Côte d'Ivoire Air Force

After gaining independence from France in 1960 , Côte d'Ivoire signed a number of bilateral defense agreements with the former metropolis, according to which the French military had to prepare the flight crew and put in combat aircraft. Deliveries of aircraft began in 1961 with three Douglas C-47 aircraft and seven MH.1521 Broussard . In 1979, the Côte d'Ivoire Air Force had only one transport and one connected aircraft. The first jet aircraft in the country's air force were six Alpha Jet CI , acquired in October 1980 . Subsequently, another was purchased in 1983 .

During the civil war of 2002-2007, the government of L. Gbagbo actively used the Air Force against the rebel forces from June to October 2004 , inflicting a series of attacks on the positions of fighters of the New Force group. In combat operations, Ukrainian and Belarusian pilots were involved ^[1] . On November 4, President Gbagbo ordered the resumption of air raids on rebels, and the government air force launched a bombardment of Bouake . On November 6, an Ivorian Su-25 piloted by a Belarusian pilot mistakenly bombed a French base in Bouake , killing nine French soldiers and an American worker, confusing them with rebels. In response, French troops attacked Yamoussoukro Airport, destroying two Su-25 and three Mi-24 helicopters, and two more military helicopters were shot down over Abidjan . An hour after the attack on the camp, the French army took control of Abidjan's airport and requested reinforcements from the base in Gabon . President Gbagbo accused France of supporting the rebels. ^{[2] [3]}

In 2005 , despite the UN Security Council embargo on the provision of military assistance and arms supplies to Côte d'Ivoire, a group of 10 aircraft technicians from Belarus and Ukraine secretly arrived to restore the country's air forces ^[4] .

According to Aviation Week & Space Technology, in 2007, six aircraft were in operation: one An-32 , one Cessna 421 , two Eurocopter SA 365 Dauphin helicopters , one Gulfstream IV VIP aircraft and one Mi-24 helicopter. In addition, Deagel.com announced two MiG-23 attack aircraft . However, not all flying aprarates are in good condition ^[5] .

In 2011, in violation of UN sanctions, three Mi-24 helicopters were delivered to the country, which caused an international scandal. Supposedly, deliveries were made from Belarus, however, this information was not proved ^[6] . The last delivery for the Air Force of Côte d'Ivoire was made by Bulgaria in June 2018 , having sold two An-26B transport aircraft ^[7] .

The emblem of the Air Force is the image of a bee and two wings. This emblem is worn on the cap of the cap and on epaulets of a casual form, sometimes on the chest above the right pocket. There are no national signs for pilots in Côte d'Ivoire, instead they are usually worn by French, Moroccan or those countries where they received a flight education.

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  Ivorian Gulfstream G-III in Zurich .

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  Helicopter SA330 Puma Air Force Cote d'Ivoire at the airport of Faro ( Portugal ).

• Ivoirian Air Force (Force Aerienne de Cote d'Ivoire - FACI)