Gabon’s President, Ali Bongo Ondimba, has given his approval for a loan of CFA31 billion ($52 million) to be obtained in order to purchase an Airbus C295 military transport aircraft for the country’s Air Force, says a 7 July news report by defeneWeb. The decision to secure the loan from Spain’s Santander Bank was made during a recent cabinet meeting chaired by the president on June 26. The meeting endorsed a draft legal document from the executive requesting authorization to proceed with the plan.
In accordance with the country’s constitution, the President requested the government’s approval of the loan, as stated in the communiqué issued at the conclusion of the meeting. The communiqué includes a portion that reads, “This draft text, adopted in application of the provisions of article 47 of the Constitution, authorizes the state of Gabon to contract a loan for an amount of €47,676,067. The funds from this specific loan will be used by the Gabonese government to purchase a CASA C295 MTA aircraft in order to enhance the operational capabilities of the Air Force.”
The timing of the loan acquisition and the delivery of the aircraft are not yet clear, as Airbus has not yet registered the order. However, the purchase of the aircraft constitutes approximately 20% of Gabon’s defence budget for 2023.
Airbus’ C-295 is a new-generation tactical airlifter capable of carrying more payload over larger distances, resulting in fuel consumption savings. It can operate from desert to maritime environments and from extremely hot to extremely cold temperatures. The aircraft can travel 2,300 nautical miles at speeds of more than 260 knots (481 kilometres/299 miles per hour).
Gabon’s Air Force currently operates a CN235M, which first flew in 1991 and was recently refurbished by Airbus in Spain. Additionally, the Air Force has several C-130 Hercules/L-100s in storage. Its operational aircraft fleet is limited, consisting of a Puma, three Gazelles, an ATR 42 (used for VIP purposes), and a Falcon 900 (also used for VIP purposes). The fighter force includes six former South African Air Force Mirage F1 AZ fighters, and South Africa provided two MB326 Impalas in 2013 to further assist in training fighter pilots.
The Garde Republicaine Gabona operates a couple of EC135T2+ helicopters, two EC120Bs, and an EC225LP Super Puma.
Over the past decade, Gabon has been acquiring various batches of military equipment. In 2019, it was revealed that the Chinese VN1 8×8 armoured vehicles were in service with Gabon. These vehicles are export variants based on the ZBL-08 (Type 08) IFV, fully amphibious, and weighing 21 tonnes. Other recently acquired equipment includes Dongfeng EQ2050 vehicles and, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), 19 Type-07P infantry fighting vehicles, also from China.
Between 2015 and 2016, Gabon received eight Aravis IFVs from the French company Nexter, followed by 24 Matador APCs from Paramount in 2010, along with ten Maverick internal security vehicles. France supplied five VAB-VTT vehicles second-hand for Gabon’s UN peacekeeping forces. Last year, Chinese VP11 4×4 armoured vehicles were observed in service for the first time.