Ghana Air Force - History
The Ghana Air Force was formed on 24 July 1959 as a Flying Training School with Israeli instructors and Technicians. The school was formed to complement the Army and Navy in service. In 1960 Royal Air Force personnel took up the task of training the newly established Ghana Air Force and in 1961 they were joined by a small group of Royal Canadian Air Force personnel. In September 1961 as part of President Kwame Nkrumah's Africanization program, a Ghanaian CAS was appointed, with the first being J.E.S. de Graft-Hayford. Although born in the U.K. he was of Ghanaian descent.
Although the UK initially had opposed the formation of a Ghanaian air force and navy, Britain eventually agreed to help train personnel from these services. In 1960 the British instituted an air force training and supply program on condition that the Indian and Israeli advisers who had established the air force were withdrawn. Additionally, between 1960 and 1963, Britain supplied twelve Chipmunk trainers, three Heron transports, and nine Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters.
The Ghana Air Force was in the beginning equipped with a squadron of Chipmunk trainers, and squadrons of Beavers, Otters and Caribou transport aircraft. In addition a DH125 jet was bought for Kwame Nkrumah, Hughes helicopters were bought for mosquito spraying plus DH Doves and Herons. British-made Westland Whirlwind helicopters and a squadron of Italian-made MB-326 ground attack/trainer jets were also purchased.
The Ghana Air Force Headquarters and main transport base are located in Accra, the other bases are Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale. Ghana Air Force Base, Sekondi-Takoradi, started as Ghana Air Force, Sekondi-Takoradi, on 1 March 1961. The Chipmunk Basic Trainer Aircraft was the first aircraft used at the Station with an all Rank Air Force Station. The GHF Air Force Base, Accra, came into being soon after the Royal Air Force (RAF) had taken over the administration from the Indian and Israeli Air Force officers at the beginning of 1961.
The station was housed at No 3 hangar at the Accra Airport (Kotoka International Airport) with hardly any aircraft. The Unit had four main sub-units, i.e. the Administration Wing, Flying Wing, Technical Wing and Equipment Wing. The School of Technical Training was also located at this station. The Station moved from No 3 hangar to its present location in Burma Camp towards the end of 1965.
Historically, the Ghanaian air force has relied on foreign military assistance from India, Israel, Canada, Britain, and Italy for pilot training. In early 1959, Indian and Israeli officers supervised the formation of Ghana's air force. In mid-1959, an Indian air force senior air commodore established a headquarters for the service at Accra. In July 1959, Israeli air force instructors trained the first group of Ghanaian cadet fliers at Accra International Airport. Two years later, ten Ghanaians qualified as pilots.
In late 1960, Ghana terminated the training agreement with Israel. Shortly thereafter, Accra and London signed an accord whereby 150 officers and airmen from the British Royal Air Force (RAF) assumed responsibility for training the Ghanaian air force. The commander of this RAF contingent also replaced the Indian air commodore as chief of staff of the Ghanaian air force. In mid-1961 a small group from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) supplemented the British mission. In September 1961, as part of his Africanization program, Nkrumah appointed an army brigadier as chief of staff and relieved all RAF officers of their commands. The RAF contingent remained in Ghana, however, to help develop the Ghanaian air force as part of the British Joint Services Training Mission.
In 1970 the air force had a personnel strength of approximately 1,000 officers and men, most of whom were Ghanaian. The few foreigners remaing in the air service were expected to be replaced as soon as sufficient numbers of Ghanaians attained the skills and proficiency required for certain technical jobs. The service's primary mission was training for close cooperation with and support of the army. In addition to its defense role, it provides numerous services to other agencies.
Helicopters and other light aircraftare frequently used in medical evacuation flights, aerial medical evacuation flights, aerial surveys, photographic missions, and similar work on behalf of thecivilian authorities. Air force pilots flew missions in remote parts of the country to inspect power lines and conduct aerial spraying for the Ministry of Health during anti-malarial operations.
The air force participated in a search and rescue service directed by a rescue coordination center. Operating jointly withthe army and the navy, pilots and planes of the air force provided a constant alert to assist civilian authorities in rescuing fishermen and other persons in distress. Airlift support was also furnished to the national police.
The inventory of aircraft in 1970 consisted of fewer than 100 airplanes, including a number of light and medium transports, light liaison aircraft, helicopters, and several light jet trainers. A single jet transport was used for special flights by high government officials. The jet trainers were capable of being armed and represented the service's only combat aircraft. All planes had been obtained from the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, and the United States.
Command was vested in the air force chief of staff with headquarters in Accra. Main installations were at Accra's Kotoka International Airport, Takoradi Air Force Base, and Sunyani Airfield near Kumasi. A special flight of transport aircraft was based at Tamale airport to assist the army parachute training center. Construction was begun in 1960 on a large military airfield ten miles north of Tamale, as part of a plan to expand the air force and equip it with jet aircraft. After the 1966 coupd'etat the project was declared un-necessary and halted.
The air force was organized into two transport squadrons, a communications and liaison squadron, a helicopter squadron, and a training squadron. An element of the training squadron was designed to operate as a separate ground attack unit equipped with jet aircraft if the need should arise. The transport squadrons were stationed at Accra and Tamale. The training squadron was located at Takoradi, and all other units were based at Accra.
The main problem of the air force is to procure and train-enough quli-A ed officers to man the assigned aircraft. The re-quirement for non-flying staff and administrative officers iseasier to meet but depends to some extent on the amount ofsupport provided by the army and the use made of trainingmissions-Flying cadets In more recent years, Ghana relied on Nigeria for air force training. In late 1989, twenty-five Ghanaian pilots and technicians graduated from various training programs in Kano, Nigeria. In 1989 Nigeria donated twelve Czech-built L-29 Delfin trainers to the Ghanaian air force. The Ghanaian and Nigerian air forces also conducted joint operations under the auspices of the ECOMOG peacekeeping force in Liberia in the early 1990s.
The Ghana Air Force on 13 September 2012, in commemoration of its 50th anniversary celebration held in Accra, inaugurated new rank insignia bringing changes to the Service's uniform from the traditional blue braids to gold braids. The ceremony, which was attended by senior and junior officers of the Ghana Armed Forces – the Air Force, Army and the Navy, also saw the presentation of about 16 golden jubilee commemorative medals to some personnel of the Airforce for their dedicated and meritorious services during the 50 year period.
Performing the inauguration, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lieutenant General Peter A. Blay, said the inauguration of the new Air Force rank formed part of restructuring and modernisation process of the Ghana Armed Forces. He noted that Armed Forces all over the world are gradually and systematically undergoing spectacular changes in their operations and the Ghana Armed Forces could not be left out but needed to follow suit.
Lieutenant General Blay charged the officers to let the inauguration of the new rank and the presentation of the medals spurred them on to work efficiently and effectively for the service.
Air Vice Marshall Michael Samson–Oje, Chief of Air Staff (CAS), said in July 2010 he convened a board of officers to review certain aspects of the dress regulations in the Air Force. “The Board asserted that the gold braids would make the ranks more visible, attractive and distinctive from the ranks of other paramilitary organisations,” he added.
“The change does not only affect the rank, but also where the new rank will be worn. This is specific to the service dress where the rank shall be worn on the shoulder instead of on the cuff. The obvious advantage is that the gentleman officer is easily and promptly identified as such. “Hitherto the officer in a service dress could only be identified appropriately after a glance at the end of his or her sleeve. And believe me, where the sleeve is covered, identification becomes a problem unless he or she is a senior officer with a gorget on the collar”, he said.
Air Vice Samson-Oje said with the change, the Ghana Air Force had joined renowned Air Forces such as the US, India, Nigeria and Egypt whose officers also worn their ranks on the shoulders of their service dress.
Medals were also presented to all personnel, who were in active service at the time the service was 50 years in 2009, and went past the half century mark in 2009. The medal is embroidery of the aviation blue background with Airforce colours in vertical stripes. Attached to the embroidery is a brass medallion spotting the Ghana Air Force emblem.
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