While supervising the renewed
ceasefire, the last remaining FABF
Alouette III crashed at Kouni on
January 18, 1986; the MiG-17
was withdrawn seven years later.
In mid-1986, the FABF began
acquiring single-engined SF260s for
pilot training and light strike. Most
were ex-Libyan SF260WL variants
- supplemented by SF260Ws
originally intended for Zaire.
Others included former Bolivian
SF260WBs, bought via a Belgian
arms dealer, while at least three more
included serials BF-8431, BF-8471
and BF-8473. One was written off in
December 2008 – and all had been
withdrawn from use by around 2010.
Today the force operates as the
Armée de l’Air Burkinabé. Its first
two Mi-17s entered service from
February 1990 and remain in use,
while the single VIP-configured
Mi-8P operated from March 1990
until its withdrawal in 2007-08.
The first of a pair of 1980-built
Beech 200 King Airs arrived in
August 1991, acquired second-
hand from the UK civilian market.
By early 2009, one had been
cannibalised to provide spares
for the other. The US civilian
market provided another two of
the type in 2006 and in 2011.
Two Aérospatiale AS350B Ecureuil
helicopters joined the fleet in 1997,
followed by a leased Air Tractor
AT-802A for anti-locust work in 2004
(replaced in 2005 by a purchased
model) and a single Piper PA-34
Seneca the following year.
Moscow supplied two former
Russian Air Force Mi-24s in 2005,
but only one of the Hinds remains
operational. The attack helicopters
were bought in apparent response
to moves by neighbouring Côte
d’Ivoire to bolster its own air
attack capabilities during the First
Ivorian Civil War of 2002-07.
The transport fleet expanded in
September 2007 with the arrival
of a second-hand PT Dirgantara
Indonesia (PTDI) CN235-220,
upgraded to CN235M standard- and in 2009 at least four
Polish-made Celier Aviation
Xenon 2 RST autogyros began
operating on behalf of Burkinabé
police and security forces.
Burkina Faso became the first
African operator of the A-29
Super Tucano light attack and
advanced training turboprop
in September 2011, acquiring
three for border patrol missions;
and three French-built Humbert
Tétras CSLs joined the force the
following year for surveillance
and reconnaissance missions.
In recent years the Armée de
l’Air Burkinabé has taken on an
AgustaWestland AW139 (in 2015),
a Diamond DA42M-NG (in 2016)
for intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) missions
and two ex-Taiwanese Army
UH-1Hs for transport (in 2017).G5 Sahel Joint Force
Faced by a growing terrorist
threat, organised crime and
trafficking that threatened to
destabilise countries in Africa’sAbove: A contingent of multinational troops from the G5 Sahel Joint Force
pose in front of UH-1H BF-1605, coded ‘05’. A pair of ex-Taiwanese Army
UH-1Hs were acquired last year. via Arnaud DelalandeContribution
to G5 Sahel
Burkina
FasoTotal G5
Sahel
ISR 1 12
DA42M-NG 1
Strike 4 20
Mi-24V 1
A-29B 3
Transport 4 17
King Air 200 3
CN235M-220 1
Reconnaissance 3 28
Tétras CSL 3
Helicopters 6 + (2) 30
Mi-17 2
Mi-171Sh (2) *
UH-1H 2
AS350B 1
AW139 1
* Two Mi-171Shs ordered August 2017
Sahel region, the five G5 Sahel
member states – Burkina Faso,
Mali, Mauritania, Niger and
Chad – have set up a new
cross-border Joint Force.
Ratified in February last year,
it’s supported by the African
Union (AU) and European Union
(EU), and recognised in UN
Security Council Resolution 2359
of June 21, 2017. It officially
launched the following month.
The force was expected to
reach full operational capacity
by the middle of this year, with
5,000 personnel divided into
seven battalions responsible for
three operational commands- West, Central and East.
The general headquarters is
in Sévaré, in central Mali, while
strategic control is ensured by
meetings of the five defence
ministers and political control
by the presidency of the G5 - currently held by Niger.
The initial three operational
battalions began their first two
operations in late October last
year in the ‘three borders’ region
between Mali, Burkina Faso
and Niger (under the Central
operational command).
The Burkinabé aerial contribution
for the force is spearheaded by
the ISR component and comprises
four aircraft: three A-29s and the
DA42, a third of the total Armée de
l’Air Burkinabé fixed-wing fleet.
Its strike force contributes 20%
of the overall G5 Sahel force,
10% of its transport, 20% of
surveillance/reconnaissance
and 20% of its helicopters.
Above: Mi-17 BF-9202, coded ‘02’, over Ouagadougou in April 2010. The first two ‘Hips’ entered service in February
1990 and are due to be supplemented by two Mi-171Sh aircraft. Paul Morley Below: AW139 XT-MBG is one of the more
recent additions to the Burkinabé inventory. Note the ‘Armée de l’Air’ titles reflecting the latest nomenclature, and the
VIP-style colour scheme. via Arnaud DelalandeAFM32 // DECEMBER 2018 #369 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
Flashpoint