Botswana Defence Force Air Force

A farkon shekara ta 1979, an ƙara jirgin sama guda biyu mai sauƙi Short SC7 Skyvan 3M-400 zuwa kayan aikin BDF. Hoton ya nuna jirgin da alamar masana'anta tun ma kafin a mika shi ga wanda ya karbe na Afirka. Intanet Hoto

Da ke kudancin Afirka, Botswana ta kusan ninka girman ƙasar Poland, amma tana da mazauna miliyan biyu kawai. Idan aka kwatanta da sauran kasashen Afirka kudu da hamadar Sahara, wannan kasa ta kasance cikin kwanciyar hankali a kan hanyar samun 'yancin kai - ta kauce wa rikice-rikice da rikice-rikice na zubar da jini da ke da halayyar wannan yanki na duniya.

Har zuwa 1885, waɗannan ƙasashe 'yan asalin ƙasar ne - Bushmen, sannan kuma mutanen Tswana. A cikin rabin na biyu na karni na goma sha tara, jihar ta rabu da rikice-rikicen kabilanci, al'ummar yankin kuma sun yi maganin fararen fata da suka zo daga kudu, daga Transvaal, Buroms. Su kuma Afrikaners, sun yi yaƙi don yin tasiri tare da ’yan mulkin mallaka daga Birtaniya. A sakamakon haka, Bechuanaland, kamar yadda ake kiran jihar a lokacin, an haɗa shi a cikin ma'auni na Birtaniya a cikin 50. A cikin 1966s, ƙungiyoyin 'yantar da ƙasa sun ƙaru a cikin ƙasarta, wanda ya haifar da ƙirƙirar Botswana mai zaman kanta a cikin XNUMX.

Sabuwar kasar da aka kirkira na daya daga cikin ‘yan tsirarun da suka sami ‘yancin cin gashin kai a kudancin Afirka a wancan lokaci. Duk da wurin da yake a yankin "mai kumburi" a wancan lokacin, tsakanin Afirka ta Kudu, Zambia, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe a yau) da Afirka ta Kudu maso Yamma (yanzu Namibiya), Botswana ba ta da sojoji. Kananan rundunonin ‘yan sanda ne suka yi aikin soja. A cikin 1967, akwai jami'ai 300 ne kawai ke hidima. Kodayake wannan lambar ta karu sau da yawa ta tsakiyar tsakiyarXNUMXs, har yanzu bai isa ba don tabbatar da ingantaccen kariya ta iyakoki.

Haɓaka ayyukan da ake yi a kudancin Afirka a cikin shekaru XNUMX, wanda ke da alaƙa da haɓakar yawan ƙungiyoyin "'yantar da ƙasa" a yankin, ya sa gwamnatin Gaborone ta ƙirƙira rundunar sojan da za ta iya samar da tsaron kan iyaka yadda ya kamata. Yayin da Botswana ta yi ƙoƙari ta kasance cikin tsaka mai wuya a cikin rigingimun da suka dabaibaye kudancin Afirka a shekarun XNUMX, XNUMX, da XNUMX, ta tausayawa baƙar fata sha'awar samun 'yancin kai. Akwai rassan kungiyoyin da ke yaki da mamayar farar fata a kasashe makwabta, da suka hada da. Ƙungiyar National Congress (ANC) ko Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA).

Ba abin mamaki ba ne cewa rundunonin soji na Rhodesia, da kuma sojojin Afirka ta Kudu, daga lokaci zuwa lokaci suna kai farmaki kan wasu abubuwa da ke cikin kasar. Layin da ’yan tawayen suka yi jigilar sojoji daga Zambiya zuwa Afirka ta Kudu maso Yamma (Namibiya a yau) su ma sun ratsa ta Botswana. Farkon XNUMXs kuma sun ga rikici tsakanin sojojin Botswana da na Zimbabwe.

Sakamakon ayyukan da aka yi a kan dokar da majalisar ta zartar a ranar 13 ga Afrilu, 1977, an samar da jigon sojojin sama - Rundunar Sojan Sama ta Botswana (wannan ita ce kalmar samar da jiragen sama da ke bayyana a gidajen yanar gizon gwamnati). . , wani sunan gama gari shine Air Wing na rundunar tsaron Botswana). An ƙirƙira rukunin jiragen sama bisa tushen abubuwan more rayuwa na ƙungiyar 'yan sanda ta hannu (PMU). A cikin 1977, an yanke shawarar siyan Britten Norman Defender na farko, wanda aka ƙera don sintiri kan iyaka. A cikin wannan shekarar, an horar da ma'aikatan a Burtaniya. Da farko dai, sassan za su yi aiki ne daga wani sansani a babban birnin jihar Gaborone, da kuma daga Francistown da kuma kananan wuraren sauka na wucin gadi.

Tarihin sashen jiragen sama na rundunar tsaron Botswana bai fara da kyau sosai ba. A yayin da ya ke jigilar jirgi mai lamba BN2A-1 na biyu daga kasar Birtaniya, an tilasta masa yin saukar gaggawa a Maiduguri, Najeriya, inda aka tsare shi, sannan aka wuce da shi Legas; An karya wannan kwafin a watan Mayu 1978. A ranar 31 ga Oktoba, 1978, wani mai tsaron gida ya isa Botswana, an yi sa'a a wannan lokacin; ya sami nadi iri ɗaya da wanda ya gabace shi (OA2). Shekara guda daga baya, a ranar 9 ga Agusta, 1979, kusa da Francistown, wannan musamman BN2A an harbe shi da bindiga mai tsayi 20mm ta wani jirgin Alouette III (K Car) mai saukar ungulu na 7th Rhodesian Air Force Squadron. Sa'an nan jirgin ya shiga cikin shiga tsakani a kan kungiyar Rhodesian, yana dawowa daga yakin da aka yi da sansanin 'yan tawaye na ZIPRA - reshe mai dauke da makamai na kungiyar jama'ar Afirka ta Zimbabwe (ZAPU). Matukin jirgin sun tsira daga harin, amma Defender ya yi hatsari da babbar barna a filin jirgin saman Francistown. Wannan shi ne karon farko da wani jirgin sama mai saukar ungulu na rundunar sojojin sama na Rhodesian ya yi nasarar lalata wani jirgin sama, kuma daya daga cikin nasarar da wani rotor ya yi a kan wani jirgin sama a yakin kare.

Karamin sa’a ma’aikatan wani BN2A ne, wanda ya yi hadari a ranar 20 ga Nuwamba, 1979 jim kadan bayan tashinsa daga filin jirgin Kwando. Hadarin ya yi sanadin mutuwar mutane uku (ciki har da dan uwan ​​shugaban kasar Botswana). A lokacin da suke aiki tare da Rundunar Tsaro ta Botswana (BDF), an yi amfani da manyan jiragen saman Birtaniyya don sintiri kan iyaka, korar likitoci da kuma jigilar wadanda suka jikkata. Wani jirgin sama yana sanye da ƙofa mai zamewa don sauƙaƙe lodi (OA12). Gabaɗaya, jirgin sama ya karɓi Masu kare goma sha uku, masu alamar OA1 zuwa OA6 (BN2A-21 Defender) da OA7 zuwa OA12 (BN2B-20 Defender); kamar yadda aka ambata, an yi amfani da nadi OA2 sau biyu.