The Republic of Tunisia (al-Jumhūrīyah at-Tūnisīyah République tunisienne in French) is located in the Maghreb region of North Africa, Cape Angela, being the northernmost point on the African continent, bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its Air Force (Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'Tunisia) flies a mixture of aircraft types and was prominent during the International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition (IADE) which took place at Djerba airport in Tunisa, 4-8 March 2020.
The first of more to come
This first International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition was organised in Djerba, at the centre of Gulf of Gabès. The climate in March is mild with warm and sunny weather and the tourist assignment of the island assures a large number of luxury beach hotels to accommodate visitors. Also the Djerba airport has all facilities and space needed for hosting an airshow in the African continent.
The show was inaugurated by the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of Armed Forces Kais Saied, the opening ceremony attended by official delegations of 40 countries. On the first three days, IADE was exclusively for to trade visitors while on the last two days, open to the general public.
USAF KC-135 from Mildenhall alongside C-130J from Ramstein on static display at IADE 2020
By far, the US Air Force was the largest participant at the show, which explains much its presence considering the geopolitical situation in this country. According to the official Show Catalogue, the US Air Force was to display an impressive range of aircraft including two F-16C Falcons, the KC-135 Stratotanker, C-130J Hercules, P-8 Poseidon, C-17 Globemaster, FA-18E, AH-1Z Cobra and AH-64 Apache. However, the C-17, FA-18E and both attack helicopters were not present but the static show was dominated by the US presence, in every sense of the word.
Also making a geopolitical statement, the Royal Saudi Air Force also had a large presence, with their formation aerobatic team flying eight BAe Hawk trainers. These Hawks had flown some 3000km, making refueling halts at Cyprus, Crete (Greece) and Malta, before landing at Djerba, with logistic support by a C-130 Hercules. The brightly green-white coloured aircraft carried out impressive displays every day, the pilots mounting their aircraft absolutely in front of the visitors and exclusive business chalets. It was clearly the first time for the Tunisian public attending the show to witness such a vibrant and flamboyant display being performed.
Turkey was represented with a static display of their Anka-S unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). In January, Tunisia had signed a contract for six ANKA-S during the visit to Tunisia of Turkish President Recep Erdogan, including the control centre, at a cost of $80 million.
Further underlining the close relations between the two countries, was the presence of two Turkish Air Force F-16Cs of the Solo Turk demonstration team. Two C-130B Hercules aircraft were present at the start but flew back to Turkey after the official opening. The F-16Cs of Solo Turk remained on static display and were swarmed by the public, before being pushed back for their flight displays.
Solo Turk F-16C at low level with palm trees in the background
The Tunisian Air Force participations was subdued and it was explained that being in public view for the first time, there were some organisational issues. On static display was a brand new Tunisian National Guard Bell-429 GlobalRanger helicopter, the type used for monitoring the coastline, road traffic management, providing emergency response and disaster management including evacuation and fight against terrorism.
Every morning at opening of the show, a Tunisian Bell OH-58D Kiowa would fly in from Gabès-Matmata Air Force base and land for display at the static line. This type has been in service with the Tunisian Air Force since 2016 and although 24 were ordered, only some 18 are in current service.
The Tunisian Air Forces operates two C-130J-30 Hercules from No. 21 Squadron based at Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed, alongside the Let-410 UVP-200.
Shortly thereafter, a C-130J would arrive from Bizerte Air Force base, making two Tunisian Air Force aircraft as lone participants at their own Show. However, during the official opening and during the public airshow, there was a parachute drop display from a UH-60M Blackhawk helicopter.
Still, by far the most impressive and rare sight during the flying display was the flyby a lone F-5F Tiger and two L-59T Super Albatros, which constitute backbone of the Air Force (photo at masthead). For this Show, two F-5Fs had been given a special paint job, with the Tunisian bright red and white colours on the belly of the aircraft. The F-5Fs had been relocated from Bizerte Air Force base to Sfax Air Force base, which is close by, some 100 km from Djerba island which also houses the Aero L-59T trainers.
Although the F-5 Tiger is operated by many countries, the desert camouflage makes the Tunisian variant more exotic while the L-59 Super Albatros aircraft is only operated by the Egypt and Tunisian Air Forces making this a rather rare sight.
Two L-59T Super Albatross in their distinctive camouflage colours
The Czech Aero L-59T Super Albatross has been developed from the earlier L-39 Albatros, featuring a strengthened fuselage, longer nose, a updated cockpit, advanced avionics (including head-up display), and a more powerful engine. Originally designed as a trainer aircraft, the L-59T can be armed and has been used by Tunisian Air Forces for counter-insurgency operations.
According to Show Director Gaël Pineau, “the sustainability of the show is assured thanks to the official support”. This would thus be an important opportunity for Tunisia and North Africa to highlight the potential of this Continent in the world of aeronautics and defence.
The organisers have announced dates for the next Show, which will be from 9 to 14 March 2022.
Text and photos by: Johan Franken, Frank van der Avoort and Eric Schel