Air Force of The Democratic Republic of The Congo - History

History

The FAC was officially created in 1961, out of the remains of the colonial aviation service of the Belgian Congo. It originally operated light aircraft, transport aircraft and helicopters. The first combat aircraft, some armed T-6 Texan trainers, were added in 1962.

A CIA front company, Anstalt WIGMO, provided maintenance support to large parts of the FAC in the 1964–1968 period. The CIA also provided aircraft during the same period and pilots from late 1962 onwards.

In July 1970 the Institute for Strategic Studies described the Force Aérienne Zairoise (FAZ) as numbering 650 with 21 combat aircraft. Aircraft strength was listed as 10 T-6 Texan and 8 T-28 Trojan armed trainers, 2 DC-4 and 10 DC-3 transports, and 6 Alouette helicopters. The ISS said that 17 MB-326GB ground attack/trainer aircraft were on order, of which about five had been received.

In July 1974 the International Institute for Strategic Studies described the FAZ as numbering 800 personnel with 33 aircraft. The Military Balance for 1974–75 listed one fighter wing with 17 MB-326GB, 6 AT-6G and 10 T-28 armed trainers, one transport wing with 9 C-47, 4 C-54, and 3 C-130, one training wing wing with 8 T-6 and 12 SF-260MC, and one helicopter squadron with 20 Alouette II/III and 7 SA-330 Pumas. It noted that 17 Mirage V and 3 C-130H were on order.

The Air Combat Information Group states that by the mid-1980s the FAZ suffered from the same problems as the rest of the Zairean military, including lack of funding and widespread corruption. In the 1980s the air force was theoretically organised into the 1er Groupement Aérien, at Kinshasa (N'djili Airport?), with the 19th Logistics Support Wing (C-130s and Dakotas), the 12th Liaison Wing (helicopters, MU-2Js, and CEssna 310Rs) and the 13th Training Wing. The 2e Groupement Aérien Tactique at Kamina comprised the 21st Fighter-Attack Wing with Mirage 5s and MB.326Ks, and the 22nd Tactical Transport Wing, with 221 Squadron operating the two of three originally delivered Buffalos.

The extreme corruption of the force meant that Zairean aircraft were more often used for private 'business' of their fliers and their superiors than operations against rebels. From an originally delivered eight Dassault Mirage 5Ms, only seven were left by 1988, with no less than five being lost in different accidents. By the mid-1990s the last three were sold.

The FAZ played little part in the First Congo War, with most aircraft inoperable. Some aircraft were imported and used by Serbian mercenaries, but had little operational effect.