Armed Forces of Benin

Armed Forces of Benin Forces armées béninoises
guide
Commander in Chief :	President of Benin
Military strength
Active soldiers:	4,550
Conscription:
Eligibility for military service:
household
Military budget:	US $ 116.1 million (2017)
Share of gross domestic product :	1.2% (2017)
history

The armed forces of Benin ( French : Forces armées béninoises ) are the military of the Republic of Benin .

history

Benin soldiers at the Bembèrèkè training area in June 2009

On August 1, 1960, the West African state of Benin became independent as the Republic of Dahomey . In 1961 the Dahomeys military occupied and annexed the small Portuguese colony of São João Baptista d'Ajudá . Domestically, there was a series of military coups . In 1975 the Republic of Dahomey was renamed “ People's Republic of Benin ” after a coup by Mathieu Kérékous . In the military field, there was then increased cooperation with the Soviet Union . In 1989 and 1990 the population forced a new democratic beginning with the establishment of a presidential democracy .

structure

The Beninese armed forces are divided into three armed forces and the National Gandemerie , which is only equipped with light weapons.

Land Forces

The Beninese Army ( French : l'Armée de Terre ) is the land force of the Beninese armed forces. It has an armored unit with 18 light tanks of the type PT-76 , 3 infantry battalions , a paratrooper unit and a battery artillery as well as an engineer unit .

Naval forces

The Beninese Navy ( French : Forces Navales Beninois , abbreviated FNB ), is the naval force of the Beninese armed forces and has a staff of 200 soldiers. It operates two Matelot Brice Kpomasse class patrol boats .

Air Force

Cockade of the Benin Air Force

The Benin Air Force ( French : Force Aérienne Populaire de Benin , abbreviated FAPB ) is the air force of the Benin armed forces.

It was founded in 1960 after independence from France. For the initial seven belonged transport aircraft of the type Douglas C-47 , four liaison aircraft MH.1521 Broussard and two helicopters Agusta-Bell 47G . All machines were obtained from the former colonial power. In 1978 two Antonov An-26s and two Fokker F-27s entered service, but the F-27s were later handed over to Air Benin . At the end of 1985, two Dornier Do 28s replaced the outdated C-47s. As of the end of 2018, the Benin Air Force is operating a DHC-6 for transport purposes after all other types have been decommissioned .

Web links

Commons : Beninss Armed Forces  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ globaldefence.net
2. ^ Military expenditure by country in US $ 2001-2017. (PDF) Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) , 2018, accessed on January 25, 2019 . 
3. ↑ Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product 2001-2017. (PDF) Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 2018, accessed January 25, 2019 . 
4. ↑ International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): The Military Balance 2012 . IISS, London 2012, ISSN  0459-7222 .
5. ↑ Craig Hoyle: World Air Force 2019. Flight International , December 8, 2018, accessed January 25, 2019 .