Tunisian Air Force
Tunisian
Army
Tunisian
Navy
missing link
Equipment
Utility helicopter
Tunisian Air Force
The Tunisian Air Force was established in 1959, three years after Tunisia regained its independence from France.
Tunisia has, considering its size, one of the relatively small Air Forces in the region. Tunisia established the first air arm in 1959, after being controlled by France until 1954, but it took until 1960 before the first aircraft was delivered. The Tunisian Republic Air Force uses a squadron/flight structure and has four main bases (Bizerte/Sidi Ahmed, Gafsa, Bizerte/La Karouba and Sfax). Aircraft of the Tunisian Republic Air Force is rarely seen outside Tunisia although some visits to Spanish bases of Tunisian F-5's were made in the past years. Prior to the 2011 revolution, some Tunisian pilots were trained in Egypt, while other officers attended staff colleges and other advanced training courses in France and Italy. Tunisia has participated in recent UN peacekeeping efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia/Eritrea and previously participated in similar operations in Burundi, Cambodia, Namibia, Rwanda, and Somalia, though few of these required much use of airpower assets.
The Tunisian Air Force currently has ten squadrons, based at four main bases. The first is Bizerte/Sidi Ahmed near Tunis, a short hop across the Mediterranean from Sardinia to the North and Sicily to the East. A former USAAF heavy bomber airfield during World War II, the airfield was subsequently occupied by France, the colonial power (along with the neighbouring naval base) even after Tunisian independence, until it was finally abandoned on October 15 1963. Bizerte/La Karouba is a separate heliport adjacent and connected to Sidi Ahmed. Some helicopters from the based units are detached at Sfax and Gafsa in the south, and at Monastir’s Habib Bourguiba International Airport. There are a number of other airbases in Tunisia, including Gabès, Monastir – Habib Bourguiba International Airport, Tozeur, Tunis – Carthage, and Zarzis, though these have no permanently-based units assigned.
Tunisia has only the most basic air control and warning system, with limited radar coverage of its airspace. There is no integrated air defence system, with the Army maintaining a mix of light SAMs and AAA, most of which are obsolescent. The Air Force relies heavily on foreign contractors for engineering and logistics support (with Abu Dhabi’s GAMCO providing maintenance for the C-130 fleet, for example), and has experienced some problems in the training and retention of key personnel.
▪️🏛 Founded 1959;
▪️👥 Size 4,500 personnel
▪️📆 Anniversaries 24 July
Ref: Wikipedia; scramble.nl; arabianaerospace
جيش الطيران
missing link
Equipment
جيش البر التونسي
Tunisian Army
Equipment
Established in 1959, the Marine Nationale tunisienne (Tunisian National Navy) initially received French assistance, including advisory personnel and several small patrol vessels. During the 1960s and 1970s, the navy was primarily involved in combating the smuggling of contraband, the illegal entry of un- desirable aliens, and unauthorized emigration as well as other coastal security activities. In these matters, the overall effort was shared with agencies of the Ministry of Interior, especially the customs agents and immigration personnel of the Surete Nationale. Today the Tunisian Navy reportedly has bases at Bizerte, Kelibia, La Goulette, and Sfax. The Tunisian Navy fell well behind the Army and Air Force when American FMS dollars were prioritized by the Government of Tunisia. The acquisition of three sophisticated Fast Patrol Boats from the French lent much-needed credibility to the Tunisian Navy. It also allowed the Tunisians to start participating in a series of exercises with the U.S. Sixth Fleet. In August 1992, the Tunisian Navy hosted an amphibious exercise with the Marine Expeditionary Unit operating in the Mediterranean, as well as a Surface Warfare exercise with two U.S. Navy cruisers. The big news in the Tunisian Navy in 1992 was the offer by the USN to lease them a USNS hydrographic ship. The Tunisians would transform this into a training ship to replace a 1955 destroyer that was no longer usable. The Ex-US Navy ship, initially commissioned in 1971, was commissioned into the Tunisian Navy as training ship A700 Kheireddine in 1995. Other Navy FMS funding was used for an ongoing hydrographic study of Tunisian harbours. Future projects also included an ambitious plan to deploy coastal radar stations that would aid in fishery control.
▪️ 🏛 Founded 1958
▪️👥 Size 6000 -7000
Ref: Wikipedia; globalsecurity.
البحرية التونسية
Tunisian Navy
missing link
Tunisian Armed Forces
The Tunisian Armed Forces consist of the Tunisian Army, Air Force and Navy.
As of 2019, Tunisia had armed forces with more than 150.000 active-duty personnel, of which 80,000 were conscripts. Paramilitary forces consisted of a 12,000-member national guard. Tunisia participates in United Nations peacekeeping efforts in the DROC (MONUSCO) and Côte d'Ivoire. Previous United Nations peacekeeping deployments for the Tunisian armed forces have included Cambodia (UNTAC), Namibia (UNTAG), Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia/Eritrea (UNMEE), and the 1960s mission in the Congo, ONUC. The modern Tunisian army was formed in 1831 by Al-Husayn II ibn Mahmud. During the period of the French Protectorate (1881–1956) Tunisians were recruited in significant numbers into the French Army, serving as tirailleurs (infantry) and spahis (cavalry). These units saw active service in Europe during both World Wars, as well as in Indo-China prior to 1954. The only exclusively Tunisian military force permitted under French rule was the Beylical Guard.
In accordance with Article 44 of the constitution, the supreme commander of the armed forces is the President of the Republic of Tunisia.
Founded 24 June 1956
Headquarters Tunis
Conscription 12 months
Active personnel 89,800
Deployed personnel 96
Budget $1.15 billion (2020)
Percent of GDP 2.6% (2019)
Ref: Wikipedia
القوات المسلحة التونسية
The Land Forces Command is located in Bizerte. The TAF itself was created on June 30, 1956.
The Land Army is the largest service branch within the Tunisian Armed Forces and has a dominant presence in the current General Staff. It is estimated to number around 90,000 and 60,000 reservists for a total of 150,000 strong.
The modern army was created in the 1830s. It has seen substantive combat on one occasion: against France during the 1961 Bizerte crisis. The mission of the Tunisian army is to defend the country against any foreign attack, allow the development of a diplomatic counterattack, encourage the involvement of the United Nations, protect Tunisian nationals around the world, and participate in peacekeeping missions. Following the Tunisian Revolution, the army strength increased up to 80,000 men in order to face the new security challenges. However, the organisation remains mainly the same compared to the pre-revolution one. The most noticed change is the adding of an Intervention Battalion in each of the three mechanized infantry Brigades. These new battalions mostly focused on anti-terror fighting was seen during the 61st army anniversary parade
▪️🏛 Founded 1831
▪️👥 Size 90,000-45,000 active personnel and 20,000-60,000 reserves (estimation)
▪️⭐️ Garrison/HQ Tunis
▪️📣 Nickname(s) TAF
▪️📆 Anniversaries June 30
Ref: Wikipedia.