Back سلاح الجو الملكي البحريني Arabic Bahrajnské královské letectvo Czech Real Fuerza Aérea Bareiní Spanish نیروی هوایی سلطنتی بحرین Persian Force aérienne royale de Bahreïn French חיל האוויר המלכותי של בחריין HE Royal Bahraini Air Force Italian バーレーン空軍 Japanese Tentera Udara Diraja Bahrain Malay Koninklijke Bahreinse luchtmacht Dutch
| Royal Bahraini Air Force | |
|---|---|
| سلاح الجو الملكي البحريني | |
 Emblem of the Royal Bahraini Air Force | |
| Founded | 1976[1] |
| Country |  Bahrain |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Size | 1,500 personnel[2] 131 aircraft[3] |
| Part of | Bahrain Defence Force |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Major General Sheikh Hammad bin Abdullah Al Khalifa |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Fin flash |  |
| Flag |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-5 |
| Helicopter | Bell 212, Bell 412, Bell 427, MBB BO-105, UH-60 |
| Attack helicopter | AH-1E, AH-1P, TAH-1P |
| Trainer | BH-129, T-67 |
| Transport | C-130, BAE-146 |
The Royal Bahraini Air Force (Arabic: سلاح الجو الملكي البحريني, abbreviated as RBAF, formerly known as Bahrain Amiri Air Force)[1][4] is the aerial warfare branch of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF). Originally formed as the BDF Air Wing in 1976, it became an independent service branch in 1987. The RBAF was involved in combat operations during the Gulf War and the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war.
Bahrain has developed a well-equipped air force and was the second country in the Gulf Cooperation Council after Saudi Arabia to acquire advanced fighters, namely the F-16C/D in 1989, which have been the RBAF's main combat aircraft since then.[5] Bahrain was the first country in the Gulf to use the F-16.[6] In the early 2010s Bahrain decided to replace its older F-5E and F-5F fighters with more modern planes, as well as to modernize its existing F-16 fleet.[5] It ordered 16 new planes of the F-16 Block 70 variant, which it expects to acquire in 2024.[6]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
RBAFwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ IISS (2023). The Military Balance 2023. p. 319.
- ^ Hoyle, Craig (2023). "World Air Forces 2024". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
bahrainwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Lake, Jon (2014). Bahrain Airshow: A look at the Royal Bahraini Air Force. Times Aerospace. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
aircombatwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).