The top modernization priority for the service is adding to the fleet of A-29 Super Tucano armed turboprops, Lebanese Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Michael Saifi says.
LONDON—The Lebanese Air Force is looking to augment its fixed-wing and intelligence collection force if challenging resource conditions permit, the service commander says.
The top modernization priority for the force is adding to the fleet of A-29 Super Tucano armed turboprops, Lebanese Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Michael Saifi said in an interview at the Global Air & Space Chiefs Conference here in London. The service would like to stand up a second squadron operating the aircraft that is used heavily to provide close air support to the Lebanese Army, he says.
Lebanon, about a decade ago, acquired six A-29 Super Tucanos through U.S. Foreign Military Sales channels. The aircraft have proven useful, Saifi says, adding that he would like to double the fleet to provide greater coverage across the breadth of the country.
Also on his wishlist is obtaining additional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capacity. The main role of such a system would be to improve surveillance of Lebanon’s maritime area and support the country’s navy, Saifi says.
Lebanon received six Boeing ScanEagle uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) about five years ago. Although ScanEagle has a principal maritime surveillance role, Lebanon has been using those UAVs mostly for overland operations. Lebanon would like to acquire more UAVs for the maritime surveillance role, but Saifi says the service is also open to acquiring a crewed platform.
Even higher priority than the UAVs is the need to enhance the military’s air traffic management tools, he notes. The service would like to introduce more secondary radars to better manage the Air Force’s assets, he says.
One of the biggest headaches for the Air Force, and the armed forces more widely, has been the deep economic crisis that has hit Lebanon and has lasted for years. Keeping readiness high, given the situation, “is a big challenge,” Saifi says. The Air Force has had to largely rely on the ingenuity of staff to keep equipment going.
The economic crisis and its impact on the value of the local currency has made retaining pilots difficult, Saifi says, particularly given competing pay offers from airlines.
The service operates several other aircraft types, including the armed Cessna AC-208 Combat Caravan that first began flying in Lebanon more than 10 years ago. Saifi says the aircraft was used heavily during the first fight against Islamic State insurgents. It is employed as a close air support and surveillance asset. The service also operates multiple helicopter types, but for now says the force is in good shape and not facing imminent modernization requirements.
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