Tanzania Air Force Command
The Tanzania Air Force Command (Swahili: Kamandi ya Jeshi la Anga[1]) is the national air force of Tanzania.[2] The current Commander of the Tanzania Air Force Command is Major General William Ingram, who replaced Major General Joseph Kapwani upon the latter's retirement in January 2016.
Tanzania Air Force Command | |
---|---|
Swahili: Jeshi la Anga lA Tanzania | |
Tanzania Air Force Command insignia | |
Active | 1964-present |
Country | |
Branch | Air Force |
Part of | Tanzania People's Defence Force |
Engagements | Uganda–Tanzania War |
Commanders | |
Commander | Maj. Gen. George William Ingram |
Aircraft flown | |
Fighter | F-7, F-5, F-6, MiG-21MF |
Helicopter | Bell 206 |
Trainer | K-8 |
Transport | Y-8, Y-12 |
History
Tanzania established its air force as the "Air Wing" (Kiswahili: Usafirashaji wa Anga) of the Tanzania People's Defence Force's (TPDF) Air Defence Command in 1965.[3] An autonomous branch, its purposes were to support the TPDF ground forces and ensure air links between the government and distant areas of the country.[4]
The Tanzania Air Defence Command defeated the nominally stronger Uganda Army Air Force during the air campaign of the Uganda–Tanzania War (1978–79).[5][6]
A few of the Tanzanian air wing's transport remain serviceable. However, its Shenyang F-5s, and Chengdu F-7s are reported to fly only on rare occasions because of airworthiness problems. Tanzania's long coastline means that transports are also used for patrol flights.
In 1980, an order for 10 F-7Bs and two TF-7s was issued to China, and in 1997 also two F-7Ns were purchased from Iran, together with four ex-Iraqi Air Force transports of an unknown type. Today, no Russian-supplied MiG-21s remain in service with the TPDF/AW, and only three or four F-7s remain operational. The TPDF/AW MiG-21MFs are now confirmed to have carried serials - in black or green - underneath the cockpit, but no details about these are known.[citation needed]
On 14 November 2013, Helmoed-Römer Heitman reported for Jane's Defence Weekly that a 'usually reliable source' had informed Jane's that the TPDF had replaced its 12 old CAC J-7 fighters with 14 new J-7s, twelve single-seat and two dual-seat. Deliveries were completed in 2011. Heitman also reported that the aircraft were fully operational at Dar es Salaam and Mwanza air bases.
Recent estimates (2014) suggest that Tanzania's air force command operates 32 aircraft in 3 different types. It is believed they are operating 14 fighters, 11 fixed-wing attack aircraft and 7 transport aircraft. On October 1, 2015 a K-8 trainer jet of Tanzania Air Force Command crashed into the sea killing both pilots.
Aircraft
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat Aircraft | ||||||
Shenyang F-7 | China | fighter | 11[7] | licensed built MiG-21 | ||
Shenyang J-6 | China | fighter | F-6 | 3[7] | ||
Transport | ||||||
Antonov An-28 | Poland | transport | 1[7] | |||
Shaanxi Y-8 | China | transport | 2[7] | |||
Harbin Y-12 | China | transport | 2[7] | |||
Helicopters | ||||||
Bell 412 | United States | utility | 2[7] | |||
Airbus H155 | France | utility | 1[7] | |||
Airbus H225 | France | utility | 2[7] | |||
Airbus H125M | France | utility | 1[7] | |||
Trainer Aircraft | ||||||
Hongdu JL-8 | China | jet trainer | K-8 | 5[7] | ||
Chengdu J-7 | People's Republic of China | conversion trainer | FT-7 | 2[7] | ||
Shenyang J-6 | People's Republic of China | conversion trainer | FT-6 | 1[7] |
Bases
- Ukonga Air Base, Dar es Salaam
- Mwanza Air Base, Mwanza
- Ngerengere Air Force Base, Morogoro
Commanding Officers
# | Picture | Name | Tenure from | Tenure to |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Robert Mboma | February 15, 1982 | March 28, 1994 | |
2 | Geofrey Dahal | July 1, 2003 | April 25, 2005 | |
3 | Charles Makakala | July 2, 2005 | October 16, 2007 | |
4 | Festo Ulomi | October 17, 2007 | March 19, 2012 | |
5 | Joseph Kapwani | March 20, 2012 | January 31, 2016 | |
6 | George Ingram | February 1, 2016 | Present[8] | |
References
- https://www.tpdf.mil.tz/sho-pages/air-force
- "TPDF Air Wing" (PDF). air-britain.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, p. 14.
- Hewish 1984, p. 185.
- Cooper & Fontanellaz 2015, pp. 30, 42.
- Brzoska & Pearson 1994, p. 207.
- "World Air Forces 2020". Flightglobal Insight. 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- "Airforce Tanzania History Overview". Tanzania Peoples Defense Force.
Works cited
- Brzoska, Michael; Pearson, Frederic S. (1994). Arms and Warfare: Escalation, De-escalation, and Negotiation. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Cooper, Tom; Fontanellaz, Adrien (2015). Wars and Insurgencies of Uganda 1971–1994. Solihull: Helion & Company Limited. ISBN 978-1-910294-55-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Hewish, Mark (1984). Air forces of the world: an illustrated directory of all the world's military air powers (reprint ed.). Peerage. ISBN 9780907408932.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
External links
- Shenyang J-6
- Images of Operation Maliza Matata September 2014