National Air Force of Angola
The National Air Force of Angola (Força Aérea Nacional) was founded on 21 January 1976 in the middle of a civil war, flew Soviet jets with Cuban pilots against the South African Air Force up to Cuito Cuanavale, fought UNITA until 2002, and today pairs 12 ex-Indian Su-30Ks and new C295s with a large Soviet-era fleet that is mostly in storage.
The Angolan National Air Force story: Soviet jets and Cuban pilots in 1976, the air war over Cuito Cuanavale and ex-Indian Su-30Ks
1975–1976: an air force born in a war
The National Air Force of Angola was created in a hurry. Before independence on 11 November 1975, members of the Aeroclube de Angola were gathered at Luanda as the nucleus of an air arm, and Portuguese Wikipedia says the new service took over aircraft and airfields of the Portuguese 2nd Air Region. The MPLA government was already at war with the FNLA and UNITA, and South African forces had entered the country in Operation Savannah. Cuban troops arrived by air, and by the end of December a US intelligence report quoted on Wikipedia counted eight Soviet fighters, "probably MiG-17s", being assembled at Luanda, with Cuban pilots to fly them. The People’s Air Force of Angola / Air and Anti-Aircraft Defence, FAPA/DAA, was formally established on 21 January 1976, and from that month 12 MiG-21MFs arrived from the Soviet Union. It began as an air force of Soviet aircraft and Cuban crews.
1976–1988: Soviet jets, Cuban pilots and the South African Air Force
For the next twelve years the service was organised on Soviet lines, in aviation regiments, and fought the South African Air Force over southern Angola. Deliveries were large: according to Wikipedia’s operators list, 20 second-hand MiG-21PFMs in 1981–82, 30 MiG-21bis in 1983 and 32 more in 1984; 12 Su-20Ms around 1982; later MiG-23s, Mi-8s and Mi-24s. Romania sent about 150 instructors around 1983–85 to help found a Military Aviation School. Quantity did not buy experience. South Africa claims MiG-21s shot down by Mirage F1s on 6 November 1981 and 5 October 1982, and the Su-20 squadron lost at least six of its 12 aircraft by 1985, most in accidents. On the ground the DAA built up a Soviet missile network of SA-2, SA-3, SA-6, SA-8 and other systems.
Cuito Cuanavale: the air war both sides say they won
The turning point came at Cuito Cuanavale between August 1987 and March 1988. FAPLA’s offensive against UNITA was stopped on the Lomba river, and the fight moved to the town and its airstrip. In the air Cuban-flown MiG-23MLs, better armed than the SAAF’s Mirage F1s, and the missile belt made South African operations costly: on 27 September 1987 a Cuban MiG-23 crippled Captain Arthur Piercy’s Mirage, and two more Mirages were lost in 1988. South African sources claim 12 Angolan and Cuban MiGs destroyed. Havana and Luanda call the battle a victory; Pretoria says it achieved its limited aims; most historians call it inconclusive. What is not disputed is that it led to the New York Accords of 22 December 1988, the Cuban withdrawal and Namibian independence.
1992–2002: mercenaries, shopping lists and the end of the war
Peace did not last. The armed forces were reorganised as the FAA in October 1991, but UNITA rejected the 1992 election result and the war resumed. The government turned to Executive Outcomes, whose South African pilots flew air force MiG-23s, PC-7s and loaned Su-25s until the 1994 accord. When fighting returned in 1998 Luanda bought what it could: Human Rights Watch documented Mi-35s, Mi-17s from Ukraine, reconditioned MiG-23s, two Su-24s and Brazilian Tucanos, and Su-27s arrived in mid-2000. UNITA’s missiles were a real threat; one Su-27 was reported shot down while landing in November 2000. The war ended after Jonas Savimbi was killed on 22 February 2002.
2013–2026: Su-30Ks, K-8s and C295s
Peace brought a second generation of aircraft. The service took the name Força Aérea Nacional around 2007. Six Super Tucanos for border surveillance came from Embraer in 2013. In October 2013 Angola ordered 12 ex-Indian Su-30Ks in a reported US$1 billion Rosoboronexport package that also brought eight armed Mi-171Sh helicopters; the Su-30s, overhauled in Belarus, arrived late, between 2017 and 2019. China supplied 12 K-8W trainers to Catumbela in 2020 and MA60 transports; Israel converted a Cessna Citation for maritime patrol in 2017; and Airbus delivered three C295s in 2024–2025. In 2026 Angola approved 14 AW119 helicopters and ordered up to four L-39 Skyfox trainers.
What the numbers hide
On paper the service has about 6,000 people and more than 250 aircraft, and its seven Il-76s give it, in defenceWeb’s words, Southern Africa’s only heavy airlift. In practice its own past is the problem. defenceWeb’s 2025 profile says the age of many aircraft and insufficient maintenance have left a large part of the fleet inoperable or stored; FlightGlobal still lists 23 MiG-21s that other sources say were retired by 2007. The recent purchases are sensible ones — maritime patrol, trainers, utility helicopters — and they point to an air force that is slowly shrinking to what it can keep flying. Its official history is thinly published, and much of what is known still comes from foreign sources.
The National Air Force of Angola in numbers
Service
- Native name
- Força Aérea Nacional (FAN)Portuguese, the official language. defenceWeb also writes Força Aérea Nacional de Angola (FANA). From 1976 to 2007 the service was the Força Aérea Popular de Angola / Defesa Aérea e Antiaérea (FAPA/DAA). The armed forces’ own site, faa.ao, could not be reached to check its spelling
- Founded
- 21 January 1976Members of the Aeroclube de Angola were gathered at Luanda in October 1975, before independence on 11 November 1975; the anniversary is kept on 21 January (the 39th was marked on 21 January 2015)
- Former name
- FAPA/DAA, 1976–2007People’s Air Force of Angola / Air and Anti-Aircraft Defence; the CIA World Factbook reported the new name by 2007
- Part of
- Angolan Armed Forces (FAA)Commander-in-chief: President João Lourenço. Chief of the General Staff since 20 January 2023: General Altino Carlos José dos Santos, an air force general
- Headquarters
- LuandaWith a Northern and a Southern Air Region below it, according to defenceWeb
- Commander
- Virgínio António da Cunha PintoSince 2023 according to defenceWeb; not confirmed on an Angolan government page. General Francisco Afonso was commander in 2015 and 2017
Strength
- Personnel
- About 6,000–8,0006,000 in defenceWeb and the IISS figure cited on Wikipedia; Wikipedia’s armed forces article gives about 8,000
- Combat aircraft
-
- Su-30K — 12
- Su-27/Su-27UB — about 6 (defenceWeb)
- MiG-23 — 22 (FlightGlobal) or likely stored (defenceWeb)
- MiG-21bis — 23 (FlightGlobal), reported retired by 2007 elsewhere
- Su-22M4 — 10–18, mostly stored
- EMB 314 Super Tucano — 6
How many of the older Soviet types can fly is the main unknown: defenceWeb says age and poor maintenance have left a large part of the fleet inoperable or stored
- Trainers
-
- K-8W — 12
- PC-7 — 22; PC-9 — 4
- EMB 312 Tucano — 12–14
- L-39C — 2–4
- Cessna 172R — 6
Counts from FlightGlobal (via Wikipedia) and defenceWeb; up to four L-39 Skyfox ordered in June 2026
- Transport and maritime
-
- Il-76TD — 7
- An-12, An-26, An-32, An-72
- C295 — 3 (1 transport, 2 maritime surveillance)
- MA60 — 2; C-212; Kodiak 100; Cessna Citation (maritime)
defenceWeb calls the Il-76 fleet Southern Africa’s only heavy airlift capability
- Helicopters
-
- Mi-8/Mi-17 family — about 39–65, plus 8 armed Mi-171Sh
- Mi-24/Mi-35 — 14–25
- Alouette III — 21; Bell 212 — 9
- AW139 — 4; AW109 — 2–6; AS565 Panther — 8
Ranges reflect FlightGlobal versus defenceWeb; not all Mi-8s and Mi-17s are serviceable. 14 AW119s were approved in April 2026
- Drones
- Aksungur MALE on orderA US$93 million contract was approved in October 2022; defenceWeb reported no update since 2023
Infrastructure
- Air bases
-
- Luanda — headquarters and transport squadron
- Catumbela (Lobito) — training, K-8W
- Kuito, Huambo, Luena, Menongue
- Lubango and Moçâmedes (Namibe)
Lists differ: defenceWeb names Catumbela-Lobito, Huambo, Cuito, Luena, Menongue, Moçâmedes and Luanda; Wikipedia adds Belas and Lubango
- Organisation
- Six aviation regimentsSoviet model: regiments (regimentos de aviação) of several squadrons; defenceWeb names the 25th Fighter Aviation Regiment for the Su-30K
- Air regions
- Northern and SouthernEach covering a group of provinces, per defenceWeb
- Pilot training
- Military Aviation SchoolSet up with about 150 Romanian instructors around 1983–85; basic training at Lobito, K-8W at Catumbela
- Ground-based air defence
- SA-2, SA-3, SA-6, SA-8, SA-9, SA-13Part of the same service, the old DAA; SA-6 (2K12) systems upgraded, reported in 2019. Numbers vary by source
How the National Air Force of Angola is organised
One of the branches of the Angolan Armed Forces, run from Luanda over a Northern and a Southern Air Region and organised on the Soviet model in six aviation regiments, according to Wikipedia. The front line is 12 ex-Indian Su-30Ks delivered in 2017–2019, which defenceWeb placed with the 25th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Kuito, beside about six Su-27s; defenceWeb describes most of the older MiG-23s, Su-22s and Su-25s as stored, and the MiG-21s’ status is uncertain. Wikipedia’s list of regiments and squadrons is undated, and the air force publishes little about its own organisation.
National Air Force
One of the branches of the Angolan Armed Forces, formed in October 1991, under the commander-in-chief, President João Lourenço; it also runs the ground-based air defence systems of the old DAA. defenceWeb names Virgínio António da Cunha Pinto as commander since 2023, which could not be checked on an Angolan government page; English Wikipedia still names General Altino dos Santos, who became Chief of the General Staff of the armed forces on 20 January 2023 according to Portuguese Wikipedia. defenceWeb describes a Northern and a Southern Air Region below the headquarters.
25th Fighter Aviation Regiment
defenceWeb reported in 2019 that the 12 ex-Indian Su-30Ks, delivered between 2017 and 2019, fly with its 13th Fighter Squadron at Kuito. Wikipedia’s undated list also gives the regiment Su-27s, of which defenceWeb counts about six operational, and MiG-23 and MiG-21 squadrons, which defenceWeb describes as likely stored and of uncertain status. Bellingcat’s satellite imagery of October 2018 showed newly delivered Su-30s at Lubango instead.
26th Fighter Aviation Regiment
Wikipedia’s undated list places the regiment at Moçâmedes with squadrons of Su-24s, Su-25s and the Su-22M4Ks that arrived in 1989–90. defenceWeb’s 2025 profile describes the Su-22s as mostly stored, the Su-25s as stored and the single Su-24MK as likely retired or stored, so the regiment’s flying strength is doubtful.
23rd Air Transportation Regiment
Wikipedia places the transport regiment at Luanda. Its seven Il-76TDs are, in defenceWeb’s words, Southern Africa’s only heavy airlift capability, beside An-12s, An-32s, An-72s, two MA60s and three Airbus C295s: one transport, which landed in Luanda on 25 July 2024, and two maritime surveillance aircraft delivered in November 2025. Commercial flights left the Luanda airport on 1 March 2026; what that means for the air force side is not stated in the sources.
21st and 22nd Helicopter Regiments
Wikipedia places the 21st Transport Helicopter Regiment at Luena with Mi-8s and Mi-17s and the 22nd Combat Helicopter Regiment at Huambo with Mi-24s, Mi-25s and Mi-35s. Fleet counts differ: about 39 Mi-8s and Mi-17s by defenceWeb’s count against 65 Mi-17s in FlightGlobal, and 14 to 25 Mi-24s and Mi-35s. Eight armed Mi-171Sh came in 2015–2016 under the 2013 Rosoboronexport deal, and 14 Leonardo AW119s were approved in April 2026.
24th Training Regiment and the jet trainers
Wikipedia places the 24th Training Regiment at Menongue with L-39s, Tucanos, PC-7s and PC-9s, and the Pilot Basic Training School at Lobito. The 12 Chinese K-8W jet trainers, whose unit is not published, were received at Catumbela in 2020, and up to four Aero L-39 Skyfox were ordered in June 2026. The Military Aviation School was set up with about 150 Romanian instructors around 1983–85.
What the National Air Force of Angola 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sukhoi Su-30KIn service | Multirole fighter | 12 | 2017 | 12 delivered September 2017–April 2019. Reports in October 2013 spoke of 18; Irkut said 12 in February 2014. | ||
| Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-27UBIn service | Air superiority fighter | 6 | 2000 | About six operational of 18 delivered (defenceWeb); FlightGlobal lists a single Su-27UB. | ||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23ML and MiG-23BNIn service | Fighter and fighter-bomber | 22 | 22 in FlightGlobal’s 2026 table (via Wikipedia); defenceWeb counts 25 and says they are likely retired or stored. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21MF, PFM, bis, R and UMIn service | Fighter | 23 | 1976 | 23 MiG-21bis in FlightGlobal; other sources report the type retired by 2007, so its status is uncertain. | ||
| Sukhoi Su-22M4K and Su-22UM3KIn service | Fighter-bomber | 10 | 1989 | 10 in FlightGlobal; about 18 in defenceWeb, in storage with some lost; 14 in Wikipedia’s Su-17 article. | ||
| Embraer EMB 314 Super TucanoIn service | Light attack and border surveillance | 6 | 2013 | Six ordered; the first three were handed over in Brazil around the end of January 2013. | ||
| Embraer EMB 312 TucanoIn service | Basic trainer | 12 | 1998 | 12 in FlightGlobal (described as ex-Peruvian); defenceWeb lists 14. | ||
| Hongdu K-8W KarakorumIn service | Jet trainer and light attack | 12 | 2020 | 12: six in January 2020, six on 14 December 2020. | ||
| Aero L-39C AlbatrosIn service | Jet trainer | 4 | Up to four (defenceWeb 2026, FlightGlobal); defenceWeb’s 2025 profile says two. | |||
| Pilatus PC-7In service | Basic trainer | 22 | 22 in FlightGlobal’s table (via Wikipedia). | |||
| Pilatus PC-9In service | Advanced turboprop trainer | 4 | Four in FlightGlobal’s table (via Wikipedia). | |||
| Cessna 172RIn service | Primary trainer | 6 | Six, per defenceWeb. | |||
| Ilyushin Il-76TDIn service | Heavy transport | 7 | Seven in FlightGlobal and defenceWeb. | |||
| Antonov An-12In service | Transport | 8 | Eight in FlightGlobal (via Wikipedia). | |||
| Antonov An-26In service | Tactical transport | 1 | One in FlightGlobal. | |||
| Antonov An-32In service | Tactical transport | 4 | Four in FlightGlobal. | |||
| Antonov An-72In service | Transport | 5 | Five in FlightGlobal. | |||
| Airbus C295In service | Transport and maritime surveillance | 3 | 2024 | One transport (delivered July 2024) and two maritime surveillance aircraft (November 2025). | ||
| CASA C-212 AviocarIn service | Light transport and maritime patrol | 2 | One maritime and one utility in FlightGlobal; Portuguese Wikipedia lists five C.212M. | |||
| Cessna Citation I (ASIO maritime surveillance)In service | Maritime surveillance | 1 | 2017 | One. | ||
| Xi’an MA60In service | Transport | 2 | 2019 | Two delivered in 2019; CATIC was supplying two more in 2021. | ||
| Daher Kodiak 100In service | Utility and surveillance | 3 | 2020 | Three in FlightGlobal; defenceWeb said in 2020 the number was unclear. | ||
| Britten-Norman BN-2A IslanderIn service | Light transport | Listed by defenceWeb without a number. | ||||
| Mil Mi-8 and Mi-17In service | Transport helicopter | 39 | About 22 Mi-8 and 17 Mi-17, not all serviceable (defenceWeb); FlightGlobal lists 65 Mi-17. | |||
| Mil Mi-171ShIn service | Armed transport helicopter | 8 | 2015 | Eight delivered in 2015–2016. | ||
| Mil Mi-24 and Mi-35In service | Attack helicopter | 14 | 14 Mi-35 in FlightGlobal; about 25 Mi-35P and Mi-24 in defenceWeb. | |||
| Aérospatiale Alouette IIIIn service | Light utility helicopter | 21 | 21 in FlightGlobal (via Wikipedia). | |||
| Bell 212In service | Utility helicopter | 9 | About nine. | |||
| AgustaWestland AW139In service | Search and rescue and utility helicopter | 4 | 2016 | Four in FlightGlobal and defenceWeb. | ||
| AgustaWestland AW109E PowerIn service | Light utility helicopter | 6 | Six in defenceWeb; two plus four on order in FlightGlobal. | |||
| Eurocopter AS565 PantherIn service | Utility helicopter | 8 | Eight, per defenceWeb. |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aero L-39 SkyfoxOn order | 4 | Up to four, announced by Aero Vodochody on 18 June 2026 with training and support; Angola is the first African customer. Value and delivery dates were not published. | ||
| Leonardo AW119M and AW119KxOn order | 14 | 12 AW119M and two AW119Kx for the Ministry of National Defence, EUR 132.8 million, approved by Presidential Decree 137/26 published 17 April 2026, for troop transport, casualty evacuation, search and rescue and command.
MoreSeparate AW119s and AW139s delivered in 2025 belong to the National Police. |
||
| TAI AksungurOn order | Medium-altitude long-endurance drone; US$93 million contract approved in October 2022 through Simportex.
MoreThe number was not disclosed and defenceWeb had no update on delivery by December 2025. |
|||
| AgustaWestland AW109On order | 4 | Four on order according to FlightGlobal’s table as quoted on Wikipedia; not confirmed elsewhere. |
Every type the National Air Force of Angola has retired
5 types, from the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 to the Sukhoi Su-20M. 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sukhoi Su-20M | Fighter-bomber | 12 | 1982– | Su-22M4K | 12 supplied in 1982 or 1983. | |
| Sukhoi Su-25 | Ground attack | 8 | Eight in storage of 14 delivered, per defenceWeb. | |||
| Sukhoi Su-24MK | Strike aircraft | 1 | One, likely retired or stored, per defenceWeb in 2025. Human Rights Watch reported two ordered in the late 1990s. | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 | Fighter | 1975– | MiG-21 | Eight Soviet fighters, "probably MiG-17s", were reported being assembled at Luanda in December 1975. | ||
| Aero L-29 Delfín | Jet trainer | 12 | 12 in storage. |
Where the National Air Force of Angola flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins historic airfields. Menongue was the forward base for Cuban and Angolan MiG-23s in the Cuito Cuanavale campaign of 1987–88, when South African shelling closed the Cuito Cuanavale strip to fixed-wing aircraft; like Luanda and Negage, it was built as a Portuguese Air Force base before independence. defenceWeb lists seven current bases, and Wikipedia adds Lubango, where Su-30s were seen in 2018. Coordinates are from English Wikipedia because the Angolan AIP could not be reached; Moçâmedes and Cuito Cuanavale have no published position and carry no pin.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CatumbelaBenguela Province | FNCT | Active | 02/203,700 m |
|
| HuamboHuambo Province | FNHU | Active | 11/292,660 m |
|
| KuitoBié Province | FNKU | Active |
|
|
| LuandaLuanda Province | FNLU | Active | 05/233,716 m07/252,600 m |
|
| LubangoHuíla Province | FNUB | Active | 10/283,150 m |
|
| LuenaMoxico Province | FNUE | Active | 11/293,350 m |
|
| MenongueCubango Province (Cuando Cubango until 2024) | FNME | Active | 13/31— m |
|
| MoçâmedesNamibe Province | FNMO | Active |
|
|
| Cuito Cuanavale airfieldCuando Province (Cuando Cubango until 2024) | Closed |
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the National Air Force of Angola
Flying units by base, current units first. Angolan flying units follow the Soviet model of numbered aviation regiments with several squadrons: the 25th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Kuito, the 26th at Moçâmedes, the 23rd Air Transportation Regiment at Luanda, the 21st and 22nd Helicopter Regiments at Luena and Huambo and the 24th Training Regiment at Menongue. Most regiment, squadron and type lists rest on an undated English Wikipedia list that defenceWeb confirms only base by base, and the entries say so. Where a unit’s designation is not published, as for the K-8W trainers at Catumbela, the entry names the fleet instead.
- 24th Training Regiment (8th Training Squadron)Training regiment · active
- Aero L-39ZA Albatros, Embraer EMB 312 Tucano, Pilatus PC-9, Pilatus PC-7, Aero L-29 Delfín, Cessna 172
- 25th Fighter Aviation Regiment (11th, 12th and 13th Fighter Squadrons)Fighter regiment · active
- Sukhoi Su-30K (13th Squadron), Sukhoi Su-27/Su-27UB (13th Squadron), MiG-23ML/UB (12th Squadron), MiG-21 (11th Squadron)
- K-8W jet training unitJet training unit · active
- Hongdu K-8W Karakorum
- Pilot Basic Training School (Lobito)Flying school · active
- 23rd Air Transportation RegimentTransport regiment · active
- Ilyushin Il-76, Antonov An-12, An-26, An-32, An-72, Airbus C295, Xi’an MA60, Lockheed C-130K and Boeing 707 (former, per Wikipedia)
- Su-30K detachmentFighter detachment · active
- Sukhoi Su-30K
- 26th Fighter Aviation Regiment (14th, 15th and 16th Fighter Squadrons)Fighter-bomber regiment · active
- Sukhoi Su-24MK (14th Squadron), Sukhoi Su-25K/UBK (16th Squadron), Sukhoi Su-22M4K/UM3K (15th Squadron)
- 22nd Combat Helicopter RegimentAttack helicopter regiment · active
- Mil Mi-24/Mi-25, Mil Mi-35
- 21st Transport Helicopter RegimentTransport helicopter regiment · active
- Mil Mi-8/Mi-17, Aérospatiale SA 315 Lama, Aérospatiale SA 342M Gazelle
No unit matches that search.
National Air Force of Angola milestones, 1914 to today
October: members of the Aeroclube de Angola are assembled at Luanda. 11 November: independence from Portugal. December: Cuban pilots arrive and the first Soviet MiG fighters are assembled at Luanda.
21 January: the People’s Air Force of Angola / Air and Anti-Aircraft Defence (FAPA/DAA) is formally established. From January, 12 MiG-21MFs are delivered from the USSR.
6 November: SAAF Mirage F1s and FAPA MiG-21s clash; South Africa claims one MiG-21 shot down.
5 October: a second clash; the SAAF claims one MiG-21 destroyed and one damaged. Su-20Ms arrive around this time.
30 MiG-21bis arrive, and 32 more in 1984. Around 1983–85 about 150 Romanian instructors help set up a Military Aviation School.
September: the air battles over the Lomba river during Operation Moduler; on 27 September a Cuban MiG-23ML damages a SAAF Mirage F1.
Cuito Cuanavale is besieged until March; 27 June: Cuban MiG-23s bomb the Calueque dam; 22 December: the New York Accords. 1989–90: 14 Su-22M4Ks join the 26th Air Regiment at Moçâmedes.
9 October: the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) are formed after the Bicesse Accords; the last Cuban forces leave.
War resumes after the disputed election; Executive Outcomes later flies air force MiG-23s, Su-25s and PC-7s for the government.
Reconditioned MiG-23s, Tucanos and L-39s are bought as the war restarts.
Mid-year: the Su-27 enters service. 19 November: one is reported shot down by a UNITA missile while landing.
22 February: Jonas Savimbi is killed in Moxico; a ceasefire follows about six weeks later, ending 27 years of war.
The service is reported under its new name, Força Aérea Nacional.
February: first three of six Super Tucanos handed over. October: Su-30Ks ordered in a reported US$1 billion Rosoboronexport deal. Eight Mi-171Sh follow in 2015–16.
September: first two Su-30Ks arrive; South Africa returns the MiG-21 that landed near Tsumeb in 1988. 2020: 12 K-8W trainers reach Catumbela.
25 July: the first of three C295s lands in Luanda.
November: Airbus delivers the two C295 maritime surveillance aircraft.
April: 14 AW119 helicopters approved. June: up to four L-39 Skyfox ordered.
Every war the National Air Force of Angola has fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- War of independence and Cuban intervention 1975–1976 Newly assembled MiGs and a handful of transport aircraft, largely flown by Cubans, supported the MPLA government against the FNLA, UNITA, Zaire and the South African column of Operation Savannah
- South African Border War 1976–1988 Air defence of southern Angola against South African raids, ground attack against UNITA and support of the army; Soviet-built missile systems were operated by the DAA
- Battle of Cuito Cuanavale 1987–1988 Close air support and interdiction for the FAPLA offensive on the Lomba river and the defence of Cuito Cuanavale; air defence against SAAF strikes; Cuban MiG-23 strikes near the Namibian border in 1988
- Angolan Civil War, final phase 1992–2002 Ground attack, helicopter assault and airlift against UNITA, at times with South African contractors of Executive Outcomes flying air force aircraft; rapid rebuilding of the fleet with purchases from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Brazil and the Czech Republic
Who built the National Air Force of Angola 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
Antonov, AgustaWestland, Mil, Sukhoi, Aero Vodochody, Cessna, Embraer, Mikoyan, Pilatus, Aérospatiale, Airbus, Bell, Britten-Norman, CASA, Daher, Eurocopter, Hongdu, Ilyushin, Leonardo, Turkish Aerospace (TAI / TUSAŞ), Xi’an
National Air Force of Angola news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the National Air Force of Angola and the aircraft it flies. This list refreshes itself — new Afterburner stories appear here automatically.
Everything people ask about the National Air Force of Angola
What is the Angolan Air Force called in Portuguese?
Which fighter jets does Angola fly?
When was the Angolan Air Force founded?
Who won the air war at Cuito Cuanavale?
Did Cuban pilots fly Angolan aircraft?
Why did South Africa give Angola a MiG-21 back?
What did Executive Outcomes do for the Angolan Air Force?
Does Angola still fly the Su-24?
What new aircraft is Angola buying?
Who commands the Angolan Air Force?
Read the aircraft the National Air Force of Angola 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: African Militaries — Angola (4 December 2025)Air force of about 6,000; commander Virgínio António da Cunha Pinto since 2023; type-by-type inventory with storage status; air bases; Northern and Southern Air Regions; Aksungur on order with no update since 2023.
- defenceWeb: Angola receives final Su-30K fighters (20 May 2019)12 ex-Indian Su-30Ks overhauled by the 558th Aircraft Repair Plant at Baranovichi, Belarus; ordered October 2013; first two September 2017, last two April 2019; upgrade claim by the plant’s Alexander Vorobey.
- defenceWeb: Angola has received its first Su-30s (20 September 2017)First two Su-30Ks in September 2017; about six of 18 Su-27s operational; Su-22 and Su-24 in inventory; eight Mi-171Sh and 12 refurbished Mi-24P.
- defenceWeb: Angolan Su-30K deliveries to start this year (2 April 2015)October 2013 report of 18 ex-Indian Su-30Ks in a US$1 billion Rosoboronexport deal; Irkut said 12 in February 2014.
- defenceWeb: Angola, Egypt receiving refurbished Russian helicopters (28 September 2016)Mi-24Ps overhauled at the 150th Aircraft Repair Plant; eight Mi-171Sh delivered in 2015–2016 under the 2013 US$1 billion deal.
- defenceWeb: Angola receives first Super Tucanos (4 February 2013)Six A-29 Super Tucanos ordered, first three handed over at Gavião Peixoto; border surveillance; EMB-312 Tucanos bought in 1999 and 2004.
- defenceWeb: Africa to lead Super Tucano sales (22 June 2026)Lists Angola among Super Tucano customers; no new Angolan order.
- defenceWeb: Angola receives final K-8W jets from China (5 February 2021)12 K-8W from CATIC via Simportex; six in January 2020, six on 14 December 2020 at Catumbela; two MA60s delivered in 2019.
- defenceWeb: Angola receives first C295 from Airbus (1 August 2024)Three C295s (one transport, two maritime surveillance) firmly ordered April 2022; first arrived in Luanda 25 July 2024; nearly EUR 160 million financed by BBVA.
- defenceWeb: Airbus delivers another two C295s to Angola (10 November 2025)Two C295 maritime surveillance aircraft with the FITS mission system delivered, announced 7 November 2025.
- defenceWeb: Airbus pitches C295 as African workhorse (30 September 2026)Angola’s three C295s: transport delivered July 2024, two MSA delivered November 2025; an Angolan C295 shown at Africa Aerospace and Defence 2026.
- defenceWeb: L-39 Skyfox set for African debut as Angola places first order (29 June 2026)Aero Vodochody announced on 18 June 2026 an order for up to four L-39 Skyfox; quote from Viktor Sotona; up to four L-39C and 12 stored L-29s.
- defenceWeb: Angola acquiring over a dozen AW119 helicopters (24 April 2026)14 AW119 (12 AW119M, 2 AW119Kx) for the Ministry of National Defence for EUR 132.8 million; Presidential Decree 137/26 of 17 April 2026.
- defenceWeb: Angola getting Aksungur UAVs from Turkey (20 March 2023)US$93 million contract approved October 2022 via Simportex; number not disclosed.
- defenceWeb: South Africa returns MiG-21 fighter jet to Angola (20 September 2017)FAPA MiG-21bis landed near Tsumeb on 14 December 1988 after getting lost; displayed at the SAAF Museum from 1991; flown home on 17 September 2017; return announced by General Francisco Afonso, air force commander.
- defenceWeb: Two pilots injured in Angolan Alouette III crash (27 January 2015)Crash during the display for the 39th anniversary on 21 January 2015; General Francisco Afonso, air force commander, quoted.
- defenceWeb: Angola receives maritime surveillance aircraft from Israel (16 October 2017)1979 Cessna Citation fitted by BIRD Aerosystems with the ASIO system and a SeaSpray AESA radar; US$20 million contract; operational by August 2017.
- defenceWeb: New Il-76 for Angola (15 June 2022)Another Il-76TD delivered from Belarus in June 2022.
- defenceWeb: Angolan Air Force operating Kodiak aircraft (21 July 2020)Kodiak 100 operated by the air force for the Centre for Public Security; number unclear.
- defenceWeb: Angolan Air Force to receive two AW139s (24 October 2016)Headline and summary seen on defenceWeb’s Angola tag page: two AW139s from Leonardo, one test-flying in Italy.
- Human Rights Watch: Angola Unravels (1999), chapter IX, Arms Trade and Embargo ViolationsGovernment arms purchases 1994–1999: Mi-35s, MiG-23s, two Su-24s, six Mi-17s from Ukraine (1995), six EMB-312 Tucanos (October 1998); a C-130 deal blocked in 1997.
- South African History Online: The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale 1988Both readings of the battle: the SADF’s stated limited aims, including preventing use of the airstrip, and the view that it was thwarted; the battle led to the talks that ended the war.
- defenceWeb: Angola (5 February 2013, updated 19 November 2025)Same seven bases; older three-region structure (North, Centre, South) and which kinds of unit each housed.
- Bellingcat: Angola takes delivery of four Su-30 (14 November 2018)Satellite imagery of 20 October 2018 showing two Su-30s parked at Lubango civil-military airport.
- OurAirports: Kuito Airport (FNKU)Community aeronautical database; coordinates and elevation (5,618 ft).
- OurAirports: Menongue Airport (FNME)Coordinates and elevation (4,469 ft), which differs from Wikipedia.
- Airlink: Airlink moves Luanda flights to new airport (17 February 2026)Commercial move from Quatro de Fevereiro to Dr António Agostinho Neto on 1 March 2026.
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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