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Malian Air Force

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Malian Air Force
Armée de l'air du Mali
Malian Armed Forces emblem
Founded1961; 65 years ago (1961)
Country Mali
TypeAir force
RoleAerial warfare
Part ofMalian Armed Forces
Engagements
Commanders
Chief of Air StaffGeneral Alou Boi Diarra[1]
Deputy Chief of Air StaffLieutenant Colonel Adama Bagayoko[2]
Insignia
Roundel
Alternate roundel
Aircraft flown
AttackAero L-39, Bayraktar TB2
FighterMiG-21
HelicopterH215
Attack helicopterMi-24/Mi-35
ReconnaissanceCessna 208
TrainerEMB-314, SF.260
TransportAn-26, An-28, BT-67, C-295, Y-12

The Malian Air Force (French: Armée de l'air du Mali) is the primary aerial warfare branch of Malian Armed Forces. It was established in 1961.[citation needed] In the following years, the Malian Air Force received significant support from the Soviet Union, which provided both equipment and training to the force.[3] Since 2022, it has received support from Russia.

History

[edit]

The Malian Air Force (French: Armée de l'air du Mali) was founded in 1961 with French-supplied military aid. This included MH.1521 Broussard utility monoplane followed by two C-47 transports. In 1962, the Soviet Union would then supply the Malian Air Force with four Antonov AN-2 Colt biplane transports and four Mi-4 light helicopters.[4]

In the mid-1960s, the Soviets would further deliver five MiG-17F fighters and a single MiG-15UTI fighter trainer to equip a squadron based at Bamako–Sénou initially with Soviet pilots. Two Ilyushin Il-14 transports and a Mil Mi-8 helicopter were delivered in 1971 followed by two Antonov An-24 transports.

In 1974, 12 MiG-21Bis were obtained from the Soviet Union, with a pair of two-seat MiG-21UMs to follow a couple of years later. These initial Fishbeds served alongside the four remaining MiG-17Fs and saw combat on two occasions during the Agacher Strip War in 1974 against Upper Volta, and again in 1985 with the same country, now renamed Burkina Faso. In 2005, another three MiG-21MFs were delivered from the Czech Republic, reinforcing the surviving jets. By 2010, the Fishbeds were only flown on ceremonial occasions. By January 2012, only one MiG-21MF and one MiG-21UM remained operational until they were grounded for lack of spare parts, ammunition, and pilots a few months later. In January 2013, the Nigerian Air Force sent a technical team to Bamako–Sénou International, with the aim of refurbishing the MiG-21s, but the project was abandoned. Other jets withdrawn from service were six L-29 Delfins, which were used for training.[5]

In June 2015 the Malian government ordered Super Tucano light attack aircraft from the Brazilian company Embraer.[6] Four were paid for and were delivered in 2018.[7] One of these crashed in Sévaré two years later, killing both pilots.[8]

In December 2020, the Malian government ordered 4 Mi-171 helicopters. They were delivered by Russia on 30 September 2021.[9] Russia has assisted Mali with reviving the Malian Air Force, which as of 2023 has received at least four Aero L-39 jet trainers, one Mi-8T Hip transport helicopter and two Mi-8MTs, two Mi-24 attack helicopters, two Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack jets, and a single Airbus C-295.[10]

Both of the Su-25s were lost.[10] In September 2023, the Malian government has lost their last Su-25 due to a crash caused by a missile launched by Azawad rebels. However the pilot safely ejected.[11] Additional losses during the Mali War include three L-39s, multiple Mi-24s and Mi-8s, and a Su-24. Some of the helicopters were operated by Russia's Wagner Group or Africa Corps.[10]

Equipment

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Current aircraft

[edit]
Aircraft Origin In service Type Variant Notes
Combat aircraft
Aero L-39 Albatros Czech Republic 12[12] Attack / Jet trainer L-39C 2 lost in 2023, 1 shot down in 2024.[10]
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Soviet Union 9[12] Fighter Out of operation for many years, as of 2026.[10]
Reconnaissance aircraft
Cessna 208 United States 1[12] Reconnaissance
Transport
Antonov An-26 Soviet Union 2[12] Transport
Antonov An-28 Soviet Union 1[12] Transport
Basler BT-67 United States 1[12] Utility
CASA C-295 Spain 2[12] Transport
Harbin Y-12 China 2[12] Utility
Helicopters
Airbus Helicopters H215 France 2[12] Utility H215M/AS332
Mil Mi-24 Russia 8[12] Attack Mi-35M 1 lost in 2023, 1 in 2024, and 2 in 2026.[10]
Trainer aircraft
Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano Brazil 3[12] Trainer
SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 Italy 1[12] Trainer
Unmanned aerial vehicle
Bayraktar TB2 Turkey 20+[13][14] UCAV TB2 drone station lost in April 2026.[10]
Bayraktar Akıncı Turkey 4[15] (2) UCAV AKINCI-A [16] 1 crash on 10 January 2025[17] and 1 destroyed on 31 March 2025.[18] 2 more delivered in 2026.[19]

Retired aircraft

[edit]

Retired aircraft include Aero L-29 Delfín,[5] Antonov AN-2 Colt, Antonov An-24, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, Ilyushin Il-14, MH.1521 Broussard,[4] MiG-15, MiG-17F, Mi-17, Mi-171,[9] Mil Mi-4[4] Mil Mi-8, Su-25.[11]

Ranks

[edit]
Main article: Military ranks of Mali

Commissioned officer ranks

[edit]

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers
 Malian Air Force[20]
Général d'armée Général de corps d'armée Général de division Général de brigade Colonel-major Colonel Lieutenant-colonel Commandant Capitaine Lieutenant Sous-lieutenant

Other ranks

[edit]

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
 Malian Air Force[20]
Major Adjudant-chef Adjudant Sergent-chef Sergent Caporal-chef Caporal Soldat de première classe Soldat

References

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  1. ^ "Участники встречи с Президентом переходного периода Республики Мали А.Гойтой".
  2. ^ "Treasury Targets Malian Officials Facilitating Wagner Group".
  3. ^ "Here's what we know about the military aircraft delivered to Mali Air Force - AeroTime". 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  4. ^ a b c World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing, London. Files 337, Sheet 04.
  5. ^ a b Sands, Glenn (February 2018). "Mali's Air Force". Air Forces Monthly (359): 84–86.
  6. ^ Hoyle, Craig (June 15, 2015). "T"PARIS: Mali to boost defences with Super Tucano"". Flightglobal. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  7. ^ Secretdefense.org, "Mali : les nouveaux avions de chasse d’IBK seraient inutilisables (Exclusif)", https://www.secret-defense.org/16/07/2018/ibk-mali-avions-scandale//
  8. ^ Aviation Safety Network, April 7, 2020, https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/234839
  9. ^ a b "Mali receives 4 helicopters, weapons from Russia: Defense Minister". Devdiscourse. ANI — Sputnik. 1 October 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Spray, Aaron (2 May 2026). "Mounting Russian aviation losses in Mali amid fresh insurgent offensive". Aerospace Global News. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  11. ^ a b Abdul, Kazim (September 11, 2023). "Last remaining Malian air force Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft crash". Archived from the original on October 3, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Hoyle, Craig (2025). World Air Forces 2026 (Report). FlightGlobal. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Le Mali reçoit une vingtaine de drones, dont des drones de marque turque". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
  14. ^ "Mali receives more TB2, L-39 aircraft". Janes.com. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  15. ^ "Mali Acquires AKINCI UCAVs | TURDEF". Turdef. 2024-11-28. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  16. ^ "Mali : l'armée s'équipe de drones turcs de dernière génération - Afrique sur 7" (in French). 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  17. ^ "L'usage des drones au Mali : entre victimes civiles et stratégie militaire". West Africa Maps. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  18. ^ Akramov (2025-04-01). "Les FLA abattent un drone Akinçi malien". MENADEFENSE (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  19. ^ "Renforcement Stratégique à Sévaré Avec L'arrivée Des Drones AKINCI Pour L'armée" (in French). 2026-01-31. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  20. ^ a b "2011 - Plaquette sur les insignes et blasons des Forces Armées du Mali" (in French). 23 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2020.