Angola
The Angolan Air Force was built in the 1980s with support from Cuba, Soviet and East German, and North Korea. Its purpose was to fight the South African apartheid regime, and the MiG-23 swept-wing fighters, which formed the bulk of the fleet, were flown by foreign pilots, largely from Cuba.
According to Military Watch, “a single MiG-23 squadron of approximately 28 fighters remains in service, alongside one MiG-21BiS and one Su-22 squadron, providing three units of modernised third generation aircraft.”
It says the elite of the Angolan Air Force is provided by 12 Su-30 fighters which have recently been upgraded in Belarus to a ‘4+ generation’ standard. The Angolan Air Force, considered the most capable in sub-Saharan Africa, also deploys heavier Su-24 strike fighters, a single squadron of Su-25 attack jets, and two squadrons of Mi-24/Mi-35 attack helicopters.
