Zambian Air Force

Key facts

Official Name Zambian Air Force
Local Name Zambian Air Force
Country🇿🇲 Zambia
World rank#80
Active aircrafts77 as of 2025
Aircrafts on order0
Roundel

Roundel of Zambia air force

Overview

The Zambian Air Force (ZAF) is structured to perform the core functions of defending national airspace and supporting government and defense force operations. Its strategic doctrine centers on national defense, ensuring the integrity of Zambia's borders, and providing air support to other government departments for transport, reconnaissance, and emergency response. This doctrine links air power to national stability and economic development. The ZAF is organized into several key branches: Operations, Technical Services, Administration, and Supply Services, with operational control divided among commands including Strike Command, Training Command, and Tactical Air Mobility Command.

Recent modernization has focused on replacing obsolete, decades-old platforms to improve operational capacity, particularly in airlift and combat training. Key acquisitions include six Hongdu L-15 Falcon lead-in fighter/trainers, which provide a modern light combat and advanced training capability. These aircraft are equipped with a PESA fire control radar and can deploy a range of ordnance including PL-5 air-to-air missiles and guided bombs. To address a critical shortfall in airlift, the ZAF acquired two Leonardo C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft, which entered service around 2019. These aircraft significantly improve the ZAF’s ability to transport personnel and cargo. The helicopter fleet is also being renewed with the acquisition of Bell 412EP utility helicopters, funded through a US grant, and Enstrom 480B training helicopters to support pilot development. This modernization extends to ground-based systems, with the procurement of P-18 air defense radars to improve airspace surveillance.

Origin countries of aircrafts

Country Active Aircraft
🇨🇳 China 35
🇺🇸 United States 23
🇵🇰 Pakistan 15
🇮🇹 Italy 13
🇨🇳 Ex-USSR 6

Evolution of Zambian Air Force fleet

Aircrafts by type in 2025

Aircraft type Active
Helicopter Helicopter 30
Training Training 19
Combat Combat 15
Transport Transport 13

Full inventory in 2025

Zambian Air Force

Aircraft Type Model Origin Country Model Year Active 𝚫 YoY Ordered
CombatCombat K-8 🇨🇳 🇵🇰 1994 15
-1
0
HelicopterHelicopter Bell 205 🇺🇸 1959 12
0
0
HelicopterHelicopter Z-9 🇨🇳 1994 7
0
0
HelicopterHelicopter Mi-171 🇨🇳 1977 5
0
0
HelicopterHelicopter Bell 212/412 🇺🇸 1959 4
+4
0
HelicopterHelicopter Bell 206 🇺🇸 1967 2
0
0
TransportTransport Y-12 🇨🇳 1985 7
0
0
TransportTransport C-27J 🇮🇹 1978 2
0
0
TransportTransport Cessna 208 🇺🇸 1984 2
0
0
TransportTransport Beech 1900 🇺🇸 1984 1
0
0
TransportTransport MA60 🇨🇳 1969 1
0
0
TrainingTraining SF-260 🇮🇹 1966 11
-1
0
TrainingTraining L-15 🇨🇳 2013 6
0
0
TrainingTraining Enstrom 480B 🇺🇸 1993 2
+2
0
Various public data, including Wikipedia, Flightglobal.com, SIPRI Arms Transfer and official government websites.