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| Egyptian Air Defense Forces | |
|---|---|
| قوات الدفاع الجوي المصري | |
| Founded | 1968 (56 years) 1938–1968 (part of Artillery corps) |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Role | Anti-aircraft warfare |
| Size | 80,000 active personnel[1] 70,000 reserve personnel[1] 150,000 total personnel |
| Part of |  Egyptian Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Cairo, Egypt |
| Nickname(s) | حصن السماء Sky Fortress |
| Motto(s) | إيمان, عزم, مجد Faith, Will, Glory |
| March | سلاح الدفاع يرد المغير يصد العدو يلبي النداء |
| Anniversaries | 30 June |
| Engagements | World War II 1948 Arab–Israeli War Suez Crisis North Yemen Civil War Six-Day War War of Attrition Yom Kippur War Gulf War |
| Commanders | |
| Commander, Egyptian Air Defence Force | Major General Yaser El-Toddy |
| Chief of Staff | Major General Ehab El-Faioumy |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
| Insignia | Egyptian Army ranks |
The Egyptian Air Defence Forces (EADF) (Arabic: قوات الدفاع الجوي, romanized: Quwwat El-Difa' El-Gawwi) is the Anti-aircraft warfare branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces. It is responsible for protecting the Egyptian airspace against any hostile air attacks. The EADF was established in accordance with the presidential decree issued on 1 February 1968, which established the Air Defence Forces as the fourth branch, next to the Navy, Egyptian Ground Forces, and Egyptian Air Force. From 1938 onwards air defence forces had been part of the artillery and under the operation command of the Air Force. Egypt has a modern system of air defence armament, which is divided between anti-aircraft missiles long, medium and short-range anti-aircraft artillery systems and early warning radars. Both Western and Soviet bloc countries have supplied equipment.
Officers are mostly graduates of the Egyptian Air Defense Academy, located in Alexandria. The headquarters is in Cairo, and currently the Commander in Chief is Lieutenant General Ali Fahmi[2] and the Chief of Staff is Staff Major General Mohamed Darrag. In 2023 the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated that the EADF consisted of 80,000 active personnel and 70,000 reserve personnel.[1]
- ^ a b c International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge. p. 320. ISBN 9781032508955.
- ^ "رئيس أركات قوات الدفاع الجوي". Mod.gov.eg. 24 February 1960. Retrieved 20 May 2020.