Benin Air Force | |
---|---|
Forces Aériennes du Benin | |
Country | Republic of Benin |
Type | Air force |
Role | Aerial warfare |
Part of | Benin Armed Forces |
Headquarters | Cotonou |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Lieutenant-colonel Hermann William Avocanh |
Insignia | |
Roundel | |
Fin flash | |
Aircraft flown | |
Multirole helicopter | Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma |
Utility helicopter | Eurocopter AS350 Fennec |
Transport | de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Xi'an MA600 |
The Benin Air Force (French: Forces Aériennes du Bénin or FAB) is the aerial service branch of the Benin Armed Forces. It was formed in 1960 when Benin gained independence from France as the Dahomey Air Force. The Air Force provides support to the army and various transport duties, including presidential transportation. It has relied heavily on donations, initially from France and more recently from Belgium. During the short lived People's Republic of Benin, when it was known as the Benin People's Air Force, Soviet aircraft were acquired to demonstrate the change of political allegiance. In the 2020s, new capability was acquired to support counterterrorism activities. The current operational fleet consists of two fixed-wing aircraft and eight helicopters.