The air arm of Burkina Faso has had different titles over several years, gaining combat experience in the process. Today it’s part of the multinational ‘G5 Sahel Joint Force’, as Arnaud Delalande explains.
Flashpoint
The former French colony of Upper Volta became fully independent on August 5, 1960 and changed its name to Burkina Faso on August 4, 1984. It’s bordered by Niger to the east, Mali to the north and northwest, Ghana to the south, Côte d’Ivoire to the southwest and by Benin and Togo to the southeast. Formed in 1964 with French assistance, its military air arm, the Escadrille de la République de Haute-Volta (EHV, Republic of Upper Volta Air Squadron), was originally attached to an army support regiment.
The fleet initially comprised former French Air Force utility and transport aircraft: a pair of C-47s and three MH.1521M Broussards.
Two Cessna 337Ds entered service from 1965, and five years later the EHV became the Force Aérienne de Haute-Volta (FAHV) but remained part of the army. Two SA316B Alouette IIIs acquired in 1974 were assigned to a new helicopter squadron (they were both lost in accidents, on September 14, 1976 and January 18, 1986) – followed by an Aero Commander 500, two Hawker Si…
