Egyptian Air Force

Ordem de batalha · Egypt

Egyptian Air Force

القوات الجوية المصرية

The Egyptian Air Force, founded in 1932 with five British light aircraft at Almaza, has fought more wars than almost any air force in the Arab world — destroyed on the ground in 1967, back in the fight by 1973 — and today flies one of the world’s largest F-16 fleets alongside French Rafales and Russian MiG-29Ms, bought from three suppliers so that no single one can ground it.

Marcação nacionalRed outer ring, white ring, black centre.
323Aeronaves de combate
11Bases aéreas ativas
1932Fundada
23Tipos aposentados
Photo: Senior Airman Dominic Tyler / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
PaísEgitoFundada1932StatusAtivoSedeCairoComandanteAmr Saqr
A história

The Egyptian Air Force story: five Moths at Almaza, the morning of 5 June 1967 and a fleet from three suppliers

1930–1956: from five Moths at Almaza to Suez

King Fuad I announced an air arm for the Egyptian army on 2 November 1930, and the air force dates itself to May 1932, when five modified de Havilland Moths arrived from England and settled at Almaza outside Cairo. It became the independent Royal Egyptian Air Force in 1937. Its first war, in 1948, went badly. Spitfires bombed Tel Aviv on 15 and 18 May (Wikipedia gives 42 killed at the central bus station on 18 May), and on 22 May the REAF attacked RAF Ramat David in the belief that Israel already held it: four British airmen died and the RAF shot down five Egyptian fighters. Jets came late in 1949 with the Gloster Meteor, then the Vampire; the 1955 Czechoslovak arms deal brought MiG-15s and Il-28s. In 1956 Anglo-French bombing from 31 October destroyed much of that new fleet on the ground, and on 1 November Nasser ordered his pilots to disperse to the south.

1956–1967: Soviet jets, Yemen and the morning of 5 June

The Soviet Union rebuilt the force. By 1967, by Wikipedia’s count, Egypt had received 235 MiG-21s and 40 trainers, alongside MiG-17s, MiG-19s, Su-7s, Il-28s and Tu-16 bombers, and it had bought the Spanish-German HA-300 supersonic fighter project, which flew in 1964 but never went beyond three prototypes. From 1962 the air force supported Egypt’s intervention in the North Yemen civil war and bombed the Saudi border town of Najran; reports of poison-gas attacks on Yemeni villages, about which the Red Cross expressed concern, were denied by Egypt. On the morning of 5 June 1967 Israel’s Operation Focus caught most of the air force on its airfields. Israeli figures in Wikipedia count 338 Egyptian aircraft destroyed in the war; Egypt’s own air defences had been switched off for Field Marshal Amer’s flight from Almaza that morning.

1967–1973: rebuilding under the missile umbrella

What followed is the part of its history the air force celebrates. During the War of Attrition (1967–1970) it rebuilt with Soviet aircraft and, from 1970, Soviet air-defence units on Egyptian soil, while Israeli deep raids reached the Nile Valley until the Bahr el-Baqar school bombing of 8 April 1970. At 14:00 on 6 October 1973 more than 200 Egyptian aircraft struck Israeli positions in Sinai; Egypt acknowledged five lost, while Kenneth Pollack put the figure at 18. On 14 October Egyptian MiG-21s met an Israeli raid on the Mansoura and Tanta airfields. Egyptian accounts claim a decisive victory, and 14 October has been Air Force Day ever since; Israeli accounts claim the opposite. The commander through the war was Hosni Mubarak, later president.

1974–2015: the turn to Washington and Paris

After 1973 Sadat broke with Moscow. Egypt bought French Mirage 5s and about 80 Chinese J-7s, and from 1977 took 35 ex-USAF F-4E Phantoms under Peace Pharaoh — a hard transition, with only about nine serviceable in 1982 according to Wikipedia. In July 1977 the air force fought a four-day war with Libya. Peace with Israel brought American aid, and the F-16 arrived in March 1982. Seven Peace Vector programmes delivered 240 F-16s between 1982 and 2015, including 46 built in Turkey, alongside Mirage 2000s, E-2C Hawkeyes, Apaches, C-130s and Alpha Jets. The single-supplier problem resurfaced in July 2013, when Washington paused F-16 deliveries after the military removed President Mohamed Morsi; they resumed in 2015.

2011–2026: Sinai, Libya, Sudan and a three-supplier fleet

That pause shaped today’s fleet. In 2015 Egypt became the first export customer for both the Dassault Rafale (24 ordered on 16 February) and the MiG-29M (46 ordered in April), and bought 46 Ka-52 helicopters; a further 30 Rafales followed in 2021. A Su-35 order, reported in 2019, was reported cancelled after US sanctions warnings, and talks on F-15s were still unresolved in late 2025. The same decade brought almost continuous combat: Apache and F-16 strikes in North Sinai from 2011 until the government declared the insurgency over in January 2023, and strikes on Islamic State targets in Derna, Libya, in February 2015 and May 2017. Wikipedia lists Egypt among the states that sent aircraft to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in 2015. In Sudan, its personnel were captured at Merowe in April 2023, and in 2024 the RSF accused it of air strikes, which Cairo denied.

The Soviet Union rebuilt the force. By 1967, by Wikipedia’s count, Egypt had received 235 MiG-21s and 40 trainers, alongside MiG-17s, MiG-19s, Su-7s, Il-28s and Tu-16 bombers, and it had bought the Spanish-German HA-300 supersonic fighter project, which flew in 1964 but never went beyond three prototypes.Egyptian Air Force · verified 2026-10-01
À primeira vista

The Egyptian Air Force in numbers

Serviço

Nome nativo
القوات الجوية المصريةAl-Quwwat al-Jawiyya al-Misriyya, the Arabic name used by Arabic Wikipedia. The official Ministry of Defence site (mod.gov.eg) could not be reached to confirm its spelling
Fundada
1932King Fuad I announced an Egyptian Army Air Force on 2 November 1930; the five modified aircraft that formed it arrived from England in May 1932, the date English Wikipedia treats as the founding. It became the independent Royal Egyptian Air Force in 1937. Arabic Wikipedia gives a different 1930 date
Parte de
Egyptian Armed ForcesOne of the services under the Ministry of Defence and the General Command of the Armed Forces; air defence is a separate branch
Sede
CairoEnglish Wikipedia places the headquarters at Heliopolis, Cairo
Comandante
Amr SaqrNamed as commander by Egypt Independent on 19 February 2026; appointment date and rank not confirmed. His predecessor Mahmoud Fouad Abdel-Gawad was appointed on 14 August 2022
Air Force Day
14 OctoberMarks the air battle over Mansoura on 14 October 1973

Força

Pessoal
About 30,000 activeEnglish Wikipedia’s figure, including about 10,000 conscripts, plus about 20,000 reserves. The IISS Military Balance was not consulted directly
Aeronaves de combate
  • F-16C/D Fighting Falcon — about 218–220 (240 delivered)
  • Rafale DM/EM — about 42 delivered of 54 ordered
  • MiG-29M/M2 — 46 ordered, about 45 in service
  • Mirage 2000EM/BM — about 18
  • Mirage 5 — status unclear

Counts differ between sources; see the fleet table for each range

Transporte e missão especial
  • C-130H/H-30 Hercules — about 25
  • C-295M — 20–24
  • E-2C Hawkeye — 7–8
  • Il-76MF — 2

Il-76MF from Jordan in 2019; two C-130J-30 ordered in 2024

Helicópteros
  • AH-64 Apache — 45–46
  • Ka-52 — 46 ordered
  • Mi-8/Mi-17 — about 43
  • CH-47 Chinook — 19–24
  • SA342 Gazelle — about 48

Counts from English Wikipedia and its aircraft list; they disagree on several types

Treinadores
  • Alpha Jet — 44–53
  • K-8E — 30–120
  • Grob G 115 — about 74
  • EMB-312 Tucano — about 14

The two Wikipedia pages differ sharply on trainer numbers, probably because older counts include stored aircraft

Drones
Chinese, Egyptian and Western typesEnglish Wikipedia lists Wing Loong I and II, CH-5, ASN-209 and Egyptian-built designs; numbers are not published

Infraestrutura

First air base
Almaza, Cairo (1932)Where the first five aircraft were based. Field Marshal Amer took off from Almaza on the morning of 5 June 1967
Airfields hit on 5 June 1967
11 in the first waveIsraeli figures in Wikipedia: 11 bases in the first wave and 14 Egyptian bases in the second
Western gateway
Marsa MatruhThe departure point for the July 1977 raids on Libya; Wikipedia also says the February 2015 strike aircraft flew via Marsa Matruh
Phantom base
Cairo West (until 2018)Home of the 222nd Fighter Regiment’s two F-4E squadrons until their retirement, according to Wikipedia
Industry
Arab Organization for IndustrializationThe AOI announced local manufacture of Rafale components in December 2025; Helwan built the HA-300 prototypes in the 1960s
Estrutura

How the Egyptian Air Force is organised

One service of the Egyptian Armed Forces, separate from the air defence branch, with its headquarters at Heliopolis in Cairo and its Air Academy at Bilbeis. Three fighters make up the front line — about 218–220 F-16s, about 42 Rafales with 12 more to come and about 45 MiG-29M/M2s — bought from the United States, France and Russia. Egypt has not published which squadrons fly from which bases, so no current units are assigned to bases here.

COMO

ComandanteAmr SaqrCommander of the Egyptian Air Force
Egyptian Air Forceالقوات الجوية المصرية
Sede

Egyptian Air Force

القوات الجوية المصرية
Heliopolis, Cairo

One of the services of the Egyptian Armed Forces under the Ministry of Defence and the General Command; air defence is a separate branch. Egypt Independent named Amr Saqr as commander on 19 February 2026, while English Wikipedia still listed him as Chief of Air Staff and Air Marshal Mahmoud Fouad Abdel-Gawad, appointed by presidential decree on 14 August 2022, as commander; Saqr’s rank and the date of his appointment were not confirmed.

linha de frente

Fighter force

Three types bought from three suppliers: about 218–220 F-16C/Ds from seven Peace Vector programmes, about 42 Rafales of 54 ordered and about 45 MiG-29M/M2s of 46 ordered, alongside about 18 Mirage 2000EM/BMs; whether the older Mirage 5s remain in service is unclear. Egypt has not published which squadrons fly them from which bases.

Special mission and transport

Airborne early warning and airlift

Almaza

Seven or eight E-2C Hawkeyes for airborne early warning; about 25 C-130H and C-130H-30 Hercules, which flew Egypt’s share of the 2024 airdrops over Gaza, 20–24 C-295Ms, two Il-76MFs from Jordan and three An-74s. Two C-130J-30s were ordered in 2024. Almaza is the transport and VIP base; squadron assignments are not published.

Helicópteros

Attack and transport helicopters

Almaza and Kibrit

45–46 AH-64 Apaches, which carried much of the war in North Sinai, 46 Ka-52s ordered in 2015 and Mi-24s, with about 43 Mi-8/Mi-17s, 19–24 CH-47 Chinooks, about 48 Gazelles, Commandos and AW109, AW139, AW149 and AW189s for transport. English Wikipedia says hangars at Kibrit still house a helicopter unit; other assignments are not published.

Treinamento

Egyptian Air Academy

Bilbeis

A college of the Egyptian Military Academy near Bilbeis, authorised in 1951 when Almaza had become too small; cadets are split into pilot and navigator streams. The trainer fleet includes Alpha Jets, K-8Es, L-39s and L-59Es, Tucanos and about 74 Grob G 115s, though Wikipedia’s two pages differ sharply on the numbers.

Em serviço

What the Egyptian Air Force flies today

Cada tipo de cobrança, com link para sua página no Livro das Feras, quando houver. Os números indicam as aeronaves registradas, não as aeronaves disponíveis em um determinado dia.

Tipo Papel Em serviço Desde Unidades Notas
Lockheed Martin (General Dynamics) F-16C/D Fighting FalconEm serviço Caça multifuncional 218 1982 Range 218–220.

Mais

240 delivered in seven Peace Vector programmes (F-16.net); F-16.net gives about 220 in service and English Wikipedia’s aircraft list 218 (32 F-16A, 8 F-16B, 136 F-16C, 42 F-16D) citing FlightGlobal 2023. The main Wikipedia article’s figure of 220 includes about 50 listed separately as trainers.
Dassault Rafale DM/EMEm serviço Caça multifuncional 42 2015 Range 42–43. Egypt Independent reported in December 2025 that 18 of the 30 Rafales ordered in 2021 had arrived and 12 were still to come; with the 24 of the first order that gives 42.

Mais

English Wikipedia lists 43 and says all are to be brought to F4.2 standard.
Mikoyan MiG-29M/M2Em serviço Caça multifuncional 45 2017 46 ordered; English Wikipedia lists 45 in service. One crashed on 3 November 2018 (pilot ejected); the condition of aircraft caught at Merowe in Sudan in April 2023 is unclear.
Dassault Mirage 2000EM/BMEm serviço Lutador 18 15 single-seat EM and 3 two-seat BM in English Wikipedia’s aircraft list (FlightGlobal 2023); the main article lists 18 under trainers.
Dassault Mirage 5SDE/5SDR/5E2/5SDDEm serviço Caça-bombardeiro 1974 Status uncertain.

Mais

Wikipedia’s aircraft list (FlightGlobal 2023) shows 82 across four versions; the main Wikipedia article’s 2026 table does not list the type, and Egypt reportedly discussed selling surplus airframes to Pakistan in 2019.
Northrop Grumman E-2C HawkeyeEm serviço alerta aéreo antecipado 7 7 in the main Wikipedia article, 8 in its aircraft list.
Lockheed C-130H/C-130H-30 HerculesEm serviço Transporte tático 25 1976 About 22 C-130H and 3 C-130H-30 according to defenceWeb (2024); Wikipedia gives 20, two of them for electronic intelligence.
Airbus (CASA) C-295MEm serviço Transporte tático 24 24 per defenceWeb and the main Wikipedia article; 20 in Wikipedia’s aircraft list.
Ilyushin Il-76MFEm serviço Heavy transport 2 2019 Two, ex-Jordan International Air Cargo; defenceWeb says Egypt sought up to eight.
Antonov An-74TK-200AEm serviço Transporte 3 3 in the main Wikipedia article; defenceWeb says ’several’.
Boeing AH-64D/E ApacheEm serviço Helicóptero de ataque 45 45 (main Wikipedia article, listed as AH-64E) to 46 (Wikipedia aircraft list, as AH-64D).
Kamov Ka-52 AlligatorEm serviço Helicóptero de ataque 46 2017 46 ordered in 2015; 19 had arrived by the end of 2017. Completion of deliveries was not confirmed.
Mil Mi-24V/Mi-35Em serviço Helicóptero de ataque 13 13 Mi-24V in the main Wikipedia article; 14 Mi-35 in the aircraft list.
Mil Mi-8T/Mi-17-1VEm serviço helicóptero utilitário 43 About 43 combined, per the main Wikipedia article.
Boeing CH-47C/D/F ChinookEm serviço helicóptero de carga pesada 24 Range 19–24: 24 in the main Wikipedia article, 19 in its aircraft list.
Sikorsky UH-60 Black HawkEm serviço Helicóptero utilitário e VIP Range 4–26: the main Wikipedia article lists 4 UH-60L for VIP transport, its aircraft list 26 of several versions.
Aérospatiale SA342K/L GazelleEm serviço Scout and anti-armour helicopter 48 About 48 combined, per the main Wikipedia article.
Westland Commando Mk 1/2Em serviço helicóptero de transporte 22 22 in the main Wikipedia article; 28 in its aircraft list.
AgustaWestland AW109, AW139, AW149 and AW189Em serviço Utility, SAR and VIP helicopters 20 3 AW109, 4 AW139, 5 AW149 and 8 AW189 in the main Wikipedia article.
Dassault/Dornier Alpha JetEm serviço Treinador avançado e ataque leve 44 Range 44–53 between Wikipedia’s two pages.
Hongdu K-8E KarakorumEm serviço Treinador a jato Range 30–120: 30 in the main Wikipedia article, 120 in its aircraft list. The gap is unexplained.
Aero L-39 Albatros / L-59E Super AlbatrosEm serviço Treinador a jato 11 L-39 in the main Wikipedia article; 48 L-59E in its aircraft list.
Embraer EMB-312 TucanoEm serviço Instrutor básico 14 About 14, per the main Wikipedia article.
Grob G 115Em serviço Treinador principal 74 About 74, per the main Wikipedia article.
CAIG Wing Loong I/II and other dronesEm serviço Armed and reconnaissance drones
F-16C/D218
G 11574
Gazela48
Ka-5246
MiG-29M45
AH-6445
Alpha Jet44
Mi-8/1743

Sob encomenda

Tipo Encomendado Primeira entrega Notas
Dassault RafaleSob encomenda 12 2021 The balance of the 30 ordered in 2021, as counted by Egypt Independent in December 2025. Wikipedia expected them by the end of 2026.

Mais

The value was reported as about 4 billion euros; neither figure was confirmed by Dassault or the Egyptian government in the sources checked.
Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super HerculesSob encomenda 2 Confirmed by Lockheed Martin at the Egypt International Air Show in September 2024, after a 2022 US approval for up to 12.

Mais

English Wikipedia says two were delivered in 2026; that delivery was not confirmed in another source.
Anteriormente operado

Every type the Egyptian Air Force has retired

23 types, from the de Havilland Moth (modified) to the McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II. Os números máximos representam as aeronaves incorporadas à frota ao longo de toda a sua vida útil, e não a força total da frota em uma data específica.

Tipo Papel Pico Servido Substituído por Notas
McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II Caça-bombardeiro 35 1977–2018 F-16 35 ex-USAF under Peace Pharaoh from 1977, seven more in 1988.
Helwan HA-300 Supersonic fighter prototype 3 1964–1969 Three prototypes; only two flew.
Aero L-29 Delfin Treinador a jato Wikipedia’s aircraft list still shows 120 (FlightGlobal 2023); the main article no longer lists the type.
de Havilland Moth (modified) First aircraft 5 1932– Five.
Gloster Gladiador Lutador
Hawker Hurricane Lutador
Supermarine Spitfire Lutador Gloster Meteor, de Havilland Vampire
Stirling curto Bombardeiro 1948–
Douglas C-47 Dakota Transport and improvised bomber 1948–
Gloster Meteor F4 Caça a jato 1949–
de Havilland Vampire FB5 caça-bombardeiro a jato
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 Caça a jato 1955–
Ilyushin Il-28 bombardeiro leve 1955–
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F Caça-bombardeiro
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19SF Lutador
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Interceptor 235 F-16 235 fighters and 40 MiG-21U trainers received by 1967; after the war a further 75 MiG-21PFS (1970), 12 MiG-21M, 110 MiG-21MF, 24 MiG-21US and some MiG-21UM (Wikipedia).
Chengdu J-7 (F-7) Lutador 80 About 80, per Wikipedia’s MiG-21 operators list; the J-7 article itself does not list Egypt.
Sukhoi Su-7 Caça-bombardeiro
Sukhoi Su-20 Caça-bombardeiro
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23B family Caça-bombardeiro
Tupolev Tu-16 Bombardeiro
Ilyushin Il-14 Transporte
Yakovlev Yak-11 Treinador
bases aéreas

Where the Egyptian Air Force flies from

Black pins are active bases. Many of today’s bases began as RAF stations of the British period, among them Almaza, Cairo West, Abu Suweir, Fayid and Kibrit; Abu Suweir was the last handed to Egypt, in April 1956. Fayid was held by Israel from October 1973 to February 1974, and Bir Gifgafa, Israeli Refidim from 1968 to 1979, is now a dual military and civil airport, according to English Wikipedia. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.

Base aérea ativa Fechado ou reservadoClique em um marcador para abrir a página inicial.
Base OACI Status Pista Unidades e aeronaves
Abu SuweirIsmailia Governorate Ativo
  • No. 4 Flying Training School RAF:
AlmazaCairo Governorate HEAZ Ativo 18/361.870 mhard05/231,240 m
  • No. 45 Squadron RAF:
  • No. 451 Squadron RAAF:
Beni SuefBeni Suef Governorate Ativo
Berenice Military BaseRed Sea Governorate Ativo
BilbeisEgyptian Air AcademySharqia Governorate Ativo
Bir GifgafaRefidimNorth Sinai Governorate Ativo
Cairo WestGiza Governorate HECW Ativo 16/342,974 mhard10/282.781 m02/202,655 m
  • No. 76 Squadron (222 Fighter Regiment): F-4E Phantom II
  • No. 78 Squadron (222 Fighter Regiment): F-4E Phantom II
  • No. 216 Squadron RAF: Transport aircraft
El MansouraDakahlia Governorate Ativo
FayidIsmailia Governorate Ativo
JiyanklisBeheira Governorate Ativo
KibritSuez Governorate Ativo
  • No. 20 Squadron, Egyptian Air Force: MiG-15

Nenhuma base aérea corresponde a essa busca.

Ordem de batalha

Who is stationed where in the Egyptian Air Force

Flying units by base. Egypt does not publish its current squadron assignments, so the Egyptian units listed are historical: 76 and 78 Squadrons of 222 Fighter Regiment, which flew F-4E Phantoms from Cairo West until their retirement by 2018, and No. 20 Squadron’s MiG-15s at Kibrit in 1956. RAF and RAAF units of the British period are listed and marked as not part of the Egyptian Air Force. Where a unit rests on English Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.

Cairo West Air Base · HECWEgyptian Air Force
No. 76 Squadron (222 Fighter Regiment)
F-4E Phantom II
No. 78 Squadron (222 Fighter Regiment)
F-4E Phantom II
No. 216 Squadron RAF
Transport aircraft
Almaza Air Base · HEAZEgyptian Air Force
No. 45 Squadron RAF1921–1922
No. 451 Squadron RAAF1943–1944
Abu Suweir · Egyptian Air Force
No. 4 Flying Training School RAF1921–
Kibrit · Egyptian Air Force
No. 20 Squadron, Egyptian Air Force
MiG-15

Nenhuma unidade corresponde a essa pesquisa.

Linha do tempo

Egyptian Air Force milestones, 1914 to today

1932

May: five modified de Havilland Moths arrive from England and are based at Almaza, under a decree of 2 November 1930.

1937

The air arm separates from the army as the Royal Egyptian Air Force.

1948

15 and 18 May: Spitfires bomb Tel Aviv. 22 May: three raids on RAF Ramat David; five Egyptian fighters shot down.

1955

The Czechoslovak arms deal brings MiG-15s and Il-28s, after the first jets, Gloster Meteors, arrived in late 1949.

1956

31 October: Anglo-French air attacks begin. 1 November: Nasser orders his pilots to disperse to the south.

1962

September: Egyptian forces begin a five-year intervention in the North Yemen civil war.

1964

7 March: first flight of the Helwan HA-300.

1967

5 June: Israel’s Operation Focus strikes Egyptian airfields from 07:45.

1970

7 January–13 April: Israeli deep raids. 7 August: ceasefire ends the War of Attrition.

1973

6 October: more than 200 aircraft open the war at 14:00. 14 October: the Mansoura air battle, later Air Force Day.

1977

21–24 July: raids on Gamal Abdel Nasser Air Base in the war with Libya. Peace Pharaoh F-4E deal.

1982

16 March: the first F-16s arrive in Egypt.

2015

16 February: F-16 strikes on Derna, Libya, and the Rafale contract. April: 46 MiG-29M/M2 ordered.

2017

April: first MiG-29Ms. 26–27 May: strikes on Derna. July: first Ka-52s.

2021

May: 30 more Rafales ordered.

2023

25 January: the government declares terrorism in North Sinai ended. 15 April: Egyptian personnel captured by the RSF at Merowe, Sudan.

2024

March–July: airdrops of aid over Gaza. September: two C-130J-30s ordered.

2025

April: Eagles of Civilization, the first air drill with China. December: 18 of the second batch of 30 Rafales delivered.

Histórico de combate

Every war the Egyptian Air Force has fought

Missões e perdas onde constam nos registros, e um espaço em branco honesto onde não constam.

12conflitos
1948Primeiro
343Aeronave perdida
5Morto
  • The 1948 Arab–Israeli War 1948–1949 Bombed Israeli towns and supported the Egyptian army advance; attacked RAF Ramat David in error
  • A Crise de Suez 1956 Fought Israeli aircraft over Sinai, then was largely destroyed on the ground by British and French bombing
  • The North Yemen civil war 1962–1967 Close support and bombing for Egyptian and republican forces against the royalists; strikes on Saudi border towns
  • A Guerra dos Seis Dias 1967 Caught on the ground by Operation Focus; the surviving aircraft flew a small number of sorties
  • The War of Attrition 1967–1970 Rebuilt and fought along the canal while Soviet units took over much of the air defence from 1970

Abra o registro completo do combate

Equipes de exibição

The Egyptian Air Force display team

Each team has its own page: history, aircraft, the display, the accidents and the sources.

Formation aerobatic team · ActiveSilver StarsThe Egyptian Air Force display team, flown by Air Academy instructors and grown from four L-29s in 1974 to ten K-8E jet trainers, and the only display team to fly over…Read the Silver Stars page
Da revista

Egyptian Air Force news from Afterburner

Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Egyptian Air Force and the aircraft it flies. Esta lista é atualizada automaticamente — novas histórias do Afterburner aparecem aqui.

Todas as histórias em Afterburner

Perguntas e Respostas

Everything people ask about the Egyptian Air Force

What is the Egyptian Air Force called in Arabic?
Al-Quwwat al-Jawiyya al-Misriyya (القوات الجوية المصرية), literally "the Egyptian air forces"; that is the spelling used by Arabic Wikipedia, since the Ministry of Defence site could not be reached to check it. From 1937 until the 1952 revolution it was the Royal Egyptian Air Force. The English name follows the title of the English Wikipedia article, Egyptian Air Force.
Which fighter jets does the Egyptian Air Force fly?
Three types make up the front line: about 218–220 F-16 Fighting Falcons, about 42 Dassault Rafales with 12 more to come, and about 45 MiG-29M/M2s. About 18 Miragem anos 2000 remain, and older Mirage 5s may still be held. Exact counts are not published by Egypt and the sources differ.
How many F-16s does Egypt have?
Egypt received 240 F-16s in seven Peace Vector programmes between 1982 and 2015, making it one of the largest F-16 operators in the world. F-16.net puts the number in service at about 220 and Wikipedia’s aircraft list at 218. The last 20, Block 52s, were delayed when Washington paused deliveries after July 2013 and arrived in 2015.
Did Egypt buy the Su-35?
A deal for more than 20 Su-35s worth about $2 billion was reported in 2019, and Wikipedia says aircraft in Egyptian colours were built in 2020. The United States warned Egypt of sanctions under CAATSA. Reports from 2022 onwards say the order was cancelled, and The Defense Post in November 2025 referred to the cancelled Su-35 programme while describing talks on up to 46 F-15s. Wikipedia says airframes built for Egypt were reportedly offered to Iran and that ex-Egyptian Su-35s were seen in Algerian markings in 2025. Neither Egypt nor Russia confirmed the contract or its cancellation in the sources checked.
Is Egypt buying the Chinese J-10C?
Not as far as any official source shows. No Egyptian or Chinese announcement of a J-10C order was found in the sources checked, and claims of one remain unconfirmed. What is confirmed is closer cooperation: in April 2025 the Egyptian and Chinese air forces held their first joint drill, Eagles of Civilization 2025, in Egyptian airspace.
What happened to the Egyptian Air Force in 1967?
On the morning of 5 June 1967 Israel’s Operation Focus struck Egyptian airfields at low level, below the radar. Israeli figures given by Wikipedia count 338 Egyptian aircraft destroyed in the war, most on the ground on the first day. Egypt’s own air defences had been told not to fire that morning because Field Marshal Amer was in the air. The force was rebuilt with Soviet help within six years.
Why is 14 October Egyptian Air Force Day?
It marks the air battle over Mansoura and Tanta on 14 October 1973, when Egyptian MiG-21s met an Israeli raid on the Nile Delta airfields. The Egyptian account claims 17 Israeli aircraft for six Egyptian losses; Israeli accounts claim the opposite result. Both sides’ figures are claims, and the battle remains one of the most disputed of the war.
When was the Egyptian Air Force founded?
King Fuad I announced an air arm for the army on 2 November 1930, and the air force counts its birth from May 1932, when its first five aircraft, modified de Havilland Moths, arrived at Almaza near Cairo. It became an independent service, the Royal Egyptian Air Force, in 1937.
Has Egypt carried out air strikes in Libya?
Yes, openly twice. On 16 February 2015 six F-16s bombed Islamic State targets in Derna the day after the group released a video of the beheading of 21 Copts, and on 26–27 May 2017 Egypt struck Derna again after an attack on Copts in Minya, telling the UN it was acting in self-defence. Al Jazeera and Amnesty reported civilian deaths in 2015, which Egypt rejected. Egypt also fought a four-day border war with Libya in July 1977.
Who commands the Egyptian Air Force?
Egypt Independent named Amr Saqr as commander in February 2026; the date of his appointment and his rank were not confirmed in the sources checked. His predecessor, Mahmoud Fouad Abdel-Gawad, was appointed by presidential decree on 14 August 2022. The best-known former commander is Hosni Mubarak, who led the air force in the 1973 war and later became president.

Fontes e Leitura Complementar

Todos os fatos foram verificados.

Dados verificados em 01/10/2026. As páginas da Ordem de Batalha são geradas a partir de um único conjunto de dados; se algum número aqui divergir de uma página do Livro das Feras, esta página será considerada a mais recente.

Photographs: Photo: Senior Airman Dominic Tyler / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Colin Cooke Photo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Sgt. L.C. Clipper / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Andrew Leatherwood / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Jodiepedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Роман Дергунов / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: SGT Jose M. Hernandez, U.S. Army / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Elena Baladelli (according to Exif data) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Staff Sgt. Ben Houtkooper / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Oren Rozen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Carlos E. Perez S.L / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: AlfvanBeem / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Łukasz Golowanow and Maciej Hypś, Konflikty.pl / Wikimedia Commons (Attribution) · Royal Air Force Gladiator. San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Royal Air Force Hurricane. [[User:Ad Meskens|Ad Meskens You are free to use this picture for any purpose as / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Royal Air Force Spitfire. ChowellsNoise reduction and shadows lifted by Diliff. / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5) · Royal Air Force Stirling. Forward, Royal Air Force official photographer / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Clemens Vasters from Viersen, Germany, Germany / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Staff Sgt. Bill Thompson / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: MSGT Donald Sutherland / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: André Gerwing / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: USAF / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)