Yemeni Air Force
The Yemeni Air Force was formed at unification in 1990 from two rival, Soviet-equipped air forces that had fought each other in 1972, 1979 and again in the 1994 civil war; it split and was largely destroyed in 2015, and today the internationally recognised government and the Houthi (Ansar Allah) authorities both claim it — one with a small rebuilt strike arm that resumed air raids in July 2026, the other with missiles and drones.
The Yemeni Air Force story: an imam’s aircraft in 1926, two rival Yemens and a service divided since 2015
1926–1967: an imam’s aircraft and a republic’s war
Yemen’s military aviation began with an import that went wrong. Wikipedia, drawing on Tom Cooper’s history Hot Skies Over Yemen, says Imam Yahya, having met British air power in the 1920s, turned to Italy; six aircraft arrived in April 1926 in poor condition, and the venture ended when a Junkers A 35 crashed in 1927, killing all three aboard. North Yemen tried again from the late 1940s with mixed purchases. The real start came with war: after the revolution of 26 September 1962 Egypt sent about 70,000 troops to defend the new republic against royalists backed by Saudi Arabia, and the Egyptian air force, not a Yemeni one, flew most of the air war. The Yemen Arab Republic Air Force was formally established on 20 November 1967, just as Egypt withdrew, and went straight into the siege of Sanaa.
1967–1990: two Yemens, two Soviet-equipped air forces
During the 70-day siege of Sanaa, Wikipedia says citing Cooper, Soviet and Syrian pilots flew some republican missions; two MiG-17s were destroyed with their pilots and a Yak-11 flown by a Soviet airman was lost. The republic survived and Saudi Arabia recognised it in 1970. In the south, the British-trained South Arabian Air Force, with Beavers, Jet Provosts and Bell 47s, became the People’s Republic of Yemen Air Force on 1 December 1967, renamed for the People’s Democratic Republic in 1970. Soviet MiG-21s, Su-7s and Su-22s followed. The two Yemens fought short wars in 1972 and 1979; in the second, a southern raid of 8 March 1979 hit Sanaa with Su-22s, Su-7s and MiG-21s. Washington and Riyadh answered by arming the North with F-5s, flown at first by about 80 Taiwanese personnel, while Moscow sold the North 60 MiG-21bis. Then the south destroyed itself: Wikipedia says the 11-day fighting of January 1986 wrecked about 75 per cent of its air force.
1994: the air war between the old North and South
The two states unified on 22 May 1990, but their armed forces never really merged. When war broke out on 4 May 1994, about 40 southern MiG-21s and Su-22s struck Sanaa, Hodeidah and Taiz, including the presidential palace and air bases, according to Wikipedia; the North bombed Aden, Al Anad and the al-Haswa power station. Each side claimed shoot-downs on the first day — five southern jets by the North’s account, four northern ones by the South’s — and neither claim was independently confirmed. The South bought MiG-29s second-hand from Moldova, flown by Eastern European mercenaries; their only reported air-to-air encounter, with two F-5Es on 29 June, ended without a shot fired. The South also fired Scud missiles at Sanaa. Northern forces entered Aden in early July and the war ended on 7 July 1994. The southern air force’s aircraft passed into a unified, northern-led service.
1995–2014: MiG-29s, US aid and the Saada wars
President Ali Abdullah Saleh rebuilt the air force around the MiG-29: two more from Kazakhstan in 1995–1996, then a 2001 Russian contract for 14 single-seaters and a MiG-29UB, delivered from 2002 to 2007 with R-77 air-to-air missiles, giving a peak of about 36 (Wikipedia citing Cooper). After 2001 the United States supplied F-5Es, C-130s, a CN-295, a King Air and helicopters for counter-terrorism. The jets were mostly used at home, against the Houthi movement in Saada from 2004 and against al-Qaeda. During Operation Scorched Earth in 2009 one MiG-21 and two Su-22s came down; the government blamed technical faults, the Houthis said they shot them down. In the 2011 uprising a Su-22 was downed by a shoulder-fired missile north of Sanaa on 28 September, and on 30 October an attack on al-Dailami destroyed two or three aircraft, at least one a MiG-29, according to the IISS report cited by Wikipedia.
2015: the collapse
Maintenance stopped largely after Saleh was pushed out in 2012, Wikipedia says, and by early 2015 most personnel had deserted. The Houthis took Sanaa in September 2014 and formally assumed power on 6 February 2015. Parts of the air force sided with them and with Saleh’s loyalists: on 19 and 25 March 2015 jets from Houthi-controlled al-Dailami attacked President Hadi’s compound in Aden, while MiG-29s loyal to Hadi scrambled from Al Anad. On 26 March the Saudi-led coalition intervened at the government’s request; its spokesman Ahmed Asiri said the opening strikes destroyed aircraft and air defences, and King Salman said the Royal Saudi Air Force was in full control of Yemen’s airspace. A King Air, a CN-235 and two Bell 214s were destroyed at al-Dailami, and Su-22 and F-5 wrecks were photographed in April. Wikipedia records that by 2017 the air force was inoperable and that the fate of ten MiG-29s was unknown.
2015–2026: two authorities, drones, missiles and a revived strike arm
Since 2015 there have in effect been two claims to the Yemeni Air Force. The internationally recognised government, led since April 2022 by the Presidential Leadership Council under Rashad al-Alimi, retook Al Anad on 3 August 2015 and, according to Wikipedia, had its air arm rebuilt and trained by the UAE. The Houthi (Ansar Allah) authorities in Sanaa kept the name and some airframes — Wikipedia mentions one F-5 and a MiG-29 shown at a parade — but their air war is fought with ballistic missiles and drones, which the United States and others, as collated by Wikipedia, say draw on Iranian support; a US National Security Council statement of April 2015 said Iran does not exert command and control over the Houthis. From late 2023 the Houthis attacked shipping and Israel; ACLED, quoted by Wikipedia, counts 178 vessels attacked and four sunk. Under fire from US, British and Israeli air strikes, the Houthis shot down MQ-9 drones — 17 by the count Wikipedia reports, 25 by their own. In July 2026, Al Jazeera reports, government aircraft began striking Houthi targets again, including the runway at Sanaa airport on 13 July.
The Yemeni Air Force in numbers
Service
- Native name
- القوات الجوية اليمنيةAl-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Yamaniya (Wikipedia). Arabic is Yemen’s only official language
- Founded
- 22 May 1990 (unified)Formed at unification from the Yemen Arab Republic Air Force (North, established 20 November 1967) and the air force of the People’s Republic of Southern Yemen (South, 1 December 1967). Wikipedia dates the first attempt at an air arm to 1926
- Part of
- Armed forces of Yemen — dividedSince 2015 the internationally recognised government (since April 2022 the Presidential Leadership Council) and the Houthi (Ansar Allah) authorities in Sanaa each claim the armed forces
- Headquarters
- Sanaa (historic); government side based in the southSanaa and its al-Dailami air base are held by the Houthi authorities; the government’s rebuilt air arm uses Al Anad, retaken on 3 August 2015 (Wikipedia)
- Chief of staff
- Maj. Gen. Rashid Nasir al-Jundi (unconfirmed)Named by Wikipedia without a citation; not confirmed on an official site in this research
- Head of state (government side)
- Rashad al-AlimiChair of the Presidential Leadership Council since 7 April 2022
Strength
- Personnel
- No credible current figure was found; Wikipedia says most personnel had deserted by early 2015
- Combat aircraft (nominal)
-
- F-5E/B — 13
- MiG-29 — 23
- MiG-21bis/UM — 19
- Su-22M/M4 — 15
FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia. These are paper figures; serviceability and which side holds what are not published
- Helicopters (nominal)
-
- Mi-8/17/171Sh — 34
- Mi-24/35 — 14
- Bell 212 — 4
- UH-1H — 4
- Mi-14 — 2
- Bell 206B — 1
FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia
- Trainers (nominal)
-
- L-39C — 28
FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia
- Transport (nominal)
-
- An-24/26 — 3
FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia
- Operational state
- Largely destroyed after 2015Wikipedia: inoperable as of 2017; partly rebuilt on the government side with UAE training; government air strikes reported from July 2026 (Al Jazeera)
Infrastructure
- Main air bases
-
- Al Anad (Lahij) — government
- Al-Dailami (Sanaa) — Houthi-held
Al Anad is described by Wikipedia as the biggest air base in Yemen
- Sanaa International Airport
- OYSN / SAHShares its runway with al-Dailami air base; struck by the coalition in 2015, by Israel in May 2025 and, according to Al Jazeera, by government aircraft on 13 July 2026
- Bases changing hands since 2015
- Al Anad: Houthi-held 25 March – 3 August 2015Then retaken by government forces backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE (Wikipedia)
- Display teams
- NoneNone known
How the Yemeni Air Force is organised
A single air force on paper since unification in 1990, claimed since 2015 by both the internationally recognised government and the Houthi (Ansar Allah) authorities in Sanaa. FlightGlobal still lists MiG-29s, MiG-21s, Su-22s and F-5s, but Wikipedia records the force as inoperable by 2017, and neither side publishes a fleet list or an order of battle. The government’s rebuilt air arm resumed air strikes in July 2026, according to Al Jazeera; the Houthis fight their air war with missiles and drones.
Yemeni Air Force
Formed at unification on 22 May 1990 from the air forces of the former North and South. Since 2015 both the internationally recognised government, led since 7 April 2022 by the Presidential Leadership Council under Rashad al-Alimi, and the Houthi (Ansar Allah) authorities in Sanaa claim it. Wikipedia names Maj Gen Rashid Nasir al-Jundi as chief of staff without a citation; his date of appointment and which authority he answers to were not verified, and the Houthi authorities maintain their own command structure.
Air arm of the internationally recognised government
Rebuilt and trained by the UAE according to Wikipedia, after government forces retook Al Anad, the biggest air base in Yemen, on 3 August 2015. Al Jazeera reports government air strikes on Houthi targets from 13 July 2026, including the runway at Sanaa airport, and at least 15 strikes in Taiz and Hodeidah on 5 September. Wikipedia says repaired F-5s fly them, but the Al Jazeera report it cites does not name the aircraft; current units and their bases are not published.
Forces of the Houthi (Ansar Allah) authorities
The Houthi authorities hold Sanaa and its al-Dailami air base and use the air force’s name; Wikipedia mentions limited aircraft, one F-5 and a MiG-29 shown at a parade. Their air war is fought with ballistic missiles and drones such as the Burkan, Qasef and Sammad. Western governments, as collated by Wikipedia, say this draws on Iranian support; a US National Security Council statement of April 2015 said Iran does not exert command and control over the Houthis.
Fighter and fighter-bomber fleet (nominal)
FlightGlobal’s World Air Forces 2026, as reproduced on Wikipedia, lists 23 MiG-29s, 19 MiG-21bis/UMs, 15 Su-22M/M4s and 13 F-5E/Bs. These are paper figures: Wikipedia records that the air force was inoperable by 2017 and that the fate of ten MiG-29s after 2015 is unknown, and nobody has published how many can fly or which side holds them.
Helicopter fleet (nominal)
On paper, according to the same FlightGlobal list: 34 Mi-8/17/171Sh, 14 Mi-24/35, four Bell 212s, four UH-1Hs, two Mi-14s and a Bell 206B. The Bells and Hueys came with US assistance after 2001; two Bell 214s were destroyed at al-Dailami in the first coalition strikes of March 2015. Serviceability is not published.
Trainer and transport fleet (nominal)
FlightGlobal lists 28 L-39C jet trainers and three An-24/26 transports, figures whose serviceability is not published. The C-130Hs, the CN-235 and the King Air 350 supplied before 2015 are listed as retired or destroyed. The Houthis seized the military aviation college in Sanaa on 21 January 2015.
What the Yemeni Air Force flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northrop F-5E Tiger II and F-5B Freedom FighterIn service | Light fighter | 1979 | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 11 F-5E and 2 F-5B.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
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| Mikoyan MiG-29 (MiG-29, MiG-29SMT, MiG-29UB)In service | Multirole fighter | 1994 | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 23 MiG-29SE/UB/SMT.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. Wikipedia, citing Tom Cooper, gives a peak of about 36; it also says the fate of ten MiG-29s after 2015 was unknown. |
|||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis and MiG-21UMIn service | Fighter | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 19 MiG-21bis/UM.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
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| Sukhoi Su-22M and Su-22M4In service | Fighter-bomber | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 15 Su-22M/M4.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
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| Aero L-39C AlbatrosIn service | Jet trainer | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 28 L-39C.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
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| Antonov An-26 and An-24In service | Transport | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 3 An-24/26.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
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| Mil Mi-8, Mi-17 and Mi-171ShIn service | Utility helicopter | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 34 Mi-8/17/171Sh.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
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| Mil Mi-24D/Mi-25 and Mi-35In service | Attack helicopter | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 14 Mi-24D/Mi-25/Mi-35.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
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| Mil Mi-14In service | Search and rescue / anti-submarine helicopter | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 2.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
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| Bell 212In service | Utility helicopter | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 4.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
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| Bell UH-1H IroquoisIn service | Utility helicopter | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 4.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
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| Bell 206B JetRangerIn service | Training helicopter | Nominal figure only: FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2026 as reproduced on Wikipedia lists 1.
MoreHow many can fly is not published; Wikipedia records that the air force was described as inoperable in 2017 after years of war and coalition bombing, and nobody has published a count split between the government and the Houthi authorities. |
Every type the Yemeni Air Force has retired
24 types, from the Junkers A 35 to the CASA/IPTN CN-235M-300. Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CASA/IPTN CN-235M-300 | Transport | |||||
| Beechcraft Super King Air 350ER ISR | Surveillance | |||||
| Junkers A 35 | Utility | 1926–1927 | Part of the Imam’s first Italian-brokered purchase of 1926. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F | Fighter-bomber | 1967– | MiG-21 | |||
| Ilyushin Il-28 | Light bomber | |||||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 | Fighter | |||||
| Sukhoi Su-7 | Fighter-bomber | Su-22 | ||||
| BAC Strikemaster Mk.81 | Light attack / trainer | |||||
| BAC Jet Provost | Trainer / light attack | |||||
| Chengdu F-7 Airguard | Fighter | |||||
| Ilyushin Il-10 (Avia B-33) | Ground attack | |||||
| Yakovlev Yak-11 | Trainer | |||||
| Yakovlev Yak-18 | Trainer | |||||
| Lockheed C-130H Hercules | Transport | 1979– | Two delivered after 1979 and two more after 2001 (Wikipedia). | |||
| Douglas C-47A Skytrain | Transport | |||||
| Antonov An-12 | Transport | |||||
| Antonov An-2 | Utility | |||||
| Fokker F27 Friendship | Transport | |||||
| Air Tractor AT-802U | Light attack / surveillance | |||||
| Cessna 208 Caravan | Light transport | Two supplied by the US after 2001 (Wikipedia). | ||||
| de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver | Utility | |||||
| Bell 47G / H-13 Sioux | Light helicopter | |||||
| Mil Mi-1 and Mi-4 | Helicopter | Mi-8 | ||||
| Kamov Ka-32 | Helicopter |
Where the Yemeni Air Force flies from
Black pins are active airfields; no closed base is listed. The air force’s two main bases are on opposite sides of the war: Al Anad, the biggest air base in Yemen, held by the internationally recognised government since August 2015, and al-Dailami, which shares its runway with Sanaa airport and is held by the Houthi authorities. Aden and Riyan were RAF stations until 1967 and are civil airports today; who holds Taiz airfield could not be confirmed. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aden International Airportformer RAF KhormaksarAden Governorate | OYAA | Active | 08/263,100 m |
|
| Al AnadLahij Governorate (Tuban district) | Active |
|
||
| Al-DailamiSanaa International AirportAmanat al-Asimah (Sanaa) | OYSN | Active | 18/363,252 m |
|
| Hodeidah International AirportAl HudaydahAl Hudaydah Governorate | OYHD | Active | 03/213,000 m | |
| Riyan International Airport, Mukallaformer RAF RiyanHadramawt Governorate | OYRN | Active | 06/243,000 m |
|
| Taiz International AirportTaizTaiz Governorate | OYTZ | Active | 01/193,060 m |
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Yemeni Air Force
Flying units by base, current units first. No current Yemeni unit designations or base assignments have been published by either side, so the only Yemeni entries are the aircraft elements recorded at Al Anad and al-Dailami in March 2015. The RAF squadrons at Khormaksar and Riyan, Soviet naval aviation at Aden and the US special operations detachment at Al Anad are listed and marked as not Yemeni. Air brigades that Wikipedia names at Hodeidah and Taiz are undated and uncorroborated and are not repeated.
- Government-loyal MiG-29 element (March 2015)
- Mikoyan MiG-29
- United States special operations forces detachment
- Houthi-controlled strike aircraft (March 2015)
- Sukhoi Su-22 (probable)
- No. 8 Squadron, Royal Air Force1961–1967
- Hawker Hunter FGA.9 and FR.10
- No. 43 Squadron, Royal Air Force1963–1967
- Hawker Hunter FGA.9
- No. 208 Squadron, Royal Air Force
- Hawker Hunter, Gloster Meteor
- No. 31 Staging Post, Royal Air Force1943–1967
- RAF detachments: No. 208 Squadron (Hunter), No. 105 Squadron (Argosy), Wessex flights
- Hawker Hunter, Armstrong Whitworth Argosy, Westland Wessex
No unit matches that search.
Yemeni Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
April: six aircraft bought through an Italian contractor reach Imam Yahya’s Yemen, in poor condition (Wikipedia citing Cooper).
A Junkers A 35 crash kills all three aboard and ends the first attempt at an air arm.
26 September: revolution in North Yemen; civil war follows, with Egypt’s air force fighting for the republic.
20 November: Yemen Arab Republic Air Force established, during the siege of Sanaa. 1 December: People’s Republic of Yemen Air Force formed in the south.
1 December: the southern air force is renamed for the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen. Saudi Arabia recognises the northern republic the same year.
26 September – 19 October: first war between the two Yemens; a southern MiG-17 is shot down on 30 September.
24 February – 19 March: second inter-Yemeni war; southern jets bomb Sanaa on 8 March. US-approved F-5s follow for the North.
13–24 January: fighting in Aden; Wikipedia says about 75 per cent of the southern air force is destroyed.
22 May: unification; the two air forces become the Yemeni Air Force.
4 May – 7 July: civil war; southern MiG-21s and Su-22s strike Sanaa on the first day, MiG-29s from Moldova join the South.
First of 15 MiG-29s ordered from Russia in 2001 delivered; deliveries run to 2007.
Operation Scorched Earth in Saada; a MiG-21 and two Su-22s lost, causes disputed between the government and the Houthis.
28 September: Su-22 shot down north of Sanaa. 30 October: attack on al-Dailami destroys two or three aircraft.
25 March: jets from Houthi-held al-Dailami strike Aden. 26 March: Saudi-led coalition intervenes. 3 August: government forces retake Al Anad.
7 April: Presidential Leadership Council formed; UN-brokered truce from April.
12 January: US and UK begin strikes on Houthi targets after attacks on Red Sea shipping.
15 March – 6 May: US strike campaign; 6 May: US–Houthi ceasefire. Israel strikes Sanaa airport on 6 and 28 May.
13 July: government aircraft strike the runway at Houthi-held Sanaa airport (Al Jazeera). September: renewed Houthi offensive takes the Red Sea coast.
Every war the Yemeni Air Force has fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- North Yemen Civil War and the siege of Sanaa 1962–1970 Most of the republican air war was flown by Egypt; the new Yemeni air force flew in the siege of Sanaa with Soviet and Syrian pilots helping
- First inter-Yemeni war 1972 Southern MiG-17s flew ground-attack and supply missions
- Ogaden War deployment 1977–1978 Wikipedia says South Yemen deployed forces to Ethiopia during the war
- Second inter-Yemeni war 1979 The southern air force gained air superiority within days and bombed Sanaa and the Hodeidah area
- South Yemen crisis 1986 Split between the factions of Ali Nasir Muhammad and his opponents; the air force was largely destroyed
Who built the Yemeni Air Force fleet
Every company behind the aircraft on this page has its own page: the story, every type it built, the numbers and the other air forces that fly them.
Former fleet
British Aircraft Corporation, Ilyushin, Yakovlev, Air Tractor, Beechcraft, CASA, Cessna, Chengdu, Douglas, Fokker, IPTN, Junkers, Kamov, Lockheed, de Havilland Canada
Yemeni Air Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Yemeni Air Force and the aircraft it flies. This list refreshes itself — new Afterburner stories appear here automatically.
Everything people ask about the Yemeni Air Force
What is the Yemeni Air Force called in Arabic?
Does Yemen still have a working air force?
Who controls the Yemeni Air Force?
Which fighter jets does the Yemeni Air Force fly?
Do the Houthis have an air force?
What happened to the Yemeni Air Force in 2015?
Did North and South Yemen have separate air forces?
Were MiG-29s used in the 1994 Yemeni civil war?
Why did Taiwanese pilots fly Yemeni F-5s?
What is the main air base in Yemen?
Read the aircraft the Yemeni Air Force flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- Al Jazeera: Yemen government launches own air attacks on Houthis: What that means (5 September 2026)Government strikes of 13 July, 25 July and 5 September 2026; aircraft type not named.
- UN Security Council: Panel of Experts on Yemen – reportsLists final reports S/2015/125, S/2024/731 and S/2025/650; the report texts could not be retrieved and are not quoted.
- Airwars: U.S. Forces in Yemen445–643 civilian deaths from 153 incidents; 166 acknowledged by the US military.
- Al Jazeera: Yemen’s war disrupts roads and ports, deepening humanitarian crisis (29 September 2026)Houthi advance over the Red Sea coast and Mocha, September 2026; UN displacement figures.
- Human Rights Watch: World Report 2026 – YemenHouthi attacks on Israel and shipping; US strikes (Yemen Data Project: at least 238 civilians killed 15 March – 6 May 2025); Israeli strikes 2025.
- Security Council Report: YemenEmergency briefing of 10 September 2026; Red Sea reporting renewals.
- Al Jazeera: Saudi-led coalition says shot down 6 ballistic missiles launched by Houthis (24 September 2026)Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki; Houthi claims; Houthi naval blockade declared July 2026.
- CNN: US evacuating special operations forces from Al Anad, Yemen (21 March 2015)About 100 US special operations personnel evacuated from Al Anad, the last US military presence in Yemen.
- Al Jazeera: Are Houthis using new modified cruise missiles in Yemen’s war? (29 September 2026)Houthi control of the Red Sea coast and Mocha; resumption of fighting after the 2022 truce.
- Human Rights Watch: Yemen: UAE Backs Abusive Local Forces (22 June 2017)Riyan airport in Mukalla used as an unofficial detention facility under Emirati control, holding dozens of prisoners; allegations of abuse from former detainees and relatives.
Figures verified 2026-10-01. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
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