Following an agreement signed between the Somali and Italian governments in 1962, Somali airmen began training in Italy with the assistance of Italian technical staff and pilots. At the time, fifty Somali cadets also started training in the Soviet Union as
jet pilots, later joined by over two hundred of the nation's elite
NCOs and
officers for general military training. Most of the newly trained personnel then returned to Somalia. The
Corpo Aeronautico della Somalia was established in the 1950s, and was first equipped with a small number of Western aircraft, including two
Douglas C-47 Skytrains, eight
Douglas C-53 Skytrooper Dakota paratroop variants, two
Beech C-45 Expeditors for transport tasks, two
North American T-6 Texans (H model), two
Stinson L-5 Sentinels, and six
North American P-51 Mustangs for use as
fighter aircraft. However, all the surviving Mustangs were returned to Italy before Somalia gained independence in June 1960. The Aeronautical Corps was officially renamed the Somali Air Force in December 1960. Two
Heliopolis Gomhouria light aircraft soon arrived from Egypt (Egyptian-built Zlín 381 Czech licence versions of the German
Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann), and eight
Piaggio P.148 trainers were donated by Italy in 1962. On 15 October 1969, while paying a visit to the northern town of
Las Anod, Somali President
Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was shot dead by one of his bodyguards. A military
coup d'état took place on 21 October 1969, the day after his funeral, in which the
Somali Army seized power without encountering armed opposition. The putsch was spearheaded by Major General
Mohamed Siad Barre, who at the time commanded the army. Barre then proclaimed Somalia a
socialist state and initiated rapid
modernization programs. Numerous Somali airmen were sent abroad to train in countries such as Italy, the United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom. After their training, many of these men went on to become the nation's leading instructors and
fighter pilots. Fifty
MiG-17s were donated by the Soviets, while 29
MiG-21MFs were purchased by the Somali government.
Asli Hassan Abade was the first female pilot in the Somali Air Force. She received training on single-propeller aircraft, and later earned a scholarship to study at the
United States Air Force Academy. In July 1975, according to
International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates, the Somali Air Force had three
Il-28 bombers (confirmed in 2015 by author Tom Cooper), two fighter-ground attack squadrons with two
MiG MiG-15s and a total of 23
MiG-17s and
MiG-19s; a fighter squadron with 24
MiG-21s; a transport squadron with three
Antonov An-2s and three
An-24/26s; a helicopter squadron with
Mil Mi-2s,
Mi-4s and
Mi-8s; other survivors of the early SAF years reportedly included three C-47s, one C-45, and six Italian Piaggio P.148s.
Ogaden War (1977–1978) The roles of the Air Force in the late 1970s included aerial warfare and air defence. In July 1977, the
Ogaden War broke out after Barre's government sought to incorporate the predominantly Somali-inhabited
Ogaden region in
Ethiopia into a pan-Somali
Greater Somalia. The
Somali Armed Forces invaded the Ogaden and were initially successful, capturing most of the territory. But the tide turned with the Soviet Union's sudden shift of support to Ethiopia, soon followed by nearly the entire
Eastern Bloc. The Soviets halted their supplies to Barre's regime and increased distribution of aid, weapons, and training to Ethiopia's newly-communist
Derg regime. They also brought approximately 15,000
Cuban troops to assist the Ethiopian military. By 1978, the Somali troops had been pushed out of the Ogaden. Before the war, Somalia had acquired four
Ilyushin Il-28 bombers. Flown by MiG-17 pilots, the aircraft could have played a decisive role in the conflict. Although only three of the Il-28s remained in service by the time war broke out, they supported the initial invasion. But the planes were rendered fairly ineffective because they were used to fly high-altitude bombing missions. Once the
Ethiopian Air Force began to contest the skies, the Il-28s were withdrawn from combat, remaining at their airfields until Ethiopian air strikes destroyed them. None of the Il-28s survived the war.
Status in 1980–1981 SAM system in
Berbera in 1982 According to Nelson et al. in 1980, out of approximately twenty-one Somali combat aircraft, less than half a dozen — MiG-17s and MiG-21s — were reportedly kept operational by Pakistani mechanics. Six Italian single-engine
SIAI-Marchetti SF.260W trainer/tactical support aircraft delivered in late 1979 were reportedly grounded the following year because of the lack of
110-octane gasoline in Somalia for the
piston-engined aircraft. The shortage of combat aircraft was reportedly being addressed by the planned delivery of thirty Chinese
Shenyang J-6 fighter-bombers, which began to arrive in the country in 1981. The
Library of Congress Country Studies wrote in 1992–93 that: "..there [were] numerous unconfirmed reports of Somali-
South African military cooperation. The relationship supposedly began on December 18, 1984, when
South African Foreign Minister Pik Botha visited Somalia to hold discussions with Barre. The two leaders reportedly signed a secret
communiqué granting
South African Airways landing rights in Somalia and the
South African Navy access to the ports of
Kismayo and
Berbera. It was said that Somalia also agreed to sell South Africa eight MiG-21 fighters. In exchange, South Africa supposedly arranged to ship spare parts and ammunition for
Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft that the
United Arab Emirates had supplied to Somalia, and to cover the salaries of ten former
Rhodesian Air Force pilots already in Somalia helping to train Somali pilots and technicians and flying combat missions in the north." On 28 October 1985, a Somali MiG-21 crashed. Eight years later, the
Somali Air Defence Force operated most of the surface-to-air missiles. As of 1 June 1989, the IISS estimated that Somali surface-to-air defence equipment included 40
S-75 Dvina (SA-2 "Guideline") missiles (operational status uncertain), 10
SA-3 Goa, and 20
SA-7 surface-to-air missiles.
Civil war and Issaq genocide , the second largest in the Somali Republic, was destroyed. By 1987–88, the Somali armed forces were fragmenting, as were wider state structures, and multiple insurgencies were growing, leading the country into the
Somali Civil War. In response to the (predominantly
Isaaq)
Somali National Movement attacks on the cities of
Hargeisa and
Burao, Barre responded by ordering indiscriminate "shelling and
aerial bombardment of the major cities in the northwest and the systematic destruction of Isaaq dwellings, settlements and water points". To end what he saw as the "Isaaq problem", Barre's regime specifically targeted
civilian of the clan, especially in Hargeisa and Burao. The Somali Armed Forces aerially
strafed fleeing refugees before they could reach the Ethiopian border.
Genocide scholar
Adam Jones said the following of Barre's campaign against the Isaaq: In two months, from May to July 1988, between 50,000 and 100,000 people were massacred by the regime's forces. By then, any surviving urban Isaaks – that is to say, hundreds of thousands of members of the main northern clan community – had fled across the border into Ethiopia. They were pursued along the way by British-made fighter-bombers piloted by mercenary South African and ex-Rhodesian pilots, paid $2,000 per sortie. Despite the government's continued refusal to grant foreigner access to the north to report on the situation,
The New York Times reported that Isaaq refugees had been strafed: Western diplomats here said they believed that the fighting in Somalia... was continuing unabated. More than 10,000 people were killed in the first month after the conflict began in late May, according to reports reaching diplomats here. The Somali Government has bombed towns and strafed fleeing residents and used artillery indiscriminately, according to the officials.
Dissolution in
Kenya In 1990, "the SAF was organized into three fighter ground-attack squadrons equipped with J-6 and Hawker Hunter aircraft; three fighter squadrons equipped with MiG-21MF and MiG-17 aircraft; a counterinsurgency squadron equipped with SF-260W aircraft; a transport squadron equipped with
An-2,
An-24,
An-26,
BN-2,
C-212, and
Aeritalia G.222 aircraft; and a helicopter squadron equipped with
Mi-4,
Mi-8, and Agusta-Bell aircraft;" it was also equipped with a number of training aircraft. The IISS
Military Balance for 1990–91 estimated that the Somali Air Force had 2,500 personnel and a total of 56 combat aircraft, listing four Hunters, 10 MiG-17s, 22 J-6s, eight MiG-21MFs, six SF-260Ws, and a single
Hawker Hunter FR.76 reconnaissance aircraft (p. 117). By the time President Barre fled
Mogadishu for his home region of
Gedo in late January 1991, the country's air force had effectively ceased to exist amid the
Somali Civil War. In 1993, eight MiG-21s (six MiG-21MFs and two MiG-21UMs), three MiG-15UTIs, one SF-260W and an unknown number of MiG-17 wrecks were seen at Mogadishu airport. Three Hawker Hunters (serial numbers 704, 705 and 711) were seen at
Baidoa Airport by
Australian forces during the
UNOSOM II intervention, but later removed.
Relaunch in the 2010s During the decades since the
Somali Civil War began, former members of the air force during Barre's regime kept in contact with each other. On 29 October 2012, 40 former senior Somali National Army and Air Force officers participated in a three-day workshop called
Improving Understanding and Compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL), organized by the
African Union Mission in Somalia in
Djibouti. In October 2014, Somali Air Force cadets underwent additional training in Turkey. On 1 July 2015,
Somali Defence Minister Abdulkadir Sheikh Dini reopened the headquarters of the Somali Air Force in Afisone, Mogadishu, to help re-establish the air force after a quarter century of civil war. As of 2017 the Somali air force was not operational and possessed no aircraft. It is composed of approximately 170 personnel: 40-50 officers, ranging from second lieutenant to colonel, and 120-130 non-commissioned officers and airmen. The Turkish Air Force delivered residential training to a group of young Somali air force personnel and with the intention to support further development of Somali aviation capabilities. The potential cumulative ten-year cost of redeveloping a Somali air arm was estimated to be $50 million.
Developments in the 2020s 2020 On 6 March 2020, Somali Brigadier General Sheikh Ali met with Pakistani Air Chief Marshal
Mujahid Anwar Khan in
Islamabad to discuss cooperation efforts and
bilateral ties between the Somali Air Force and
Pakistani Air Force.
2021 In December 2021, a batch of Turkish
Bayraktar TB2 drones were rumored to have been delivered and videos of them flying over Mogadishu started to surface online.
2022 In September 2022, the Minister of Interior
Ahmed Moalim Fiqi confirmed that Bayraktar TB2 drones were being used against
Al-Shabab. In October 2022, the yearly Final Report of the UN Panel of Experts on Somalia wrote that : "
The Panel sent letters to Türkiye and the Federal Government of Somalia requesting clarification on this matter as well as information on the nature of cargo delivered by the two A400M without notification to the Security Council Committee on Somalia, but has not yet received a reply from Somalia. Türkiye informed the Panel that it has not delivered any type of unmanned combat aerial vehicles to the Somali authorities and that the systems in question are assigned to be used by Türkiye in the fight against terrorism in Somalia. ..the Panel considers that the delivery of these systems to Somalia is not compliant with the arms embargo. The Panel noted that Türkiye has never publicly reported on any airstrikes in Somalia"
2023 In July 2023, Somalia received two
Bell 412s from Italy. The aircraft will perform a variety of roles including troop transport, medical evacuation, and SAR. The aircraft was delivered as part of a larger shipment of weapons to boost Somalia's counter-insurgency capabilities in its efforts against
Al-Shabaab. In December 2023, the Somali military began constructing an airbase in Wargaadhi, located in the Middle Shabelle region. The project was confirmed during an official visit by the Chief of the Somali National Army, Brigadier General Ibrahim Sheikh Muhyiddin, who inspected the site alongside regional commanders. According to The Somali Digest, the airstrip is intended to strengthen military logistics and enhance mobility in the central regions, contributing to the broader goals of modernizing Somalia’s security infrastructure. Though initiated under the Somali National Army, the facility is widely expected to be incorporated into the Somali Air Force's operational network as its capabilities continue to expand, particularly to support aerial operations against terrorist groups in central Somalia. Both Somali National Television (SNTV) and Somali National Army Radio reported that the airbase is intended to assist Somali Air Force operations supporting the Somali National Army and is part of ongoing efforts to expand the Air Force’s presence beyond its current base in Mogadishu.
2024 Following the announcement of the Wargaadhi airbase, Egypt delivered anti-aircraft weapons to Somalia twice in 2024 under a bilateral security agreement. The equipment, delivered by Egyptian warships and aircraft, was intended to enhance Somalia’s air defense capabilities. Alongside ongoing training programs with Turkey and Pakistan, some Somali Air Force personnel have reportedly been present in Eritrea. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has visited the Eritrean Air Force headquarters in Asmara on multiple occasions, including in 2022 and again in July 2024. During these visits, Somali trainees were seen at the facility, with the earlier trip suggesting that training activities may have begun well before 2024. Although official details remain scarce, videos and photos circulating online show individuals in Somali uniforms working around Eritrean Air Force aircraft, including Mi-24 helicopters, fixed-wing trainers, Su-25 aircraft and MiG-29 fighters which Eritrea operates. These observations suggest a focus on maintenance and technical training, highlighting Somalia’s efforts to rebuild its air capabilities through regional partnerships. In late 2024 the United Nations Panel of Experts reported the arrival of five Bell 412EPX helicopters (the same aircraft that may be misidentified AB.205s) and said "However, sustaining this aerial capacity will remain challenging, given the high maintenance costs of the helicopters and the limited financial resources of Somalia." They said the aircraft were maintained by Somali and Turkish ground crews.
2025 In March 2025, three
TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK helicopters and a number of
Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı drones were delivered by Turkey. There have been repeated reports that Bell utility helicopters have entered military service with Somalia. Some helicopters with Somali Air Force markings remain registered as civilian aircraft, including 6O-AAG (an Agusta-Bell 412) and 6O-AAH (an Agusta-Bell 412SP). These helicopters entered service with Gamtecs Aviation Academy in Mogadishu, that provides flight training to both military and civilian personnel. They are reported to be exclusively used for military tasks, including combat missions. Flight training on civilian aircraft takes place separately on Cessna 172s and is also limited to government personnel, not the general public. In May 2025 there were reports that the helicopters operated by Gamtecs Aviation Academy, while registered as civilian aircraft, had been rented out in private charters to "military officials and personnel from other security sectors" at US $5-8,000 a flight. In addition to the two civil-registered Bell 412s, at least four Bell 412EPX helicopters have been verified in Somali Air Force service, with evidence of active deployment and SAF markings. A UN panel report lists five Bell 412EPX helicopters delivered to Somalia. According to defense sources, Somalia paid approximately $16 million for the acquisition. The widely reported delivery of four Bell 412 helicopters from Italy in August 2024 has been questioned by one source claiming they were AB.205 helicopters. However, most independent and reliable reports confirm these helicopters were indeed Bell 412EPX models. In early June 2025, Turkey delivered three other T129 ATAK helicopters, the package also comprised two unnamed utility helicopters for the
Somali Navy. The delivery follows a phone call between Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Somali President
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, during which Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey's commitment to supporting Somalia's counter-terrorism operations. Later in June 2025, the newly delivered T129 ATAK helicopters underwent a series of test flights at the Turksom military facility in Mogadishu. These test flights were conducted by Somali pilots trained in Turkey. Turkish advisors supervised the process to ensure operational readiness and systems integration. However,
Middle East Eye had been told by a Somali source in late May 2025 that "Somali pilots were still in training in Turkey [though] their training would be completed in the next two months, potentially allowing Somali army to fly helicopters later this year." Shortly after completing their test flights, the T129 ATAK helicopters flew combat missions against al-Shabaab. Turkish-built drones have conducted several drone strikes against al-Shabaab militants. On March 21, NISA announced that airstrikes in Lower Shabelle had killed 82 insurgents. Later, on May 21, security sources who requested annonymity claimed that further strikes had targeted al-Shabaab training camps and weapons depots in Middle Jubba and Lower Shabelle, killing at least 29 commanders and damaging militant infrastructure. In September 2025, a Somali reporter writing for
Foreign Policy recorded the Turkish drone strike process as: Turkey is waging a drone war against al-Shabab in Somalia from a joint command with Somalia’s intelligence agency. (The United States and United Arab Emirates are also involved in Somalia’s drone operations.) It carries out drone strikes at the behest of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), with Somalia’s NISA feeding Turkey intelligence on targets, and Turkey then carrying out the strikes. According to two senior Mogadishu-based Somali intelligence officials, the strike on Quracley followed this process. (Officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t cleared to speak with the press.) This description supports the likelihood that "Somali Air Force" participation in the operation of drones is minimal.
2026 In early 2026, reports emerged that Somalia was in advanced talks with Pakistan to acquire 24
JF‑17 Thunder Block III fighter jets as part of efforts to modernize its air force. According to the reports, the discussions followed a visit by a Somali delegation to Pakistan led by the commander of the Somali Air Force, Mohamud Sheikh Ali, and, if finalized, the deal would represent the largest defense acquisition by Somalia since the collapse of its central government in 1991. In February 2026, the Federal Government of Somalia appointed Brigadier General Abdirisaq Mahamud Haji as Commander of the Somali Air Force. The appointment was part of a wider restructuring of the country’s military leadership aimed at strengthening ongoing security operations and improving coordination within the armed forces, particularly in the context of counter terrorism efforts. In April 2026, it was reported that the acquisition agreement had been finalized with the official signing of the contract in
Islamabad. According to Radio Dalsan and HUM News, citing Somali defense officials, the deal includes the procurement of 24
JF-17 Thunder Block III aircraft and a support package for pilot and ground crew training. Neither government has issued a formal statement, though reports indicate that deliveries are expected to begin within 18 to 24 months. == Uniform ==