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Egyptian Air Force

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Egyptian Air Force Insignia

The Egyptian Air Force, or EAF (Template:Lang-ar, Template:ArabDIN), is the aviation branch of the Egyptian armed forces. The EAF is headed by an Air Marshal (Lieutenant General equivalent). Currently, the commander of the Egyptian Air Force is Air Marshal Magdy Galal Sharawi. The force's motto is 'Higher and higher for the sake of glory' (Template:Lang-ar, Template:ArabDIN).

Currently the EAF is the largest Arab air force, reckoned to be the most powerful air force in Africa and the second in the Middle East after the Israeli Air Force with a total of over 567 combat aircraft and 149 armed helicopters.

History

Establishment

In late 1928, the Parliament of Egypt proposed the creation of an Egyptian Air Force. The Egyptian ministry of war announced that it needed volunteers for the new arm to become the first four Egyptian military pilots. Over 200 Egyptian officers volunteered, but in the end only three succeeded in passing strict medical tests and technical examinations.

These three went to RAF number 4 Flying Training School at Abu Suwayer near the Suez Canal, where they were trained on a variety of aircraft. After graduation they travelled to England for specialized training.

On November 2, 1930 King Fuad announced the creation of the Egyptian Army Air Force (EAAF) and in September 1931, the British De Havilland aircraft company won a contract to supply Egypt with 10 De Havilland Gipsy Moth trainers.

Egyptian Air Force Insignia (1937-1958)

The first commander of the EAAF was a Canadian squadron leader, Victor Herbert Tait. Tait selected staff and weapons and built air-bases. In 1934 the British government provided 10 Avro 626 aircraft, which were the first real Egyptian military planes. A further 17 626s together with Hawker Audaxes for army cooperation and close support and Avro Ansons for VIP work followed shortly afterwards.


In 1937 the Egyptian Army Air Force was separated from the army command and became an independent branch named the Royal Egyptian Air Force (REAF). New bases were built in the Suez canal region and the western desert.

In 1938 the REAF received 2 squadrons of Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters and a squadron of then modern Westland Lysander reconnaissance aircraft, (Egypt was the last nation to use the Lysander in action, during the 1948 Arab campaign against Israel).

World War II

As the Egyptian border was threatened by an Italian and German invasion, the Royal Air Force established more bases in Egypt during World War II. The Egyptian Air Force was sometimes treated as a part of the Royal Air Force, at other times a policy of neutrality was followed. As a result of this vacillation, few additional aircraft were supplied by Britain, however the arm did receive its first modern fighters, Hawker Hurricanes and a small number of Curtiss P-40 Tomahawks. In the immediate post war period, cheap war surplus aircraft, including a large number of Supermarine Spitfire Mk9s were acquired. The REAF also bought Macchi MC205V fighters and trainers from Italy.

The 1948 War

Following the British withdrawal from Palestine and the founding of Israel on the 14th of May 1948, Egypt declared war along with other Arab countries on the new state. The Egyptian Air Force contributed to this conflict with C-47 Dakotas and Spitfires and managed to shoot down two Israeli aircraft but suffered heavy losses. Egyptian air force Spitfires also attacked Royal Air Force Spitfires, which the Egyptian government incorrectly believed were to be handed over to Israel. The first raid surprised the Royal Air Force, and resulted in the destruction of several RAF aircraft on the ground and the death of an airman. The British were uncertain whether the attacking Spitfires had came from Arab or Israeli forces. When a second raid followed shortly afterwards it met a well prepared response, and the entire Egyptian force was shot down - the last aircraft being baited for some time as the RAF pilots attempted to get a close look at its markings. This was the only occasion Spitfires fought each other.

Relations with Britain were soon restored, although poor relations with Israel ensured that arms purchases continued. New Mk22 Spitfires were purchased to replace the earlier models. In late 1949 Egypt received its first jet fighter, it was the British Gloster Meteor F4 and shortly after De Havilland Vampire FB5s. However the policy of the Nasser government lead to Egypt also acquiring aircraft from the Eastern Block.

The first Soviet aircraft arrived in Egypt in 1955. Initial deliveries included MiG-15 fighters, Ilyushin Il-28 bombers, Il-14 transports, and Yak-11 trainers. Instructors from Czechoslovakia accompanied these aircraft. This period in Egypt's air force history also yielded the first indigenous aircraft production as the country began manufacturing its own Czech-designed Gomhouria Bü 181 Bestmann primary trainers.

The Suez Crisis

After Nasser decided to nationalize the Suez Canal in 1956, Egypt was attacked by Israel, France, and the United Kingdom in what came to be known as the Suez Crisis. Heavy losses were sustained by the Egyptian side. The conflict, though devastating militarily, turned out to be a political victory for Egypt and resulted in the total withdrawal of the aggressor forces from the country. It also forced the EAF to begin rebuilding its Air Force with non-British help.

Soon after the war, Egypt formed a political union with Syria and Yemen and the Egyptian Air Force became known as the United Arab Republic Air Force.

By the mid-1960s, British aircraft were replaced completely by Soviet hardware. The Soviet Union became the principal supplier of the EAF and many other Arab states. This allowed the EAF to greatly modernize and boost its combat effectiveness. The MiG-21 Fishbed arrived in the early 1960s, bringing with it a Mach 2 capability. The MiG-21 would remain Egypt's primary fighter for the next two decades. In 1967, Egypt had 200 MiG-21s. The air force also began flying the Sukhoi Su-7 fighter/bomber in the mid-1960s.

The Six-Day War

In the 1967 Six-Day War the EAF was destroyed on the ground in mere hours after Israel launched a surprise attack. Subsequently, the Soviets again sent a large number of aircraft and trainers to Egypt in order to help revitalize the EAF.

On the 14th of July 1967, using what planes were left, the (EAF) launched a strike on Israeli targets, located east of the Suez Canal, forcing the Israelis to withdraw temporarily from the front line.

War of Attrition

Following the 1967 defeat, Egypt carried out a prolonged campaign of attrition against Israel. The Egyptian Air Force applied the lessons it learnt earlier from the Israelis. A 32-year-old deputy MiG-21 regiment commander who has been flying since he was 15 recalls: "During the war of attrition, the Israeli air force had a favorite ambush tactic", he told Aviation Week and Space Technology. "They would penetrate with two aircraft at medium altitude where they would be quickly picked up by radar, We would scramble four or eight to attack them. But they had another dozen fighters trailing at extremely low altitude below radar coverage. As we climbed to the attack they would zoom up behind and surprise us. My regiment lost MiGs to this ambush tactic three times. But we learned the lesson and practiced the same tactics. In the final fights over Deversoir, we ambushed some Mirages the same way, and my own 'finger four' formation shot down four Mirages with the loss of one MiG."

The 6th of October War

On the 6th of October of 1973, the EAF led a surprise attack across the Suez Canal carrying out precision strikes and engaging in dogfights with the Israeli Air Force. The EAF was the key to the success of the Egyptian crossing in the 6th of October War (also known as the Yom Kippur War). During the initial attack the Israeli Air Force was ordered not to engage the EAF or get within 15 miles of the Suez Canal to avoid the Egyptian SAM sites which were responsible for the majority of Israeli aircraft losses during that war. At last light of the same day, a force of 100 Mi-8 armed helicopters loaded with 18-man commando teams was launched deep into Sinai to attack the Israeli-occupied oil fields and to disrupt the flow of Israeli reinforcements heading for the Canal front by interdicting one of the main roads by which Israeli reserve armor had to travel to reach the Bar Lev Line.

Later in the course of the war, the EAF fought a series of defensive battles to parry the offensive thrusts of the Israeli Air Force. On October 7, the Israeli Air Force mounted a major attack on the Egyptian air force bases in the Nile delta, using F-4 Phantoms, Skyhawks and Dassault-Breguet Mirages coming in from the North at extremely low altitudes over the Mediterranean Sea. The Israelis attacked in seven waves and penetrated to bomb a number of Egyptian air fields and surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites.

In the 6th of October War, the EAF was under the command of Hosni Mubarak. Although it performed better than in previous conflicts, out of some 650 planes about 220 planes were destroyed. Most critical was the loss of frontline planes such as the MIG-21 Fighter and the Ilyushin Il-28 jet bomber used for bombing raids.

Upgrade and development

Beginning 1982, the EAF began receiving advanced F-16 fighters under the Peace Victor Program. In 1986, it received Mirage 2000 fighters. Egypt also license built Alphajets, Gazelles and Embraer EMB 312 Tucano airplanes.

The Camp David Accords caused a change in the composition of the EAF. The EAF began to rely on American, French and even some Chinese planes. The addition of these planes along with the ones already in the EAF gave it an interesting composition.

In 1987 the E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) entered service and was upgraded with advanced AN/APS-145 radars. The EAF upgraded its F-16 fighters to enable them to to be armed with AIM-7 Sparrow AAM and AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles and GBU TV stand off guided bombs.

During the early 1990s, all Mig-23, Su-7/20, Tu-16 and Il-28 were retired from service. More recently, the EAF added AH-64 Apache helicopters, and K-8 trainers.

EAF today

Currently, the backbone of the EAF are 220 F-16s (with an additional 24 F-16C Block 52 on order under Peace Vector IV), making Egypt the 4th largest F-16 operator in the world. The Mirage 2000 is the other modern interceptor used by the EAF. It continues to fly MiG-21s, F-7 Skybolts, 32 upgraded F-4 Phantoms, Dassault Mirage Vs, C-130 Hercules plus the remnant of a large inventory of older Chinese and Russian fighters among other planes. These are well supported by 6 E-2C Hawkeye AWACS aircraft which are being upgraded to the new and highly advanced Hawkeye 2000 standard. The Egyptian Air Force is currently undergoing a modernization that has made Egypt a significant air power, on a par with Western European counterparts.

Insignia

The Roundel of the EAF consists of three circles, with the outside one being red, the middle one white, and the inner one being black. These are the colors of Pan-Arabism. The fins of aircraft carry the flag of Egypt.

The former roundels of the EAF included a similar variant with two green stars used from 1961 to 1973 and one with the old Egyptian crescent and three stars on a green background.

Aircraft inventory

Template:Standard table ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service[1] ! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes |----- | Aero L-39 ||  Czech Republic || Adv. trainer || L-39ZO || 10 || ex-Libyan |----- | Aero L-59 Super Albatros ||  Czech Republic || Adv. trainer
Ground attack || L-59E || 48 || |----- | Aérospatiale Gazelle ||  Egypt ||
Naval Patrol
Battlefield Scout
Anti-tank||Total
SA 342K
SA 342L
SA342M ||84
6
44
34 || license built by Arab British Helicopter, out of 108 originally delivered and licensed built |----- | Antonov An-74 ||  Ukraine || Tact. transport || An-74T-200 || 3 || additional 6 on order with a total of 18 required |----- | Antonov An-24 ||  Ukraine || Maritime patrol || An-24 || 3 || |----- | Beechcraft 1900 ||  United States || ELINT || 1900C || 9 || |----- | Boeing AH-64 Apache ||  United States ||
Attack helicopter
Attack helicopter ||AH-64D ||36 || additional 6 AH-64D Longbow being delivered, ordered in 2004, an additional 18 AH-64D Longbow are required pending approval of the US Congress through FMS. All AH-64A were converted to D Longbow standard |----- | Boeing CH-47 Chinook ||  Italy
 United States ||
Asslt. helicopter
Asslt. helicopter ||Total CH-47C
CH-47D ||19
15
4 || 2 license built by Agusta, existing C models being converted to D standards |----- | Chengdu J-7 ||  China || Interceptor || F-7B || 60 || out of 120 delivered |----- | Dassault Mirage 5 ||  France ||
Fighter
Adv. trainer
Ground Attack
Reconnaissance || Total
5E2
5SDD
5SDE
5SDR || 82
16
6
54
6 || Some attrition through the 80's and 90's may have reduced the inventory by 22-23 planes |----- | Dassault Mirage 2000 ||  France
 Egypt ||
Adv. trainer
Multirole fighter ||Total
2000BM
2000EM ||19
3
16 || out of 20 delivered, license built by Arab OI, one lost (crashed on take off) in a trainning sortie |----- | Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet ||  France
 Egypt ||
Adv. trainer
Ground attack ||Total
MS1
MS2 ||44
30
14 || license built by Arab OI |----- | de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo ||  Canada ||
Tact. transport
Nav. training ||Total DHC-5D
DHC-5D ||9
5
4 || |----- | Embraer EMB 312 Tucano ||  Egypt || Basic Trainer || EMB 312 || 54 || license built by Arab OI, out of 134 built (80 delivered to Iraq) |----- | Grob G-115 ||  Germany || Primary trainer || G-115E || 68 || |----- | Grumman E-2 Hawkeye ||  United States || AEW || E-2C || 6 || Conversion to E-2 Hawkeye 2000 standard in progress, due to completion by end of 2008 |----- | Hiller UH-12 ||  United States || Training heli || UH-12E || 17 || |----- | Hongdu JL-8 ||  China
 Egypt || Adv. trainer || K-8E || 80 || 70 license built by Arab OI, an additional 40 are ordered for delivery by 2010 |----- | Kaman SH-2 Seasprite ||  United States || ASW helicopter || SH-2G/E || 13 || Electronic/Nav Suite upgraded to Egyptian Navy requirements, 10 originally delivered, 1 lost due to pilot error, 4 surplus added, some may be for attrition |----- | Lockheed C-130 Hercules ||  United States ||
Tact. transport
Tact. transport
EW/ELINT ||Total
C130H
C130H30
EC130H||26
22
2
2 || including 3 C-130H purchased from the Danish Air Force in 2004, out of 30 delivered, 4 were lost at different times, one of which during the Malta operation |----- | Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon ||  United States
 Turkey ||
Multirole Fighter
Adv. trainer
Multirole Fighter
Adv. trainer || Total
F-16A
F-16B
F-16C
F-16D || 220
34
8
136
42 || 46 license built by TUSAS plus an additional 24 F-16C being ordered under Peace Vector VI, 5 of which delivered in 2005, about 14 were lost during the 80s and 90s, replacement received, one damaged, but fixed in the USA, awaiting re-deployement. |----- | McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II ||  United States || Fighter Bomber || F-4E || 32 || out of 46 delivered, 35 of which in 1979, 8 in 1988 with addtional 3 replacement for crashed planes |----- | Mikoyan MiG-21 ||  Soviet Union ||
Fighter
Interceptor
Reconnaissance
Adv. trainer || Total
MF
PFM
R
UM || 62
24
25
12
1 || out of over 360 delivered, some may be used for attrition |----- | Mil Mi-6 ||  Soviet Union || Heavy lift helicopter || || 9 || out of 20 delivered |----- | Mil Mi-8 ||  Soviet Union ||
Asslt. helicopter
Gunship
Airb. Command
Airb. Jamming
Reconnaissane
Ambulance
Artlry. Observ. ||
Mi-8T
Mi8TVK
Mi-8PPA
Mi-8MV
Mi-8R
Mi-8MB
Mi-8K ||42
16
10
3
4
4
3
2 || out of over 140 delivered |----- | Mil Mi-17 ||  Russia || Asslt. helicopter || || 20 || |----- | Westland Sea King ||  United Kingdom || ASW helicopter || MK 47 ||6 || Egyptian variant of the HAS2 model |----- | Westland Commando ||  United Kingdom ||
Asslt. helicopter
Asslt. helicopter
EW helicopter||Total
MK1
MK2
MK2E ||24
5
17
2 ||

|----- | Sikorsky S-70 ||  United States || Asslt. helicopter || UH-60A || 4 || 18 additional on order from US surplus |}

In addition to Air Force aircraft, a number of aircraft are directly under government control (Presidential Fleet), including:

Other types which are have recently been in service include:

  • 40 MiG-23 Multi-role Fighter, in reserve out of 48 received (2 donated to the USA and 6 to China)
  • 48 SU-20C Fighter Bomber, in reserve
  • 80 SU-7B Ground Attack, retired and obsolete, out of 160 received
  • 120 Mig-17F Fighter and Ground Attack, retired and obsolete, out of more than 440 received
  • 19 Mikoyan MiG-19 Strike Fighter, retired and obsolete, out of more than 145 delivered
  • 40 F-6 (Chinese Mig 19) Interceptor Fighter, retired and obsolete, out of 72 received
  • 6 FT-6(Chinese Mig 19) Advanced Trainer, retired and obsolete, out of 18 received
  • 19 Tupolev Tu-16 Heavy and Long Range Bomber, retired and obsolete, out of more 32 received
  • 12 Il-28 Light Bomber and Maritime Patrol/reconnaissance, retired and obsolete, out of more than 120 received
  • 30 An-12, Most retired and in reserve, out of more than 45 received
  • 119 L-29, Basic Trainer, retired and obsolete out of more than 170 received
  • 12 Mi-4, Utility transport helicopter, retired and obsolete, out of over 140 received

Future of the Egyptian Air Force

The Egypt Air Force just recently ordered the rebuilding of their AH-64A's into the D model. CH-47D's are also on order. The Egyptian Navy recently received the SH-2G seasprite's as replacement/addition to the Sea King and Gazelle helicopters. The trainer fleet is being modernized by an order for 68 Grob G-115's, and for the K-8 Karakorum. The Grob's and K-8 are still being delivered.

Next to these orders there is still a big wish-list which will be on hold due to budgetary constraints. Most likely the C-130's will be among the first to be replaced in the short future.

In the late 1990's, then Air Marshal Ahmed Shafik (and the incumbent Civil Aviation minister) expressed the ambitions of the Egyptian Air Force for the 21st century.

The EAF hopes to obtain the modern technology it needs to deter any aggression, help its allies, and protect Egyptian national security. This technology includes space and air reconnaissance systems; airborne command and control aircraft; advanced next generation fighters; and air refueling and heavy transport aircraft. Egypt is also one of many nations believed to have some interests in buying or even a complete technology transfer of the JF-17 (similar to the F-16) from the Sino-Pakistani consortium.

References

  1. ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15 2007.

See also

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Egyptian_Air_Force&oldid=120695826"