Niger Air Force combat record

Elke oorlog die de Nigerese luchtmacht heeft uitgevochten

Niger publishes no sortie or loss figures for its counter-insurgency in Tillabéri and the tri-border area. Civilian casualty figures from drone and air strikes are Human Rights Watch’s findings or media reports it cites; the government did not respond to HRW. For the Islamic State raid on Air Base 101 in January 2026, the aircraft losses are defenceWeb’s count, and the government’s figures for attackers killed and soldiers wounded differ from unofficial reports; each is given with its source. Where a consolidated sortie or loss figure exists in the official record it is given here; where accounts disagree, the range is shown and the disagreement named. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified, not because the fighting was small.

From the Sahel counter-insurgency since 2013 to the raid on Air Base 101 in 2026.

Conflict Jaren Tegen Hoofdvliegtuig Uitvallen Vliegtuig verloren
Contraterrorisme in westelijk Niger en de centrale SahelTillabéri and the tri-border areaNiger luchtmacht 2013–heden Islamic State Sahel Province and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) Su-25, Mi-35P, Bayraktar TB2en nog 2

Close air support, armed reconnaissance and strikes with Su-25s, Mi-35s and, from 2022, TB2 drones; helicopter transport and casualty evacuation.

Niger acquired its first combat aircraft in 2013 because of the war in Mali, and for a decade fought alongside French and US forces, whose drones flew from Niamey and Agadez. After the 2023 coup those partners left, and Niger turned to Turkish drones and to joint operations within the Alliance of Sahel States; ANP reported a Nigerien Mi-171 on a joint mission with Burkinabé and Russian forces in January 2024. Human Rights Watch found that a strike on the Kokoloko market in Tillabéri on 6 January 2026 killed 17 civilians (11 women, two men and four children) and three Islamist fighters, and injured 13; it could not identify the drone or munition. HRW also lists media reports of civilian deaths from drone strikes at Tiawa in January 2024 (RFI) and from an air strike on the Injar market in September 2025 that killed more than 30 civilians (RFI, Reuters). HRW says the authorities did not respond to its questions.

Resultaat Lopend.

Civilian casualty figures are HRW’s findings or media reports cited by HRW; Niger’s government published no statement on these strikes in the sources checked. Dates of the first Su-25 and Mi-35 combat sorties were not found.

Vliegen voor
Niger luchtmacht
Waar
Tillabéri and Tahoua regions and, with AES partners, Burkina Faso
Naast
France (until 2023), United States (until 2024), Russian Africa Corps, Mali and Burkina Faso
Tegen
Islamic State Sahel Province and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)
Vliegtuig
Su-25, Mi-35P, Bayraktar TB2, Mi-171, Cessna 208
Verliezen
A Mi-171 was damaged landing at Kantchari, Burkina Faso, in early January 2024, one person injured (Ministry of Defence via ANP). No combat loss figures were published.
Bronnen
Mensenrechten Watch · ANP · defenseWeb · Wikipedia · defenseWeb
De aanval van Islamitische Staat op luchtmachtbasis 101the Niamey airport attackNiger luchtmacht 2026 Islamic State Sahel Province DA 42 MPP, Cessna 208, Mi-171en nog 1 5

Base defence, with Russian Africa Corps personnel.

On the night of 28–29 January 2026 fighters arriving on motorcycles reached the military side of Niamey airport, where Air Base 101 shares the runway with Diori Hamani International. Islamic State’s Amaq agency released video of aircraft being set on fire with RPGs and gunfire. The losses fell on the reconnaissance fleet Niger had built over a decade: one of its two DA 42 surveillance aircraft, two ISR Caravans, a Mi-171 and one of its two Hurkus. Air Côte d’Ivoire confirmed one of its airliners was hit. ACLED’s analyst Héni Nsaibia wrote in June 2026, after a further attack claimed by JNIM, that it was the third attack on an airport in Niger in six months.

Resultaat Repelled. Russia’s foreign ministry said the attack was repelled by Africa Corps personnel and Nigerien soldiers; state television said 20 attackers were killed and 11 captured, which defenceWeb could not confirm.

Casualty figures are each party’s or unofficial; the Islamic State claim of a destroyed drone was not independently confirmed.

Vliegen voor
Niger luchtmacht
Waar
Air Base 101 and Diori Hamani International Airport, Niamey
Naast
Russisch Afrika Korps
Tegen
Islamic State Sahel Province
Vliegtuig
DA 42 MPP, Cessna 208, Mi-171, Hurkus
Uitvallen
Ground attack on the base; no air combat reported.
Verliezen
5 vliegtuigendefenceWeb counts one DA 42 MPP, two Cessna Caravans, one Mi-171 and one Hurkus destroyed, plus at least one drone claimed by Islamic State. Niger officially reported four soldiers wounded; unofficial reports alleged about two dozen soldiers and three Russian contractors killed. Two civilian airliners were damaged.
Bronnen
defenseWeb · ACLED · defenseWeb

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Cijfers geverifieerd op 1 oktober 2026. Back to the Niger Air Force.