fter gaining independence
from France in 1960,
Mali suffered a series of
rebellions, a coup and 23 years
of military dictatorship before
democratic elections in 1992. By
January 2013, the country was
struggling to contain an Islamist
insurgency and when the town
of Konna was captured, military
assistance from France was
requested. French forces were
engaged in Opération Serval until
July 2014, when it was succeeded
by Opération Barkhane, directed
against terrorists across the Sahel.
Today, a significant force of French
troops remains at Gao in Mali.
Despite a United Nations-
sponsored ceasefire with Tuareg
separatists in 2015, parts of
Mali remain tense. As well as
sporadic attacks by Tuareg
rebels, Mali continues to fight
a jihadist insurgency in the
north and central regions.Modest beginnings
Mali’s armed and security forces
were created on October 10,
1960, less than three weeks after
Mali became independent from
France. However, it would be
another 16 years before the air
force proper was established.
In the meantime, an MH.1521Broussard was given to the
Malian government in March 1961
and two C-47s were donated
by France in July 1969. Aircraft
belonging to the national airline
Société Nationale Air Mali – two
An-2Ps (TZ-PMB and TZ-PMC)
and an L-200 Morava (TZ-PMD),
plus aircrew – were requisitioned
and made available to the armed
forces’ headquarters. In this
way, the predecessor of the air
arm began its work in 1966, as a
small formation attached to the
1st Military Engineering Company,
followed two years later by a
tactical air group attached to the
Special Units Battalion. Finally, the
Force Aérienne de la République
du Mali (FARM, Malian Air Force)
came into being in 1976.Malian Air Force
modernisation
Arnaud Delalande examines the slow but steady build-up of the Malian Air Force, which has
overcome great odds to tackle both Tua re g rebels and al-Qaeda-linked militants.A
A pair of new-build Mi-35M helicopter gunships was fi rst noted in Russia in the second quarter of 2017, and the aircraft were handed over the following
September. Another two examples are expected to be delivered. FARMAbove: The most recent addition to the FARM inventory is the Y-12E transport,
two of which entered service in September 2017. After the long fl ight from
China, TZ-WAA was photographed at Malta International Airport en route to
Mali. Malcolm Bezzina Below: Airbus announced in February 2016 that Mali
had ordered a single winglet-equipped C295W. The aircraft began its delivery
fl ight from Seville-San Pablo Airport, Spain, on December 20, 2016. FARM84 // FEBRUARY 2018 #359 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
Flashpoint