The Gabonese Air Force () is the official aerial warfare branch of the Armed Forces of Gabon.
History In the early 1960s, following the country's independence from the French Republic, aerial detachments were inside the country, with the first official aerial installation being the Mouila Training Center which was established in 1966 in the south-west of the country. On January 25, 1972, by presidential decree signed by President Omar Bongo, the Gabonese Air Force became an official branch of the armed forces, separate from the army. In January 1980, at the initiative of President Bongo, the Air Force developed and adopted a combat structure, acquiring a fleet of fighters, and creating the Mvengue Air Base in the capital.
Order of battle Fighter Squadron 1-02 Leyou at BA02 Franceville with: Mirage F1AZ MB-326M Impala I Heavy Transport Squadron at BA01 Libreville with: C-130 Hercules CN-235 Ministerial Air Liaison Group ( or GLAM) at BA01 Libreville with: 1 Falcon-900EX 1 Gulfstream III
Current inventory
AircraftOriginTypeVariantIn serviceNotes Combat aircraft Mirage F1 FranceFighter 6 Transport ATR 42 France / Italy VIP transport1 CASA CN-235 Indonesia / Spain Transport 1EADS CASA C-295TransportW1 C-130 Hercules United States TransportC-130H 1 Helicopters Alouette III FranceLight utility 2SA342 Gazelle FranceAttack / Scout3 Eurocopter AS332 France Transport 1 Aérospatiale SA 330 FranceTransport / Utility5Eurocopter EC135 France Utility2 Eurocopter EC120 FranceLight utility 2
Retired aircraft Previous aircraft operated by the Air Force consisted of the CM.170 Magister, C-130H Hercules, Embraer EMB 110, Fokker F28, Aérospatiale N 262, Reims C.337, and the Alouette II helicopter. The first fighters flown by the air force were Dassault Mirage 5Gs.Ristor, p. 7
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