| Tunisian Air Force | |
|---|---|
| جيش الطيران | |
) Badge of the Tunisian Air Force | |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Country |  Tunisia |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 4,000 personnel |
| Part of | Tunisian Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Bizerte |
| Anniversaries | 24 July |
| Equipment | 159 aircraft |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Kais Saied |
| Commander of the Air Force | General Taïeb Lajimi |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel | ) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Aermacchi MB-326 |
| Fighter | Northrop F-5 |
| Patrol | SIAI-Marchetti S.208 |
| Trainer | Aero L-59 Super Albatros, Aermacchi SF.260 |
| Transport | G-222, Let L-410 Turbolet, Lockheed C-130B/H/J-30 Hercules/Super Hercules |
The Tunisian Air Force (Arabic: اجيش الطيران, French: Armée de l'Air[1]) is one of the branches of the Tunisian Armed Forces.
History
The Tunisian Air Force was established in 1959, three years after Tunisia regained its independence from France. It took deliveries of its first aircraft, eight Saab 91 Safirs, in 1960, later to be complemented by further Saab 91 Safirs. The Tunisian Air Force entered the jet age in 1965 with the purchase of 8 MB326-B's and then 5 MB326-LT's. In 1969, the country received 15 ex-USAF F-86F Sabre. Between 1974 and 1978 12 SF.260 Warriors and 9 SF.260C were delivered for basic training. In 1977–78 8 MB.326KT's were supplied for light attack duties. In 1981 Tunisia ordered 12 F-5's (8 F-5E and 4 F-5F), deliveries taking place in 1984-85. Then adding 5 ex-USAF F-5E's from the Alconbury Aggressor Squadron (in 1989). In 1985 Tunisia ordered 2 C130-H's Hercules. In 1995 a major Czech order was placed with 12 Aero L-59 armed trainers and 3 Let L-410UVP transports ordered. In 1997 five surplus C-130B's were delivered from the USA. Tunisia has two C-130J-30s on order for delivery in 2013 and 2014.
Possible purchase of 12 UH-60M[2]
There are four main bases: Bizerte/Sidi Ahmed, Gafsa, Bizerte/La Karouba and Sfax.
Organization
The order of battle of the Tunisian Air force is as below:[3]
Tunis-Laouina
36°50′57″N 010°14′51″E / 36.84917°N 10.24750°E
- No. 12 Squadron
- Transport squadron, Let L-410 Turbolet
Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed
37°14′58″N 009°46′48″E / 37.24944°N 9.78000°E
- No. 11 Squadron
- Jet trainer squadron, Aermacchi MB-326
- No. 15 Squadron
- Fighter squadron, Northrop F-5 Tiger
- No. 21 Squadron
- Transport squadron, C-130 Hercules, G-222
Bizerte-La Karouba
37°15′10″N 009°47′40″E / 37.25278°N 9.79444°E
- No. 31 Squadron
- Helicopter squadron, Bell 205, UH-1 Iroquois
- No. 32 Squadron
- Helicopter squadron, Alouette II, Ecureuil
- No. 33 Squadron
- Helicopter squadron
- No. 36 Squadron
- Helicopter squadron
Sfax-Thyna
34°42′55″N 010°41′47″E / 34.71528°N 10.69639°E
- No. 13 Squadron
- Light utility and liaison squadron, flying SF-260s
- No. 14 Squadron
- Light utility and liaison squadron, flying SF-260s
- No. ? Squadron
- Helicopter squadron
Gafsa
34°25′04″N 008°48′45″E / 34.41778°N 8.81250°E
- No. 16 Squadron
- Jet trainer squadron, flying L-59s
- No. 34 Squadron
Aircraft
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Current inventory
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Aircraft | |||||
| Northrop F-5 | United States | fighter | F-5E | 12[4] | |
| F-16 Fighting Falcon | United States | multirole | F-16V | 4 | 4-12 on order |
| Transport | |||||
| Let L-410 | Czech Republic | utility | 5[4] | ||
| C-130 Hercules | United States | transport / SAR | C-130B/H | 7[4] | |
| C-130J Super Hercules | United States | tactical airlifter | 2[4] | ||
| Cessna 208 Caravan | United States | ground attack | AC-208 Combat Caravan | 2-4 | |
| Super King Air | united states | ISR | Model 360ER | 2 on order | |
| Helicopters | |||||
| Bell 205 | United States | utility | 36[4] | of which 16 are UH-1H’s | |
| Bell 412 | United States | utility | 2[4] | ||
| Bell OH-58 | United States | reconnaissance | OH-58D | 18[4] | |
| Alouette II | France | liaison / light utility | 8[4] | ||
| Alouette III | France | liaison / utility | 8[4] | ||
| Sikorsky HH-3 | United States | SAR / transport | 15[4] | ||
| Sikorsky UH-60 | United States | utility | Battlehawk kits | 12[4] | |
| Eurocopter AS350 | France | utility / liaison | 6[4] | ||
| Trainer Aircraft | |||||
| Northrop F-5 | United States | conversion trainer | F-5F | 3[4] | |
| Aero L-39 | Czech Republic | jet trainer | 9[4] | ||
| Beechcraft T-6 Texan II | United States | Basic trainer / Attack | 12+4 | on order | |
| Aermacchi MB-326 | Italy | jet trainer | 10[5] | ||
| SIAI-Marchetti SF.260 | Italy | trainer | 17[4] | ||
| UAV | |||||
| TAI Anka | Turkey | UAV | 6 | On order | |
| MQ-1B Predator | United States | Reconnaissance | 2-4 | ||
| Camcopter S-100 | Austria | UAV | 4-6 | ||
References
- ^ "Présentation au profil de l'armée de l'air" (in French). Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ "Tunisia – UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopters - The Official Home of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency". Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ^ "Tunisian Air Force OrBat". Scramble. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "World Air Forces 2021". FlightGlobal. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ Lake, Jon (15 October 2019). "T-6C Texan II Sale Possible for Tunisia". ainonline.
Sources
- World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing, London. File 337 Sheet 03