NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Air Force of Zimbabwe

The Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) is the air force of Zimbabwe. It was known as the Rhodesian Air Force until 1980. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A ground attack aircraft is an aircraft that is designed to operate very close to the ground, supporting infantry and tanks directly in battle. ... Sixteen Hunters of the RAF Black Arrows perform aerobatics at the Farnborough Air Show, England. ... The Mil Mi-24 is a large combat helicopter gunship and low-capacity troop transport operated from 1976 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and over thirty other nations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... J-7H belonging to the PLAAF Flight Test & Training Centre based at Cangzhou AFB, Hebei Province The Chengdu Jian-7 (export versions F-7) is a Peoples Republic of China-built fighter jet derived from the Russian MiG-21. ... J-7H belonging to the PLAAF Flight Test & Training Centre based at Cangzhou AFB, Hebei Province The Chengdu Jian-7 (export versions F-7) is a Peoples Republic of China-built fighter jet derived from the Russian MiG-21. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Russian: ; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable geometry, swept-wing fighter aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. ... English Electric Canberra PR.9 photo reconnaissance aircraft CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft of the Canadian Air Force. ... A Cessna 337 Super Skymaster The Cessna Skymaster is a twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Aermacchi F-260 is a light aircraft marketed as an aerobatics plane and a military trainer. ... The Hongdu JL-8 (or Nanchang JL-8) is a two-seat trainer aircraft built by joint-cooperation between Pakistan and the Peoples Republic of China. ... The BAE Systems (BAE) Hawk is an advanced jet trainer which first flew in 1974 as the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk. ... Ilyushin Il-76T An Indian Air Force IL-76 in Hawaii, with IAF and US personnel. ... The Antonov An-12 (NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft. ... The CASA C.212 Aviocar is a turboprop-powered STOL medium transport aircraft designed and built in Spain for civil and military use. ... The Britten-Norman Islander (also known as the BN-2) is a light utility aircraft manufactured by Britten-Norman of Britain. ... It has been suggested that CH-146 Griffon be merged into this article or section. ... An Air force is a military or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare. ... The former name of the Rhodesian air force Formed initially in 1935 under the name Rhodesian Regiment Air Unit as a territorial unit the first regular servicemen with the traing, in Britain of ground crew in 1936. ...

At one point the air force was well respected, having been credited with helping defend Kinshasa in 1998, but most planes of Western origin have been grounded in recent years for lack of spare parts due to the EU arms embargo. The air force has reduced its reliance on Western arms and has acquired Chinese K-8 trainers to replace the BAe Hawks. Testimony to the quality training of the AFZ is the fact the South African Air Force has turned to Zimbabwean instructors to meet its needs[1]. Kinshasa (formerly LÃ©opoldville or, before 1960, also Leopoldstad) is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

The air force has Hawker Hunters, BAE Hawks, and Chinese Chengdu F-7 interceptors, as well as a variety of helicopters. Total personnel was estimated at about 5,000 in 1999, and there are three main airbases, Gweru-Thornhill, Manyame Air Base near Harare and Field Air Base near Chegutu. There are also several Forward Air Fields (FAF) like Grand Reef, Buffalo Range, Hwange and Kotwa around the country [2]. They also have an underground armoury and other facilities in the mountain ranges around Darwendale. Sixteen Hunters of the RAF Black Arrows perform aerobatics at the Farnborough Air Show, England. ... The BAE Systems (BAE) Hawk is an advanced jet trainer which first flew in 1974 as the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk. ... The Chengdu J-7 (export versions are designated F-7) is a Peoples Republic of China_built fighter jet derived from the Russian MiG-21. ... The MiG-25 is a Russian interceptor that was the mainstay of the Soviet air defence. ... The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors consisting of two or more rotor blades. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Harare (pronounced , formerly Salisbury) is the capital city of Zimbabwe. ... FIELD AIRFORCE BASE Located near Chegutu, Field Air Force Base is one of the three main air bases for the Air Force of Zimbabwe home to air defence and regimental training. ... Chegutu (formerly known as Hartley) is a town in the Mashonaland West province, northern Zimbabwe and is 110km southwest of Harare on the main Harare-Bulawayo road ( ). According to the 1992 Population Census, the town had a population of 30,191. ...

In July 2003 the AFZ demonstrated recently-acquired MiG-23 jets and Mi-35 helicopter gunships. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Flogger). ... The Mil Mi-24 is a large combat helicopter gunship and low-capacity troop transport operated from 1976 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and over thirty other nations. ... A helicopter gunship is a military helicopter armed for attacking targets on the ground, using automatic cannon and machinegun fire, rockets, and precision guided missiles such as the Hellfire. ...

Aircraft

Current

The Hongdu JL-8 (or Nanchang JL-8) is a two-seat trainer aircraft built by joint-cooperation between Pakistan and the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Russian: ; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable geometry, swept-wing fighter aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. ... J-7H belonging to the PLAAF Flight Test & Training Centre based at Cangzhou AFB, Hebei Province The Chengdu Jian-7 (export versions F-7) is a Peoples Republic of China-built fighter jet derived from the Russian MiG-21. ... J-7H belonging to the PLAAF Flight Test & Training Centre based at Cangzhou AFB, Hebei Province The Chengdu Jian-7 (export versions F-7) is a Peoples Republic of China-built fighter jet derived from the Russian MiG-21. ... The BAE Systems (BAE) Hawk is an advanced jet trainer which first flew in 1974 as the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk. ... An F-6 of the Pakistan Air Force The Shenyang J-6 (designated F-6 for export versions) was the Chinese-built version of the Soviet MiG-19 fighter aircraft. ... British Aerospace (BAe) was a UK aircraft manufacturer, now part of BAE Systems. ... Sixteen Hunters of the RAF Black Arrows perform aerobatics at the Farnborough Air Show, England. ... The Aermacchi F-260 is a light aircraft marketed as an aerobatics plane and a military trainer. ... Ilyushin Il-76T An Indian Air Force IL-76 in Hawaii, with IAF and US personnel. ... The Boeing 707 (most commonly spoken as Seven Oh Seven) is a four engined commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... The BAe 146 (also known as the Avro RJ) is a medium-sized commercial aircraft manufactured by BAE SYSTEMS. It carries its four jet engines on a high wing above the fuselage; not below, or at mid-fuselage, as on most conventional civilian aircraft. ... Yak-40 Yak-40 as business jet The Yakovlev Yak-40 (NATO reporting name: Codling) is a small, three-engined regional transport aircraft. ... The Antonov An-12 (NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft. ... The CASA C.212 Aviocar is a turboprop-powered STOL medium transport aircraft designed and built in Spain for civil and military use. ... The Britten-Norman Islander (also known as the BN-2) is a light utility aircraft manufactured by Britten-Norman of Britain. ... A Cessna 337 Super Skymaster The Cessna Skymaster is a twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. ... The Mil Mi-24 is a large combat helicopter gunship and low-capacity troop transport operated from 1976 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and over thirty other nations. ... The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British think tank based in London. ... The Aerospatiale Corvette first flew in 1970 and went into service in 1974. ... AS 532 Cougar The Eurocopter Cougar is a twin-engined, medium-weight, multipurpose helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter. ... A South African Air Force A109LUH Agusta (now part of AgustaWestland) is an Italian helicopter manufacturer. ... Bell Helicopter Textron is an American helicopter and tiltrotor manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. ... It has been suggested that IAR 316 be merged into this article or section. ...

Future

The Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder, also known as the Fighter China-1 (FC-1) Fierce Dragon in China, is a single-seat multirole fighter aircraft co-developed by Pakistan and China. ... The Saab JAS-39 Gripen (Griffin) is a fighter aircraft from Sweden manufactured by Saab. ...

Armaments

The Mark 82 (Mk 82) is an unguided, low-drag general-purpose bomb (dumb bomb), part of the U.S. Mark 80 series. ... MÃ©canique Avion TRAction or Matra is a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to aeronautics and weaponry which today operates as the LagardÃ¨re Group. ... BL755 is a cluster bomb. ... Sidewinder Missile The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. ... The PL-7 air-to-air missile (PL stands for Pi Li, Thunderbolt in Chinese, the generic designation for all PRC air-to-air missiles) is the PRC version of the French Magic R.550 missile. ...

Integrated air defence system

Zimbabwe's integrated air defence system (see External links) has at least two CEIEC 408-C radars providing long-range air surveillance coverage from the ground, serving as prime sensor. They are able to detect targets at up to 600 km. They are complemented by some gap-filler radars including the JY-9 Radar. The radar network was upgraded in 2006.[6] The JY-9 Radar is a mobile S-band low altitude search radar intended for use in air defense, gap filling, airport surveillance and coastal defense. ...

Zimbabwe is reported to have received some HQ-2 surface-to-air missiles. Some sources also list Seacat/Tigercat missiles. [7] now. ... Sea Cat Type surface-to-air Nationality United Kingdom Era Cold War Launch platform Ship Target aircraft History Builder Short Brothers Date of design Production period Service duration 1962 - Operators UK Variants Fire Control (see text) Number built Specifications Type close range anti-aircraft Diameter 0. ...

Rank structure

The AFZ's rank structure is similar to the RAF's rank structure from where, via the Rhodesian Air Force, its ranks were derived. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

Officers

An air marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Marshal (Air Mshl or AM) is a rank in the Royal Air Force. ... An Air Vice Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia An Air Vice Marshals command flag Air Vice Marshal is the third most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts... An Air Commodoress sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Commodore is the fourth most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the deactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... A Wing Commanders sleeve/shoulder insignia A Wing Commanders command flag Wing Commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... A Squadron Leaders sleeve/shoulder insignia Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in some air forces. ... A Flight Lieutenants sleeve/shoulder insignia Flight Lieutenant (abbreviated as Flt Lt and pronounced as flight lef-tenant, see Lieutenant) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. ...

Airmen

Warrant Officer Class 1 (abbreviated WO1) is the highest non-commissioned rank in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, and British Army. ... Warrant Officer Class 2 (abbreviated WO2) is a rank in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, and British Army. ... United States Master Sergeant insignia U.S. Marine Corps Master Sergeant insignia U.S. Army Master Sergeant insignia U.S. Air Force A Master Sergeant is: the eighth enlisted rank in the United States Marine Corps, just above Gunnery Sergeant, below Master Gunnery Sergeant, Sergeant Major, and Sergeant Major of... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ... Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries, police forces or other uniformed organizations around the world. ... Senior Aircraftman (SAC), or Senior Aircraftwoman (SACW), is a rank in the Royal Air Force, ranking between Leading Aircraftman and Junior Technician (although SACs in non-technical trades progress directly to Corporal) and having a NATO rank code of OR-2. ... Leading Aircraftman (LAC) (or Leading Aircraftwoman (LACW)) is a rank in the Royal Air Force, ranking between Aircraftman and Senior Aircraftman and having a NATO rank code of OR-2. ...

DRC Campaign

In 1998 the AFZ was probably the most competent flying service in sub-Saharan Africa , staffed with well-trained, experienced, disciplined, and courageous personnel [8]. Consequently, the AFZ entered this war as the best-equipped and trained of all involved flying services. For other uses of Congo, see Congo (disambiguation). ...

The No.2 AFZ Squadron was flying 12 BAe Hawk T.Mk.60/60As, which are used as strike-fighters – equipped with AIM-9B Sidewinder AAMs, Mk.82-series bombs, and Hunting BL.755 cluster-bomber units (CBUs), as well as launchers for unguided rockets. Only six or seven F-7s were fully mission-capable. At the time the war in Congo was to break out Zimbabwe was in the middle of negotiations with China for an additional batch of 12 F-7s. The BAE Systems (BAE) Hawk is an advanced jet trainer which first flew in 1974 as the Hawker-Siddeley Hawk. ... Sidewinder Missile The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. ... The Mark 82 (Mk 82) is an unguided, low-drag general-purpose bomb (dumb bomb), part of the U.S. Mark 80 series. ... BL755 is a cluster bomb. ...

For transport, the AFZ had the No.3 Squadron, flying 12 CASA C.212-200 and six Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander light transports which had already seen heavy service, and were to see even more of this in Congo. Transport and liaison were also duties of the No.7 Squadron, equipped with Aérospatiale SA.316B Alouette IIIs (including ex-Portuguese Air Force- and Romanian IAR-built examples), as well as of the No.8 Squadron, equipped with Agusta-Bell 412SPs which were later armed with rockets launchers for this war. However, the later unit was soon to play a significant role in the war in Congo, as it was only recently equipped with the most recent addition to the AFZ: six Mi-35 helicopters (including two Mi-35Ps). The first AFZ Mi-35-crews were trained at Thornhill AB, in Gweru, by Russian instructors. CO of this unit was Sqn.Ldr. Mukotekwa. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In mid-August 1998 the AFZ deployed between five and six F-7s, most of C.212s, and something like a dozen of helicopters – including Alouettes, Bell 412s and Mi-35s – to Congo. All were flown by Zimbabwean pilots. Later on, after receiving an urgent shipment of spares, the AFZ apparently deployed some of Hawks as well, which, at the start of the war, had been reported as not in flyable condition. It was therefore so that the AFZ contingent in Congo in August and September 1998 consisted of flights from No.3, No.5, No.7 and No.8 Squadrons, while a flight from No.2 Squadron was to follow later.

The first noted AFZ operation was when, on 26th August 1998, they destroyed a 5km armored column of rebels as they were approaching Kinshasa [9]. After defeating the invaders in Kinshasa, the Zimbabweans in belief that Kabila’s government was already safe – suggested that there was no need to continue the war, and peace should be negotiated. The result was that the rebels reinforced their efforts: the Rwandans and Ugandans were also rushing better-equipped units into the battle as well. Indeed, the garrisons in eastern Congo that remained loyal to Kabila were falling one after the other. They simultaneously attacked also the Ndigili airport, in Kibanseke Province, held by Zimbabwean troops, as well as Kitona. In both cases the AFZ responded with fierce air strikes, offering rebels the opportunity to claim that up to 100 civilians were killed by their bombs. Kinshasa (formerly LÃ©opoldville or, before 1960, also Leopoldstad) is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Kinshasa (formerly LÃ©opoldville or, before 1960, also Leopoldstad) is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

In a series of fierce battles fought between 4 and 13 September 1998, during which finally also the Angolan mechanised forces were able to deploy their full firepower. The Chadian contingent was meanwhile deployed in NE Congo, where it participated in re-capture of Lubutu. The AFZ and FAC were active in this area for several days, flying a number of strikes during which also cluster-bomb units (CBUs) were used. According to government reports 45 rebels were killed and 19 captured in this battle

On 13 September, when the Angolans attacked towards Kamina, while the Zimbabweans found themselves under fierce attacks by thousands of rebels in the Manono area. It was in this area that the AFZ suffered its first documented loss of this war: on 4 September the SF.260MC flown by Sqn.Ldr. Sharunga crashed in bad weather, killing the pilot. Nine days later also an Alouette III helicopter carrying several high officers – including Col. Kufa and Sqn.Ldr. Vundla – was shot down by rebels in eastern central Congo. Kufa and Vundla were killed, while Flt.Sgt. Sande was captured by RCD. The Congolese Rally for Democracy, sometimes Rally for Congolese Democracy, was a rebel group operating in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ...

In late October 1998, the Zimbabweans launched an offensive – to a degree possible due to deployment of additional foreign troops in Congo, including some 2.000 Namibians – in SE Congo. This began with a series of air strikes, partially flown by BAe Hawk T.Mk.60s of the No.2 Squadron, newly deployed in Congo, and by F-7s of the No.5 Squadron. These first targeted airfields in Gbadolite, Dongo and Gmena, and then rebel and Rwandan communications and depots in Kisingani area, on 21 November. On the following day the No.2 Squadron prepared a special mission, launching a strike package of six aircraft, armed with Mk.82 bombs and Matra 155 rocket launchers for unguided rockets calibre 68mm: reaching out far over central Congo they appeared over the Lake Tanganyika and attacked ferries used to transport Burundi troops and supplies into the war in Congo. According to Zimbabwean reports their strike came as a complete surprise: with no other means of air defence but machine-guns and light infantry weapons, six ferries were sunk and 600 Burundi and Rwandan troops killed. In a similar attack, on 7th December 1998, Zimbabwean planes or helicopters sank two rebel boats on Lake Tanganyika some 40 km north of Moba.[10] MÃ©canique Avion TRAction or Matra is a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to aeronautics and weaponry which today operates as the LagardÃ¨re Group. ... Lake Tanganyika is a large lake in central Africa (3Â° 20 to 8Â° 48 South and from 29Â° 5 to 31Â° 15 East). ...

There were only very few reports about the fighting in the next few days, probably because the Congolese, Zimbabwean and Angolan governments found themselves under heavy pressure from Western powers because of this offensive. The few reports released from sources close to the rebels indicated Zimbabwean and Congolese attacks on Nuyuzu, Kasinge and towards Manono, supported even by T-62 tanks and heavy artillery. According to Zimbabwean reports the Hawks and F-7s continued their operations by additional attacks against Kalemi, on 24 November, and a new round of strikes against different airfields in eastern Congo, two days later, during which the pilots of No.5 Squadron claimed destruction of an unidentified An-12 transport on the ground.[11] The T-62 Soviet main battle tank is a further development of the T-54/55 series. ...

Reference

Andy Thomas (Astronaut) Andrew Andy S.W. Thomas (born December 18, 1951 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Astronaut working for NASA. He received a bachelor of engineering degree in mechanical engineering, with First Class Honors, from the University of Adelaide in 1973, and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from...

External links

Contents

Aircraft

Current

Future

Armaments

Integrated air defence system

Rank structure

Officers

Airmen

DRC Campaign

Reference

External links

See also

Contents

Aircraft GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Current

Future

Armaments

Integrated air defence system

Rank structure

Officers

Airmen

DRC Campaign

Reference

External links

See also

Aircraft