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]
History
Founding and early expansion
A Bahrain Air Force Agusta-Bell 212 Twin Huey in flight over the Persian Gulf during a training mission in 1991.
The Bahrain Defence Force, which itself was formed in 1968, just before the country became independent from United Kingdom in 1971, first organized an air wing in May 1976 at Riffa Air Base, which received its first aircraft, four Bo 105 helicopters, in February 1977. This occurred after Bahrain sent the air wing's future members to receive training from allied countries in 1974. The small force grew gradually, receiving 12 Augusta Bell Twin Huey helicopters in 1978, and in the mid-1980s the air wing became the new Bahrain Amiri Air Force (BAAF). In the early years the Bahraini Air Force participated in training with other countries and helped recover U.S. Navy sailors after the USS Stark incident during the Iran-Iraq War.[1][4] Because of regional conflicts like the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War, during the 1980s and 1990s Bahrain expanded its military with the assistance of the United States, including its Air Force.[7]
In 1985 Bahrain acquired its first fighter jets, the F-5, and established the 6th Fighter Squadron at Muharraq Air Base. After Bahraini air crews became familiar with the F-5, they underwent training to prepare to use the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The first Bahraini F-16s, the F-16C/D variants, were acquired in 1990.[1] This made Bahrain the first Gulf country to use the F-16.[6] Before this, the country considered several American and European advanced fighter aircraft, including the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, Mirage 2000, and Tornado. Bahraini pilots were trained on F-16 operations at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida in 1989, and the first F-16 formally was handed over to the BAAF in March of that year. The first four F-16s were sent to Bahrain, flown by Bahraini pilots, in May 1990.[8]
A Northrop F-5E Tiger II of the Bahrain Amiri Air Force in 1986.
Around this time the construction of Isa Air Base was complete,[1] which is where the Bahraini F-16s have been based.[9] Both the F-16 and the F-5 were operated by Bahrain in the Gulf War,[1] during which the BAAF carried out air strikes against Iraq.[7] The new Bahraini F-16s were flown by the 1st Tactical Fighter Squadron in Operation Desert Storm, operating alongside coalition forces, which included 200 American aircraft based out of the Isa Air Base, along with the BAAF. The operations lasted from 25 January 1991 until the end of the war, with an average of six sorties per day.[10]
A second batch of ten F-16s commenced delivery in 2000 under the Peace Crown II program. The new aircraft represented a further increase in the air force's combat capabilities, as they were equipped to carry the AMRAAM missile, first used by the USAF in 1992. Air-to-air armament had been limited to the short-range AIM-9M Sidewinder missile and internal cannon through the Gulf War. After the war, the country began to acquire more advanced weapons, including the AIM-7M Sparrow radar-guided air-to-air missile and LANTIRN navigation and targeting pod for air-to-ground weapons that would also be acquired such as the GBU-10/12 laser guided bombs and AGM-65D/G Maverick air-to-ground missiles.[8][10]
In July 2000, Bahrain signed a deal with BAE Systems to establish a pilot academy based around the Hawk Trainer, similar to the NFTC in Canada. Subsequently, orders were placed for Slingsby T67 Firefly and BAE Hawk trainers. The first trainers were delivered in October 2006.[11]
After Bahrain became a monarchy on 14 February 2002, the BAAF was renamed the Royal Bahraini Air Force.[1]
Upgrade of the helicopter force has included new utility transports, and on 19 June 2007, Bahrain signed a letter of offer and acceptance for nine UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to be purchased as part of the Foreign Military Sales program through the United States Army. These are designated for use in a variety of roles, including combat search and rescue. They were the international launch customer for the UH-60M variant of the venerable S-70 helicopter family.[12] Deliveries commenced on 1 December 2009[13]
A single Sikorsky S-92 VVIP helicopter was purchased by the Air Force in 2007 and placed in service with the Bahrain Royal Flight.[14]
Bahrain would again engage in combat operations as part of the Saudi Arabia-led Operation Decisive Storm, operating from bases in Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebel forces in Yemen during March and April 2015. Initially, fifteen F-16 aircraft were deployed as the RBAF contribution to combat forces in the operation. Bahrain's forces remained in Saudi Arabia in assistance of the coalition through 2015.[15] An RBAF F-16 was lost when it crashed after a technical problem in December 2015.[16] The Bahraini Air Force ended its participation in the operation in Yemen in February 2016.[17]
In 2018, Lockheed Martin was awarded a $1.1 billion contract to produce 16 F-16 Viper Block 70 fighter aircraft for Bahrain, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a release.
Work under the $1,124,545,002 fixed-price-incentive-firm contract is expected to be complete by 30 September 2023, the Friday, 22 June release said.
In October, the government of Bahrain announced that it had finalized a $3.8 billion deal with Lockheed for the F-16 purchase. Bahrain Royal Air Force commander Major General Shaikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said the Gulf state hoped the first planes will be delivered in 2021.
The sale of F-16 Vipers and related equipment to Bahrain was first approved by the U.S. State Department in 2016 during the Obama administration but it was delayed over human rights concerns. President Donald Trump dropped the human rights conditions last year.
The State Department then approved the sale of 19 aircraft worth $2.78 billion, and another $1.1 billion to upgrade Bahrain's existing fleet of 20 F-16s to the Viper configuration in September 2017. The proposed sales also include additional equipment and support. Hamid said in October that the purchase of the other three aircraft was still a possibility.[18]
Incidents and accidents
27 September 2003: F-16C Block 40 Fighting Falcon (s/n RBAF 204; c/n AC-12) crashed in the Persian Gulf, 75 km (47 mi) north of Bahrain. This was the first F-16 loss for Bahrain and attributed to the pilot becoming disoriented during maneuvers.[19]
The personnel of the RBAF are trained at the Royal Bahraini Air Force Technical Institute and the Training Wing. Every year a number of Bahraini officers are also sent to the United States for additional training, which can include the U.S. Air Force's Air University's Squadron Officer School, the Air Command and Staff College, or the Air War College. The RBAF also takes part in training exercises with other air forces of the Gulf Cooperation Council.[1]
Bahrain is planning to recapitalize its fighter fleet. Replacement of the F-5 fleet is to be accomplished with additional F-16 orders in the near term, while longer-term plans call for a more capable aircraft to be acquired to add to or replace the F-16 fleet. Bahrain is considering buying the Eurofighter Typhoon, the JAS 39 Gripen, the Dassault Rafale, or the F-35 Lightning II.[28] The British government is in early talks with Bahrain over a potential order for the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter.[29] In September 2016 it was announced that the sale of up to 19 further F-16s had been submitted to the US Congress for approval, however the White House later advised that it would not complete the approval unless it showed progress on human rights issues arising from the Bahraini protests of 2011.[30][31] In September 2017, the United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency approved the sale of up to 22 F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft, as well as the sale of 20 upgrade kits to upgrade Bahrain's existing F-16 fleet to the F-16V Viper variant, the most advanced variant of the F-16, featuring the AN/APG-83active electronically scanned array radar, a new mission computer developed by Raytheon, modern cockpit displays and other electronics upgrades.[32] In October 2017, Bahraini officials announced that Bahrain had signed a deal worth $3.8 billion with Lockheed Martin for upgraded F-16s, as well as upgrade kits for the Air Force's existing F-16 fleet.[33][34]
Bahrain has confirmed its order for 12 Bell AH-1Z Viper, six months after the US Department of State approved the deal, worth an estimated $912 million, under the Foreign Military Sales process. The attack helicopters will be delivered from the second half of 2022.[35]
Helicopters Enhance Training Proficiency of Royal Bahrain Air Force. Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced the delivery of 3 Bell 505 helicopters to the Royal Bahrain Air Force. Bell delivered the aircraft during an inspection and acceptance event in February 2023 at Bell's Mirabel facility[36]
In March 2023, Bahrain has requested the purchase of 24 surplus Bell AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters from the US, via a Foreign Military Sales deal worth an estimated US$350 million.[37]
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