle, Craig (December 2023). World Air Forces 2024 . FlightGlobal (Report). London: Flight Global Insight. p. 24 . Retrieved 12 December 2023 .
  14. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). The Military Balance 2023 . Taylor & Francis. p. 463. ISBN   978-1-000-91070-4 .
  15. ^ "Mali receives more TB2, L-39 aircraft" . Janes.com . Retrieved 2024-01-04 .
  16. ^ a b "2011 - Plaquette sur les insignes et blasons des Forces Armees du Mali" (in French). 23 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021 . Retrieved 17 October 2020 .
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