Ghana Air Force

Encyclopedia : G : GH : GHA : Ghana Air Force

The Ghana Air Force (GAF) is the air force of the African nation of Ghana. The GAF, along with the Ghanaian Army and Navy, make up the armed forces of Ghana which are controlled by that nation's Ministry of Defence.

Contents

1 History
2 Organization
3 Mission
4 Rank Structure

4.1 Officers
4.2 Airmen

5 Skyvan episode
6 References

History

The GAF was founded in 1959 with direction from Indian and Israeli officers. Later that year a headquarters was established in Accra under the command of an Indian air commodore. In 1960 Royal Air Force personnel took up the task of training the newly established Ghana Air Force and in 1961 they were joined by a small group of Royal Canadian Air Force personnel. In September 1961, the Royal Air Force commander was replaced by a Ghanaian Army brigadier as part of President Kwame Nkrumah's africanization programme. At one time the Ghana Air Force was the largest sub Sahara air force. The Ghana Air Force was equipped with a Squadron of Chipmunk Trainers, and Squadrons of Beavers, Otters and Caribu Transport aircraft. In addittion a DH125 jet was bought for Kwame Nkrumah, Hughes Helicopters were bought for Mosquito spraying plus DH Doves & Herons. Whirlwind Helicopters and a Squadron of MB 326 Ground Attack / Trainer Jets were also purchased.

Organization

The GAF headquarters and main transport base are located in Accra and the Service has a strength of around 1000 personnel. Other air bases include:

Tamale, a combat and training base.
Takoradi, a training base.
Kumasi, a support base.

Mission

The GAF's mission is to perform counterinsurgency operations and to provide logistical support to the Ghanaian army. However, performance has been hindered by a lack of spare parts and by poor maintenance capabilities.

Rank Structure

The GAF's rank structure is similar RAF's rank structure from where its ranks were derived.

Officers

In decending order of importance the GAF officer ranks are:

Airmen

In decending order of importance the GAF airman ranks are:

Petty Officer Class I
Petty Officer Class II
Flight Sergeant
Sergeant
Corporal
Leading Aircraftman

Skyvan episode

The GAF once operated six Shorts Skyvans, two of which (the G452 (SH1929) and G455 (SH1933)) had structural damage and were scrapped. The other four were sold to an Austrian Company in 2004 (SH1929, SH1930, SH1932 and SH1933).

Ghana is a poor nation, so the GAF cannot afford to maintain its small fleet of airplanes due to lack of spare parts. It has experienced difficulty in obtaining spares due to an unusual attitude to business partners. There is a rumor that Headquarters Logistics is trying to put already sold aircraft again on tender.

References

Lists of Aircraft | Aircraft manufacturers | Aircraft engines | Aircraft engine manufacturers

| Airlines | Air forces | Aircraft weapons | Missiles | Timeline of aviation

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