Royal Moroccan Air Force Insignia.

The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) (Arabic: القوات الجوية الملكية المغربية ; transliterated: al-Qoat al-Jaoiyah al-Malakiyah al-Maghribiyah) is the official air force of Morocco. The Royal Moroccan Air Force flies a variety of Western-built airplanes, particularly French built aircraft. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

History

The beginnings

The Moroccan air force was formed on November 19th, 1956 as the “Aviation Royale Chérifienne” (Sherifan Royal Aviation). Its modern installations and bases were inherited from France (Meknes, Rabat, Kenitra) and the United States (Benguérir, Boulhault, Nouasser and Sidi Slimane). The first acquisition of this newly formed air force was 6 Morane-Saulnier MS500 Criquet. 3 transport aircraft Max Holste MH.1521 Broussard, 2 Beech E50 Twin Bonanza, 1 De Havilland DH114 Heron and 1 Bell 47G helicopter. Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Medresa Bou Inania in Meknes Meknes (Arabic: مكناس) is a city in northern Morocco, located 130 kilometres from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres from Fes. ... Mausoleum of Mohammed V through mosque ruins NASA image of Rabat Rabat (Arabic الرباط, transliterated ar-Rabāṭ or ar-Ribāṭ), population 1. ... Kenitra is a city of Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey. ...

In 1961, it changed its name to "Force Aérienne Royale Marocaine" (Royal Moroccan Air Force), a denomination still used until now. In the same period, it obtained from the Soviet Union 12 MiG-17, 2 MiG-15UTI "Midget" y 4 bombers Ilyushin Il-28. 24 training aircraft Fouga Magister were also received from France. MiG-17 at the Central Texas Airshow, USA, May 2003. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (NATO reporting name Fagot) was a jet fighter developed for the USSR. History Design began under the bureau designation I-310, which first flew in 1947. ... The Ilyushin Il-28 is a jet bomber aircraft that was originally manufactured for the Soviet Air Force and was the USSRs first such aircraft to enter large-scale production. ... A two seat turbojet powered trainer aircraft, the first Magister prototype flew on 23 July 1952. ...

The political rift with the USSR, pushed Morocco to seek a new ally in the United States, acquiring from the latter 6 combat aircraft Northrop F-5 (4 single-seat F-5A and 2 two-seat F-5B) and in 1966 other 20 F-5A and 4 F-5B. As to the transport units, they had at that moment 10 Douglas C-47, 18 Fairchild C-119G y 6 C-130 Hercules. The helicopter fleet was composed of 24 Augusta-Bell AB205A, and training was satisfied with 60 North American T-6 Texan. The next modernization of the Moroccan air force took place just before the Sahara conflict, with the acquisition of Mirage F-1CH attack aircraft, Beech T-34C Mentor training aircraft, Aerospatiale Puma helicopters, and new Hercules transport aircraft to substitute the older units. The F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and F-5E/F Tiger II are part of a family of widely used light supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the United States, beginning in 1960s. ... Douglas DC-3 VH-AES at Avalon in 2003. ... The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was a U.S. military transport aircraft developed from the World War II Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft and the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. ... For the twin-engined military models, see UH-1N Twin Huey and UH-1Y Venom. ... The T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft designed by North American Aviation, used to train fighter pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II. The T-6 is... The Dassault Mirage F1 is a single-seat air-superiority fighter and attack aircraft built by Dassault of France. ... A Beechcraft T-34B Mentor The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Bonanza. ... The Aerospatiale Puma is a medium-sized twin-engined transport/utility helicopter originally manufactured by Aerospatiale of France. ...

From the Western Sahara Conflict to present

At the beginning of the conflict, the Fouga Magister aircraft were the first to see action. Later on, the F-5 aircrafts were thrown into action, to strike against Polisario targets. From the beginning, the objective of Morocco was to create a controlled and safe zone in the area considered as “useful” for its political and economic interests, that is, the Capital Al-Aaiun, the religious center Smara, and the phosphate field of Bu-Craa. A two seat turbojet powered trainer aircraft, the first Magister prototype flew on 23 July 1952. ... The Polisario, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro (Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Río de Oro) is a Sahrawi movement working for the independence of... Laâyoune Laâyoune, also El Aaiún, is the unofficial capital of Western Sahara, a former Spanish country now mostly controlled and occupied by Morocco. ... Above is a ball-and-stick model of the inorganic hydrogenphosphate anion (HPO42−). Colour coding: P (orange); O (red); H (white). ...

In 1980, they started building the defensive walls of the Sahara, consisted of every type of obstacles for the infantry, and the armoured vehicles (mines, radars, etc...), all backed by Quick Intervention Units (Détachements d'Intervention Rapide) able to move to and reinforce quickly every location along the wall thanks to air-transport composed of Super Puma, AB-205 and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. The Berm of Western Sahara (Also known as the Moroccan Wall) is an approximately 2,700 km-long defensive structure, mostly a sand wall (or berm), running through Western Sahara and the southeastern portion of Morocco. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ... The Eurocopter Super Puma (originally built by Aérospatiale) is a helicopter marketed for civil and military use. ... The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a versatile, twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. ...

As to the anti-tank defense, it was decided additionally to use light helicopters Hughes 500MD with TOW missiles to neutralize the T-54, T-55 and BMP tanks of Polisario. And apart from the ground radars of the Wall, Two C-130 Hercules with SLAR system were also used for the detection of enemy units. After the loss of 1 F-5A and 2 RF-5A in the battles, 20 F-5E "Tiger II" y 4 F-5F were acquired thanks to the Saudi financial support. Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... A TOW missile being fired from a Jeep. ... The T-55 and T-54 main battle tanks were the Soviet Unions replacements for the World War II era T-34 tank. ... The T-54 and T-55 tank series was the Soviet Unions front-line main battle tank from 1947 until 1962, and remains in service throughout the world to this day, especially by former client states of the Soviet Union. ... BMP is an abbreviation for: Basic Multilingual Plane, the 16-bit base of the Unicode character set. ... The Polisario, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro (Peoples Liberation Front of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro) is an army and political movement in the Western Sahara, comprising... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop aircraft, is the main tactical air transport aircraft of the United States and UK military forces. ... The F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and F-5E/F Tiger II are part of a family of widely used light supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the United States, beginning in 1960s. ...

The main problem that faced the F-5 in Western Sahara, was its insufficient range to realize missions in depth in the vast battlefield of the Sahara desert. To remediate this problem, 4 tankers were purchased to provide the Moroccan “Freedom Fighters” with air-to-air refueling (AAR), and consequently increase their attack range. The Mirage F-1 during the beginning of the conflict were responsible of defending the air-space before a possible Libyan or Algerian attack, which supported both financially and politically the Polisario front. Boom and receptacle: USAF KC-135R Stratotanker, two F-15s (twin fins) and two F-16s, on an aerial refueling training mission Probe and drogue: USAF HC-130P refuels a HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter Aerial refueling, also called Air refueling or in-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air... The Dassault Mirage F1 is a single-seat air-superiority fighter and attack aircraft built by Dassault of France. ...

System of the Moroccan Walls in Western Sahara (territory outside them in yellow

In 1977, the Moroccan Mirage pilots started their training in an Air-force base located in Orange, France. In this same year, the Moroccan Air Force started receiving its first Mirage F-1C fighters. Finally, Libya and Algeria did not attack Morocco, and consequently Morocco destined its Mirages to ground-attack missions against Polisario. 3 Mirage Deliveries were received between 1978 and 1982. The first delivery were 30 Mirage F1-CH received between February and December, 1978. The second one, was received between December 1979 and July 1982 and comprised 14 Mirage F1-EH. Between July 1980 and June a final delivery of 6 Mirage F-1EH-200 was received. During the 90’s there were plans for purchasing Mirage 2000 or F-16 fighter aircraft, however due to unavailable funding they have not been realized. Currently, and possibly as a result of the Algerian negotiations with Russia to purchase MiG-29 and Su-30MKA attack aircraft, the Royal Moroccan Air Force is seeking to modernize its ageing fleet, and according to some sources, Moroccan authorities are already negotiating with Dassault to acquire between 12 and 18 Rafale fighters. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (904x727, 37 KB) Summary Map of the w:Moroccan Wall in w:Western Sahara - built over several stages, shows the six walls built, & when the territory was behind Moroccan wall. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (904x727, 37 KB) Summary Map of the w:Moroccan Wall in w:Western Sahara - built over several stages, shows the six walls built, & when the territory was behind Moroccan wall. ... Orange (Provençal Occitan: Aurenja in classical norm or Aurenjo in Mistralian norm) is a town and commune in the département of Vaucluse, in the south of France. ... A Mirage 2000 of the Indian Air Force The Mirage 2000 is a French-built multi-role fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. ... The Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is a Russian fighter aircraft used in the air superiority role. ... Formerly named Societé des Avions Marcel Bloch or MB, the Dassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets. ... The logo of the Dassault Rafale program. ...

Airbases

• Rabat Salé (GMME) – Air Base Nº 1
• Meknes - Bassatine (GMFM) – Air Base Nº 2
• Kenitra (GMMY) – Air Base Nº 3
• Sidi Slimane (GMSL) – Air Base Nº 5
• Marrakech (GMMX) – Academy Base
• Laayoune (El Aaiún) - Hassan Island (GMML) – Detachment 1

Mausoleum of Mohammed V through mosque ruins NASA image of Rabat Rabat (Arabic الرباط, transliterated ar-Rabāṭ or ar-Ribāṭ), population 1. ... Medresa Bou Inania in Meknes Meknes (Arabic: مكناس) is a city in northern Morocco, located 130 kilometres from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres from Fes. ... Kenitra is a city of Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey. ... For the record label, see Marrakesh Records. ... Laâyoune Laâyoune, also El Aaiún, is the unofficial capital of Western Sahara, a former Spanish country now mostly controlled and occupied by Morocco. ...

Personnel

Currently the total number of the Royal Moroccan Air Force personnel is 13,500. 300 of these are pilots (According to Jane’s 1999). Janes Information Group (often referred to as Janes) was founded by John F.T. Jane in 1898. ...

Equipment

In 1998, the equipment of the Royal Moroccan Air Force consisted of : ^[1]

• Combat Aircraft
  • 30 Mirage F1CH
  • 14 Mirage F1EH
  • 6 Mirage F1EH-200
  • 26 F-5A Freedom Fighter
  • 6 Northrop F-5B Freedom Fighter
  • 27 Northrop F-5E Tiger II
  • 4 Northrop F-5F Tiger II
  • 6 OV-10A bronco ( Now phased out )

• Training aircraft
  • 24 Alpha Jet E
  • 14 T-37B Dragonfly
  • 12 T-34 Turbo Mentor
  • 10 FFA AS-202/18 Bravo
  • 32 CM170R
  • 28 SF-260W

• Transport aircraft
  • 17 C-130H Hercules
  • 2 RC-130 Hercules
  • 7 CASA CN.235M

• Tankers
  • 2 KC-130 Hercules
  • 1 KC-135R

• Attack helicopters
  • 24 SNIAS Gazelle SA342K

• Transport helicopters
  • 34 SNIAS Puma SA330C
  • 24 Bell AB204
  • 48 Bell AB205A Iroquois
  • 12 CH-47C Chinook
  • 5 Bell AB212
  • 2 S-70-25 Blackhawk

• Light helicopters
  • 22 Bell AB206

The Dassault Mirage F1 is a single-seat air-superiority fighter and attack aircraft built by Dassault Aviation of France. ... The Dassault Mirage F1 is a single-seat air-superiority fighter and attack aircraft built by Dassault of France. ... The Dassault Mirage F1 is a single-seat air-superiority fighter and attack aircraft built by Dassault of France. ... The F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and F-5E/F Tiger II are part of a family of widely used light supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the United States, beginning in 1960s. ... The F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and F-5E/F Tiger II are part of a family of widely used light supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the United States, beginning in 1960s. ... The F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and F-5E/F Tiger II are part of a family of widely used light supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the United States, beginning in 1960s. ... The F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and F-5E/F Tiger II are part of a family of widely used light supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop in the United States, beginning in 1960s. ... An OV-10 on static display at Hurlburt Field Air Park. ... Alpha Jet owned by Red Bull The Alpha Jet is a light attack and advanced trainer aircraft manufactured by Dornier of Germany and Dassault-Breguet of France. ... One of the most prominent of the trainer-attack type aircraft is the Cessna T-37/A-37, known in various forms as the Tweety Bird, Tweet, Dragonfly, or Super Tweet. ... A Beechcraft T-34B Mentor The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Bonanza. ... A two seat turbojet powered trainer aircraft, the first Magister prototype flew on 23 July 1952. ... The Aermacchi SF.260 is a light aircraft marketed as an aerobatics plane and a military trainer. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft and the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft and the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. ... The CN-235 is a medium-range turbo-prop aircraft developed jointly between CASA in Spain and IPTN in Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft and the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. ... The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling tanker aircraft, first manufactured in 1956 and expected to remain in service into the 2020s. ... The Gazelle is a French-designed helicopter, created by the company Sud Aviation, that later became Aérospatiale, and later still Eurocopter. ... ... The Bell Helicopter UH-1 Iroquois, commonly (or officially in the United States Marine Corps) known as the Huey, is a multipurpose military helicopter, famous for its use in the Vietnam War. ... The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, commonly (or officially in the USMC) known as the Huey, was a multipurpose military helicopter, famous for its use in the Vietnam war. ... The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a versatile, twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. ... The Bell 212 Twin Huey (also known as the Twin Two-Twelve) is a medium civilian helicopter that first flew in 1968. ... The Sikorsky H-60/S-70 Black Hawk is a medium-lift military helicopter family used by a multitude of countries and corpoations in a multitude of variants. ... The Bell Helicopter Model 206 JetRanger is a two-bladed main rotor, turbine powered helicopter with a conventional, two-bladed tail rotor. ...

References

External links

• Scramble
• Moroccan air force fleet photos - airliners.net