Chad Air Force - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Chadian Air Force, in French Force Aérienne Tchadienne, was formed in 1961 as the Escadrille Nationale Tchadienne (Chadian National Flight/Squadron), and was given its current name in 1973. It continues to be part of the Chadian Army

Military of Chad

The Military of Chad consists of the Armed Forces , Republican Guard, Rapid Intervention Force, Police, and National and Nomadic Guard...

.

The force shares a base with French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

forces at N'Djamena International Airport

N'Djamena International Airport

N'Djamena International Airport , serves N'Djamena, Chad, and is the main international airport of Chad.The airport is dual use, with civilian and military installations on opposite sides of the single runway.- Military base :...

1960s

In the 1960s the Chadian Air Force consisted of one hundred men, one DC-3 cargo aircraft, three light observation aircraft, and two helicopters.

Enhancement

In 1973, when its strength was increased to 200 men, the air force possessed three C-47 medium transport aircraft (increased to 13 in the mid-1970s), three light transport planes, and one helicopter, all serviced at the local French

France

air base in N'Djamena. Nearly all of the pilots at the time were French.

In 1976, the Air Force obtained 7 Douglas AD Skyraiders

A-1 Skyraider

The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the late 1940s and early 1980s. It became a piston-powered, propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed "Spad", after a French World War I fighter...

from France, which were used in anti-guerrilla campaigns in the north until 1987 when they were deemed inoperable. (C-47 tail numbers included 100509, 10307 and 10409, and Skyraider 126959).

Safety Incidents

The Aviation Safety Network

Aviation Safety Network

-External links:**...

listed four incidents between 1976 and 1987, one involving a Douglas DC-3

Douglas DC-3

The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...

, a Douglas DC-4

Douglas DC-4

The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...

that was shot down by a Surface-to-air missile

Surface-to-air missile

A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...

and the remaining two with the C-130 Hercules

C-130 Hercules

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...

transports, one crashing during a routine takeoff, the other during a landing. http://aviation-safety.net/database/operator/airline.php?var=6945

Successful Combat

During the 1983 conflict with Libya, the Chad Air Force reported destroying eight Libyan Aermacchi SF-260s. Three were captured and served from 1987. One crashed in 1989 and another was sold to the USA. Chad also acquired 24 Stinger shoulder launched SAMs in late 1987.

According to several news reports, the Chad Air Force was heavily involved in beating back a rebel invasion from neighboring Sudan.
Sudanese officials also claimed that Chad aircraft made several cross-border raids into Sudan during the conflict. However, media reports are unclear as to exactly what types of aircraft were used by Chad to fend off the rebels and to conduct the cross-border strikes.

Command

As of 1987, the Air Force was commanded by Lt. Mornadji Mbaissanabe. On November 15, 2000, an unidentified Chadian Air Force Chief of Operations applied for refugee status in Canada, claiming he had accused the Chadian government of human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

violations.http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/war2002/section16.html

Helicopters

Two ex-Dutch airforce Aloutte III helicopters were acquired in January 1995

In 2004, while transporting journalists and UN officials to a tarmac meeting with Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan

Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...

, one of the Chadian helicopters malfunctioned and made a rough landing in the desert. http://www.nathanking.tv/TravellingwithKofiAnnan.htm After its repair, it transported US Marines

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

into Niger. http://www.sevunts.com/new_page_6.htm

Chad lost at least one helicopter during the Battle of Adre, on December 18, 2005.

Aircraft Inventory

In addition to rotated French

France

aircraft which are often operated by Chad, the Air Force operates 20 aircraft, including 8 helicopters. In July 2008 speculation rose about Chad ordering six ex-Ukrainian Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft.
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| Aermacchi SF-260
|
| trainer/light attack
| SF-260W
| 2
| survivors of 9 captured from Libya
|-----
| Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III

Aérospatiale Alouette III

The Aérospatiale Alouette III is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by Sud Aviation. It was manufactured by Aérospatiale of France, and under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India as Hal Chetak and Industria Aeronautică Română in Romania.The Alouette III is the...

|
| utility helicopter
| SA 316
| 2
|
|-----
| Antonov An-26

Antonov An-26

The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the USSR from 12 March 1968.-Development:...

|
| tactical transport
|
| 1
|
|-----
| Beech 1900D
|
| VIP transport
|
| 1
| Delivered in 2008 and has Republique du Tchad titles.
|-
| Douglas DC-9
|
| VIP Transport
| DC-9-87
| 1
| Has Republique du Tchad titles.
|-----
| Lockheed C-130 Hercules
|
| tactical transport
| C-130H-30
| 1
|
|-----
| Mil Mi-8/-17

Mil Mi-8

The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....

Mil Mi-24

The Mil Mi-24 is a large helicopter gunship and attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for 8 passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and operated since 1972 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and by over thirty other nations.In NATO circles the export...

|
| attack helicopter
| Mi-25
| 2
|
|-----
| Pilatus PC-6 Porter
|
| utility transport
|
| 2
| serving since 1976 1 sold in the late 1990s
|-----
| Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer / Pilatus PC-9

Pilatus PC-9

The Pilatus PC-9 is a single-engine, low-wing tandem-seat turboprop training aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland.-Design and development:...

Sukhoi Su-25

The Sukhoi Su-25 is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. It was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 22 February 1975...

Le Figaro

Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...

in April, 2006, the Chad Air Force consisted only of two Lockheed C-130 Hercules transports, one working Mil Mi-17 Hip-H

Mil Mi-17

The Mil Mi-17 is a Russian helicopter currently in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude...

helicopter, and two non-working Mil Mi-24 Hind

Mil Mi-24

helicopters.

List of Historical Aircraft OF CHADIAN AIR FORCE

3 Tupolev TU-22 Blinder-Bomber(captured from Libyan-AF)
2 Mikoyan MIG-21 Bis-Fishbed(captured from Libyan-AF)
6 Sukhoi SU-25 Frogfoot A(4)\SU-25UB(2) Russia-6 IN Service
11 Aero L-39ZO Albatros Jet trainer\CAS aircraft(captured from Libyan-AF Czechoslovakia
7 Douglas A-1D Skyraider-CAS aircraft
5 Cessna-Reims FTB-337 Super SkymasterLight Attack aircraft-2 IN Service
9 SIAI SF-260M \ SF-260WL Warrior Light Attack aircraft(captured from Libyan-AF) Italy-2 IN Service
2 Pilatus PC-9 Trainer\Light Attack aircraft-1 IN Service
3 Pilatus PC-7 Turbo-Trainer Trainer\Light Attack aircraft-2 IN Service
2 Pilatus PC-6 Turboproter Utility aircraft-2 IN Service
5 Max Holste HM1521M Broussard Light STOL Utility aircraft
1 Boeing 727-200 Jet Transporter
1 Douglas DC-9 Jet Transporter-1 IN Service
1 SNIAS Caravelle 6R Jet Transporter
1 Grumman Gulfstream-II Jet-VIP
8 Lockheed C-130A(6)\C-130H(1)\C-130H-30(1) Hercules Transporter-3 IN SERVICE (1xC-130A\1xC-130H\1xC-130H-30)
1 Antonov An-72 Coaler Russia
2 Antonov An-26 Crul Transporter-1 IN Service
2 Casa C-212 Aviocar Transporter Spain
1 De-Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin-Otter Transporter Canada
1 Fokker F-27-600 Friendship Transporter
10 Nord 2501 Noratlas Early Modern France
6 Douglas C-54 Skymaster Transporter
13 Douglas C-47 Dakota Transporter
1 Augusta-Bell 47G Sioux Italy
2 Mil Mi-8 Hip Utility Helicopter-2 IN Service
2 Mil Mi-17 Hip Utility Helicopter Russia-2 IN Service
3 Mil Mi-24 Hind Attack Helicopter
2 Mil Mi-25V Hind-E Attack Helicopter Russia-2 IN Service
10 Sikorski\Sud S-58\H-34 Choctaw
11 SNIAS SE-3130 Alouette-II
10 SNIAS SE-3160\SA-316B Alouette-III-2 IN Service
2 SNIAS SA-342 Gazelle Attack Helicopter
9 SNIAS SA-330 Puma
1 SNIAS SA-332F Super-Puma
IAI Orbiter mini UAV

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