French Air Force MQ-9 Reaper UAVs operate from Niamey in Niger for reconnaissance and surveillance of targets. © Jean-Luc Brunet / Armée de l’Air
In July 2020 Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has signed a renewed service contract agreement with Airbus Defence and Space for Heron I UAV services in operation in Mali to be extended to July 2021, with an option for August 2021 to July 2022. The German Heron’s first flight in Mali dates back to November 2016 and the type has logged more than 11,500 flight hours in over 1,200 operational flights in Mali. An example of the airpower available to Operation Barkhane was in February 2019 when, at the request of the Chadian government, French Mirage fighter jets struck a column of 40 pickup trucks operated by a rebel group entering Chad from Libya. In other missions, jets will strike a terror enclave before ground troops enter to clear the area. “The missions are very long, from four to more than six hours, so we require numerous refueling sessions in air,” said Lt. Wilfred, a Mirage pilot who, as is customary for French Soldiers serving abroad, is identified only by his first name. “It’s atypical hours. We could be taking off very late at night or very early in the morning. Whenever an alert is triggered.” There are also seven strategic and tactical transport aircraft deployed to Barkhane that include Transall C-160s from the 1/64 Béarn and 2/64 Anjou squadrons and C-130H Hercules from the 2/61 Franche Comté squadrons are used to ferry materiel to Bamako, while Transall C-160s from the 3/61 22
EDR | May/June 2021
Poitou Transport Squadron fly reinforcements to the airport of Gao. USAF KC135 tanker aircraft support the Mirage operations while USAF and Canadian Hercules provide additional tactical aircraft to the operation. The mission also relies heavily on aerial resupply drops to remote outposts. It has received logistical support from partners including Spain, which has flown a C-130 based in Senegal and a C-295 in Gabon. The French Army Light Aviation (ALAT) deploys 16 helicopterzs including Tigre HAD and HOT-armed SA.342M1 Gazelle Viviane combat helicopters from the 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment and SA.532UL Cougar and NH90 Caiman transport helicopters. In March 2021 three SA.330B helicopters from DetALAT Djibouti arrived at Bamako to reinforce the French Groupement Tactique Désert-Aérocombat (GTD-A). The French Air Force also deployed two H225 Caracal helicopters of the 1/67 Pyrénées Helicopter Squadron in the combat search and rescue role to Bamako. The operational environment across the Sahel and particularly in northern Mali is daunting. Temperatures reach well above 40 degrees centigrade, sandstorms reduce visibility to almost nothing making flying challenging, and during the rainy season many roads become impassable. In June 2019 an ALAT Gazelle was hit by ground fire near the border between Mali and Niger, and
ALAT Tigre HAD ground support helicopters operate in Mali in support of Operation Barkhane. © ALAT