1968–1979: independence without an air arm

Equatorial Guinea became independent from Spain in 1968 under President Francisco Macías Nguema, whose rule ended in the 1979 coup led by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who still governs the country. The public record gives no sign of an organised military air arm in the Macías years. Wikipedia’s articles on the armed forces, in both English and Spanish, date the reorganisation of the armed forces and the creation of an air corps to 1979, the year of the coup. That makes the air force exactly as old as the present government, and it has always been an instrument of the presidency rather than an independent service with a public face.

1979–2000: a token air corps

Both Wikipedia articles say the air corps of 1979 was built "mainly" with French and Spanish airframes, without naming the types or numbers, and no other source checked for this page fills that gap. The Spanish article sums up the air force as seven aircraft and nine helicopters for ground support, transport, search and rescue and training, without giving a year; the English article puts the air force at about 120 people. Neither figure has an official source behind it, and both should be read as estimates.

2005–2009: oil money buys Sukhois and Hinds

Oil revenue later changed what the state could afford. According to Wikipedia’s list of Su-25 operators, citing FlightGlobal’s World Air Forces directory, four Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft, two of them Su-25UB two-seat trainers, were delivered to the air corps in 2005 and were still listed as operational in 2021. defenceWeb’s country profile dates the same four aircraft to 2007–2009, and lists two Aero L-39 trainers, two Antonov An-72P maritime transports from Ukraine (2009), an An-32B (2008) and three Mi-24 gunships. Wikipedia’s inventory table counts seven Mi-24s. The difference is not explained by either source, and the page gives the range.

2015–2024: transports, Chinese helicopters and air defence

The next purchases turned towards the sea and towards China. FlightGlobal reported an order for two Airbus C295s, one transport and one maritime surveillance aircraft, the first due that September and the second in 2017; Airbus linked the purchase to the government’s wish to strengthen security around its coast and islands. No source checked for this page confirms that either aircraft was delivered. Military Africa reported two Mi-17 transport helicopters received in November 2018 and Pantsir-S1 air defence systems in March 2018. In April 2024 photographs released by the ruling party showed Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue inspecting two new Harbin Z-9WE armed helicopters on 8 April.

2026: what can and cannot be known

In 2026 the Equatorial Guinea Air Force remains one of the least documented air arms on the continent. All of its aircraft are reported to be based on the military side of Malabo International Airport on Bioko island; no source checked describes a permanent air base on the mainland. The government publishes no order of battle, no air force commander’s name and no flying hours, and no source checked for 2024–2026 reports the Su-25s or Mi-24s flying, being withdrawn or being replaced. What is known is that the state has bought expensive, combat-capable aircraft for a country without an external war, and that their real condition is a matter of estimate. This page sets the published figures side by side and does not choose between them where they disagree.

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Mil, Antonov, Aero Vodochody, Airbus, Harbin, Sukhoi