A force on the rise

摘要

The Lebanese Air Force (LAF - in Arabic, al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Lubnaniyya) was created in 1949, six years after the country gained independence from France. Immediately after its establishment, aircraft began to be donated by the British, French and Italian governments. Having flown the Hawker Hunter and Mirage IIIEL, the LAF was left without a fighter capability when both types were grounded and the Mirages then sold. The Hunters remain airworthy and continue to be maintained, but are no longer in active use. For a long time, the air force had to rely solely on a helicopter force. But in recent years, three Cessna AC-208 Combat Caravans were acquired for reconnaissance and attack and, in May 2018, the country received the last of an initial six EMB-314 Super Tucanos.