Benutzer:Shi Annan/Armée de l’Air Tchadienne
Luftwaffe des Tschad (Armée de l’Air Tchadienne) | |
---|---|
Emblem der Luftwaffe | |
Aufstellung | 1961 |
Staat | Tschad |
Streitkräfte | Streitkräfte des Tschad |
Typ | Teilstreitkraft (Luftstreitkräfte) |
Stärke | 350 personnel[1] |
Hauptquartier | Flughafen N’Djamena, N’Djamena |
Zivile und Militärische Führung | |
[[ ]] | [[ ]] |
Stv. Kommandeur | General [[ ]] |
Chef des Stabes | General [[ ]] |
Die Luftwaffe des Tschad (französisch Armée de l’Air Tchadienne, AAT, arabisch القوات الجوية التشادية, en.: Chadian Air Force) sind die Luftstreitkräfte der Streitkräfte des Tschad. Sie wurde 1961 als Escadrille Nationale Tchadienne (ENT, en.: Chadian National Flight/Squadron) ggründet.
Die Luftwaffe hat einen gemeinsamen Stützpunkt mit den französischen Luftstreitkräften am Flughafen N’Djamena.
Geschichte
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]Anfänge
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]1969 war die Escadrille Nationale Tchadienne mit fünf Douglas C-47 cargo aircraft and three Max Holste MH.1521 Broussard liaison aircraft. Most of them were operated by French crews, because there were very few native pilots.[2] In the mid-1970s, it was reinforced by six AD-4N Skyraiders, as well as some additional C-47 and Douglas C-54 transports, the total number of which reached 13 by that time. All of these were donated by France, and most were still crewed by the French. Three Reims-Cessna FTB337s were also delivered in 1977.[3]
Erste combat operations
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]The ENT participated in its first major combat operations in June-July 1977, against Libyan-supported FROLINAT rebels. Following an attack on Zouar, reconnaissance missions were launched from the Faya-Largeau Airport. The first attack sorties were flown by Skyraiders on 1 July. Bombs, rockets and cannons were used against the rebel positions, but nearly every aircraft involved was damaged by ground fire. The next day, tactics were changed, with the pilots deciding to attack from altitudes as low as 60 m, releasing all of their weapons in a single pass. Even though the exposure to return fire was reduced, several aircraft were damaged by the explosions of bombs and rockets. On 3 July, a Skyraider received a hit in its engine, and its pilot was forced to land on an abandoned airstrip near Zouar. He was quickly recovered by his wingman. A team of technicians later arrived on board a C-47, and repaired the aircraft, which was flown out the next day. Despite the ENT's efforts, Zouar was overrun by the FROLINAT on 6 July.[4]
Following several months of preparations, the FROLINAT's next major attack came in January 1978. All of the ANT's garrisons in the Tibesti were overrun. The FROLINAT and the Libyan Army's advance was monitored by the ENT. During one of such missions, on 29 January, a C-47 was hit by a 9K32 Strela-2 (SA-7) MANPADS while flying at a very low altitude, and it crashed; its whole crew was killed. The next day, a rescue operation was organised, with a C-54 being deployed to Faya-Largeau to support one Skyraider and one French Army Light Aviation SA 330 Puma helicopter. However, a few minutes after taking off from Faya-Largeau, the C-54 was hit by two SA-7s, and its pilot performed an emergency landing while two of the aircraft's engines were on fire. All five crew members survived, and were picked up by the Puma helicopter. The SA-7 threat effectively put an end to the ENT's operations in the Faya area. Unsupported, the town's garrison collapsed on 18 February.[5]
In the face of the Libyan-supported rebel onslaught, the Chadian president, General Félix Malloum, requested a French military intervention. The French government agreed, and thus Opération Tacaud was launched in early April. The ENT went back into action on 16 April during the FROLINAT's offensive on Salal, together with French Air Force aircraft. One of its Skyraiders was shot down by an SA-7, and its pilot was killed.[5] Even though the ANT garrison in Salal was eventually overrun by the insurgents, the French intervention was successful in stopping the rebels' advance towards the capital, N'Djamena. It also exacerbated the dissensions between the different rebel factions. The situation culminated in late summer 1978, when Hissène Habré's faction, the Armed Forces of the North (Forces Armées du Nord or FAN), defected and joined the government's forces. In turn, Habré was appointed as Chad's prime minister by Malloum. This alliance did not last for long however, and in February 1979, Habré deployed his forces around N'Djamena. These launched their attack on 11 February. The ENT and the French forces deployed there attempted to help Malloum's embattled government. In reaction, Habré declared that he would not be able to guarantee the security of the expatriates living in the city, should the bombardments continue. This caused the French forces to stop the bombardment. The foreigners were then evacuated by French transport aircraft, followed by the French troops present there. This caused the ENT to completely cease its operations: without access to the French personnel that was operating its aircraft, it was de facto disbanded.[6]
Reconstitution
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]The Chadian air arm was reconstituted in 1984 as the Armée de l'Air Tchadienne. The first aircraft of the reestablished air force were four Lockheed C-130As donated by the United States. As of 1986, it was also operating three C-47s, one C-54, one CASA C-212 and two Pilatus PC-7s. At that time, its commander was Captain Mornadji Mbaissanabe, and it numbered around 200 personnel. It depended on the French for maintenance tasks, and most of its pilots were French or Zairian, with only a few Chadians.[7] The AAT's C-130 fleet was extensively used to support FANT troops deployed in the North of the country during the Toyota War.[8] In late 1987, one of these aircraft was abandoned after it caught fire at an airstrip near Yebbibou.[9]
Expansion
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]Following the end of the Chadian-Libyan conflict, relations with Libya were normalised in 1994. Starting in the mid-1990s, the AAT started to grow slowly but steadily. In 1995, two second-hand Aérospatiale Alouette IIIs were bought from the Netherlands. Two Mil Mi-24Ds and one Mil Mi-17 were also purchased in the late 1990s. Libya donated two Antonov An-26s in the same period, and two SIAI-Marchetti SF.260s in 2006. Two Mi-24Vs were delivered from Ukraine in 2000, as well as four Mi-17s in 2001 and 2006. Four more Mi-24Vs were delivered from the same source in 2007-2008. The expansion of the AAT in this period was fuelled by royalties from oil exports that started in the mid-2000s. In 2005, one of the two PC-7s donated by France in the 1980s was overhauled by the company Griffon Aerospace, which also bought another on the civilian market in the United States. The same company then purchased a single Pilatus PC-9 directly from Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft, and contracted around 50 French, Algerian and Mexican personnel to serve in the AAT. Griffon Aerospace then proceeded to modify one Mi-17V-5, three Mi-24Vs and the PC-9 with hardpoints allowing them to carry Mark 81 and Mark 82 bombs, sourced from Pakistan. The three Mi-24Vs were also made compatible with night-vision goggles. The weaponisation of the PC-9 caused a scandal in Switzerland, as the Chadian government had promised it would not be used in a combat role. This affair marked the end of Griffon Aerospace's work in Chad, and all of its employees left the country by March 2008.[10][11]
However, these had meanwhile been involved in combat operations. Contracted instructors flew with less experienced Chadian pilots, especially during nocturnal sorties. They also flew Mi-17s and Mi-24s during the 2008 Battle of N'Djamena, attacking insurgent technicals. The single PC-9 also flew attacks in Darfur in January 2008, despite the Chadian government's pledge.[11][10] The AAT was also heavily involved in beating back a rebel invasion from neighboring Sudan in 2009.[12] Sudanese officials also claimed that Chad aircraft made several cross-border raids into Sudan during the conflict.[13] The high-profile acquisition of this period was a batch of six Sukhoi Su-25s (four single-seat and two twin-seat aircraft), delivered from Ukraine between 2008 and 2010. This country also provided for a large portion of the mercenaries serving in the air force, even though Chadian personnel started undergoing training in France and Ethiopia, and has started to gradually replace foreigners in more recent years. Six Eurocopter Fennecs were also obtained from the Republic of Singapore Air Force in 2008-2010. It was at that time that different squadrons were created, including one each of fighter, liaison, transport and helicopter squadrons.[10][11]
Four additional Su-25s bought in Ukraine were delivered in 2013, and the first of three Mikoyan MiG-29s arrived the next year. Two Alenia C-27J Spartans were also taken on strength in 2013-2014. In 2015, Chadian Air Force Su-25s participated in the fighting against Boko Haram, in neighbouring Cameroon and Nigeria.[10] Several aircraft and helicopters were damaged in a storm on 1 July 2017 that struck the air force's main base at N'Djamena International Airport. The severity of the storm was amplified by the use of fabric hangar coverings. Losses or damaged equipment included three helicopters, a PC-12, a MiG-29 fighter, and two Su-25 attack planes.[14][15][16][17][18]
Aircraft
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]Current inventory
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat Aircraft | ||||||
Sukhoi Su-25 | Soviet Union | attack | 6[19] | |||
Transport | ||||||
Cessna 208 | United States | transport / ISR | 2[19] | |||
C-27J Spartan | Italy | utility transport | 2[19] | |||
Antonov An-26 | Soviet Union | transport | 3[19] | |||
C-130 Hercules | United States | transport | C-130H | 1[19] | ||
Helicopters | ||||||
Mil Mi-17 | Russia | utility | Mi-8/17/171 | 6[19] | ||
Mil Mi-24 | Soviet Union | attack | 3[19] | |||
Alouette III | France | light utility | 1[19] | |||
Eurocopter AS550 | France | light utility | 6[19] | |||
Trainer Aircraft | ||||||
Pilatus PC-9 | Switzerland | advanced trainer | 1[19] | |||
Pilatus PC-7 | Switzerland | trainer | 2[19] | |||
SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 | Italy | basic trainer | 1[19] |
Operational aircraft of the force may be far less than official figures represent. According to a report in Le Figaro in April 2006, the Chadian Air Force consisted only of two Lockheed C-130 Hercules transports, one working Mil Mi-17 helicopter, and two non-working Mil Mi-24 helicopters.[20] Later C-130 TT-PAF was lost in a landing accident at Abéché, on 11 June 2006.[21]
Incidents
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]Safety Incidents
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]The Aviation Safety Network listed four incidents between 1976 and 1987, one involving a Douglas DC-3, a Douglas DC-4 that was shot down by a Surface-to-air missile and the remaining two with the C-130 Hercules transports, one crashing during a routine takeoff, the other during a landing.[22]
In 2004, while transporting journalists and UN officials to a tarmac meeting with Kofi Annan, one of the Chadian helicopters malfunctioned and made a rough landing in the desert.[23]
Einzelnachweise
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]- ↑ International Institute for Strategic Studies: The Military Balance 2021. Routledge, London 25. Februar 2021: S. 457. ISBN 9781032012278
- ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
- ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
- ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
- ↑ a b Vorlage:Harvnb
- ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
- ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
- ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
- ↑ Vorlage:Harvnb
- ↑ a b c d Arnaud Delalande: Tough times for Chadian Air Force. In: Key Aero. 21. September 2017 .
- ↑ a b c Tom Cooper, Adrien Fontanellaz: Two Men Built an Air Force From Scratch in Chad. War Is Boring, 21. November 2016 .
- ↑ Chad says ended Sudan raids, 100 captured. In: Reuters. 18. Mai 2009, abgerufen am 19. Februar 2022.
- ↑ Chad carries out air strikes in Sudan's Darfur. In: Sudan Tribune. 16. Mai 2009, abgerufen am 8. Juli 2019.
- ↑ Lionel Ekene: Chadian Military loses half of it’s Air Force. In: Military Africa. 8. Juli 2017, abgerufen am 12. Dezember 2019.
- ↑ Chad's Air Force badly damaged by storm. In: www.defenceweb.co.za. Abgerufen am 8. Mai 2018 (britisches Englisch).
- ↑ 635th MMS Assists Chadian Air Force to overcome windstorm damage to ai In: U.S. Air Forces in Europe & Air Forces Africa. Abgerufen am 8. Mai 2018 (amerikanisches Englisch).
- ↑ Chadian aircraft suffer severe storm damage. In: Jane's 360. Abgerufen am 8. Mai 2018.
- ↑ A Storm out of the Norm in Chad In: Offiziere.ch, 15. August 2017. Abgerufen am 8. Mai 2018 (amerikanisches Englisch).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l World Air Forces 2023. Flightglobal Insight, 2023, abgerufen am 23. November 2022.
- ↑ Le Figaro – Actualité en direct et informations en continu. Archiviert vom am 18. November 2006; abgerufen am 11. Juli 2006.
- ↑ Le crash d'un avion de l'armée tchadienne fait 5 morts et de nombreux blessés. 18. Februar 2022, abgerufen am 18. Februar 2022.
- ↑ Harro Ranter: Aviation Safety Network > ASN Aviation Safety Database > Operator index > Chad > Force Aérienne Tchadienne. In: aviation-safety.net. Abgerufen am 8. Juli 2019.
- ↑ Travelling with Kofi Annan. Archiviert vom am 3. März 2007; abgerufen am 29. Dezember 2005. After its repair, it transported US Marines into Niger. [1]
Literatur
[Bearbeiten | Quelltext bearbeiten]- Tom Cooper, Albert Grandolini, Arnaud Delalande: Libyan Air Wars, Part 1: 1973-1985. Helion & Company Publishing, 2015, ISBN 978-1-909982-39-0.
- Tom Cooper, Albert Grandolini, Arnaud Delalande: Libyan Air Wars, Part 3: 1986-1989. Helion & Company Publishing, 2016, ISBN 978-1-910294-54-3.
- Cooper, Tom & Weinert, Peter (2010). African MiGs: Volume I: Angola to Ivory Coast. Harpia Publishing LLC. ISBN 78-0-9825539-5-4.
{{Normdaten|TYP=k|GND=872-2|LCCN=n/79/126811|VIAF=142489267}} [[Kategorie:United States Air Force| ]] [[Kategorie:Nationale Luftstreitkraft|Vereinigte Staaten]] [[Kategorie:Gegründet 1947]] Air forces by country]] [[Category:Military of Chad]] [[Category:Aviation in Chad]] [[Category:1961 in military history]] [[Category:Military aviation in Africa]]