Mauritius Police Force Air Wing
Mauritius has no air force and no army: its military aircraft belong to the police — the Police Helicopter Squadron, formed in 1974, and the National Coast Guard’s Maritime Air Squadron, formed in 1990 — and in 2026 they fly seven or eight helicopters, mostly Indian-built, and three or four Dornier 228s from Plaisance over an exclusive economic zone of 2.3 million square kilometres.
The Mauritius Police Force Air Wing story: a police force with helicopters, Dorniers from India and a runway on Agaléga
1974–1990: a police force with helicopters
Mauritius keeps no standing army. Its Special Mobile Force, formed in 1960 when two companies of the King’s African Rifles withdrew, is the de facto military, and everything that flies in the state’s security forces belongs to the Mauritius Police Force, headquartered at Line Barracks in Port Louis, according to English Wikipedia. There is no single “air wing”: there are two units. The older is the Police Helicopter Squadron, established in 1974 for search and rescue and casualty evacuation inland and at sea, and since used against gandia (cannabis) cultivation, for traffic patrols, convoy escorts and VIP transport. The police’s own page stresses the first of those: search and rescue round the clock, and maritime surveillance and reconnaissance. Its backbone for three decades has been the Chetak, India’s licence-built Alouette III, in service since 1992.
1987–2004: the coast guard and its Dorniers
The National Coast Guard came into being on 24 July 1987 as a specialised unit of the police, according to the force’s own site (English Wikipedia gives 1988), and its Maritime Air Squadron followed in 1990 with a Dornier acquired from India that could reach Agaléga in three hours. A Britten-Norman BN-2T Defender was commissioned on 21 October 1992. Defimedia, visiting the hangar at Plaisance airport in April 2019, listed the Dornier registered MPC-01 from 1990, MPC-03 from 2004 and MPC-04 from 2016, and reported the Defender taken out of service that year for maintenance reasons. Their job is fisheries and traffic surveillance of an exclusive economic zone Defimedia puts at 2.3 million square kilometres.
2009–2022: Dhruvs, a line of credit and the Wakashio
The helicopter squadron received its first HAL Dhruv on 7 September 2009, at about Rs 426.58 million, Defimedia reported, and English Wikipedia records two refurbished Chetaks gifted by India in 2016. The Dhruv mattered more than its number suggests. When the bulk carrier Wakashio ran aground in 2020, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth told parliament that it was the only helicopter in Mauritius able to fly at night, and that it had been in maintenance; the Fennec could not fly at night. In February 2021 India opened a US$100 million defence line of credit, and on 19 January 2022 Mauritius signed for a Dhruv Mk III, with cost figures in the press ranging from Rs 408 million to over a billion rupees, while the coast guard leased a Do 228 until its new aircraft arrived.
Agaléga: an Indian-built runway and the sovereignty question
The most consequential aviation project in Mauritius in these years was not an aircraft but a runway. A 2015 memorandum on India–Mauritius military cooperation envisaged developing Agaléga for an Indian military base, English Wikipedia notes, and islanders opposed it as a threat to their livelihoods, language and sovereignty. On 29 February 2024 Pravind Jugnauth inaugurated a 3 km airstrip and a new jetty there, with Narendra Modi joining by video link; India paid for all of it and will maintain it, the infrastructure belongs to Mauritius, and no commercial flights were planned, Defimedia reported. Jugnauth’s line, in Defimedia’s headline, was that Mauritius “will not cede its sovereignty to the Indians”. Until then, emergency evacuations from the island had depended on the coast guard’s Dornier.
2023–2026: retirements, a Mk III and a grounding
A Dornier was taken out of service in 2023 and handed to Polytechnics Mauritius Ltd, Defimedia reported in May 2024. The Mk III Dhruv was due around mid-2023. On 18 January 2025 Defimedia reported all three Dhruvs — two Mk I and one Mk III — grounded for about a week after an Indian Coast Guard Dhruv Mk III crashed on 5 January, pending the Indian investigation; it put the squadron at seven helicopters. defenceWeb’s profile, updated in June 2026, counts four Chetaks, a Fennec and three Dhruvs, and four Do 228s plus the Defender. Those numbers do not reconcile with the press, and this page publishes the ranges. What does not change is the model: a police force, not an army, flying Indian-built aircraft over a very large ocean zone.
The Mauritius Police Force Air Wing in numbers
Service
- Official units
- Police Helicopter Squadron; Maritime Air SquadronThere is no official umbrella title “air wing”; the two flying units belong to the Mauritius Police Force, the second within the National Coast Guard. This page uses the descriptive name Mauritius Police Force Air Wing
- Founded
- 1974 (helicopters); 1990 (Maritime Air Squadron)The National Coast Guard dates from 24 July 1987 on the police site; English Wikipedia gives 1988
- Kind of service
- Police aviation and coast guardMauritius has no standing army; the Special Mobile Force is the de facto military. The police site lists search and rescue round the clock and maritime surveillance as the helicopters’ tasks
- Part of
- Mauritius Police ForceHeadquarters at Line Barracks, Port Louis
- Commissioner of Police
- Rampersad SooroojeballySince 2024, per defenceWeb; named on the police site
- Base
- Plaisance (SSR International Airport)The police aircraft hangar and the Helicopter Squadron are at Plaisance, per Defimedia
Strength
- Helicopters
-
- HAL Chetak — 3–4
- HAL Dhruv Mk I — 2
- HAL Dhruv Mk III — 1
- Eurocopter AS555 Fennec — 1
Seven per Defimedia (January 2025); eight per defenceWeb (June 2026); the difference is unexplained
- Maritime patrol aircraft
-
- HAL Dornier 228 — 3–4
defenceWeb counts four Do 228s and the Defender; Defimedia reported the Defender withdrawn in 2019 and one Dornier retired in 2023
- Combat aircraft
- NoneNever operated
- Area watched
- About 2.3 million sq kmThe exclusive economic zone, per Defimedia
Infrastructure
- Main base
- PlaisanceSir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, south-east Mauritius
- Outer-island airstrip
- Agaléga, 3 kmInaugurated 29 February 2024; built and maintained by India, owned by Mauritius; Jugnauth said Mauritius would not cede its sovereignty
- Coast guard posts
- 19Including Rodrigues, Agaléga and St Brandon
How the Mauritius Police Force Air Wing is organised
Two police flying units, not an air force: Mauritius has no standing army. The Police Helicopter Squadron (1974) and the National Coast Guard’s Maritime Air Squadron (1990) fly Indian-built Chetaks, Dhruvs and Dornier 228s, plus a Fennec, from Plaisance. Both answer to the Commissioner of Police, Rampersad Sooroojebally.
Mauritius Police Force
Both flying units belong to the police, headquartered at Line Barracks, Port Louis; Mauritius has no standing army, and the Special Mobile Force is the de facto military. Commissioner of Police: Rampersad Sooroojebally, since 2024 per defenceWeb.
Police Helicopter Squadron
Established in 1974 for search and rescue and casualty evacuation, later also anti-cannabis, traffic and VIP flights. Seven helicopters per Defimedia (January 2025), eight per defenceWeb (June 2026): three or four Chetaks, two Dhruv Mk Is, a Dhruv Mk III and a Fennec. Defimedia named Commander Anil Kurian Sebastian as its head in 2025.
Maritime Air Squadron, National Coast Guard
Formed in 1990 with a Dornier from India; three or four HAL Dornier 228s in 2026, depending on the source. The BN-2T Defender of 1992 was withdrawn in 2019 per Defimedia, and one Dornier was retired in 2023.
National Coast Guard
Formed on 24 July 1987 as a specialised police unit (1988 in English Wikipedia), with 19 posts including Rodrigues, Agaléga and St Brandon. defenceWeb names Capt C.G. Binoop as Commandant.
What the Mauritius Police Force Air Wing 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAL Dornier 228In service | Maritime patrol | 1990 | 3–4: defenceWeb (June 2026) counts four; Defimedia counted three in 2019 and reported one retired in 2023, and defenceWeb dates a delivery to 2022. | |||
| HAL Chetak (SA316B Alouette III)In service | Search and rescue, utility helicopter | 1992 | 3–4: four per defenceWeb and Defimedia (2022); Defimedia’s January 2025 total of seven helicopters leaves room for only three alongside a Fennec and three Dhruvs. | |||
| HAL Dhruv Mk IIn service | Utility helicopter, night search and rescue | 2 | 2009 | Two Mk I per Defimedia (January 2025). | ||
| HAL Dhruv Mk IIIIn service | Search and rescue and maritime helicopter | 1 | 2023 | One. | ||
| Eurocopter AS555 FennecIn service | Light utility helicopter | 1 | One, per English Wikipedia, Defimedia (2022) and defenceWeb. |
Every type the Mauritius Police Force Air Wing has retired
1 types, from the Britten-Norman BN-2T Defender to the Britten-Norman BN-2T Defender. 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britten-Norman BN-2T Defender | Maritime patrol | 1 | 1992–2019 | One. |
Where the Mauritius police aircraft fly from
Black pins are active airfields. Every police aircraft is based at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport at Plaisance; the Indian-built 3 km airstrip on Agaléga, inaugurated on 29 February 2024, has no based aircraft in any source checked. Plaisance coordinates are from English Wikipedia; Agaléga’s are not yet published here.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agaléga airstripAgaléga (outer island) | Active | |||
| Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International AirportPlaisancePlaine Magnien, south-east Mauritius | FIMP | Active | 14/323,040 m |
|
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Mauritius Police Force Air Wing
Flying units by base. Both units share Plaisance: the Police Helicopter Squadron and the coast guard’s Maritime Air Squadron. Where Defimedia and defenceWeb disagree on numbers, the entry gives the range.
- Police Helicopter SquadronPolice helicopter squadron · active
- HAL Chetak, HAL Dhruv Mk I and Mk III, Eurocopter AS555 Fennec
- Maritime Air Squadron, National Coast GuardMaritime patrol squadron · active
- HAL Dornier 228
No unit matches that search.
Mauritius Police Force Air Wing milestones, 1914 to today
The Special Mobile Force is formed as two King’s African Rifles companies withdraw.
The Police Helicopter Squadron is established.
24 July: the National Coast Guard is formed within the police (1988 in English Wikipedia).
The Maritime Air Squadron forms with a Dornier from India, MPC-01.
Chetaks enter service; 21 October: the BN-2T Defender is commissioned.
Dornier MPC-03 joins the fleet.
7 September: the first HAL Dhruv is acquired.
India–Mauritius memorandum envisages developing Agaléga.
Dornier MPC-04 arrives; India gifts two refurbished Chetaks.
The Defender is taken out of service.
Wakashio grounding: the night-capable Dhruv is in maintenance.
February: India opens a US$100 million defence line of credit.
19 January: contract for a Dhruv Mk III; a leased Do 228 bridges the gap.
A Dornier is retired and given to Polytechnics Mauritius; the Dhruv Mk III enters service around mid-year.
29 February: the Agaléga airstrip and jetty are inaugurated.
January: all three Dhruvs grounded for about a week after an Indian crash.
Who built the Mauritius Police Force Air Wing 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
Everything people ask about the Mauritius Police Force Air Wing
Does Mauritius have an air force?
What aircraft does the Mauritius police fly?
Is there an official Mauritius Police Force Air Wing?
Where are Mauritius police aircraft based?
Why does India supply Mauritius’s aircraft?
What happened at Agaléga?
Why were the Mauritian Dhruvs grounded in 2025?
Does Mauritius have fighter jets?
What was the Wakashio controversy about the police helicopters?
Every fact, checked
- Mauritius Police Force: official website (home page)Commissioner of Police Rampersad Sooroojebally, PMSM; branches including the Police Helicopter Squadron and National Coast Guard.
- Mauritius Police Force: Police Helicopter SquadronObjectives: search and rescue and casualty evacuation round the clock; maritime surveillance and reconnaissance.
- Mauritius Police Force: National Coast GuardNCG formed 24 July 1987 as a specialised unit of the MPF; Maritime Air Squadron with a Dornier acquired from India in 1990 (Agaléga in three hours) and a BN-2T Defender commissioned 21 October 1992; 19 posts incl. Rodrigues, Agaléga and St Brandon. Page not updated for later aircraft.
- defenceWeb: Mauritius (country profile, Armand Liebenberg, 24 March 2026, updated 1 June 2026)PHS: 4 Chetak, 1 AS555 Fennec, 3 Dhruv; MAS: four Do 228 and one BN-2T Defender; Dhruvs delivered 2009 and 2023; Do 228s 2004, 2016, 2022; Agaléga 3,000 m runway from 2021; Commissioner Sooroojebally since 2024; NCG Commandant Capt C.G. Binoop.
- Defimedia: Aéroport de Plaisance – petit tour dans le hangar d’avions de la police (24 April 2019)Hangar at Plaisance airport; MPC-01 from 1990; Defender 1992; MPC-03 2004; MPC-04 2016; three Dorniers and a Defender, the Defender decommissioned in 2019 for maintenance reasons; EEZ of 2.3 million sq km.
- Defimedia: Un navire des garde-côtes cédé à Polytechnics Mauritius Ltd (12 May 2024)A Dornier taken out of service in 2023 had earlier been transferred to Polytechnics Mauritius Ltd.
- Defimedia: L’hélicoptère militaire Dhruv MK III – quelle utilité de cet appareil qui a coûté Rs 1 milliard ? (5 February 2022)Dhruv Mk III contract signed 19 January 2022, operational around mid-2023; cost figures between Rs 408 million and over Rs 1 billion; NCG leasing a Do 228 until 2022 pending the new one; six PHS helicopters (four Chetak, one Fennec, one Dhruv acquired 7 September 2009); US$100 million defence line of credit of February 2021.
- Defimedia: Après des crashs d’hélicoptères en Inde – Helicopter Squadron : trois appareils Dhruv cloués au sol (18 January 2025)Three Dhruvs (two Mk I, one Mk III) grounded for about a week after an Indian Coast Guard Dhruv Mk III crash on 5 January 2025; squadron at Plaisance with seven helicopters; headed by Commander Anil Kurian Sebastian; Mk III about US$25 million.
- Defimedia: Après l’ouverture de l’aéroport à Agalega – Pravind Jugnauth : “pas de vols commerciaux prévus dans l’immédiat” (2 March 2024)Airstrip and jetty inaugurated 29 February 2024 by Pravind Jugnauth with Narendra Modi by video link; 3 km runway; financed and maintained by India, owned by Mauritius; earlier evacuations by the NCG Dornier; no commercial flights planned.
- Defimedia: Agalega – Pravind Jugnauth : “Maurice ne cédera pas sa souveraineté aux Indiens”Headline statement by the Prime Minister on sovereignty over Agaléga (from defimedia search results; article date not shown).
- Defimedia: PNQ – Le Dhruv, seul hélicoptère volant de nuit, en maintenance lors du naufrage du Wakashio, selon le PM (28 August 2020)PM Jugnauth told parliament the Dhruv, the only night-capable helicopter, was in maintenance during the Wakashio grounding; the Fennec cannot fly at night.
- Defimedia: Protection de nos eaux territoriales : un nouvel avion Dornier livré d’ici juin (12 March 2016)New Dornier due by June 2016; one launched in India on 29 February 2016 (from search snippet).
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: Shanze1 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: ZLEA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Jerry Gunner / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)