Everything about The Chad Air Force totally explained
The
Chad Air Force was formed in 1961 as the
Escadrille Nationale Tchadienne, and renamed
Force Aérienne Tchadienne in 1973. It continues to be part of the
Chadian Army.
The force shares a base with
French forces at
N'Djamena International Airport.
In the
1960s the Chadian Air Force was hardly more than insignificant; it consisted of one hundred men, one DC-3 cargo aircraft, three light observation aircraft, and two helicopters.
In
1973, when its strength was increased to 200 men, still the air force could count on only 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 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 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)
The
Aviation Safety Network listed four incidents between
1976 and
1987, one involving a
Douglas DC-3, a
Douglas DC-4 that was shot down by a
Surface-to-air missile and the remaining two with the
C-130 Hercules transports, one crashing during a routine takeoff, the other during a landing.
(External Link
)
During the
1983 conflict with Libya, the Chad Air Force reported destroying eight Libyan
Aermacchi SF-260s
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'd accused the Chadian government of
human rights violations.
(External Link)
In
2004, while transporting journalists and
UN officials to a tarmac meeting with
Kofi Annan, one of the Chadian helicopters malfunctioned and made a rough landing in the desert.
(External Link) After its repair, it transported
US Marines into Niger.
(External Link)
Chad lost at least one helicopter during the
Battle of Adre, on
December 18 2005.
Aircraft Inventory
In addition to rotated
French aircraft which are often operated by Chad, the Air Force operates 20 aircraft, including 8 helicopters.
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! ignore="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! ignore="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
|
| utility helicopter
| SA 316
| 2
|
|
-
|
Antonov An-26 Curl
|
| tactical transport
|
| 1
|
|
-
|
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
|
| tactical transport
| C-130A
C-130H
C-130H-30
| 1
1
1
|
|
-
|
Mil Mi-8/-17 Hip
|
| transport helicopter
| Mi-8
Mi-17
| 2
2
|
|
-
|
Mil Mi-25 Hind-D
|
| attack helicopter
| Mi-25
| 2
|
|
-
|
Pilatus PC-6 Porter
|
| utility transport
|
| 2
|
|
-
|
Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer
|
| trainer (reconfigured as attack aircraft)
|
| 2
|
|
-
|
Reims F337 Skymaster
|
| liaison
|
| 2
| license built Cessna Skymaster
|}
Operational aircraft of the force may be far less than official figures represent. According to a report in
Le Figaro in April,
2006, the Chad Air Force consisted only of two
Lockheed C-130 Hercules transports, one working
Mil Mi-17 Hip-H helicopter, and two non-working
Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopters.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chad Air Force'.
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