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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
*
Marshal of the Air Force*
Air Chief Marshal*
Air Marshal*
Air Vice Marshal*
Air Commodore*
Group Captain*
Wing Commander*
Squadron Leader*
Flight Lieutenant*
Flying Officer*
Pilot OfficerAirmen
In decending order of importance the GAF airman ranks are:
*Air Warrant Officer
*Master Warrant Officer
*
Warrant Officer*
Flight Sergeant*
Sergeant*
Corporal*
Lance Corporal*
AircraftmanThe 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.
*
All Refer - Ghana Military Training*
A site created by the Skyvan purchaser describing the sale
