Mali Air Force L-39 Delivered

Four L-39C Albatros light attack and training jets supplied by Russia were handed over to the Malian armed forces during a ceremony at Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako, in the presence of the head of the ruling junta and the Russian ambassador. Three Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 armed drones were delivered in the same batch. The transfer was part of a sustained flow of Russian aircraft and helicopters to Mali that began after the withdrawal of French forces, and reportedly brought the Malian L-39C fleet to thirteen aircraft. The type is used for light strike and armed reconnaissance against insurgent groups in the centre and north of the country.