Air Force
After achieving independence from France in 1960 the Benin Airforce was transport equipped with seven French-supplied Douglas C-47s, four MH.1521 Broussards and two Agusta-Bell 47Gs. Two F-27s were entered service in 1978 for transport duties before being transferred to Air Benin. Also during the same era two AN-26s were acquired. In late 1985 two Dornier Do-28s entered service to replace the C-47s. A single DHC-6 Twin Otter was acquired in 1989.
The Benin Air Force maintains a small transport and utility fleet of 14 aircraft, including seven helicopters.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Agusta A109 | Italy | scout/attack helicopter | A109HO | 2 | 5 delivered | |
| Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil | France | utility helicopter | AS 350B | 1 | 2 AS-350B+1 AS-355M delivered | |
| Transports | ||||||
| Boeing 727 | United States | VIP-transport | 727-256 Adv. | 1 | Acquired from Iberia and modified in 2007/08. | |
| British Aerospace HS.748 | United Kingdom | transport | HS.748 | 1 | 2 delivered | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | Canada | transport | DHC-6-300 | 1 | ||
| Dornier Do 28 | Germany | utility | Do.28D-2 | 2 | ||
| Douglas DC-3 | United States | transport | C-47B | 2 | 8 delivered | |
| Aero Commander | United States | transport | 500B | 1 | ||
| Surveillance | ||||||
| LH-10 Ellipse | France | Surveillance | Grand Duc | 2 | In service 2011 | |
Beninese Air Force also has two An-26s, and one Boeing 707, but these are currently grounded.
Read more about this topic: Benin Armed Forces
Famous quotes containing the words air and/or force:
“To be worst,
The lowest and most dejected thing of fortune,
Stands still in esperance, lives not in fear.
The lamentable change is from the best;
The worst returns to laughter. Welcome, then,
Thou unsubstantial air that I embrace!
The wretch that thou hast blown unto the worst
Owes nothing to thy blasts.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“... what is especially insufferable in a woman is a restless, bold, domineering manner, for this manner goes against nature.... [ellipsis in source] No matter what her worth, no matter that she never forgets that she could be a man by virtue of her superiority of mind and the force of her will, on the outside she must be a woman! She must present herself as that creature made to please, to love to seek support, that being who is inferior to man and who approaches the angels.”
—Elisabeth-Felicite Bayle-Mouillard (1796–1865)