Lebanese Air Force
| Lebanese Air Force | |
|---|---|
| القوات الجوية اللبنانية | |
 Seal of the lebanese air force
|
|
| Active | 1 June 1949 – present |
| Country |  Lebanon |
| Type | Air force |
| Size | 2000 active personnel 55 aircraft 12 aerosonde |
| Part of | Lebanese Armed Forces |
| Headquarters | Ministry of Defense |
| Motto(s) | "Here I am, Lebanon's sky." |
| Anniversaries | The 1st of August |
| Engagements | |
| Website | lebarmy |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
General Ghassan Chahine |
| Insignia | |
| Ensign |  |
| Roundel |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack |
Cessna 208 Gazelle SA342L |
| Helicopter |
Huey UH-1H Huey II Puma SA330 AW 139 Sikorsky S-61N |
| Reconnaissance |
Raven RQ-11B AAI Aerosonde |
| Trainer |
Robinson R44 Scottish Aviation Bulldog |
| Transport | Cessna 414 |
The Lebanese Air Force (LAF) (Arabic: القوات الجوية اللبنانية, Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Lubnaniyya) is the aerial warfare branch of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The seal of the air force is a Roundel with two wings and a Lebanese Cedar tree, surrounded by two laurel leaves on a blue background.
The Lebanese Air Force were established in 1949 under the command of then-Lieutenant Colonel Emile Boustany who later became commander of the army. Soon after its establishment, a number of aircraft were donated by the British, French, and Italian governments. Britain donated 4 Percival Prentices and 2 World War II-era Percival Proctors, while Italy donated 4 Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers which were mainly used for transportation. In 1953, jet fighters were introduced when 16 de Havilland Vampire jets were received. The first Hawker Hunters arrived in 1959 and were followed by additional fighters through 1977. In 1968, 12 Mirage IIIELs were delivered from France but were grounded in the late 1970s due to lack of funds. In 2000, the grounded Mirages were sold to Pakistan.
The air force, in the absence of advanced fixed wing aircraft, currently relies on a helicopter force and cessna AC 208 for reconnaissance and attack. The Lebanese Air Force consists of nine squadrons distributed between four air bases.
The Lebanese Air Forces have a long history operating Hawker Hunter jets since 1958. A Lebanese Hawker Hunter shot down an Israeli jet over Kfirmishki in the early 1960s and its pilot was captured by the Lebanese Armed Forces. One Lebanese Hawker Hunter was shot down on the first day of the Six-Day War by an Israeli Air Force Mirage IIICJ. The Hawker Hunters have not flown any combat sorties since September 17, 1983. This was at a time when the French and Americans were rebuilding the Lebanese Army. Three F.Mk.70s were made airworthy, and resumed combat operations on September 15. Because the main airfield, Rayak Air Base, had been shelled by Syrian forces, the Hunters had to operate from an airfield in Byblos. The Hunters were finally grounded in 1994 after a minor accident with one of the T.66 trainers during landing and the remaining 8 were stored in Rayak. The last loss took place in 1989 near Batroun during routine training, when the undercarriage failed to lower, causing the jet to crash. The pilot ejected safely from the doomed aircraft and landed in the Mediterranean sea, where he was promptly rescued by the Syrian Army, which then handed him over to Suleiman Frangieh, who in turn handed him over to the Lebanese Army at the al-Madfoun crossing.
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Wikipedia