Every war the Senegalese Air Force has fought
The Senegalese Air Force’s war record is thinly documented. The Puma said to have been shot down near Banjul in 1981 with 18 on board rests on a single Gambian newspaper account cited by Wikipedia; in Casamance the army has said only that its 2021 offensive was "supported by planes and helicopters"; and no air force role was found in Guinea-Bissau in 1998–1999 or in the Gambia in 2017, where Wikipedia says Nigeria supplied the air element. Casamance casualty totals are Wikipedia’s estimates, and the MFDC’s allegation of Turkish involvement in 2021 is disputed and unconfirmed. 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 Gambian coup attempt of 1981 to the UN mission in the Central African Republic.
| Anlaşmazlık | Yıllar | Aykırı | Ana uçak | Çıkışlar | Uçak kayboldu | |
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| Senegalese intervention in the Gambia, 1981the 1981 Gambian coup attemptSenegalese Air Force (helicopters in support of the army) | 1981 | Gambian coup plotters led by Kukoi Samba Sanyang | SA 330F Puma | 1 | ||
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Helicopter support to the Senegalese troops sent to restore President Dawda Jawara. The coup was launched on 30 July 1981, the date given in the title of The Point’s account cited by Wikipedia. Senegal, which had rehearsed a joint exercise in October 1980 (Foday Kabba I, 150 troops, according to Wikipedia), sent its army in, and the intervention ended the coup in early August. The air force’s best-known part in it is a loss: Wikipedia, citing a recollection in the Gambian newspaper The Point, records that one of its SA 330F Pumas was shot down while trying to retake the Radio Syd transmitter outside Banjul, and that all 18 on board were killed. This page carries the figure as that source’s figure. Sonuç The coup attempt was defeated in early August 1981. The Puma loss and the figure of 18 dead rest on a single source cited by Wikipedia; the names of those killed and the exact date were not confirmed. The 30 July date and the leader’s name are taken from the title of The Point’s article as cited by Wikipedia; the article itself was not read.
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| Casamance conflictthe MFDC insurgencySenegalese Air Force in support of the army | 1982–present | Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) and its armed wing Attika | Mi-24/35, Mi-17/Mi-171, KT-1S | |||
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Transport, helicopter support and, in the 2021 offensive, fixed-wing and helicopter support to ground operations. The insurgency began after a demonstration in Ziguinchor on 26 December 1982 and turned into an armed struggle from 1985, when the MFDC formed its armed wing. Wikipedia calls 1992–2001 the bloodiest period, with over 1,000 battle deaths. The war has been fought mostly by infantry in forest and along porous borders, and little has been published about the air force’s role. The clearest statement is the army’s own about the offensive it launched in late January 2021 against the Sane and Diatta factions: ground forces were "supported by planes and helicopters", and artillery fire preceded the assault on the Badjom base about 20 kilometres from Ziguinchor (Africanews). Wikipedia puts the force at 2,600 infantry with armoured cars and artillery, "supported by the Senegalese Air Force". A further operation followed in May–June 2021, and on 13 March 2022 the army moved against Salif Sadio’s bases on the Gambian border, weeks after four soldiers were killed and seven captured there; about 6,000 civilians fled into the Gambia, according to Wikipedia. Sonuç Ongoing at a low level. Agreements with the César Badiatte faction (August 2022 and February 2025) and the surrender of Fatoma Coly’s group (May 2023); Salif Sadio’s faction did not accept the 2025 deal. The MFDC alleged Turkish military involvement in 2021; this is disputed and unconfirmed. Aircraft types used in specific operations were not named by the army. Casualty totals are Wikipedia’s estimates.
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| Guinea-Bissau Civil WarSenegal’s intervention in Guinea-BissauArmed Forces of Senegal (air force role not documented) | 1998–1999 | Rebel troops under Ansumane Mané and MFDC fighters allied with them (per Wikipedia) | ||||
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İncelenen kaynaklarda belgelenmemiştir. After soldiers loyal to Ansumane Mané seized barracks in Bissau on 7 June 1998, Senegal sent about 1,300 troops and Guinea about 400 to support President Vieira, according to Wikipedia. The war was linked to Casamance: Mané was alleged to have armed the MFDC, and MFDC fighters fought alongside his forces. The government side failed to retake the rebel areas; ECOMOG arrived in December 1998, and the Senegalese and Guinean withdrawal was completed in March 1999. No source checked for this page describes what Senegalese aircraft did, and none is listed. Sonuç Senegalese and Guinean troops withdrew by March 1999 after ECOMOG deployed; Vieira was overthrown in May 1999. Air force participation is UNVERIFIED.
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| ECOWAS military intervention in the GambiaOperation Restore DemocracyArmed Forces of Senegal (air force role not documented) | 2017 | Forces loyal to Yahya Jammeh (no fighting reported) | ||||
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Not documented in the sources checked; Nigeria provided the intervention’s air and naval support. When Yahya Jammeh refused to accept his defeat in the December 2016 election, ECOWAS forces led by Senegal crossed into the Gambia on 19 January 2017. Wikipedia records that Nigeria supplied the air and naval elements; no source checked for this page describes a Senegalese Air Force role. Jammeh flew into exile two days later, and the ECOMIG mission stayed on, falling from about 4,000 to 2,500 troops within a week. In January 2022 four Senegalese soldiers of ECOMIG were killed and seven captured by MFDC fighters on the border (Africanews). Sonuç Jammeh left the Gambia on 21 January 2017; an ECOWAS mission (ECOMIG) remained. Air force participation is UNVERIFIED.
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| UN mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)the Bouar helicopter detachmentSenegalese Air Force helicopter detachment | by 2019 | Armed groups in the Central African Republic | Mi-35 | 1 | ||
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Mi-35 attack helicopters flying operational missions for the UN mission. Senegal is one of the larger contributors to UN peacekeeping, and its air force has sent Hinds to the Central African Republic. The cost was paid at Bouar in the west of the country on 27 September 2019, when a Mi-35 returning from an operational mission for MINUSCA crashed on landing. Three of its crew died at the scene. The fourth, Captain El Hadji Moussa Thiam, was evacuated to Uganda and died on 6 October. President Macky Sall made the three killed at the scene Knights of the National Order of the Lion posthumously. The cause of the crash was not published in the sources checked. Sonuç Not an operation with a defined end in the sources checked; dates of the detachment’s deployment and withdrawal were not found. Deployment dates, size of the detachment and the crash cause are UNVERIFIED.
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Her rakam kontrol edildi.
- Africanews: Senegal says troops overrun rebel camps in Casamance region (10 February 2021)Army says ground forces were "supported by planes and helicopters"; no losses given.
- Africanews: Senegal launches operation against rebels in Casamance (14 March 2022)Operation of 13 March 2022 against Salif Sadio’s faction; four soldiers killed and seven captured weeks earlier.
- Dakaractu: Crash d’un hélicoptère de l’armée de l’air du Sénégal en Centrafrique (6 October 2019)Mi-35 crashed on landing at Bouar, Central African Republic, on 27 September 2019 after a MINUSCA mission; three killed, a fourth died on 6 October 2019.
Veriler 01.10.2026 tarihinde doğrulanmıştır. Back to the Senegalese Air Force.