Benin Armed Forces | |
---|---|
Forces Armées Béninoises | |
![]() Coat of arms of Benin | |
Founded | 1960 |
Service branches | Army Benin Navy ![]() National Gendarmerie |
Leadership | |
Commander-in-Chief | President Patrice Talon |
Minister of Defence | Yarou Robert Theophile |
Chief of the Defence Staff | Laurent Amoussou |
Personnel | |
Conscription | No |
Active personnel | 4,750[1] |
Expenditures | |
Budget | $US73 million (2011)[1] |
Percent of GDP | 1% (2011)[1] |
Industry | |
Foreign suppliers | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Related articles | |
Ranks | Military ranks of Benin |
The Benin Armed Forces (French: Forces Armées Béninoises; FAB) constitutes the army, navy, air force, and national gendarmerie of Benin. For a number of years, the Belgian Armed Forces have had an active programme of co-operation with Benin, offering training and coaching, donating redundant military equipment and using the country for limited military exercises.[2]
History
The constitution of December 11, 1990 ordered the Benin Armed Forces to ensure effective, permanent and efficient security coverage of the territory, as well as border vigilance.
The national gendarmerie no longer exists since 2019. It has been merged with the national police.
Branches
Army
As of 2012, the Army had a strength of 4,300.[1] It includes 1 armoured squadron, 3 infantry battalions, 1 commando/airborne battalion, 1 artillery battery, and 1 engineer battalion, and 1 National Fire Brigade.[1] The army has the following units:
- 1st Parachute Commando Battalion
- 1st Motorized Intervention Battalion
- 1st Armoured Group
- National Group of Firefighters
- 1st Combined Arms Battalion
- 2nd Combined Arms Battalion
- 3rd Combined Arms Battalion
- 7th Combined Arms Battalion
- 8th Combined Arms Battalion
- 1st Mixed Artillery Battalion
- 1st Engineer Battalion
- 1st Signal Battalion
- 1st Materiel Battalion
- 1st Train Battalion
- Headquarters Group
Air Force
After achieving independence from France in 1960 the Benin Air Force was transport equipped with seven French-supplied Douglas C-47s, four MH.1521 Broussards and two Agusta-Bell 47Gs. Two F-27s entered service in 1978 for transport duties before being transferred to Air Benin. Also during the same era, two AN-26s were acquired. In late 1985 two Dornier Do-28s entered service to replace the C-47s. A single DHC-6 Twin Otter was acquired in 1989.
As at 2012, the navy has a strength of approximately 200 personnel. It operates two ex-Chinese patrol boats, which are designated the Matelot Brice Kpomasse class.[1]
Republican Guard
The Republican Guard is responsible for the security of the President of the Republic, ministers, members of the government, institutions of the Republic and their leader.
Equipment
Infantry weapons
Name | Origin | Type | Variant | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Small arms | ||||||
TT pistol[3] | Soviet Union | Semi-automatic pistol | ||||
MAT-49[3] | France | Submachine gun | ||||
AKM[3] | Russia | Assault rifle | ||||
AK-47[3] | Russia | Assault rifle | AK-103, AK-12, RPK-74 | |||
Type 56[4] | China | Assault rifle | ||||
MAS-36 rifle[3] | France | Bolt-action rifle | ||||
SKS[3] | Soviet Union | Semi-automatic rifle | ||||
MAS-49 rifle[3] | France | Semi-automatic rifle | ||||
AA-52[3] | France | General purpose | ||||
Degtyaryov[3] | Soviet Union | General purpose | RP-46 | |||
RPD[3] | Soviet Union | General purpose | ||||
DShK[3] | Soviet Union | General purpose | ||||
M2 Browning[3] | United States | General purpose | M2HB, M2HB-QCB | |||
RPG-7 | Soviet Union | Rocket-propelled grenade |
Heavy weapons
Name | Origin | Type | In service | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Armored fighting vehicle | ||||||
PT-76 | Soviet Union | Light tank | 18[5] | |||
Eland-90 | South Africa | Armored car | 3[6] | provided with French training[7][8] | ||
BRDM-2 | Soviet Union | Armored car | 14[5] | |||
M8 Greyhound | United States | Anti-armor vehicle | 7[5] | |||
Panhard VBL | France | Armored car | 10[5] | |||
M113 | United States | Armoured personnel carrier | 22[5] | |||
ACMAT Bastion | France | Armoured personnel carrier | 2[5] | |||
Casspir 2000 | South Africa | Armoured personnel carrier | 10[5] | |||
Artillery | ||||||
LLR 81mm | France | Mortar | Unknown[5] | |||
L118 Light Gun | United Kingdom | Howitzer | 12[5] | |||
M101 howitzer | United States | Howitzer | 4[5] |
Aircraft
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transport | ||||||
Boeing 727 | United States | VIP transport | 1[9] | |||
DHC-6 Twin Otter | Canada | utility transport | 1[10] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f IISS (2012), p. 422
- ^ Mathurin C. Houngnikpo, Samuel Decalo, Historical Dictionary of Benin, 78.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Jane's Infantry Weapons 2007
- ^ Photo Details. Marines.mil (16 June 2009). Retrieved on 2012-05-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j International Institute for Strategic Studies (2021). The Military Balance. p. 450. ISBN 9781032012278.
- ^ DIO blindé au Bénin
- ^ "Senegal Instruction Operationelle Au Profit Des Forces Armees Beninoises".
- ^ Republique du Benin Archived 3 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Benin Government B-727". xairforces.net. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ "World Air Forces 2021". Flightglobal Insight. 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- Works consulted
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (2012). The Military Balance 2012. London: IISS. ISSN 0459-7222.
This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/.