Somali Air Force
| Somali Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Ciidanka Cirka Soomaaliyeed القوات الجوية الصومالية | |
| Founded | 1960 |
| Country | Somalia |
| Part of | Somali Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Afsione, Mogadishu |
| Mottos | Somali: Isku Tiirsada "Lean on each other" |
| Ensign | |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud |
| Chief of the Armed Forces | Major General Odowaa Yusuf Rageh |
| Chief of the Air Force | Brigadier General Abdirisaq Mahamud Haji (Abdirisaq Eritrea) |
| Notable commanders | Brigadier General Ali Matan Hashi |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel | |
| Fin Flash | |
| Flag of the Air Force | |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | T129 ATAK , Akıncı , Bayraktar TB2 |
The Somali Air Force (SAF; Somali: Ciidanka Cirka Soomaaliyeed, Osmanya: 𐒋𐒕𐒆𐒖𐒑𐒖𐒆𐒖 𐒋𐒘𐒇𐒏𐒖 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒜𐒆, CCS; Arabic: القوات الجوية الصومالية, Al-Qūwāt al-Gawwīyä as-Ṣūmālīyä) is the air force of Somalia. Called the Somali Aeronautical Corps (SAC) during its pre-independence period (1954–1960), it was renamed as Somali Air Force (SAF) after Somalia gained independence in 1960. Ali Matan Hashi, Somalia's first pilot and person principally responsible for organizing the SAF, was its founder and served as its the country's first air chief. At one point, the Somali Air Force had the strongest airstrike capability in the Horn of Africa. But by the time President Siad Barre fled Mogadishu in 1991, it had completely collapsed. The SAF headquarters was technically reopened in 2015 and from 2023 new helicopters arrived. It is now carrying out operations against Al-Shabaab, mostly supporting ground forces.