| Air Force of Zimbabwe | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Air Force of Zimbabwe | |
| Active | 1980 - |
| Country | Zimbabwe |
| Size | 5,000 personnel (1999) |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Air Marshal Perence Shiri |
| Notable commanders | Air Chief Marshal Josiah Tungamirai |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Hunter FGA.9, Mi-35P |
| Fighter | F-7II/N, F-7MG, MiG-23 |
| Reconnaissance | O-2 |
| Trainer | SF-260, K-8, Hawk Mk 60 |
| Transport | Ilyushin Il-76, An-12, C-212, Islander, AB412SP |
Aircraft
Current
- Nanchang K-8 Karakorum - 11. These are the upgraded K-8E with glass cockpit
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 Flogger - multi-role fighter (2 seen in 2003 fly past) and currently believed to be stored at Thornhill because they are "excess to requirements".
- Chengdu F-7 II/N Airguard - only 6 or 7 were operational when the DRC war started. It is believed an additional 12 were acquired early 1999. a third batch of the Chengdu F-7 MG variant was acquired in November 2004.
- Guizhou FT-7BZ - conversion trainer (2)
- SIAI SF260M/TP/W - basic trainer (49 delivered)
- Ilyushin Il-76 Candid - (1)
- Boeing 720-025 - VIP transport (1, status unknown)
- BAe 146 - VIP transport (1)
- Gulfstream III - VIP transport. Photographed in South Africa, 8 October 2008.
- Yakovlev Yak-40 Codling - VIP transport (3)
- Antonov An-12 Cub - transport aircraft (1)
- CASA C212-200 Aviocar - medium transport aircraft (14 delivered)
- Harbin Y-12 - Light Transport
- C-47TP-AR Air Reconnaissance Aircraft - 3 C-47 Skytrains (Dakota) were converted to C-47TP-AR for EW/ELINT operations.Before the upgades, one aircraft (R7134) used as Airborne Command Post, while another (R3702) was equipped with extensive electronic surveillance equipment. Both were withdrawn from service in late 1992
- Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander - light utility aircraft (6)
- Cessna FTB.337G and O-2A - light utility aircraft (23 delivered, 3 were lost in operations in the DRC)
- Mil Mi-35P Hind - assault helicopter (IISS The Military Balance lists 2 Mi-35s and 4 Mi-35)
- Eurocopter AS532 Cougar - medium utility helicopters (2 used as presidential helicopters)
- Agusta-Bell 412SP - light utility helicopter, some were armed with rockets for the DRC conflict. (12 delivered)
- Aerospatiale SE-316B Alouette III - light utility helicopter (4 participated during the air show in 2005)
- Mil Mi-8 Hip- 3 Mi 8s were seen in a fly past on 12 july 2010.
Future
Zimbabwe has been interested in Mig-29s in the past. A USD300+ order for a squadron was placed with Russia in the late 80s but was cancelled in 1992 when the region stabilised as South Africa withdrew from Angola and Namibia. Negotiations to buy Mig-29SMTs were held again in 2004 but an order for Chengdu FC-1 fighter was placed instead . See The Military Balance, 2005 to 2009 issues.
- Chengdu JF-17 Thunder - multirole fighter aircraft jointly developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex(PAC) and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group(CAC) for the export market. 12 ordered in 2004
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