BDZ-34 bomb racks are seen on the
fuselage side of this unmarked An-26,
lying wrecked at El Fasher.SAF in combat
The SAF has been widely deployed
against its own citizens throughout
the years of internal conflict.
During the fighting in Darfur the
SAF had detachments of aircraft
on at least three bases in the area:
El Geneina (Mi-24/35s and An-26),
El Fasher (Mi-24/35s, Mi-8 types,
An-26 and Su-25s) and Nyala (Mi-
2, Mi-24/35, Mi-8 types, A-5s and,
on occasions, Su-25s and MiG-
29s). All these aircraft conducted
combat missions over Darfur,
flying bombing sorties as well
as providing ground forces with
close air support (CAS). Later in
the Darfur conflict, some of the
recently delivered MiG-29s were
deployed to Nyala. In the South
Kordofan area, Sudan deployed
aircraft to El Obeid (Mi-8 types,
Mi-24/35s, An-26s, A-5s and/
or Su-25s and MiG-29s) and to
Kadugli, Ad Damazin and Muglad
(Mi-8 types, Mi-24/35 and An-26s
were reported). As the SAF is
not able to support all these
bases simultaneously, aircraft
and helicopters were swapped
between the South Kordofan
locations. And when tensions
in South Kordufan increase, the
number of aircraft in the Darfur
detachments is decreased.
Sudanese aircraft only recently
began flying combat missions
outside Sudan. As part of an
Arab coalition, the SAF deployed
Su-24Ms to Saudi Arabia to
support the Saudi-led Operation
Decisive Storm with missions over
Yemen. At least three aircraft
were resident at King Khalid Air
Base near Khamis Mushait. One
aircraft reportedly crashed over
the Gulf of Aden with the loss oftwo pilots. It is not known if the
Su-24s are still present at Khamis.
Ever since the first Mi-24s
arrived from Libya, combat
helicopters have provided CAS
to militias fighting in villages and
against Sudanese citizens, first in
southern Sudan, later in Darfur,
and currently in South Kordofan
and Blue Nile. The Mi-24 fleethas suffered some of the highest
combat attrition in the SAF.
For a long time, Nanchang
A-5s were used for fast attacks
against armed opposition, but as
they became worn out they were
reinforced by a fighter-bomber
squadron with Su-25s. Immediately
after the first Frogfoots arrived in
Sudan, they were transferred to
Darfur, in violation of the UN arms
embargo imposed on Khartoum.
The Su-25s have been used to
attack convoys of what have been
described as armed opposition
groups in Darfur. In 2015 the Darfur
detachment of Su-25s was moved
to El Obeid in South Kordofan
where the fighting between
Sudanese armed forces and Sudan
People’s Liberation Movement –
North had intensified. MiG-29s
have been mainly forward deployed
to conflict zones for short-range
ground support missions. They
provided assistance to paramilitary
Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that
defeated JEM in a battle in South
Darfur in April 2015, probably
deploying RBK-500 cluster
munitions. At least one Fulcrum
was lost near Khartoum when the
twin city of Omdurman was hit by
a surprise attack by JEM in 2008.78 // AUGUST 2018 #365 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
Sudanese Air Force
Force
Report
SAF serial system
SAF combat aircraft wear three-digit
serial numbers, the first digit indicating
the aircraft type. For example, Su-25s
have serials in the 200 series, Mi-24s in
the 900 series and MiG-29s in the 600
series. New additions usually receive
a consecutive number, although some
exceptions have been observed.
Cargo aircraft operating for the SAF
usually combine four-digit serials with
civilian registrations: An-24/26/30/32aircraft bear serials in the 7700
series, An-12s have 9900 serials
and C-130s 1100 serials. Il-76s
usually have ST- registrations.
In order to conceal their identity,
cargo aircraft regularly have their
markings obscured. The paramilitary
Rapid Support Forces have a modest
transport fleet at their disposal. An
unmarked An-12, two An-74s and an
Il-76 are based on the presidentialramp of Khartoum IAP, next to the
SAF ramp. The SAF also makes use
of several commercial companies to
transport weapons and other military
support to internationally sanctioned
areas, such as Darfur. These shadow
companies include Green Flag,
Kush Aviation (previously AZZA Air
Transport) and Kata Air Transport. They
mainly operate An-12/26/30/32/74
transports and Il-76s.Above: Ilyushin Il-62M ST-PRA is a member of Khartoum’s governmental fl eet.
This airframe was completed in 1993-94, but remained unsold and stored at
the factory until donated to Sudan in December 2004. A formal handover took
place on January 1, 2005.An interesting view inside a SAFAT maintenance hall reveals
a single Su-25, a MiG-29, a pair of Su-24MKs and three
MiG-23MS. When Sudan was plunged into an economic crisis,
efforts were made to reactivate the ‘Floggers’ – survivors from
those donated by Libya – rather than buy new aircraft.