Royal Bahraini Air Force

Royal Bahraini Air Force سلاح الجو الملكي البحريني
Royal Bahraini Air Force emblem
Active	1977 – Present
Country	Bahrain
Branch	Air Force
Size	1,500 active personnel (2009) 100 aircraft (2009).
Part of	Ministry of Defense Bahrain Defense Force
Headquarters	Bahrain International Airport
Nickname(s)	RBAF
Engagements	Gulf War 2015 military intervention in Yemen
Commanders
Commander	Maj Gen Hamad bin Abdullah Al Khalifa
Insignia
Roundel
Flag
Aircraft flown
Attack	AH-1E, AH-1P, TAH-1P
Fighter	F-16C, F-16D, F-5E, F-5F
Helicopter	Bell 212, Bell 412, Bell 427, MBB BO-105, UH-60
Trainer	BH-129, T-67
Transport	BAE-146

The Royal Bahraini Air Force (Arabic: سلاح الجو الملكي البحريني‎‎, abbreviated as RBAF, formerly known as Bahrain Amiri Air Force) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF). Originally formed as the BDF Air Wing in 1977, it became an independent service branch in 1987. It's first combat operations were conducted during the Gulf War.

The Bahrain Defence Force, which itself had come into being after the country's independence from the United Kingdom in 1971, first organized an air wing in 1977. This small force grew gradually and in 1987, the BDF was reorganized into distinct service branches, with the air wing becoming the new Bahrain Amiri Air Force (BAAF).

After the elections on 14 February 2002, the state changed from an emirate to a kingdom resulting in the renaming of the Armed Forces. The BAAF was consequently given its current title, the Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF).

The new Air Force was soon involved in its first combat operations during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait subsequent Gulf War. Air bases in Bahrain first hosted escaping Kuwait Air Force aircraft and, as air operations against Iraq began, F-5 and F-16 aircraft were used in both defensive and offensive air operations through the conclusion of the Gulf War on 28 February 1991.

Bahrain would again engage in combat operations as part of the Saudi Arabia-led Operation Decisive Storm, operating from bases in Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebel forces in Yemen during March and April 2015. Initially, fifteen F-16 aircraft were deployed as the RBAF contribution to combat forces in the operation. Bahrain's forces remained in Saudi Arabia in assistance of the coalition through 2015. An RBAF F-16 was lost when it crashed after a technical problem in December 2015.