| Royal Air Force of Oman | |
|---|---|
| |
 Badge of the Royal Air Force of Oman | |
| Founded | 1959 (1959) |
| Country |  Oman |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Part of | Sultan's Armed Forces |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Sultan Haitham bin Tariq |
| Commander of the Air Force | Air Vice-Marshal Khamis bin Hammad Al-Ghafri |
| Insignia | |
| Fin flash |  |
| Flag |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | F-16 Fighting Falcon, Eurofighter Typhoon, BAe Hawk 203 |
| Helicopter | (SuperLynx, NH90, Bell429/Bell206) |
| Trainer | BAe Hawk 103, Pilatus PC-9, PAC Super MFI-17 Mushshak |
| Transport | C-130 Hercules, Airbus A320, Dornier 228 |
The Royal Air Force of Oman (Arabic: سلاح الجو السلطاني عمان, romanized: Silāḥ al-Jaww as-Sulṭāniy ‘Umān or RAFO) is the air arm of the Sultan's Armed Forces.
History
Sultan of Oman's Air Force era
The Sultan of Oman's Air Force (SOAF) was formed with British personnel and aircraft in March 1959. The first aircraft were two Scottish Aviation Pioneers transferred from the Royal Air Force. The first armed aircraft was the Percival Provost T52.[1]
In 1968 the SOAF received the first of 24 BAC Strikemaster jet trainer and light strike aircraft for operation against insurgents in the Dhofar region. In 1974 the SOAF was expanded with orders for the Britten Norman Defender, BAC One-Eleven, BAC VC10 and 32 Hawker Hunter ground attack aircraft. In 1977 Jaguar International joined the SOAF, followed in the 1980s by the BAE Hawk.[1]
Royal Air Force of Oman era
In 1990 the SOAF was renamed the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO).[1] In 1993 and 1994 the RAFO replaced its Hawker Hunters with four BAE Hawk Mk 103 fighter-trainers and 12 single-seat Hawk Mk 203s, equipped with Westinghouse APG-66H radar, as light ground attack aircraft/interceptors. In September 1997, after the evaluation of new combat aircraft, the RAFO decided to upgrade and extend the service lives of its remaining 17 SEPECAT Jaguar ground attack aircraft until the second decade of the 21st century. A contract was placed with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence to upgrade the avionics of the Jaguar aircraft for $40 million. In 2005, deliveries of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 50 aircraft began, equipped with improved GPS/INS. The aircraft can carry a further batch of advanced missiles; the AGM-88 HARM missile, JDAM, JSOW and WCMD.
On 3 August 2010, the USA Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified the Congress of a possible sale of 18 F-16 Block 50/52 to Oman in a contract worth US$3.5 Billion. In addition to the new fighters, the contract included upgrading existing 12 F-16 C/D in the RAFO inventory.[2] On 14 December 2011, it was announced that Oman had agreed to buy an additional 12 F-16C/D Block 50s to join the 12 F-16C/Ds already in service.[3]
Oman was considering the purchase of either the Eurofighter Typhoon or the JAS 39 Gripen,[4] but on 21 December 2012 a £2.5 billion deal was signed in Muscat to supply RAFO with 12 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets and eight BAE Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft. The deliveries were completed in 2018.[5]
Accidents
RAFO's deadliest aviation accident is on August 18, 2006, a Super Lynx was en route to save local sailors of a sinking boat in the Dhalkut region, but crashed into the sea off the coast of Dhofar, killing all 6 occupants on board.
Bases
| Installation | Unit with aircraft type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RAFO Adam | No. 8 Squadron with Eurofighter Typhoon | |
| RAFO Khasab | No. 14 Squadron (det) with NH90-TTH | |
| RAFO Musannah | No. 14 Squadron (det) with NH90-TTH | |
| No. 15 Squadron with NH90-TTH & Super Lynx Mk.120 | ||
| RAFO Masirah | No. 1 Squadron with Super Mushshak & PC-9(M) | |
| No. 6 Squadron with Hawk 103, Hawk 103A & Hawk 203 | ||
| No. 15 Squadron (det) with Super Lynx Mk.120 | ||
| RAFO Muscat | No. 2 Squadron with SC7-3M-4022 Seavan | Air base co-located within Muscat International Airport. Shifted to Mussanah. |
| No. 4 Squadron with A320-214CJ | ||
| No. 14 Squadron with NH90-TTH & SA330J | ||
| No. 16 Squadron with C-130H & C-130J | ||
| RAFO Salalah | No. 3 Squadron with NH90-TTH, Bell 206B3, Bell 429 & Super Lynx Mk.120 | |
| No. 5 Squadron with C295M | ||
| RAFO Thumrait | No. 18 Squadron with F-16C-50-CF & F-16D-50-CF | |
| No. 20 Squadron with F-16C-50-CF & F-16D-50-CF |
Aircraft
Current inventory
 | This section needs to be updated. (November 2025) |
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| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agusta-Bell AB205A-1 | Italy | Search and rescue helicopter | AB205A-1 | 21 | To be retired and replaced with NH90 and Lynx Mk 120. A total of 37 delivered and 3 on loan from Iran. |
| AgustaWestland AW139 | Italy | Helicopter | AW139 | 10 | 10 purchased for Royal Oman Police aviation wing. |
| Airbus A320CJ | China/France/Germany/USA | Transport | A320CJ | 2 | |
| BAe Hawk 103 | UK | Trainer | Hawk 103 | 4 | A total of 5 delivered, including 1 ex-Canadian. |
| BAe Hawk 203 | UK | Fighter | Hawk 203 | 11 | |
| Bell 206B JetRanger | USA | Helicopter | Bell 206 | 5 | 7 delivered. |
| Bell 214 / Bell 214ST | USA | Utility helicopter | Bell 214 / Bell 214ST | 6 | |
| Bell HH-1H Iroquois | USA | Helicopter | HH-1H | 20 | |
| Dornier Do 228-100 | Germany | Light transport | Do 228-100 | 2 | |
| Eurocopter AS 550 Fennec | France | Helicopter | AS 550 | 3 | Delivered to Omani Royal Flight. |
| Eurocopter EC 225 Super Puma | France | Helicopter | EC 225 | 6 | Delivered to Omani Royal Flight. |
| Lockheed C-130 Hercules | USA | Tactical transport | C-130H / C-130J-30 | 10 | 2 more ordered in August 2010. |
| Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon | USA | Fighter | F-16C/D | 12 | 12 more on order. One lost to crash on 22 September 2013; aircraft believed damaged beyond repair. |
| Hawk 128 (Hawk T2) | UK | Advanced Jet Trainer | Hawk 128 | 8 on order. | |
| Eurofighter Typhoon | UK | Fighter | Eurofighter Typhoon | 12 on order. Manufacturing will begin in 2014 with delivery expected in 2017. | |
| NHI NH90 | France | Helicopter | NH90 TTH | 11 | 8 to be delivered. RAFO ordered 20 NH90 TTH to replace aging AB205/206/212/214 fleet. |
| PAC Super Mushshak | Pakistan | Trainer | MFI-17 Mushshak | 7 | 8 delivered. |
| Pilatus PC-9M | Switzerland | Trainer | PC-9M | 12 | |
| Short SC.7 Skyvan 3M | UK | Light transport | Skyvan 3M | 12 | 1 lost to crash on 17 September 1973. |
| Westland Super Lynx | UK | Helicopter | Super Lynx Mk 120 | 15 | 16 delivered. One lost to crash on 18 August 2006. |
Retired
Previous aircraft flown by the Air Force included the SEPECAT Jaguar S/B, Hawker Hunter, BAC Strikemaster, Douglas DC-8, Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, Skyvan 3M, BAe BAC-1-11, Scheibe Super-Falke, and the Bell 214B helicopter[6][7]
Commanders
Air Vice-Marshal Erik Bennett of the Royal Air Force commanded the Sultan of Oman's Air Force from 1974 to 1990. In June 1990, Air Vice-Marshal Talib bin Meran bin Zaman Al-Raeesi became the first Omani national to command the air force.[8] He was succeeded by Air Vice-Marshal Mohammed bin Mahfoodh bin Saad Al-Ardhi,[9] who was appointed Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman on 23 November 1992 and served through the 1990s and into the 2000s. On 1 February 2003, Air Vice-Marshal Yahya bin Rashid Al-Juma was appointed Commander.[10] Air Vice-Marshal Khamis bin Hammad Al-Ghafri assumed command on 18 January 2021.[11]
Ranks
Commissioned officer ranks
The rank insignia of commissioned officers.
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Air Force of Oman[12] |
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| مشیر Mushir |
فريق أول Fariq 'awal |
فريق Fariq |
لواء Liwa |
عميد Amid |
عقيد Aqid |
مقدم Muqaddam |
رائد Ra'id |
نقيب Naqib |
ملازم أول Mulazim awwal |
ملازم Mulazim | ||||||||||||||
Other ranks
The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Air Force of Oman[12] |
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No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| وکیل کتیبة Wakil katiba |
وکیل Wakil |
رقیب اول Raqib 'awal |
رقیب Raqib |
عریف Earif |
نائب عریف Nayib earif |
جندي Jundiun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ a b c "Royal Air Force of Oman". Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Hoyle, Craig. "Omani F-16 deal means continued wait for Eurofighter." Archived 9 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Flight International via flightglobal.com, 14 December 2011. Retrieved: 18 December 2011.
- ^ Royal Air Force of Oman, JAS 39 Gripen and Eurofighter Typhoon Archived 6 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Tactical Report (2010-06-03). Retrieved on 2013-08-16.
- ^ BBC News - BAE Systems wins £2.5bn Oman Hawk and Typhoon contract Archived 18 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Bbc.co.uk (2012-12-21). Retrieved on 2013-08-16.
- ^ "Aeroflight » Oman. Air Force". aeroflight.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- ^ "World Air Forces 1987 pg. 76" (PDF). flightglobal.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "The Evolution of Oman's Royal Air Force". rafmuseum.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ Royal Decree 77/92 Appointing a Commander for the Royal Air Force of Oman – Decree (Royal Decree 77). 1992. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ^ Royal Decree 11/2003 Promoting an Air Commodore to the Rank of Air Vice-Marshal and Appointing Him Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman – Decree (Royal Decree 11). 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ^ Royal Decree 11/2021 Making Military Promotions and Appointments (Royal Decree 11). 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
- ^ a b "The Military Ranks and Badges". mod.gov.om. Ministry of defence. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
External links
- The Sultan’s Armed Forces mentioning the Royal Air Force of Oman
- World aircraft information files Brightstar publishing File 330 Sheet 1
