Federal African Air Force (Yellowstone: 1936)

The Federal African Air Force (FA-AF) is aerial military branch of the Federal African Armed Forces. It was formed in 1953 by Federated States of Africa, and served in every major conflict waged by the Federal African military forces between 1953 and the present day. With a total force of 163,246 active personnel and 742 aircraft, the FA-AF is one of the largest air forces in the force. Well-trained, well-equipped, and well-funded, the air force is one of the most important organizations of the Federal African security apparatus, and its pull in government affairs is considerably high. The air force is under the command of the Department of Defence, which reports directly to the president of Federated States.

History

Origin

Poster for the Federal African Air Force during the West African Campaigns

The Federal African Air Force has its origins with General Charles Alfred Anderson, Sr., a member of the exodus to Africa following the Yellowstone Eruption in 1936, and the often cited "Father of Black Aviation". He was responsible for marshaling the resources needed to form an air force for Federated States in its beginnings, and led the growth of the air force as an independent unit during the West African Campaigns. Gen. Anderson gained the support of his superiors in diverting military goods toward the production of warplanes, and helped train the volunteers who signed up as aviators. The force soon became known as the Tuskegee Airmen, and flew numerous sorties against the French and British colonial forces in West Africa in the early-1950s.

Following the campaigns, the Tuskegee Airmen were reformed into the Federal African Air Force on June 5th of 1953. Like the rest of the military, however, the air force was limited in size, and had to make up for this handicap by making their planes the best they could be. The new air force would serve on in numerous later conflicts, this time against the African native populations that had exploited the weakness of the colonial governors of Europe to organize a true resistance to the military forces in the region. The FA-AF ran countless bombing campaigns against the African tribal groups, often embarking on night-time terror missions to destroy the morale of their neighbors, and were amongst the few air forces to equip their dive-bombers with howling engines that terrified the civilians on the ground as the planes neared their locations.

Post-war developments

The air force grew in size during peacetime, putting the resources their nation had acquired to good use, and funding the development of new aircraft that could compensate for the lack of combat planes they had at their disposal. With a nearly endless flow of hard cash coming from the government, the FA-AF was able to acquire one of the first jet fighters in the world. This development saw the FA-AF embark on a new air campaign against the French Ivory Coast in the late-1950s, winning numerous battles against their much larger adversary. With the end of that campaign in 1961, the FA-AF shrunk in size as manpower was diverted by the government to numerous public works projects, such as the construction of the Volta Dam and the military fortifications planned by the military staff in Freetown.

Modern day

Today, the FA-AF is one of the most advanced air forces in the world, spearheading developments into new fields of aerial combat so as to support the fascist government of their nation. Several uprisings in the 1980s and 1990s were put down brutally thanks to the superior air power marshaled by the military against the rebels in the jungles of the nation. Bombing campaigns against the native population who continue to resist the government, are carried out on a frequent basis, meaning that the average FA-AF pilot has more than 100 flight hours a month so as to be prepared for the next mission.

Because of this, the air force has incurred one of the strongest waves of international criticism against any branch of the military bar the army itself. For the reason, spare parts that were once purchased from abroad have become difficult to acquire my the air force, forcing it to rely on more expensive local options. As a result of this development, the air force was downsized by the military so as to make it more affordable, though in typical Federal African fashion, this has been compensated for by increasing the quality of the airplanes and the training of its remaining pilots. The FA-AF thus still remains a force to be feared and admired.

Equipment

Aircraft	Photo	Origin	Role	Number
Fixed-wing aircraft
B-1 Shrike		Federated States	Strategic bomber	86
B-3 Peregrine		Federated States	Stealth bomber	16
F-13 Falcon		Federated States	Air superiority fighter	256
F-27 Buzzard		Federated States	Air superiority fighter	308
F-38 Raven		Federated States	Air superiority fighter	144
STOL and VTOL
V-18 Vulture		Federated States	Cargo VTOL aircraft	68