Botswana Defence Force Air Wing

The Botswana Defence Force Air Arm is the air force of the Botswana Defence Force. The Air Arm was formed in 1977 and squadrons are designated with a Z, meaning "squadron".

History
The Air Wing was formed in 1977 and is organisationally part of the Botswana Defence Force.

All squadrons are designated with a Z, which stands for "squadron". The main base is near Molepolole and was built by mostly foreign contractors between 1992 and 1996. Other airports used are Sir Seretse Khama International Airport and Francistown International Airport.

The backbone of the Air Wing consists of a squadron of former Canadian Canadair CF-116s which are locally designated as BF-5s. Thirteen ex-Canadian CF-116s (ten single-seater CF-5As and three trainer CF-5Bs) were ordered in 1996 to replace BAC Strikemasters, with another three single-seaters and two dual-seaters delivered in 2000. The aircraft were re-designated OJ-1 through 16. For transport, the Air Wing uses Britten-Norman Defenders, CASA C-212 Aviocars, CASA CN-235s and Lockheed C-130B Hercules. The latest addition to the transport fleet was an ex-AMARC C-130 Hercules to complement the two existing aircraft.

A combination of Bell 412EP and 412SP helicopters are operated by Z21 and perform a variety of functions; search and rescue, medivac, anti-poaching and troop/VIP transport. In 1993, nine ex-US Army/AMARC Cessna O-2As were delivered for use against poaching.

In 2011, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd announced that the Botswana Defence Force had selected the PC-7 MkII turboprop trainer aircraft to replace their Pilatus PC-7 fleet which has been in service since 1990. The contract value is approximately 40 million Swiss francs to procure a fleet of five PC-7 MkII turboprop trainer aircraft, with ground-based training system including computer-based training, spares, support equipment, as well as pilot and technician conversion training elements. The contract was signed in Gaborone on 13 April 2011.

Botswana is also believed to operate Elbit Systems Silver Arrow and Elbit Hermes 450 UAVs.

Accidents and incidents

 * On 20 October 2011, two PC-7s of the Botswana Defence Force were involved in a midair collision over Letlhakeng 100 km west of Gaborone. Two of the four aircrew involved were killed in the accident.
 * On 27 June 2014, The Botswana Defence Force Air Arm lost an Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil helicopter which crashed during a routine training at Thebephatshwa Air Base. Two pilots who were on board the aircraft, were taken to hospital in a stable condition.
 * On 9 February 2017, a BDF CASA C-212 crashed near Thebephatshwa village minutes after leaving the Thebephatshwa Air Base, killing all three people on board. The aircraft was on its way to the capital, Gaborone, which is 90 km away.
 * On 27 April 2018, a day before BDF Day, a BF-5 fighter aircraft crashed at the Gaborone Golf Club during aerobatic rehearsals. The pilot was the only recorded casualty.

Organisation

 * Z1 Transport Squadron – Maparangwane Air Base (Thebephatshwa/Molepolole)
 * Z3 Transport (Liaison) Squadron – O-2A, Bat Hawk – Francistown Airport
 * Z7 Training Squadron – PC-7MkII, King Air 200 – Maparangwane Air Base (Thebephatshwa/Molepolole)
 * Z10 Transport Squadron – C-130, C-212 and CN-235 – Maparangwane Air Base (Thebephatshwa/Molepolole)
 * Z12 Transport Squadron – Francistown Airport
 * Z21 Transport/Helicopter Squadron – Bell 412 – Maparangwane Air Base (Thebephatshwa/Molepolole)
 * Z23 Transport/Helicopter Squadron – AS-350 – Maparangwane Air Base (Thebephatshwa/Molepolole)
 * Z28 Fighter Squadron – CF-5 – Maparangwane Air Base (Thebephatshwa/Molepolole)
 * VIP Flight Squadron – G-IV – Sir Seretse Khama International Airport

Air Bases
Maparangwane Air Base is the only full air base in Botswana. Sir Seretse Khama International Airport is a civilian airport that hosts the VIP jets and Francistown Airport is a joint civilian/military airfield with ownership by the BDF since 2011.

Air defence command and control system
In 2005 Botswana Defence Force (BDF) awarded the Spanish company Indra a €7.1 million contract for the development and implementation of a full air defence command and control system. The project included the development and implementation of an operational control centre, composed of a total of nine air traffic tracking and control posts to process and concentrate the information regarding the country's air space being provided by air surveillance radars, radio communication links with the airships, and air traffic management civil systems.

Retired aircraft
Previous aircraft operated by the Air Force were the Gulfstream IV, Cessna 150, Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, Scottish Aviation Bulldog, and Short Skyvan.

Future acquisitions
The Botswana Defence Force Air Wing has been considering a replacement for the BF-5 since 2013, due to the fact that the Canadair CF-5s are old, built in the 1970s, and are increasingly hard to maintain and to find spare parts for them. A report in 2013 by the then the head of the BDF’s air arm, Major General Odirile Mashinyana, recognized the need to replace the aircraft, but also advised that upgrading the BF-5s would allow time to save funds for a well chosen successor. Since that time, the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle, used versions of the F-16, and the Saab Gripen were all considered. The most recent, and most likely, potential replacement is the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited new HAL Tejas fighter.

Commissioned officer ranks
The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Other ranks
The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.