| Ghana Air Force | |
|---|---|
Ghana Air Force Ensign |
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| Founded | 1959 |
| Country | Ghana |
| Size | Around 1,000 personnel 39 aircraft (on inventory) 5 aircraft flying (in 2006) |
| Part of | Ghanaian Ministry of Defence and Central Defence Headquarters |
| Air Force HQ | Accra |
| Commanders | |
| Chief of the Air Staff | Air Vice Marshal M. Samson-Oje |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel | |
The Ghana Air Force (GAF) is the air force of the African nation of Ghana. The GAF, along with the Ghanaian Army and Navy, make up the armed forces of Ghana which are controlled by that nation's Ministry of Defence.
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The GAF was founded in 1959 with direction from Indian and Israeli officers. Later that year a headquarters was established in Accra under the command of an Indian air commodore. In 1960 Royal Air Force personnel took up the task of training the newly established Ghana Air Force and in 1961 they were joined by a small group of Royal Canadian Air Force personnel. In September 1961 as part of President Kwame Nkrumah's Africanization program, the Royal Air Force commander was replaced by a Ghanaian Air Commodore, with the first being J.E.S. de Graft-Hayford. Although born in the U.K. he was of Ghanaian descent and became Africa's first 'Chief of the Air Staff' south of the Sahara.
The Ghana Air Force was the first sub-Sahara air force, and for a time the largest. It was equipped with a squadron of Chipmunk trainers, and squadrons of Beavers, Otters and Caribou transport aircraft. In addition a DH125 jet was bought for Kwame Nkrumah, Hughes helicopters were bought for Mosquito spraying plus DH Doves and Herons. Whirlwind helicopters and a squadron of MB 326 ground attack/trainer jets were also purchased.
In 1962 the national school of gliding was set up by Hanna Reitsch, who was once Adolf Hitler's top personal pilot. Under the command of Air Commodore de Graft-Hayford, she served as director, operations instructor and trainer of the school. She also acted as the personal pilot of Kwame Nkrumah from 1962-1966.
The GAF headquarters and main transport base are located in Accra and the Service has a strength of around 1000 personnel. Other air bases include:
The GAF's mission is to perform counterinsurgency operations and to provide logistical support to the Ghanaian army. However, performance has been hindered by a lack of spare parts and by poor maintenance capabilities.
The Ghana Air Force owns 38 aircraft, including 2 combat jets and 11 helicopters.
All other aircraft were grounded because of lack of spare parts.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[1] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aermacchi MB-326 | Italy | trainer | MB-326 | 4 | |
| Aero L-39 Albatros | Czechoslovakia | trainer
attack |
L-39ZO | 2 | |
| Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander | United Kingdom | utility transport | BN-2 | ||
| Cessna 172 Skyhawk | United States | utility | 3 | ||
| Falcon 900B | France | VIP | 1 | ||
| EADS-CASA C-295 | Europe | transport | 1 (2) | ||
| Fokker F27 Friendship | Netherlands | tactical transport | F27-400M
F27-600 |
2
1 |
|
| Fokker F28 Fellowship | Netherlands | passenger transport | F28-3000 | 1 | |
| Hongdu K-8 Karakorum | China/ Pakistan | trainer | K-8 (export) | 4[2] | |
| Mil Mi-2 Hoplite | Poland | utility helicopter | Mi-2 | 2 | |
| Mil Mi-17 Hip-H | Russia | transport helicopter | Mi-17 | 4 | |
| Aérospatiale SA-319 Alouette III | France | utility helicopter | SA-319B | 2 | |
| Agusta A109 | Italy | utility helicopter | A109 | 2 | |
| Bell 412 | United States | transport helicopter | 412SP | 1 |
The Ghana Air Force has requested four Alenia C-27J Spartans as replacements for the dwindling numbers of airworthy Fokker F27s still in service. They changed mid-purchase and ordered 2 EADS-CASA C-295 aircraft.[3]
The senior appointment in the GAF is the Chief of Air Staff. The following is a list of the Ghana Air Force Chiefs of the Air Staff:[4]
The GAF's rank structure is similar to the RAF's rank structure from where its ranks were derived.
In descending order of importance the GAF officer ranks are:[2]
In descending order of importance the GAF airman ranks are:[3]
The GAF once operated six Shorts Skyvans, two of which (the G452 (SH1929) and G455 (SH1933)) had structural damage and were scrapped. The other four were sold to an Austrian Company in 2004 (SH1929, SH1930, SH1932 and SH1933). [11]
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ghana_Air_Force Ghana Air Force] at Wikimedia Commons
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