Senegalese luchtmacht

Slagorde · Senegal

Senegalese luchtmacht

Armée de l’Air sénégalaise

The Senegalese Air Force (Armée de l’Air sénégalaise) was formed in 1961 around a handful of ex-French C-47s, Broussards and light helicopters, has been an army-support service ever since — Mi-24/35 gunships, Mi-17s, four Korean KT-1S armed trainers and C295 and CN235 transports, but no jet since the Magisters retired — and in July 2025 saw France hand back Camp Geille at Ouakam, the air base the French had held since 1920.

0Gevechtsvliegtuigen
3Actieve luchtbases
1961Opgericht
18Typen gepensioneerd
LandSenegalOpgericht1961StatusActiefHoofdkwartierOuakam, DakarCommandantEl Hadji Niang
Het verhaal

The Senegalese Air Force story: a French air base since 1920, an army-support service and the French departure from Ouakam

1920–1972: a French air base at Ouakam and a small Senegalese air arm

Military flying in Senegal began as a French affair. According to the Senegalese news agency APS, Camp Geille at Ouakam, on the Cape Verde peninsula outside Dakar, was set up in 1920 as one of France’s first air bases in Africa. Independence came in 1960, together with a defence agreement that kept French forces in the country. The Senegalese air arm itself is dated by Wikipedia to 1 April 1961 (the wider armed forces are often dated to 1962), and its first equipment was modest and French-supplied: Douglas C-47 transports, MH.1521 Broussard liaison aircraft, Alouette II and Agusta-Bell 47G helicopters. It was an air arm built to move soldiers and officials around a long, thin country, not to fight for air superiority. The first Senegalese officer to command it, Mansour Seck, took over what was then called the groupement aérien in 1966, according to a 2026 tribute published by Dakaractu.

1972–1990s: Magisters, Pumas and the Gambian crisis of 1981

Seck became chief of the air force proper in 1972, and the tribute credits him with its first real modernisation: Fokker F27 transports, SA 330 Puma helicopters and Fouga Magister jets. Wikipedia’s account adds SA 341 Gazelles in the early 1970s, six F27s from 1977, four SOCATA Rallyes the same year and four armed Rallye 235A Guerriers in 1984. French forces stayed alongside: from 1 July 1974 as the Forces françaises du Cap-Vert, about 1,600 military and civilian personnel according to APS. The air arm’s first operation abroad came in July and August 1981, when Senegal sent troops into the Gambia to defeat a coup attempt against President Dawda Jawara. Wikipedia, citing the Gambian newspaper The Point, records that a Senegalese SA 330F Puma was shot down near the Radio Syd transmitter outside Banjul, killing all 18 on board; that figure has not been confirmed from a second source.

Casamance: four decades of a war fought mostly on the ground

The longest conflict in the air force’s life began on 26 December 1982, when demonstrators in Ziguinchor replaced the Senegalese flag in the first public rising of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC). The insurgency in the southern region, cut off from the rest of the country by the Gambia, has been fought mainly by infantry in forest and border terrain, and published sources say little about the air force’s part beyond transport and helicopter support. The best-documented air role is recent: when the army launched an offensive against MFDC bases in late January 2021, it said its ground troops were "supported by planes and helicopters", according to Africanews. Wikipedia counts some 5,000 dead since 1982. Peace agreements with individual factions followed in August 2022, May 2023 and February 2025; the faction of Salif Sadio did not accept the last of them.

2005–2023: Hinds, Korean trainers and the jets that never came

Once the Magisters had gone, the air force’s real firepower was its helicopters. Two Mi-24/35P Hinds ordered from Russia in 2005 arrived in 2007; three ex-Slovak Mi-24Vs, overhauled by Poland’s WZL-1, followed in February and November 2017, and defenceWeb reported a 2016 upgrade with Israeli Controp sensors. Mi-171 transports joined them, and more Mi-17s arrived in November 2023. The fixed-wing story is one of plans that changed. In April 2013 Brazil announced Senegal as a Super Tucano customer, but the deal was never finalised; Senegal ordered four KAI KT-1S armed trainers from South Korea in July 2016 instead, and they arrived in 2020–2021. Four Aero L-39NG jets were ordered in April 2018 and cancelled by March 2022, according to Wikipedia citing Africa Intelligence. Two Airbus C295s, delivered in July 2022 and March 2023, gave the transport fleet its biggest step in decades.

Thiès, peacekeeping and the price of Bouar

Much of what the air force does well happens at Thiès, 70 kilometres from Dakar, where the Air Force School (École de l’Armée de l’Air) was created by decree on 2 May 1984. France supplied TB 30 Epsilon trainers from 2006 onwards as its own air force retired them, and defenceWeb reported that the school was training pilots for other G5 Sahel states and Togo by 2020; since 2022 it has also trained pilots and technicians for the national airline, Air Sénégal. The air force also flies for the United Nations, and has paid for it. On 27 September 2019 a Senegalese Mi-35 returning from a mission for MINUSCA, the UN mission in the Central African Republic, crashed on landing at Bouar. Three airmen died at the scene and a fourth, Captain El Hadji Moussa Thiam, died of his injuries on 6 October 2019, Dakaractu reported. Four years earlier, in November 2015, the air force’s only F27-400M had been wrecked in a forced landing in Mali.

2024–2026: the French leave Ouakam; what the air force has, and what it lacks

On 31 December 2024 President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced the end of all foreign military presence in Senegal from 2025. The French handed back their sites in stages: two Dakar quarters on 7 March, the naval quarter on 15 May and, on 17 July 2025, Camp Geille at Ouakam and the military air terminal at Diass airport, ending a permanent presence of about 350 personnel. "Ce départ ne signifie pas une rupture, mais une évolution vers un partenariat renouvelé," said General Pascal Ianni, the French commander for Africa (APS). The air force, headquartered at the Capitaine Mame Andalla Paul Sory Cissé air base at Ouakam, numbers about 1,000 people and some 40 aircraft by Wikipedia’s count. Its chief, General El Hadji Niang, said in July 2024 that the service planned to acquire jet combat aircraft; no order had been reported by October 2026. What it has is helicopter firepower, a training school other states use, and transports; what it lacks is any aircraft able to intercept an intruder in its own airspace.

Seck became chief of the air force proper in 1972, and the tribute credits him with its first real modernisation: Fokker F27 transports, SA 330 Puma helicopters and Fouga Magister jets.Senegalese Air Force · verified 2026-10-01
In één oogopslag

The Senegalese Air Force in numbers

Dienst

Inheemse naam
Armée de l’Air sénégalaiseThe French name as used by the Senegalese news agency APS and the Senegalese press; Wikipedia writes Armée de l’Air Sénégalaise. The armed forces website armee.sn could not be reached to confirm the official spelling
Opgericht
1 April 1961Wikipedia’s date for the air force; the Armed Forces of Senegal as a whole are dated to 1962. No Senegalese official source for the founding date was reachable
Onderdeel van
Armed Forces of SenegalUnder the Chief of General Staff, Vice-Admiral Oumar Wade (June 2026), and the Ministry of the Armed Forces
Hoofdkwartier
Capitaine Mame Andalla Paul Sory Cissé air base, Ouakam (Dakar)Named as air force headquarters during the minister’s visit of 25 June 2026 and as the venue of the 2024 patron’s day
Stafchef van de luchtmacht
Brig. Gen. El Hadji NiangIn post by 2 May 2024 and still in November 2025; appointment date not found. Predecessor: Brig. Gen. Papa Souleymane Sarr (in post October 2023)
Minister of the Armed Forces
Yankhoba DièméMade his first visits to the navy and air force on 25 June 2026; the date he took office was not given

Kracht

Personeel
Ongeveer 1.000Wikipedia’s figure for 2025; no Senegalese official figure was found
Gevechtsvliegtuigen
  • KAI KT-1S Woongbi (KA-1S) armed trainer — 4

No fighter or jet in service. The four L-39NG jets ordered in 2018 were cancelled by March 2022; the chief of staff said in July 2024 that jet combat aircraft were planned

Transport en patrouille
  • CN235 — 3
  • C295 — 2 delivered (FlightGlobal via Wikipedia lists 1)
  • King Air 200/B200 — 2

Counts from Wikipedia citing FlightGlobal World Air Forces 2025, except the C295, where defenceWeb reports two delivered

Helikopters
  • Mi-24/Mi-35 — 4–5
  • Mi-17/Mi-171 — 4
  • Bell 505 — 3
  • Bell 206 — 1
  • Alouette III — 1

Five Hinds were delivered (2007 and 2017) and one was lost in 2019; Wikipedia’s 2025 count is five

Trainers
  • TB 30 Epsilon — 6
  • Hughes/Schweizer 269 helicopter — 6

At the Air Force School, Thiès. The KT-1S also serves as a trainer

Totale vliegtuigen
About 40Wikipedia, 2025

Infrastructuur

Luchtbases
  • Ouakam (Dakar): headquarters, Capitaine Mame Andalla Paul Sory Cissé air base
  • Thiès: Air Force School base (BET)

The minister said in 2022 that new air bases were planned to cover the national airspace; none had been reported open in the sources checked

French presence
Ended 17 July 2025Camp Geille at Ouakam and the military air terminal at Diass airport were the last sites handed back
Training school
École de l’Armée de l’Air, Thiès (since 1984)Created by decree on 2 May 1984; trains foreign students and, since 2022, pilots for Air Sénégal
Zoek- en reddingsgebied
About 6 million square kilometresThe figure the air force gave at SAREX 2023; it extends over neighbouring states’ areas under ICAO arrangements
Structuur

How the Senegalese Air Force is organised

One of the services of the Armed Forces of Senegal, about 1,000 strong by Wikipedia’s count, run from the Capitaine Mame Andalla Paul Sory Cissé air base at Ouakam through an Air Staff, a Support Group, an Air Operations Group and the Air Force School at Thiès, as defenceWeb describes it. It has no jet: its firepower is four or five Mi-24V and Mi-35P Hinds and four Korean KT-1S armed trainers, beside Mi-17s and C295 and CN235 transports. The four L-39NG jets ordered in 2018 were cancelled by March 2022, and the chief of staff said in July 2024 that jet combat aircraft were planned; no order had been reported by October 2026.

EH

Brigadier General (général de brigade aérienne)El Hadji NiangChief of Staff of the Air Force (chef d’état-major de l’Armée de l’Air, CEMAIR) · in office since 2024
Senegalese luchtmachtArmée de l’Air sénégalaise
Hoofdkwartier

Luchtmachtpersoneel

État-major de l’Armée de l’Air
Ouakam, Dakar

One of the services of the Armed Forces of Senegal, under the Chief of General Staff, Vice-Admiral Oumar Wade, and the Minister of the Armed Forces, Yankhoba Dièmé, who visited the headquarters on 25 June 2026. Brig Gen El Hadji Niang was chief of staff of the air force by 2 May 2024 and still in November 2025; the date of his appointment was not found, and his predecessor, Brig Gen Papa Souleymane Sarr, was in post in October 2023. defenceWeb describes an Air Staff with operations and logistics divisions over a Support Group, an Air Operations Group and the Air School.

Frontlinie

Air Operations Group

The operational element defenceWeb lists; which aircraft it flies and from where is not published. The service’s firepower is four or five Mi-24V and Mi-35P Hinds, delivered in 2007 and 2017, and four KAI KT-1S armed trainers delivered in 2020–2021, its only armed fixed-wing type. Senegalese Hinds have served with the UN in the Central African Republic, where a Mi-35 crashed at Bouar on 27 September 2019, killing four airmen.

Vervoer

Transport- en patrouillevliegtuigen

Two Airbus C295s, delivered in July 2022 and on 31 March 2023, three CN235s and two King Air 200/B200s, by Wikipedia’s count citing FlightGlobal except for the C295, beside four Mi-17 and Mi-171Sh helicopters, more of which arrived in November 2023. The units that fly them are not published.

Opleiding

Air Force School

École de l’Armée de l’Air
Thiès

Created by decree on 2 May 1984 at Thiès, where it flies ex-French TB 30 Epsilon trainers and Schweizer helicopters with simulators. It trains foreign students and, since 2022, pilots and technicians for the national airline, Air Sénégal; Le Soleil reports more than 1,000 flight hours a semester.

In dienst

What the Senegalese Air Force flies today

Elk type is gekoppeld aan de bijbehorende pagina in het Boek der Beesten, indien aanwezig. Het aantal vliegtuigen betreft de geregistreerde vliegtuigen, niet de vliegtuigen die op een bepaalde dag beschikbaar zijn.

Type Rol In dienst Sinds Eenheden Notities
KAI KT-1S Woongbi (KA-1S)In dienst Lichte aanval en geavanceerde trainer 4 2020 Four ordered in July 2016; the first two delivered on 3 April 2020, the rest by 2021.
Mil Mi-24V and Mi-35P HindIn dienst Aanvalshelikopter 2007 4–5. Five delivered: two Mi-35P from Russia in 2007 and three ex-Slovak Mi-24V in 2017. One Mi-35 was destroyed at Bouar in 2019; Wikipedia (FlightGlobal 2025) still counts five.
Mil Mi-17 en Mi-171ShIn dienst Transporthelikopter 4 Four per Wikipedia (FlightGlobal 2025). Two Mi-171s were listed by 2013; further Mi-17s arrived in November 2023.
Airbus C295In dienst Tactisch transport 2 2022 Two delivered: the first in July 2022 and the second, the last of the order, on 31 March 2023 (defenceWeb). Wikipedia’s table (FlightGlobal) lists one.
CASA/IPTN CN235In dienst Transport en maritieme patrouille 3 2010 Three per Wikipedia (FlightGlobal 2025): two second-hand in 2010 and a new CN235-220M from PT Dirgantara Indonesia in January 2017.

Meer

A CN235-220 maritime patrol aircraft was reported on order in 2020; its delivery was not confirmed.
Beechcraft King Air 200/B200In dienst Transport en verkenning 2 Two per Wikipedia (FlightGlobal 2025) and the 2013 defenceWeb list.
Bell 505 Jet Ranger XIn dienst Lichte utiliteitshelikopter 3 Three per Wikipedia (FlightGlobal); not confirmed from a second source.
Bell 206L LongRangerIn dienst Lichte utiliteitshelikopter 1 One per Wikipedia (FlightGlobal 2025); defenceWeb listed two Bell 206Ls acquired in the decade before 2017.
Aérospatiale Alouette IIIIn dienst Liaison and utility helicopter 1 One per Wikipedia (FlightGlobal 2025).
SOCATA TB 30 EpsilonIn dienst Basistrainer 6 2006 Six per Wikipedia (FlightGlobal 2025).

Meer

France supplied two in 2006, four in 2014 and two in May 2019, with three more planned for 2021 that defenceWeb said would make ten; the gap between deliveries and the count was not explained.
Hughes/Schweizer 269In dienst Trainingshelikopter 6 Six per Wikipedia (FlightGlobal 2025).
Epsilon6
Schweizer 2696
KT-1S4
Mi-174
CN2353
Bell 5053
C2952
King Air2
Voorheen in bedrijf

Every type the Senegalese Air Force has retired

18 types, from the Douglas C-47 Skytrain to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. De piekcijfers hebben betrekking op het aantal vliegtuigen dat gedurende de gehele levensduur in gebruik is genomen, niet op de vlootsterkte op een bepaalde datum.

Type Rol Piek Geserveerd Vervangen door Notities
Douglas C-47 Skytrain Vervoer 1961– Fokker F27 Nummer niet gevonden.
Max Holste MH.1521 Broussard Contactpersoon 1961– Nummer niet gevonden.
Sud Aviation Alouette II Lichte helikopter 1961– Nummer niet gevonden.
Agusta-Bell 47G Lichte helikopter 1961– Nummer niet gevonden.
Fouga CM.170 Magister Straaljager voor training en lichte aanvalsvliegtuigen KT-1S
Aérospatiale SA 341H Gazelle Lichte helikopter One was still listed in 2013 and 2017.
Aérospatiale SA 330F Puma Transporthelikopter Mi-17/Mi-171 Two were still listed in 2013 and 2017.
Fokker F27 Friendship and F27-400M Troopship Vervoer 6 1977– CN235, C295 Six from 1977 per Wikipedia; one F27 was still listed in 2013.
SOCATA Rallye Lichte trainer en contactpersoon 4 1977– Four from 1977 per Wikipedia.
SOCATA Rallye 235A Guerrier Armed light aircraft 4 1984– KT-1S Four from 1984 per Wikipedia; four were still listed in 2013, and one remained at the Thiès school in 2020.
CASA C-212 Aviocar Transport, search and rescue and maritime patrol One was listed in 2013 and 2015; two NC-212-200 maritime aircraft were reported on order in 2020.
Boeing 727-200 VIP-vervoer 1 One, listed in 2013 and 2015.
Embraer EMB 111 Bandeirulha Maritieme patrouille 1 One, listed about 2013.
Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander Maritieme patrouille 1 One, listed about 2013.
Piper PA-23 Aztec Contactpersoon 1 One, listed about 2013.
PZL Mi-2 Hoplite Lichte helikopter 2 Two, listed in 2013 and 2017.
Aérospatiale AS355 Écureuil 2 (Twin Squirrel) Lichte helikopter 1 One, listed in 2013 and 2017.
Bell UH-1H / Bell 205 Hulphelikopter 1 One: listed as a UH-1H in the 2013 profile and as a Bell 205 in 2017.
Luchtbases

Where the Senegalese Air Force flies from

De zwarte markeringen geven actieve bases aan; geen van de vermelde vliegvelden is gesloten. The air force has two bases of its own: Ouakam, its headquarters on the military side of Dakar’s old airport, where France held Camp Geille from 1920 until it was handed back on 17 July 2025, and Thiès, which APS calls the first air base in French West Africa, home of the Air Force School since 1984. Blaise Diagne airport at Diass is listed for the French military air terminal returned the same day. Bases at Kaolack, Linguère and Tambacounda that French Wikipedia lists without citation were not corroborated and are not shown. Thiès does not appear in the ASECNA AIP pages reached and carries no pin.

Actieve luchtmachtbasis Gesloten of reserverenKlik op een speld om de basispagina te openen.
Baseren ICAO Status Startbaan Eenheden en vliegtuigen
Blaise Diagne International AirportDiassDakar Region GOBD Actief 01/193.500 masfaltbeton
  • French military air terminal (Éléments français au Sénégal): French transit aircraft (e.g. Rafale, A330 MRTT, A400M in October 2023)
OuakamDakarDakar Region Kleverig Actief 18/363.490 mbitumineus beton03/211,493 mbitumineus beton
  • Air Force Staff (État-major de l’Armée de l’Air, EMAIR)
  • French air element, Dakar (Forces françaises du Cap-Vert, then Éléments français au Sénégal): French maritime patrol and search-and-rescue aircraft (types not given by APS)
ThièsThiès-regio Actief
  • École de l’Armée de l’Air (Air Force School): SOCATA TB 30 Epsilon, Schweizer (Hughes) 269 training helicopters, SOCATA Rallye 235 Guerrier (listed at the school in 2020)

Geen enkele luchtmachtbasis voldoet aan die zoekopdracht.

Slagorde

Who is stationed where in the Senegalese Air Force

Vliegende eenheden per basis, met de huidige eenheden eerst. Senegal does not publish which units fly from which base: the only flying unit the sources place at a base is the Air Force School at Thiès, and Ouakam is listed with the Air Force Staff, which operates the aerodrome. The French air elements at Ouakam and Diass, handed back in 2025, are listed and marked as not Senegalese.

Ouakam (Dakar) · GOOYLuchtmachtpersoneel
Air Force Staff (État-major de l’Armée de l’Air, EMAIR)Hoofdkantoor · actief
French air element, Dakar (Forces françaises du Cap-Vert, then Éléments français au Sénégal)
French maritime patrol and search-and-rescue aircraft (types not given by APS)
Thiès Air Base · École de l’Armée de l’Air
École de l’Armée de l’Air (Air Force School)Flying and technical training school · active
SOCATA TB 30 Epsilon, Schweizer (Hughes) 269 training helicopters, SOCATA Rallye 235 Guerrier (listed at the school in 2020)
Blaise Diagne International Airport (Diass) · GOBDCivil airport operated by LAS SA
French military air terminal (Éléments français au Sénégal)
French transit aircraft (e.g. Rafale, A330 MRTT, A400M in October 2023)

Geen enkel apparaat voldoet aan die zoekopdracht.

Tijdlijn

Senegalese Air Force milestones, 1914 to today

1920

Camp Geille is set up at Ouakam, outside Dakar, as one of France’s first air bases in Africa (APS).

1961

1 April: the Senegalese air arm is formed, according to Wikipedia, with C-47s, Broussards, Alouette IIs and Agusta-Bell 47Gs.

1966

Mansour Seck becomes the first Senegalese to command the groupement aérien; in 1972 he becomes chief of the air force.

1974

1 July: a defence agreement creates the French Forces of Cape Verde (FFCV) in Senegal, about 1,600 strong.

1977

Six Fokker F27s and four SOCATA Rallyes join a fleet that already includes Magisters, Gazelles and Pumas.

1981

July–August: Senegalese troops defeat a coup attempt in the Gambia; a Senegalese Puma is reported shot down near Banjul with 18 killed (Wikipedia citing The Point).

1982

26 December: the Casamance rising begins in Ziguinchor.

1984

2 May: the Air Force School at Thiès is created by decree; four armed Rallye 235A Guerriers arrive.

1998

June: 1,300 Senegalese troops intervene in the Guinea-Bissau civil war; they withdraw in March 1999.

2007

Two Mi-24/35P Hinds, ordered from Russia in 2005, are delivered.

2013

April: Brazil names Senegal as a Super Tucano customer; the deal is never finalised.

2016

July: four KAI KT-1S armed trainers are ordered from South Korea.

2017

January: a new CN235-220M arrives. February and 30 November: three overhauled ex-Slovak Mi-24Vs are delivered.

2018

April: four Aero L-39NG jets are ordered; the order is cancelled by March 2022.

2019

27 September: a Senegalese Mi-35 on UN service crashes at Bouar, Central African Republic; four airmen die.

2020

3 April: the first two KT-1S arrive.

2023

31 March: the second C295 is delivered. 25–26 October: Dakar hosts the second Africa Air Force Forum. November: Mi-17s arrive.

2025

17 July: France hands back Camp Geille at Ouakam and the military air terminal at Diass, ending its permanent presence.

Gevechtsgeschiedenis

Every war the Senegalese Air Force has fought

Uitvallen en verliezen waar de gegevens die vermelden, en een eerlijke blanco waar die ontbreken.

5conflicten
1981Eerst
2Vliegtuig verloren
22Gedood
  • Senegalese intervention in the Gambia, 1981 1981 Helicopter support to the Senegalese troops sent to restore President Dawda Jawara
  • Casamance conflict 1982–present Transport, helicopter support and, in the 2021 offensive, fixed-wing and helicopter support to ground operations
  • Guinea-Bissau Civil War 1998–1999 Not documented in the sources checked
  • ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia 2017 Not documented in the sources checked; Nigeria provided the intervention’s air and naval support
  • UN mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) by 2019 Mi-35 attack helicopters flying operational missions for the UN mission

Bekijk het volledige gevechtsverslag

De fabrikanten

Who built the Senegalese Air Force fleet

Elk bedrijf dat betrokken is bij de vliegtuigen op deze pagina heeft zijn eigen pagina: het verhaal, elk type dat het heeft gebouwd, de aantallen en de andere luchtmachten die ermee vliegen.

Huidige vloot en bestellingen

Klok, Mil, Aérospatiale, Airbus, Beechcraft, CASA, Hughes, IPTN, KAI, SOCATA, Schweizer

Vragen en antwoorden

Everything people ask about the Senegalese Air Force

What is the Senegalese Air Force called in French?
Armée de l’Air sénégalaise. That is the form used by the national news agency APS and the Senegalese press; Wikipedia writes it Armée de l’Air Sénégalaise. Its chief carries the title chef d’état-major de l’Armée de l’Air, abbreviated CEMAIR in the Senegalese press. The armed forces’ own site, armee.sn, could not be reached to confirm the official spelling.
When was the Senegalese Air Force founded?
Wikipedia dates it to 1 April 1961, a year after independence; the Armed Forces of Senegal as a whole are usually dated to 1962, which is why both years appear. Its first aircraft were C-47 transports, Broussards and light helicopters. The first Senegalese commander, Mansour Seck, took over in 1966.
Does Senegal have fighter jets?
No. Senegal’s only jets were Fouga Magister trainers of the 1970s, which are long retired. Its only armed aircraft today are four KAI KT-1S turboprops delivered in 2020–2021. Four Aero L-39NG jets were ordered in 2018 and cancelled by 2022; in July 2024 the chief of staff said jet combat aircraft were planned, but no order had been reported by October 2026.
Does the Senegalese Air Force fly the A-29 Super Tucano?
No. Brazil said in April 2013 that Senegal had ordered the Super Toekan, but the deal was never finalised, and Senegal bought four Korean KT-1S instead. No Super Tucano is in Senegalese service, and none was reported ordered in 2024–2026.
What helicopters does the Senegalese Air Force fly?
Its combat helicopters are Mi-24V and Mi-35P Hinds: two from Russia in 2007 and three overhauled ex-Slovak aircraft in 2017, one of which was later lost. It also flies Mi-17 and Mi-171 transports, more of which arrived in November 2023, plus Bell 505, Bell 206 and Alouette III light helicopters and Schweizer 269 trainers.
Where is the Senegalese Air Force based?
Its headquarters is the Capitaine Mame Andalla Paul Sory Cissé air base at Ouakam in Dakar. Pilot training is at the Air Force School at Thiès, about 70 km east of Dakar, created in 1984. The government said in 2022 that further air bases were planned.
Did France keep an air base in Senegal?
Until 2025, yes. Camp Geille at Ouakam had been a French air base since 1920, according to APS, and France kept forces in Senegal after independence: about 1,600 people until 2011 and about 350 afterwards. After President Faye announced the end of foreign bases on 31 December 2024, France handed back its sites in stages; Camp Geille and the military air terminal at Diass airport were returned on 17 July 2025.
What has the air force done in the Casamance conflict?
Mostly transport and helicopter support to the army. Little detail has been published, but when the army attacked MFDC bases near Ziguinchor in January 2021 it said its troops were "supported by planes and helicopters". The war, which began in 1982, has killed about 5,000 people by Wikipedia’s estimate, and has been wound down by agreements with individual factions in 2022, 2023 and 2025.
Has the Senegalese Air Force lost aircraft?
Yes. Wikipedia, citing The Point, records an SA 330F Puma shot down near Banjul during the 1981 Gambian intervention with 18 killed. A Mi-35 on UN service crashed at Bouar in the Central African Republic on 27 September 2019, killing four airmen, and the only F27-400M was badly damaged in a forced landing in Mali on 2 November 2015, without deaths.
Who commands the Senegalese Air Force?
Brigadier General El Hadji Niang, chief of staff of the air force, who was in post by May 2024 and was still in post in November 2025. He succeeded Brigadier General Papa Souleymane Sarr. The air force answers to the Chief of General Staff, Vice-Admiral Oumar Wade, and the Minister of the Armed Forces, Yankhoba Dièmé.

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Cijfers geverifieerd op 1 oktober 2026. De pagina's van Order of Battle worden opnieuw gegenereerd vanuit één dataset; als een getal hier niet overeenkomt met een pagina in Book of Beasts, is deze pagina de meest recente van de twee.

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