Editing Burkina Faso Armed Forces (section)

==Air Force==
[[File:Roundel of Burkina Faso.svg|thumb|150px|left| The [[roundel]] used by the Air Force]]
The Air Force was founded in 1964 as the ''Escadrille de la République de Haute-Volta'' (EHV) or the Republic of Upper Volta Air Squadron, a subordinate unit of the Army. That year, a transient air support base was created with the assistance of the [[French Air Force]]. After acquiring an initial fleet of utility and transport aircraft, the squadron was attached to an inter-army support regiment. In 1970, the ''Escadrille'' was renamed the ''Force Aérienne de Haute-Volta'', or FAHV, and in 1977 became an autonomous force. In October 1985, the ''Force Aérienne du Burkina Faso'', or FABF, was officially inaugurated.

The EHV was initially formed with two [[Douglas C-47]] Skytrain and three [[Max Holste Broussard|MH.1521M Broussard]] aircraft. These were later followed by two [[Aérospatiale Alouette III|Alouette III SA.316 B]] helicopters, used mostly for [[Liaison aircraft|liaison purposes]], one twin-engined [[Aero Commander 500 family|Aero Commander 500]] light utility aircraft, two [[Hawker Siddeley HS 748|Hawker-Siddeley HS.748-2A]] twin turboprop transport aircraft, and two [[Aérospatiale N 262|Nord 262]] twin turboprop transport aircraft. Two ''escadrilles'' (squadrons) or sub-formations were created: the ''Escadrille de Transport'' (Transport Unit), and the ''Escadrille d'Hélicoptères'' (Helicopter Unit). Later, the ''Escadrille d'Entraînement'' (Training Unit) was added. All squadrons were initially based at Ouagadougou.

In mid-1984, Libyan military aid brought eight [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21]] jet fighters, along with two MiG-21U combat trainer versions. These ex-[[Libyan Air Force]] MiG-21 "Fishbed" fighters were based in [[Ouagadougou]], although they were actually operated by the Libyan Air Force on loan by Libya, and were removed in 1985 without seeing combat. A single MiG-17F Fresco that was also operated by the FABF did see combat service in the [[Agacher Strip War]] in 1985–86.
In 1985, the FABF also acquired two ex-Soviet [[Mil Mi-4|Mi-4]] transport helicopters from an unknown supplier, followed by an additional two Mi-4s. The Mi-4s were operated by the FABF until the late 1980s, when they were taken out of service. Five [[Mil Mi-8|Mi-8]]/17 transport helicopters were later added to the ''Escadrille d'Hélicoptères''. While supervising the ceasefire after the [[Agacher Strip War]], an FABF SA.316B Alouette III crashed at Kouni on 14 January 1986, leaving only one SA.316B still in service with the ''Escadrille d'Hélicoptères''.

In 1986, the FABF formed a new unit, the ''Escadrille de Chasse'' (EdC) (Attack Unit). In mid-1986 six ex-Philippine Air Force [[Aermacchi SF.260|SF.260WP Warrior]] armed trainers/light strike aircraft were acquired from a dealer in Belgium, which offered the FABF a much simpler and less expensive alternative in tactical air support to the expensive MiGs. The Warriors were not only used for pilot training, but also as light strike aircraft, and a number of them were employed by the FABF's ''Escadrille de Chasse'' (EdC). Four additional SF.260WPs were subsequently bought directly from Italy. The six ex-Philippine SF.260WP aircraft were taken out of service in 1993 and returned to their previous owner, although the four newly built SF.260WP aircraft were retained in service, and stationed at Bobo Dioulasso air base.

Most of the other light aircraft acquired by the FABF in the 1970s and 1980s have also now been retired along with the Mi-4 helicopters, but some recent acquisitions have been made, including a [[Beech Aircraft|Beechcraft]] [[Beechcraft King Air|King Air]], a Piper [[Piper PA-34 Seneca|PA-34 Seneca]], a [[Apex Aircraft|CEAPR]] Robin light training aircraft, and a single [[Air Tractor]] [[Air Tractor AT-802|AT-802]] aerial sprayer aircraft for spraying insecticides, purchased after the northern part of the country suffered heavy crop damage from a 2004 invasion of swarming [[Migratory locust|locusts]]. In 2009, two Xenon Gyroplane autogyros were purchased for use by police and security forces.

In late 2005, the FABF acquired two [[Mil Mi-35]] "Hind" attack helicopters from Russia in an apparent response to moves by neighbouring [[Ivory Coast]] to bolster its own air attack capabilities during the [[First Ivorian Civil War|Ivorian Civil War]].

===Aircraft===
[[File:SIAI-Marchetti SF-260WL Warrior (modified).jpg|thumb|An SF 260C in France, painted in the Burkina Faso Air Force livery]]
{| class="wikitable"
! style="text-align:center; background:#acc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: center; background:#acc;"|Origin
! style="text-align:l center; background:#acc;"|Type
! style="text-align:left; background:#acc;"|Variant
! style="text-align:center; background:#acc;"|In service
! style="text-align: center; background:#acc;"|Notes
|-
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7"  | [[Military aircraft#Combat aircraft|Combat aircraft]]
|-
| [[Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano|Embraer EMB-314]]
| [[Brazil]]
| Light attack 
|
| 3<ref name="World Air Forces 2025">{{cite web |last=Hoyle |first=Craig |year=2024 |title=World Air Forces 2025 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/download?ac=106507 |access-date=30 January 2025 |publisher=Flight Global |doi=}}</ref>
|
|-
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | [[Reconnaissance aircraft|Reconnaissance]]
|-
| [[Diamond DA42]]
| [[Austria]]
| [[Surveillance aircraft|Surveillance]]   
|
| 1<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>
|
|-
| [[Diamond DA62]]
| [[Austria]]
| [[Surveillance aircraft|Surveillance]]
|
|1<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>
|
|-
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | [[Military transport aircraft|Transport]]
|-
| [[Beechcraft Super King Air|Super King Air]]
| [[United States]]
| [[Military transport aircraft|Transport]]
| [[Beechcraft Super King Air#Variants|200]]
| 1<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>
|
|-
| [[EADS CASA C-295]]
| [[Spain]]
| Transport
|
| 1<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>
|
|-
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | [[Helicopter]]
|-
| [[Mil Mi-17]]
| [[Russia]]
| [[Utility helicopter|Utility]]
| [[Mil Mi-17#Variants|Mi-8/171]]
| 3
| 2 on order<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>
|-
| [[Mil Mi-24]]
| Russia
| [[Attack helicopter|Attack]]
|[[List of Mil Mi-24 variants|Mi-35]]
| 5<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>
|
|-
| [[Mil Mi-26]]
| Russia
| Utility
|
|1<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>
|
|-
| [[Bell UH-1 Iroquois|Bell UH-1]]
| United States
| Utility
| [[Bell UH-1 Iroquois variants#UH-1H|UH-1H]]
| 1<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>
| Donated by the Government of [[Taiwan]]<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cherisey, de|first1=Erwan|title=Burkina Faso receives Taiwanese Hueys|url=http://www.janes.com/article/71282/|website=IHS Jane's 360|access-date=12 June 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170612153635/http://www.janes.com/article/71282/burkina-faso-receives-taiwanese-hueys|archive-date=12 June 2017|location=Paris|date=9 June 2017}}</ref>
|-
| [[Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil|Eurocopter AS350]]
| [[France]]
| Utility 
|
| 8<ref name="World Air Forces 2025"/>
|
|-
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | [[Trainer aircraft]]
|-
| [[Humbert Tétras]]
| France
| [[Trainer aircraft|Trainer]]
| 
| 8<ref>[https://www.defense.gouv.fr/air/actus-air/un-aeronef-tetras-dans-les-rangs-de-l-armee-de-l-air-burkinabee Un aéronef Tétras dans les rangs de l’armée de l’air burkinabée],  12 january 2021, EMA, defense.gouv.fr.</ref>
| Also provides surveillance 
|-
! colspan="6" |[[Unmanned aerial vehicle]]
|-
|[[Bayraktar TB2]]
|[[Turkey]]
|[[Unmanned combat aerial vehicle|UCAV]]
|
|5<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-09 |title=Burkina Faso’s Akinci drones breaks cover |url=https://www.military.africa/2024/04/burkina-fasos-akinci-drone-breaks-cover/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Military Africa |language=en-US}}</ref>
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oryx |title=An International Export Success: Global Demand For Bayraktar Drones Reaches All Time High |url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2021/09/an-international-export-success-global.html |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=Oryx}}</ref>
|-
|[[Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı|Bayraktar Akıncı]]
|Turkey
|UCAV
|
|2<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-09 |title=Burkina Faso’s Akinci drones breaks cover |url=https://www.military.africa/2024/04/burkina-fasos-akinci-drone-breaks-cover/ |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=Military Africa |language=en-US}}</ref>
|
|}