Guinea-Bissau Air Force
The Guinea-Bissau Air Force was formed at independence in 1974 by officers trained in Cuba and the Soviet Union, flew Soviet MiG-17s and MiG-21s that were mostly in storage by 1991, and in 2026 has, according to IISS figures cited by Wikipedia, a single Cessna 208B — in a country run since November 2025 by a military command.
The Guinea-Bissau Air Force story: Portuguese leftovers, Soviet MiGs and one Cessna
1973–1974: what the Portuguese left behind
Guinea-Bissau won its independence from Portugal in 1974 after a guerrilla war led by the PAIGC, during which the Portuguese Air Force flew from Bissalanca, its Air Base No. 12 outside Bissau. When the Portuguese left in 1973–74, Wikipedia says, they left behind three T-6G trainers, nine C-47 Skytrains, two Dornier Do 27s and two Alouette III helicopters. The new air force, the Portuguese name of which is Força Aérea da Guiné-Bissau, was formed by officers returning from training in Cuba and the Soviet Union.
1974–1986: Soviet MiGs and French helicopters
The Soviet bloc supplied the first combat aircraft. Wikipedia counts eight or ten MiG-17F fighters and two MiG-15UTI trainers from East Germany and the Soviet Union, and in 1978 a Mil Mi-8T helicopter. The West contributed too: France gave a Reims-Cessna FTB.337 for coastal patrol and an Alouette II in 1978, and Angola donated a Dassault Falcon 20F, later sold to the United States. João Bernardo Vieira’s coup of 1980 began a pattern of military interventions in politics that has never really stopped.
1986–1998: MiG-21s, and a fleet in storage
In 1986 the Soviet Union delivered seven MiG-21bis fighters and MiG-21UM trainers. They did not make an air force. By 1991, according to Tom Cooper and Peter Weinert’s African MiGs as cited by Wikipedia, most of the MiG fleet was in "storage" inside hangars and deteriorating. Wikipedia also lists an Antonov An-24 among former types. No source checked records the MiGs flying in combat.
1998–2025: civil war, coups and a vanishing air arm
The civil war that broke out in June 1998 closed Bissau’s airport from 7 June 1998 until July 1999; Wikipedia says the air force took its present name after the war began, though it records no air operations. The coups and killings that followed — a bloodless coup in 2003, the assassination of the chief of staff Batista Tagme Na Waie in 2009, unrest in 2010, a failed coup in 2011, the coup of April 2012 under Gen. António Indjai and clashes in 2023 — were land affairs. The air force’s best-known chief, Ibraima Papa Camara, is recorded by Wikipedia as having been named a drug kingpin. By 2011 only an Alouette II and a couple of Alouette IIIs were left for liaison.
2025–2026: one Caravan under a military government
Today the sources disagree on what is left. Wikipedia, citing IISS The Military Balance 2023, says the air force has only a Cessna 208B; defenceWeb’s profile, updated in November 2025 but older in substance, still counts two unserviceable MiG-17s, two Alouette IIIs and a Gazelle among about 100 air force personnel, and calls the air force ineffective with nearly no serviceable aircraft. On 26 November 2025 officers led by Brig. Gen. Dinis Incanha seized power; Gen. Horta Inta-A Na Man became interim president, and elections have been decreed for 6 December 2026. No aircraft deliveries were reported in 2024–2026.
The Guinea-Bissau Air Force in numbers
Service
- Official name
- Força Aérea da Guiné-BissauPortuguese, the only official language; English Wikipedia titles the article Guinea-Bissau Air Force. No official air force website was found
- Founded
- 1974At independence, by officers trained in Cuba and the USSR; Wikipedia gives 1974, no exact date
- Part of
- Revolutionary Armed Forces of the People (FARP)With the army, navy and gendarmerie
- Government
- Military, since 26 November 2025High Military Command; interim president Gen. Horta Inta-A Na Man; elections decreed for 6 December 2026
- Base
- Bissau (Osvaldo Vieira International, formerly Bissalanca)The former Portuguese Air Base No. 12; no source checked names another airfield in use
Strength
- Personnel
- About 100defenceWeb’s figure; no official figure
- Aircraft today
-
- Cessna 208B — 1 (IISS 2023 via Wikipedia)
- Alouette III — 0–2 (defenceWeb lists two)
- Gazelle — 0–1 (defenceWeb only)
- MiG-17 — 2 unserviceable (defenceWeb)
The sources disagree; IISS, as cited by Wikipedia, counts only the Caravan
- Combat aircraft
- None serviceabledefenceWeb: two MiG-17s listed as unserviceable; nearly no serviceable aircraft
Infrastructure
- Air bases
- 1Osvaldo Vieira International Airport, Bissau, runway 03/21 of 3,200 m
How the Guinea-Bissau Air Force is organised
A branch of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of the People with about 100 people and no published squadrons, flying from Bissau. IISS figures for 2023, as cited by Wikipedia, credit it with a single Cessna 208B; defenceWeb still lists two unserviceable MiG-17s, two Alouette IIIs and a Gazelle. Since the coup of 26 November 2025 the country has been run by a High Military Command.
Guinea-Bissau Air Force
One branch of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of the People (FARP), with about 100 people according to defenceWeb. No current chief is named in the sources checked; since 26 November 2025 the country has been run by a High Military Command under interim president Gen. Horta Inta-A Na Man.
Cessna 208B
A single Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, the only aircraft IISS The Military Balance 2023 credits to the air force, as cited by Wikipedia.
Alouette III and Gazelle
defenceWeb still lists two Alouette IIIs and a Gazelle; Wikipedia records an Alouette II and a couple of Alouette IIIs left for liaison in 2011. Whether any fly in 2026 is not published.
MiG-17F and MiG-21bis
Eight or ten MiG-17Fs and two MiG-15UTIs from East Germany and the USSR, then seven MiG-21bis with MiG-21UM trainers in 1986; most were stored and deteriorating by 1991. defenceWeb lists two MiG-17s as unserviceable.
What the Guinea-Bissau 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 208B Grand CaravanIn service | Utility transport | 1 | One, the only aircraft in IISS The Military Balance 2023 as cited by Wikipedia. |
Every type the Guinea-Bissau Air Force has retired
13 types, from the Aérospatiale SA 316/319 Alouette III to the Aérospatiale SA 316/319 Alouette III. 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aérospatiale SA 316/319 Alouette III | Light helicopter | 2 | 1974– | Two left by the Portuguese in 1973–74; "a couple" still in 2011, per Wikipedia; defenceWeb still lists two SA 319s. | ||
| Aérospatiale SA 341 Gazelle | Light helicopter | 1 | One, per defenceWeb only. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis and MiG-21UM | Fighter and trainer | 7 | 1986– | Seven MiG-21bis plus MiG-21UM trainers (number not given). | ||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F | Fighter | Eight or ten, per Wikipedia; defenceWeb still lists two, unserviceable. | ||||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI | Jet trainer | 2 | Two. | |||
| Mil Mi-8T | Transport helicopter | 1 | 1978– | One. | ||
| Reims-Cessna FTB.337 | Coastal patrol | 1 | 1978– | One. | ||
| Aérospatiale Alouette II | Light helicopter | 1 | 1978– | One. | ||
| Dassault Falcon 20F | VIP transport | 1 | One. | |||
| Antonov An-24 | Transport | |||||
| North American T-6G Texan | Trainer | 3 | 1974– | Three, left by the Portuguese Air Force in 1973–74. | ||
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain | Transport | 9 | 1974– | Nine left by the Portuguese in 1973–74, per Wikipedia. | ||
| Dornier Do 27 | Liaison | 2 | 1974– | Two left by the Portuguese in 1973–74. |
Where the Guinea-Bissau Air Force flies from
Black pins are active bases. Osvaldo Vieira International Airport, still generally called Bissalanca, was the Portuguese Air Force’s Air Base No. 12 from 1965 to 1974 and is the only airfield named for the air force today. The 1998 civil war closed it from 7 June 1998 to July 1999. Coordinates and runway are from English Wikipedia, as the national AIP could not be reached.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osvaldo Vieira International AirportBissalancaBissau Autonomous Sector | GGOV | Active | 03/213,200 m |
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No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Guinea-Bissau Air Force
Flying units by base. No squadron numbers are published, so the Guinea-Bissau Air Force is listed as one unit at Bissau. Where IISS, as cited by Wikipedia, and defenceWeb disagree on what is left, the entry says so.
- Guinea-Bissau Air ForceUtility and liaison · active
- Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, Aérospatiale Alouette III, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (unserviceable)
No unit matches that search.
Guinea-Bissau Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
May: Bissau’s airport opens as Francisco Craveiro Lopes Airport; from 1965 to 1974 it is the Portuguese Air Force’s Air Base No. 12.
Independence from Portugal; the Portuguese leave T-6Gs, C-47s, Do 27s and Alouette IIIs; the air force is formed by officers trained in Cuba and the USSR.
France supplies a Reims-Cessna FTB.337 and an Alouette II; the USSR a Mi-8T; Angola donates a Falcon 20F.
João Bernardo Vieira takes power in a military coup.
The Soviet Union delivers seven MiG-21bis and MiG-21UM trainers.
Most of the MiG fleet is in storage in hangars, deteriorating.
7 June: fighting in and around Bissau closes the airport until July 1999; the air force takes its present name after the war begins.
14 September: bloodless coup by Gen. Veríssimo Correia Seabra.
The chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Batista Tagme Na Waie, is assassinated.
Only an Alouette II and a couple of Alouette IIIs remain for liaison; 26 December: a failed coup attempt.
April: coup led by Gen. António Indjai.
IISS counts a single Cessna 208B; 30 November: clashes in Bissau.
26 November: coup led by Brig. Gen. Dinis Incanha; Gen. Horta Inta-A Na Man proclaimed interim president the next day; ECOWAS suspends Guinea-Bissau.
The military decrees elections for 6 December 2026.
Who built the Guinea-Bissau 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.
Current fleet and orders
Former fleet
Aérospatiale, Mikoyan, Antonov, Dassault Aviation, Dornier, Douglas, Mil, North American Aviation, Reims Aviation
Everything people ask about the Guinea-Bissau Air Force
Does Guinea-Bissau have an air force?
What is the Guinea-Bissau Air Force called in Portuguese?
Did Guinea-Bissau fly MiG-21s?
Does Guinea-Bissau have any fighter jets today?
What did the Portuguese leave behind in 1974?
Did the air force fight in the 1998–99 civil war?
Who runs Guinea-Bissau’s armed forces in 2026?
Who was Ibraima Papa Camara?
Read the aircraft the Guinea-Bissau 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
- defenceWeb: Guinea Bissau (country profile, Anton Kruger and Guy Martin, published 5 July 2013, updated 19 November 2025)Air force of about 100; lists two MiG-17 (unserviceable), two SA 319 Alouette III and one SA 341 Gazelle; says the air force is ineffective with nearly no serviceable aircraft; armed forces about 3,500–4,000 (from about 7,000); April 2012 coup under Gen. Antonio Indjai.
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.
Photographs: Photo: Landolso / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: SDASM Archives / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: André Gerwing / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Acroterion / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Jerry Gunner from Lincoln, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)