Editing Somali Armed Forces (section)

== Somali Air Force ==
A Somali Aeronautical Corps (in Italian: "Corpo di Sicurezza della Somalia") was established in the 1950s during the [[Trust Territory of Somalia|trusteeship period]] prior to independence. Original equipment included six to eight [[North American P-51D Mustang]]s. It grew to become the [[Somali Air Force]], with Italian aid, in the early 1960s. The initial equipment of the SAF included [[Douglas C-47]]s, which remained in service until 1968, and a variety of small transports and trainers. However, all the surviving Mustangs were returned to Italy before Somalia gained its independence in June 1960.{{sfn|Cooper|2015|p=13}} The air force operated most of its aircraft from bases near [[Mogadishu]], [[Hargeisa]] and [[Galkayo]]. An air defence force equipped with Soviet [[S-75 Dvina|SA-2]] missiles, anti-aircraft guns, and early warning radars was in existence by September 1974.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1 September 1974|title=AIR DEFENSE ACTIVITY IN SOMALIA|pages=3–6|work=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP78T05162A000400010039-5.pdf|access-date=23 Feb 2022}}</ref> It was organised into seven anti-aircraft gun & missile brigades, and one radar brigade, numbering about 3,500 personnel.<ref name=DIA1987-25>{{cite web|author=Defense Intelligence Agency|title=Military Intelligence Summary, Vol IV, Part III, Africa South of the Sahara|url=https://www.dia.mil/FOIA/FOIA-Electronic-Reading-Room/FOIA-Reading-Room-Africa/FileId/39704/|date=November 1987|page=Somalia-25}}</ref> In June 1983, the government took delivery of 9 [[Hawker Hunter|Hawker Hunters]] and 4 [[Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander|Islander]] aircraft from the [[United Arab Emirates]] at the port in Mogadishu.<ref>{{Cite news|date=28 June 1983|title=AIRCRAFT DELIVERY|pages=4|work=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP84T00171R000100680001-7.pdf|access-date=23 February 2022}}</ref>

By January 1991 the air force was in ruins.{{sfn|Fitzgerald|2002|p=19}} In 2012, Italy offered to help rebuild the air force. In 2016 the air force was described as 150 retirees from the Siad Barre era, without any aircraft.{{sfn|Robinson|2016|p=242, 244, 250}} Other late 2016-early 2017 figures from the SJPER said 170.{{sfn|Zacchia|Harborne|Sims|2017|page=33}} The air force's personnel were located in a camp on the outskirts of [[Mogadishu International Airport]]. 

"Somalia's air force is not functional. ..although the Somali Air Force has no aircraft or maintenance crews, it has sent some pilots for training in Turkey."<ref name=ElmiWilliams>{{cite web|title=Security Sector Reform in Somalia: Challenges and Opportunities |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/security-sector-reform-somalia-challenges-and-opportunities}}</ref> "In December 2021, Turkey provided the FGS with Baykar [[Bayraktar TB2]] drones. Operating out of Mogadishu, they were piloted by Turkish personnel and used for reconnaissance in support of Gorgor troops until late 2022 when some were armed and began conducting strikes against al-Shabaab targets."<ref name=ElmiWilliams /> The [[Turkish Army Aviation Command]] supervises most overland UAV operations for the [[Turkish Armed Forces]].

"The United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) has supported the [[African Union Transition Mission in Somalia]] (ATMIS) to acquire three helicopters from the Burundi National Defence Forces (BNDF)." These have included Mi-8s and [[Bell 412]] helicopters.<ref>{{cite web|title=UNSOS supports ATMIS to acquire helicopters to fight al-Shabaab| url=https://thesomalidigest.com/unsos-supports-atmis-to-acquire-helicopters-to-fight-al-shabaab/ |date=October 21, 2023}}</ref> In addition, Scramble in the Netherlands reported in August 2023 that Somalia had received two ex-Italian [[Agusta-Bell AB 412]] helicopters.<ref>{{cite web|title=Somalia receives Bell 412 |url=https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/somalia-receives-bell-412 |date=August 17, 2023}}</ref> No source ties any of the drones or helicopters to the Somali Air Force.