Airforces - Demo Hornet

Single-seat Su-25s serials 201, 205 and 204 at El Fasher, one of three ‘deployment bases’ used by the SAF during the fi ghting in Darfur. The same base has

also hosted Mi-24/35s, various Mi-8 types and An-26s. The nearest ‘Frogfoot’ carries a B-8 pod for 80mm rockets.

forces (army, navy and air force),

the government makes wide

use of militias, which fight proxy

wars with Khartoum’s enemies.

Swing-state Sudan

In the first ten years of its existence

the SAF introduced British-

built aircraft including Provosts,

Jet Provosts, Presidents and

Pembrokes. These were joined

by F27M Troopships, C-47s and

Turbo Porters. Following a military

coup in 1969, Sudan turned

to China and the Soviet Union

for its military hardware. China

supplied Shenyang J-5 and J-6

jets (Chinese versions of the MiG-

17 and MiG-19), while the Soviets

supplied MiG-21MF fighters,

An-12 and An-24 transports,

and Mi-4 and Mi-8 helicopters.

In 1978, the Chinese and Soviets

were expelled, and a brief period of

rapprochement with the West led

to a flow of new equipment: F-5E/F

Tiger IIs, C-130H Hercules, IAR-

330 Pumas, DHC-5 Buffalos and

Bo 105 helicopters entered

the SAF inventory. By

the mid-1980s, relations with the

West had deteriorated and the

supply of spare parts dried up.

At least one F-5 was sold, but

other Western-built aircraft either

crashed or were grounded due to

a lack of spares/poor maintenance

ending up in storage or scrapped.

During the 1980s and early 1990s,

with the second civil war in full

swing, relations between Sudan

and Libya improved and Tripoli

provided Sudan with a first batch

of Mi-24 attack helicopters and a

squadron of MiG-23MS/UBs.

Some of the Floggers were lost

in accidents or shot down. The

survivors didn’t serve long and

were stored at Wadi Sayyidna for

many years. Libya’s Col Gaddafi

also provided MiG-25RBs for

reconnaissance over the southern

part of Sudan, but these Foxbats

never flew under the Sudanese flag.

During the course of the 1990s

the SAF received an influx of

Mi-8/17 and Mi-24 helicopters

from former Soviet stocks, as

well as An-12/24/26 transports.

Iraq provided at least one An-12

of ancient

Kush

forces (army, navy and air force), for its military hardware. China the mid-1980s, relations with the

of ancient of ancient

Modern defenders Kush

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #365 AUGUST 2018 // 75

Airforces

Intelligence

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