| Kenya Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 June 1964 |
| Country | Kenya |
| Part of | Kenyan Armed Forces |
| Motto | Tuko Imara Angani |
| Commanders | |
| Air Force commander | Major General Joff Otieno |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel | |
The Kenya Air Force (KAF) is the national Air Force of Kenya.
The main airbase operating fighters is Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, while Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi is the HQ & operations Kenya Air Force. Other bases include FOB Mombasa (Moi inter. Airport), FOB Mandera, FOB Wajir & FOB Nyeri (mainly helicopters/small planes).
Contents |
Until the recent purchase of Chinese Harbin Y-12 transports and Russian Mil Mi-17 helicopters, all of the KAF's aircraft were provided by Western countries through MFS (military foreign sales) or FMF (foreign military finance). The fleet consists of:
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[1][2] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma | France
Romania |
transport helicopter | SA 330G | 12
9 |
Since 1977, 9 built by IAR |
| Mil Mi-17 | Russia | transport helicopter | Mi 17-1 | 2 |
First seen publicly on 22 August 2010. One crashed. |
| Aérospatiale Gazelle | France | helicopter | SA 342 | 1 | Since 1979(2 Deliverd) |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo | Canada | tactical transport | DHC-5D | 7 | Since 1977. 12 Deliverd. |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 | Canada | transport | DHC-8 | 3 | Since 1990 |
| Fokker 70 | Netherlands | VIP transport | F70 | 1 | |
| Harbin Y-12 | China | utility transport | Y-12 | 12 | Since 1999 |
| MD Helicopters MD 500 | United States | utility helicopter
scout helicopter attack helicopter |
MD 500M
MD 500MD MD 500MD/TOW |
10
15 15 |
Since 1979 |
| Harbin Z-9 | China | utility helicopter
attack helicopter |
Z-9
WZ-9 |
4
54 |
WZ-9 delivered Jan 2010, 50 delivered in 2011. |
| MBB Bo 105 | Germany | Light helicopter | BO-105-S | 1 | Operated by the police air wing as an Air Ambulance. |
| CASA CN-235 | Spain | transporter | CN-235M | 3? | |
| Northrop F-5 Tiger II | United States | fighter
trainer |
F-5E
F-5F |
18
4 |
Since 1978, it is the KAF's main air defence fighter. A total of 29 Deliverd: 14 from USA+ 15 ex RJAF . |
| Scottish Aviation Bulldog | United Kingdom | trainer | Bulldog 103
Bulldog 127 |
3
2 |
Since 1972, 5 built
13-14built |
| Short Tucano | United Kingdom | trainer | Tucano | 12 | Since 1990. 13 Deliverd. Some for C.O.I.N ops (counter insurgency aircraft) |
Anti-aircraft equipment:
In addition to the Air Force, the police air wing operates 11 aircraft (including 3 Bell 206L Long Ranger United States, 3 Bell 212 United States , 4 Mil Mi-17 Hip Russia\ Soviet Union
Former fleet:
The Kenya Air Force was formed on 1 June 1964, soon after independence, with the assistance of the United Kingdom.
From 1979-1982 President Daniel arap Moi used Air Force F-5 fighter jets to escort his flights in and out of the country; later commentators have pointed out that there was no threat justifying the waste of fuel and the difficult and complex requirements of the escort mission.[3]
After a failed coup by a group of Air Force officers on August 1, 1982, the Air Force was disbanded. Air Force activity was reconstituted and placed under tighter army control as the 82 Air Force. The Air Force regained its independent status in 1994. Currently it is a professional force with F-5 upgrade and procurement underway (10 F-5E, 2 F-5F, and 3 F-5EM from Jordan[4]).
On April 10, 2006 a KAF Harbin Y-12 crashed near Marsabit with 17 on board, of whom 14 died. It was carrying several local and national politicians; Bonaya Godana, a former minister, was among the casualties. The pilot in command was Major David Njoroge.
There has been a controversy over the purchase of used F-5 jets from Jordan, which were shipped to Kenya and assembled locally.[5]
The following officers have been in command of the Kenya Air Force:[6]
|
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||