| Botswana Defence Force Air Wing | |
|---|---|
Ensign of the Botswana Defence Force Air Wing |
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| Active | 1977 - present |
| Country | Botswana |
| Part of | Botswana Defence Force |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel | |
The Botswana Defence Force Air Wing is the air arm of the Botswana Defence Force of the country of Botswana in southern Africa.
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The Air Wing was formed in 1977 and is organisationally part of the Botswana Defence Force.
All squadrons are designated with a Z, which has no other meaning but is used as a designation for "squadron". The main base is Molepolole and was built mostly by foreign contractors between 1992 and 1996. Other bases used are Sir Seretse Khama International Airport at Gaborone and Francistown.
The backbone of the Air Wing is formed by ex-Canadian CF-116s which are locally designated as CF-5s. Thirteen ex-Canadian CF-116s (ten single-seater CF-5As and three trainer CF-5Bs) were ordered in 1996 to replace the Strikemasters, with another three single-seaters and two dual-seaters delivered in 2000.[Note 1] For transport the Air Wing uses Britten-Norman Defenders, CASA C-212 Aviocars, CASA CN-235s and C-130 Hercules. The latest addition to the transport fleet was an ex-AMARC C-130 Hercules to complement the two existing aircraft.[1]
A combination of Bell 412EP and 412SP helicopters are operated by Z21. In 1993 nine ex-US Army/AMARC Cessna O-2As were delivered for use against poaching.
In 2011 Pilatus Aircraft Ltd announced that the Botswana Defence Force selected the PC-7 MkII turboprop trainer aircraft to replace their Pilatus PC-7 fleet which has been in service since 1990. The contract value is approximately 40 million Swiss Francs to procure a fleet of 5 PC-7 MkII turboprop trainer aircraft, with ground based training system including computer based training, spares, support equipment, as well as pilot and technician conversion training elements. The contract was signed in Gaborone on 13 April 2011.[2]
Botswana is also believed to operate Elbit Systems Silver Arrow[3] and Elbit Hermes 450 UAVs.[4]
As of 2011, the Botswana Defence Force Air Wing aircraft inventory is:[5]
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Version | In service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter aircraft | ||||||
| Canadair CF-5\CF-116 Freedom Fighter | Canada | Fighter
Advanced trainer |
CF-5A
CF-5D |
9[6]
5[1] |
||
| Pilatus PC-7 MK-2 | Switzerland | Trainer | 0 [5 on order][2] | |||
| Pilatus PC-7 | Switzerland | Trainer | 6[1] | |||
| Transport/utility helicopter | ||||||
| Bell 412SP | United States | Utility helicopter VIP helicopter |
412SP
412EP |
5[1]
2[1] |
||
| Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil | France/Germany/Spain | Light attack\utility helicopter | AS 350B
AS350BA AS350B3 |
1[1]
4[1] 3[1] |
||
| Cargo/transport aircraft | ||||||
| Beechcraft Super King Air | United States | Staff transport | Super King Air 200 | 1[1] | ||
| Britten-Norman Defender | United Kingdom | Transport | BN-2A | 9[1] | ||
| CASA C-212 Aviocar | Spain | Transport | C-212-300 | 2[1] | ||
| CASA CN-235 | Spain/Indonesia | Transport | CN-235 | 2[1] | ||
| Cessna O-2 Skymaster | United States | Liaison | O-2 | 8[1] | ||
| Gulfstream IV | United States | VIP transport | G-IV | 1[1] | ||
| Lockheed C-130 Hercules | United States | Transport | C-130B | 3[1] | ||
| Elbit Hermes 450 | Israel | UAV | Unknown[4][Note 2] | |||
| IAI Silver Arrow 180 | Israel | UAV | 3[3] | |||
In 2005 Botswana Defence Force (BDF) awarded the Spanish company Indra a €7.1 million contract for the development and implementation of a full air defence command and control system. The project included the development and implementation of an operational control centre, composed of a total of nine air traffic tracking and control posts to process and concentrate the information regarding the country's air space being provided by air surveillance radars, radio communication links with the airships, and air traffic management civil systems.[7][8]
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