Royal Air Force of Oman
The Royal Air Force of Oman (سلاح الجو السلطاني العماني) began in March 1959 as the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force, a handful of British-flown light aircraft, learned its trade with Strikemasters, Hunters and helicopters in the Dhofar war that ended in 1976, flew Jaguars for nearly four decades, and today is a compact force of about 5,000 people built around 12 Eurofighter Typhoons and some two dozen F-16C/D Block 50s — and in 2026 had to defend its own ports against drones in a war Oman was not part of.
The Royal Air Force of Oman story: Strikemasters over Dhofar, 37 years of Jaguars and drones over the ports in 2026
1959: an air force born after the Jebel Akhdar campaign
Oman’s military aviation began in someone else’s war. Between 1954 and January 1959 the Jebel Akhdar war was fought largely from the air by the British: Wikipedia, drawing on campaign histories, counts 2,080 sorties, 1,750 tons of bombs and 3,843 rockets fired by RAF Venoms from Sharjah and Shackletons against the rebel strongholds on the mountain, with one RAF pilot killed. Within weeks of the end of that campaign, in March 1959, the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force (SOAF) was formed with British personnel and aircraft. Its first seven pilots gathered at RAF Manby in Lincolnshire under Squadron Leader Barry Atkinson, and its first equipment was two Scottish Aviation Pioneers followed by Percival Provost T52s, according to the English Wikipedia article on the service. It was a liaison and light-attack outfit, not yet an air force in the full sense, and its officers were seconded or contract Britons for years.
1965–1976: the Dhofar war, Strikemasters and Mirbat
The Dhofar rebellion, which began on 9 June 1965 in the southern province, made SOAF a fighting service. Oman ordered 12 BAC Strikemaster Mk 82s in 1967; they arrived in the summer of 1969 and, according to Wikipedia citing Watkins (2023), flew their first strikes in October 1969, with 13 Mk 82As following later. Eight Shorts Skyvans kept the hill posts supplied and Agusta-Bell 205 helicopters, arriving from 1971 according to Small Wars Journal, made troop rotation possible. The best-known day came at Mirbat on 19 July 1972: under a low monsoon cloud base, Strikemasters strafed the PFLOAG attackers with guns and light rockets, one of them damaged badly enough to turn back, while helicopters brought in SAS reinforcements. Wikipedia says three Strikemasters were shot down over the course of the war, one allegedly by an SA-7. The insurgents claimed far more: Orient XXI reports a PFLO claim of 25 aircraft and helicopters downed in 1975 alone, a claim not corroborated in the sources checked.
Hunters from Jordan and Jaguars from Britain
In the middle of the war SOAF acquired real fighters. Wikipedia records an expansion in 1974 that brought Britten-Norman Defenders, BAC One-Elevens, Vickers VC10s and Hawker Hunters; the Royal Jordanian Air Force’s own history says that in 1975 Jordan retired its Hunters and transferred them to Oman, and Small Wars Journal and the Dhofar article put the gift at 31 aircraft (the service article says 32). The Hunters arrived just as the rebels deployed SA-7 missiles in 1975, and Wikipedia notes they proved less vulnerable than the slower Strikemasters. Oman also had Iranian help: Orient XXI and Wikipedia describe an Imperial Iranian task force with its own helicopters, and Phantoms deployed by the end of 1973. The rebellion was declared defeated in January 1976. A year later, in March 1977, the first SEPECAT Jaguars arrived; 12 were ordered in 1974 and another 12 in the mid-1980s, plus two ex-RAF airframes, and they flew from Thumrait with Nos 8 and 20 Squadrons until the last four were retired on 6 August 2014.
1990–2018: a new name, Hawks, F-16s and Typhoons
SOAF became the Royal Air Force of Oman in 1990. The same year, on 30 July 1990, Oman ordered four Hawk Mk 103 trainers, delivered between December 1993 and January 1994 alongside 12 single-seat Hawk Mk 203 light fighters, according to Wikipedia. The jump to a modern combat jet came with the F-16: f-16.net records an agreement in May 2002 for eight F-16C and four F-16D Block 50s (Peace A’sama A’safiya I), the first accepted on 19 July 2005, and a second batch of ten C and two D models announced on 3 August 2010, ordered on 14 December 2011 and delivered in 2014. In December 2012 Oman then signed for 12 Eurofighter Typhoons and eight Hawk advanced jet trainers, a deal the BBC (as cited by Wikipedia) valued at 2.5 billion pounds. The Aviationist reported the ninth and tenth Typhoons passing through Malta on their way to Adam on 5 February 2018, and the deliveries were completed that year. Twenty NH90 helicopters, ordered in July 2004, replaced the old Agusta-Bells from 2010.
Neutral by design: the Gulf War, Yemen and mediation
What the Royal Air Force of Oman has not done is as telling as what it has. Oman contributed about 6,300 personnel to the 1991 coalition against Iraq, according to Wikipedia, but no Omani air combat role in Desert Storm is documented in the sources checked. In March 2015 Oman was the one Gulf Cooperation Council state that stayed out of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen; instead it put forward a seven-point peace plan on 22 April 2015 and later hosted Saudi-Houthi talks under UN auspices, according to Wikipedia’s article on the intervention. Muscat also hosted United States-Iran negotiations before the 2026 war; on 28 February 2026 Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi said that "active and serious negotiations" had been undermined by the US-Israeli strikes, as quoted in Wikipedia’s compilation of the 2026 strikes on Oman. The result is an air force that trains hard, sends its jets abroad for exercises and search-and-rescue at home, but has not flown an offensive combat mission since Dhofar in any source found for this page.
2026: drones over Duqm and Salalah, and what is still not known
The war that began on 28 February 2026 between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other reached Oman without Oman joining it. From 1 March drones hit the port of Duqm and a tanker off Khasab; on 3 March two drones were intercepted over Dhofar and another struck a fuel tank at Duqm; on 11 March, Muscat Daily reported, Omani authorities intercepted drones north of Duqm while fuel tanks burned at Salalah. Muscat Daily attributes each interception only to "a security source" and does not say which service made it; Wikipedia’s compilation credits the Royal Air Force of Oman and counts at least 19 drones intercepted, a figure not confirmed by an Omani official statement in the sources checked. Iran’s general staff denied ordering strikes on Omani territory, calling Oman a friend and neighbour. In 2026 the force’s fleet was what FlightGlobal had counted a year earlier, with nothing on order; how much its Typhoons, F-16s and ground-based air defences actually did that spring has not been published.
The Royal Air Force of Oman in numbers
خدمة
- الاسم الأصلي
- سلاح الجو السلطاني العمانيSilah al-Jaww as-Sultani al-Umani. Spelled as in the Arabic text of Royal Decree 11/2021 on qanoon.om; the English name Royal Air Force of Oman is the one used in the official English translation (decree.om)
- تأسست
- March 1959As the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force (SOAF); renamed Royal Air Force of Oman in 1990. Muscat Daily described the January 2026 royal visit as coinciding with the 67th anniversary of RAFO’s establishment
- جزء من
- Sultan’s Armed Forces, under the Ministry of DefenceThe Ministry of Defence lists the Royal Air Force of Oman with the Royal Army of Oman and the Royal Navy of Oman among its formations; the Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs is Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Said
- المقر الرئيسي
- MuscatThe RAFO headquarters address was not stated in the sources checked; the July 2026 wings ceremony was held at Ministry of Defence headquarters in Al Murtafa’ah, Muscat
- قائد
- Air Vice-Marshal Khamis bin Hammad Al-GhafriAppointed by Royal Decree 11/2021 of 18 January 2021; still in post in July 2026 per Muscat Daily
- Annual Day
- Late JanuaryMuscat Daily reported RAFO Annual Day on 26 January 2025 and 25 January 2026, combined with officer graduation ceremonies
قوة
- الأفراد
- About 5,000IISS Military Balance 2024 as cited by Wikipedia. GlobalSecurity gives about 3,500 in 1992 and about 5,000 in 2005
- طائرات حربية
-
- Eurofighter Typhoon — 12
- F-16C/D Block 50 — 23 (17 C, 6 D)
- Hawk Mk 203 — 10
FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025. Oman bought 24 F-16s in two batches, so the count implies one fewer than delivered; no loss was identified in the sources checked
- Transport and maritime patrol
-
- C295M — 4
- C295 MPA — 4
- C-130H — 3
- C-130J-30 — 2
FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025; Wikipedia also lists an A320 with No. 4 Squadron at Seeb (number not given)
- طائرات الهليكوبتر
-
- NH90 TTH — 18
- Super Lynx Mk 120 — 13
- Bell 429 — 5
- Bell 206 — 4
FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025. 20 NH90s were ordered in July 2004
- مدربين
-
- Hawk Mk 103 and Mk 166 — 11
- PC-9M — 12
- MFI-395 Super Mushshak — 7
FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025; one Hawk Mk 166 was lost at Masirah on 1 April 2018
- عند الطلب
- None recordedFlightGlobal’s 2025 table shows no Omani aircraft on order; no new order was found in 2024–2026 sources checked
بنية تحتية
- القواعد الجوية
-
- Thumrait
- Masirah
- Adam
- Musannah
- Seeb (Muscat International)
- Salalah
- Khasab
Base list from Wikipedia and GlobalSecurity; unit dispositions are deliberately not repeated here. The Aviationist named Adam as the Typhoon base in 2018
- تمرين
- MasirahThe 2018 Hawk Mk 166 accident happened at RAFO Masirah during a training sortie, per Wikipedia
- البحث والإنقاذ
- Helicopter rescues reported regularlyMuscat Daily reported RAFO medical airlifts and mountain rescues, for example in Dhofar in December 2025 and Musandam in January 2025
- Air defence in 2026
- Drones intercepted over Duqm and Dhofar; a tanker attacked off KhasabInterceptions were attributed by Muscat Daily to an unnamed security source; the intercepting service was not named
How the Royal Air Force of Oman is organised
One service of the Sultan’s Armed Forces under the Ministry of Defence, with about 5,000 people according to the IISS as cited by Wikipedia, and a commander appointed by royal decree. The front line is 12 Eurofighter Typhoons, 23 F-16C/D Block 50s and ten single-seat Hawk Mk 203 light fighters, according to FlightGlobal’s World Air Forces 2025, with nothing on order. The Omani government does not publish which squadron flies from which base, and this page does not repeat unofficial lists.
Royal Air Force of Oman
One of the three services of the Sultan’s Armed Forces, with the Royal Army and the Royal Navy, under the Ministry of Defence, whose Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs is Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Said. Royal Decree 11/2021 of 18 January 2021 appointed Air Vice-Marshal Khamis bin Hammad Al-Ghafri commander, and Muscat Daily still named him in post in July 2026. The service has about 5,000 people (IISS, as cited by Wikipedia).
Eurofighter Typhoon force
Twelve Typhoons, nine single-seat and three two-seat according to The Aviationist, ordered in December 2012 with eight Hawk trainers in a package the BBC, as cited by Wikipedia, valued at 2.5 billion pounds. Wikipedia says deliveries were completed in 2018, and The Aviationist named Adam as their base that year; FlightGlobal counted all 12 in service in 2025.
F-16C/D Block 50 and Hawk Mk 203 fleet
Twenty-four F-16s were bought in two batches, Peace A’sama A’safiya I and II: the first, an F-16D, was accepted on 19 July 2005 and the second batch was delivered in 2014 (f-16.net). FlightGlobal counted 23 in 2025, 17 C and 6 D, with ten single-seat Hawk Mk 203 light fighters delivered in 1993–1994. The Omani government does not publish which bases they fly from.
Sultan Qaboos Air Academy
Officer and pilot training takes place at the academy on Masirah, according to GlobalSecurity. FlightGlobal’s 2025 table lists 11 Hawk Mk 103 and Mk 166 advanced jet trainers, 12 PC-9Ms and seven MFI-395 Super Mushshaks; a Hawk Mk 166 crashed on landing at Masirah on 1 April 2018, killing the student pilot and one person on the ground.
Transport and maritime patrol fleet
Four C295M transports, four C295 maritime patrol aircraft, three C-130H and two C-130J-30 Hercules, according to FlightGlobal’s 2025 table. Wikipedia also lists an A320 VIP aircraft at Seeb, the military side of Muscat International Airport and the base of operations of both the RAFO and the Royal Flight of Oman. Other transport dispositions are not published.
Helicopter fleet
Eighteen NH90 TTH of the 20 ordered in July 2004, the first two handed over at Musannah on 23 June 2010 (GlobalSecurity), with 13 Super Lynx Mk 120s for anti-surface warfare and search and rescue, five Bell 429s and four Bell 206s (FlightGlobal 2025). Muscat Daily regularly reports RAFO helicopter rescues and medical airlifts, in Dhofar in December 2025 and Musandam in January 2025.
What the Royal Air Force of Oman flies today
كل نوع متاح برسوم، ويرتبط بصفحته في كتاب الوحوش إن وجدت. تشير الأرقام إلى الطائرات المسجلة، وليس الطائرات المتاحة في يوم معين.
| يكتب | دور | في الخدمة | منذ | الوحدات | ملحوظات | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurofighter Typhoon (Tranche 3A)في الخدمة | مقاتل متعدد المهام | 12 | — | 12 ordered in December 2012 (nine single-seat, three two-seat per The Aviationist); 12 in service per FlightGlobal 2025. | ||
| General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 50 Fighting Falconفي الخدمة | مقاتل متعدد المهام | 23 | 2005 | — | 17 F-16C and 6 F-16D per FlightGlobal 2025; 24 bought (8 C and 4 D, then 10 C and 2 D). | |
| BAE Hawk Mk 203في الخدمة | Light fighter | 10 | 1993 | — | 12 delivered 1993–1994 per Wikipedia; 10 in service per FlightGlobal 2025. | |
| BAE Hawk Mk 103 and Mk 166 (Advanced Jet Trainer)في الخدمة | طائرة تدريب نفاثة متطورة | 11 | 1993 | — | FlightGlobal gives 11 Hawk 103/166 combined. Four Mk 103 were ordered on 30 July 1990; eight Mk 166 were ordered in 2012. | |
| Airbus C295Mفي الخدمة | النقل التكتيكي | 4 | — | FlightGlobal 2025; Wikipedia says RAFO operates eight C295s in all. | ||
| Airbus C295 MPAفي الخدمة | الدورية البحرية | 4 | — | FlightGlobal 2025. | ||
| لوكهيد سي-130 إتش هيركوليزفي الخدمة | النقل التكتيكي | 3 | — | FlightGlobal 2025. | ||
| لوكهيد مارتن سي-130 جيه-30 سوبر هيركوليزفي الخدمة | النقل التكتيكي | 2 | — | FlightGlobal 2025. | ||
| Airbus A320 (VIP)في الخدمة | نقل الشخصيات المهمة | — | — | Number not given in the sources checked. | ||
| NHIndustries NH90 TTHفي الخدمة | طائرة هليكوبتر متعددة الأغراض | 18 | 2010 | — | 20 ordered in July 2004; 18 in service per FlightGlobal 2025. Why two are missing was not found in the sources checked. | |
| Westland Super Lynx Mk 120في الخدمة | Maritime helicopter, SAR | 13 | — | FlightGlobal 2025. | ||
| بيل 429في الخدمة | مروحية خفيفة | 5 | — | FlightGlobal 2025. | ||
| Bell 206في الخدمة | مروحية خفيفة | 4 | — | FlightGlobal 2025. | ||
| بيلاتوس PC-9Mفي الخدمة | مدرب أساسي | 12 | — | FlightGlobal 2025. | ||
| PAC MFI-395 Super Mushshakفي الخدمة | المدرب الأساسي | 7 | — | FlightGlobal 2025. |
Every type the Royal Air Force of Oman has retired
10 types, from the Scottish Aviation Pioneer to the SEPECAT Jaguar International (Jaguar OS/OB). تمثل الأرقام القصوى عدد الطائرات التي تم استلامها على مدار فترة الخدمة بأكملها، وليس قوة الأسطول في أي تاريخ محدد.
| يكتب | دور | قمة | تم تقديمه | تم استبداله بـ | ملحوظات | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEPECAT Jaguar International (Jaguar OS/OB) | Strike fighter | — | 1977–2014 | Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16 | 26 airframes: 10 single-seat and 2 two-seat ordered in 1974, an identical 12 in the mid-1980s, plus an ex-RAF T2 (1982) and GR1 (1986), per Wikipedia. | |
| هوكر هنتر | مقاتلة قاذفة | — | 1975– | Jaguar, Hawk | 31–32: Small Wars Journal and the Dhofar article give 31 ex-Jordanian aircraft; the service article says 32 arrived in the 1974 expansion. | |
| BAC Strikemaster Mk 82/82A | Light attack, trainer | 25 | 1969– | هوك | 12 Mk 82 (ordered 1967) and 13 Mk 82A, per Wikipedia citing Watkins (2023). | |
| Scottish Aviation Pioneer | Liaison, STOL transport | 2 | 1959– | — | Two at formation, per Wikipedia. | |
| Percival Provost T52 | Armed trainer | — | 1959– | Strikemaster | الرقم غير مؤكد. | |
| Short Skyvan 3M | النقل الخفيف | 8 | — | — | Eight in the Dhofar war, per Wikipedia. | |
| Agusta-Bell 205/206/212/214 helicopters | Utility helicopters | — | 1971– | NH90 | Eight AB 205s in the Dhofar war per Wikipedia; later totals not confirmed. | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-4A Caribou | النقل التكتيكي | — | — | — | الرقم غير مؤكد. | |
| Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander/Defender | Light transport, patrol | — | 1974– | C295 | الرقم غير مؤكد. | |
| BAC One-Eleven, Vickers VC10 and Douglas DC-8 | VIP and strategic transport | — | 1974– | A320 | الأرقام غير مؤكدة. |
Where the Royal Air Force of Oman flies from
الدبابيس السوداء تمثل القواعد النشطة، أما الدبابيس المجوفة فتمثل المطارات التي تم إغلاقها. Two of today’s bases were British before they were Omani: the RAF established Salalah in 1935, and RAF Masirah closed on 31 March 1977 when the Sultan’s air force took it over. Under access arrangements dating from 1980–1981 the US Air Force keeps bare-base equipment at Thumrait, according to GlobalSecurity. Bayt al-Falaj, Oman’s first airfield, closed in 1973. Entries with no published aerodrome data, such as Musannah, carry no pin.
| قاعدة | منظمة الطيران المدني الدولي (ICAO) | حالة | المدرج | الوحدات والطائرات |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAFO AdamAd Dakhiliyah Governorate | OOAD | نشيط | 13/314000 متر |
|
| RAFO KhasabMusandam Governorate | OOKB | نشيط | 01/192500 متر |
|
| RAFO MasirahMasirah Island, South Al Sharqiyah Governorate | OOMA | نشيط | 17/353050 مترًا07/252,574 m |
|
| RAFO MusannahSouth Al Batinah Governorate | OOMN | نشيط | — |
|
| RAFO SalalahDhofar Governorate | OOSA | نشيط | 07/254000 متر |
|
| RAFO SeebMuscat Governorate | OOMS | نشيط | 08R/26L4,080 m08L/26R4000 متر |
|
| RAFO ThumraitDhofar Governorate | OOTH | نشيط | 17/354000 متر |
|
| Bayt al-FalajMuscat Governorate (Ruwi) | Closed 1973 | 15/331,230 m |
|
لا توجد قاعدة جوية مطابقة لهذا البحث.
Who is stationed where in the Royal Air Force of Oman
الوحدات الجوية حسب القاعدة، والوحدات الحالية أولاً. The only Omani squadron numbers given here are historical: Nos 8 and 20 Squadrons, which flew Jaguars from Thumrait from 1977 to 2014. Current RAFO units are shown by base without squadron numbers, because the Omani government does not publish its dispositions. British and American units that used Omani airfields are listed and marked as not Omani.
- Royal Air Force of Oman resident unitsFighter base · active
- —
- United States Air Force deployments and pre-positioningExpeditionary and pre-positioning · foreign
- F-15E Strike Eagle (336th TFS, 1990), B-1B Lancer (2001)
- RAFO Jaguar squadrons (Nos 8 and 20)1977–2014
- SEPECAT Jaguar OS/OB
- SOAF Hunter unit—
- Hawker Hunter FGA.9
- Sultan Qaboos Air Academy and RAFO training unitsOfficer and pilot training · active
- BAE Hawk Mk 166, بيلاتوس PC-9M
- US forces detachmentsStaging, maritime patrol, tankers, storage · foreign
- EC-130E and MC-130E (1980), P-3 Orion detachments
- No. 244 Squadron RAF1944–1945
- Vickers Wellington XIII
- RAF Masirah station1929–1977
- —
- RAFO Eurofighter Typhoon forceMultirole fighter · active
- يوروفايتر تايفون
- Royal Air Force of Oman resident unitsTransport and helicopter base · active
- NHIndustries NH90 TTH
- Royal Air Force of Oman transport and VIP unitsTransport · active
- Airbus A320 (VIP)
- RAF detachment, Gulf war1990–1991
- BAe Nimrod MR2, Vickers VC10 tanker
- Royal Air Force of Oman resident unitsTransport and helicopters · active
- Airbus C295M, NHIndustries NH90 TTH
- RAF Salalah1935–1977
- —
- Royal Air Force of Oman helicopter detachmentوحدة فصل المروحيات · نشطة
- NHIndustries NH90 TTH
لا توجد وحدة مطابقة لهذا البحث.
Royal Air Force of Oman milestones, 1914 to today
30 January: the Jebel Akhdar war ends after an RAF air campaign. March: the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force is formed with British personnel, two Scottish Aviation Pioneers and then Provost T52s.
9 June: the Dhofar rebellion begins in southern Oman.
Oman orders 12 BAC Strikemaster Mk 82s; they arrive in summer 1969 and reportedly fly their first strikes in October 1969.
Agusta-Bell helicopters arrive, allowing troop rotation to distant posts (Small Wars Journal).
19 July: Strikemasters fly close air support under low cloud at the Battle of Mirbat; one is damaged and returns to base.
Expansion with Defenders, One-Elevens, VC10s and Hunters; first order for 12 Jaguars.
Jordan transfers its retired Hunters to Oman (31 per Small Wars Journal). The rebels field SA-7 missiles.
January: the Dhofar rebellion is formally declared defeated; isolated incidents continue to 1979.
March: the first Jaguars are delivered; they fly from Thumrait for 37 years.
SOAF is renamed the Royal Air Force of Oman. 30 July: four Hawk Mk 103s ordered, delivered with 12 Hawk Mk 203s in 1993–1994.
May: agreement to buy 12 F-16C/D Block 50s (Peace A’sama A’safiya I). July 2004: 20 NH90 TTH helicopters ordered.
19 July: the first Omani F-16, an F-16D, is accepted.
23 June: first two NH90s handed over at Musannah. 3 August: a second batch of 12 F-16s announced (ordered 14 December 2011, delivered 2014).
December: 12 Eurofighter Typhoons and 8 Hawk Mk 166s ordered.
6 August: the last four Jaguars are retired.
5 February: Typhoons nine and ten pass through Malta for Adam; deliveries complete. 1 April: a Hawk Mk 166 crashes at Masirah, killing the student pilot and a person on the ground.
18 January: Air Vice-Marshal Khamis bin Hammad Al-Ghafri appointed commander by Royal Decree 11/2021.
8 January: Sultan Haitham visits Musannah Air Base. From 1 March: drones strike Duqm, Salalah and Sohar during the Iran war; Omani authorities report interceptions.
Every conflict the Royal Air Force of Oman has been drawn into
الطلعات الجوية والخسائر حيثما يسمح السجل بذلك، وفراغ تام حيثما لا يسمح بذلك.
- The Dhofar rebellion 1965–1976 Close air support, interdiction, resupply of hill posts and helicopter troop lift for the Sultan’s Armed Forces against the DLF, PFLOAG and PFLO insurgency
- The Battle of Mirbat 1972 Strikemasters strafed the attacking PFLOAG force and helicopters landed SAS reinforcements
- حرب الخليج 1990–1991 Oman was part of the coalition; an Omani air combat role is not documented in the sources checked
- Drone and missile attacks on Oman during the 2026 Iran war 2026 Interception of drones over Omani territory; Oman was not a party to the war
Everything people ask about the Royal Air Force of Oman
What is the Royal Air Force of Oman called in Arabic?
Which fighter jets does the Royal Air Force of Oman fly?
When was the Omani air force founded?
What did the air force do in the Dhofar war?
Where did Oman’s Hunters come from?
When did Oman retire the Jaguar?
Does Oman fly the A400M?
Did Oman join the Saudi-led war in Yemen?
Was Oman attacked during the 2026 Iran war?
Who commands the Royal Air Force of Oman?
Read the aircraft the Royal Air Force of Oman flew
كل نوع له صفحة في كتاب الوحوش، في الخدمة أولاً، ثم حسب السنة التي غادر فيها الأسطول.
كل حقيقة، تم التحقق منها
- Royal Decree 11/2021 (English translation), decree.om18 January 2021: Air Commodore Khamis bin Hammad bin Sultan Al-Ghafri promoted Air Vice-Marshal and appointed Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman.
- Royal Decree 11/2021 (Arabic text), qanoon.omArabic spelling of the service name and the appointment article.
- Ministry of Defence, Sultanate of OmanLists the Royal Air Force of Oman with the army and navy under the ministry.
- FlightGlobal: World Air Forces (2025 edition download)Oman table: active aircraft by type, none on order.
- GlobalSecurity.org: Oman Air ForcePersonnel 1992 and 2005, NH90 replacing Agusta-Bells, base list.
- f-16.net: Royal Air Force of Oman F-16 users articlePeace A’sama A’safiya I and II: dates, numbers, costs, engines.
- The Aviationist: These are the latest Eurofighter Typhoon jets for the Royal Air Force of Oman (7 February 2018)12 ordered December 2012 (9 single, 3 two-seat); ninth and tenth via Malta 5 February 2018 to Adam.
- Small Wars Journal: Counterinsurgency Strategy in the Dhofar Rebellion (Capt. Alexander Schade, 20 April 2017)31 Hunters from Jordan; Agusta-Bells from 1971; Operation Simba.
- Orient XXI: Oman, how the Shah of Iran saved the regimeIranian Phantoms and helicopters; PFLO claim of 25 aircraft downed in 1975.
- Muscat Daily: Drones strike Duqm port, oil tanker near Khasab (1 March 2026)One drone intercepted at Duqm per security officials; tanker Skylight four injured, 20 crew evacuated.
- Muscat Daily: Drones target ports in Duqm and Salalah (3 March 2026)Two drones intercepted over Dhofar per a security source.
- Muscat Daily: Oman intercepts drones, rescues crew after vessel attack off coast (11 March 2026)Drones intercepted north of Duqm per a security source; intercepting service not named.
- Gulf Times: Worker injured in drone attack on Oman’s Port of Salalah (28 March 2026)ONA citing a security source.
- TWZ: Iran and Oman working to control Strait of Hormuz, shaky ceasefire still holding (4 August 2026)Ceasefire in its sixth day; Iran-Oman channel arrangement.
- Muscat Daily: Iran widens retaliation across Gulf as US strikes deepen war (2 September 2026)Renewed Iranian strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq and the UAE; Oman not mentioned.
- Muscat Daily: H M Sultan Haitham visits Musannah Air Base (8 January 2026)Briefing by AVM Khamis Al-Ghafri; 67th anniversary of RAFO.
- Muscat Daily: Sayyid Shihab pins flying wings for RAFO graduates (21 July 2026)AVM Khamis Al-Ghafri named as commander; ceremony at MoD headquarters, Al Murtafa’ah.
- Muscat Daily: RAFO marks annual day today (25 January 2026)Annual Day and graduation ceremonies.
- Muscat Daily: Sayyid Theyazin presides over RAFO Annual Day and Graduation Ceremony (26 January 2025)Annual Day 2025.
- Muscat Daily: RAFO news listingRescues and airlifts: Dhofar mountain rescue (22 December 2025), Musandam airlift (19 January 2025), medical airlift (14 January 2026).
- GlobalSecurity.org: Thumrait1981 access agreement, Harvest Falcon, 1990 deployments, 1996, 1998, 2001.
- GlobalSecurity.org: Masirah1929 staging post, 1977 closure, 1975 offer, 1980 agreement, Eagle Claw, P-3s, 2001–2002.
- Congressional Research Service: Oman: Politics, Security, and U.S. Policy (RS21534, 25 November 2025)1980 access accord; 2019 Strategic Framework Agreement (ports).
- Civil Aviation Authority of Oman: eAIPChecked 1 Oct 2026; the AIRAC tables did not render, so no AIP data could be read.
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: Staff Sgt. Jerreht Harris / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: SAC Helen Farrer RAF Mobile News Team / Wikimedia Commons (OGL v1.0) · Photo: Airwolfhound / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Piergiuliano Chesi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) · Photo: MarcelX42 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Ken Fielding / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: André Gerwing / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Matti Blume / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Mfield – Matthew Field, http://www.photography.mattfield.com / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5) · Photo: SAC Scott Robertson / Wikimedia Commons (OGL v1.0) · Royal Air Force Hunter. [[User:Ad Meskens|Ad Meskens You are free to use this picture for any purpose as / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: AntanO / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Balon Greyjoy / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Jerry Gunner / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)