The Ghana Air Force (GHF) is the aerial warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The GHF, along with the Ghanaian army (GA) and Ghanaian navy (GN), make up the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF), which are controlled by the Ghanaian Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The GHF (Ghana Air Force) started on 24 July 1959 as a Flying Training School with Israeli instructors and technicians, under the command of Lt. Col. Adam Shatkay of the IAF (Israeli Air Force). The School was established as a cradle of a service to complement the Army and the Navy. Later that year a headquarters was established in Accra under the command of Indian Air commodore K. Jaswant-Singh who was appointed as the first Chief of Air Staff (CAS). In 1960 Royal Air Force personnel took up the task of training the newly established Ghana Air Force and in 1961 they were joined by a small group of Royal Canadian Air Force personnel. In September 1961 as part of President Kwame Nkrumah's Africanization program, a Ghanaian CAS was appointed, with the first being J.E.S. de Graft-Hayford, born in the U.K. of Ghanaian descent.
The Ghana Air Force was in the beginning equipped with a squadron of Chipmunk trainers, and squadrons of Beavers, Otters and Caribou transport aircraft. In addition a DH125 jet was bought for Kwame Nkrumah, Hughes helicopters were bought for mosquito spraying plus DH Doves and Herons. British-made Westland Whirlwind helicopters and a squadron of Italian-made MB-326 ground attack/trainer jets were also purchased.
In 1962 the national School of Gliding was set up by Hanna Reitsch, who was once Adolf Hitler's top personal pilot. Under the command of Air Commodore de Graft-Hayford, she served as director, operations instructor and trainer of the school. She also acted as the personal pilot of Kwame Nkrumah from 1962 to 1966.
Current day, the air force has been advancing evacuation capabilities in Ghana through the US-Ghanaian partnership.
The GHF headquarters is located at Burma Camp and the main transport airfield is the Air Force Base Accra, which shares the same runway with the Accra International Airport. Other GHF airfields include:
The role of the Ghana Air Force, as defined in the National Defence Policy, is to provide "Air Transport and Offensive Air Support to the Ghana Armed Forces and to protect the territorial air space of Ghana". The National Defense Policy states certain specific tasks which the Ghana Air Force is expected to perform:
The Ghana Air Force is also responsible for the co-ordination and direction of Search and Rescue (SAR) within the Accra Flight Information Region.
In 2024 a Fokker F27 Friendship with Ghana Air Force fin flash can be seen at Accra Air Base.
Ghana Air Force has considered Embraer EMB 314, a COIN or light attack aircraft from Brazil. At one time, around 2015, 5 were on order but the deal did not close and no aircraft were acquired by Ghana. As of 2024, EMB 314 was still under consideration of being acquired by Ghana Air Force but no deal has been made.
The Ghana Air Force has also considered acquiring Aero L-39NG jet trainer (or light combat aircraft) from Czech Republic. 6 were on order in 2021 but in 2024 the acquisition was described as stalled.
GhanaâÂÂs Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Airbus Helicopters for four aircraft: two H175M military helicopters, one ACH175 and one ACH160. The agreement was announced on January 15 (2026). The two H175M helicopters will be used in multi-mission roles, including transport, search and rescue, medical evacuation and disaster relief. The ACH175 and ACH160 will be operated in transport roles, including government and VIP missions. âÂÂThe H175M will be operated in Ghana across defence and security missions,â said Arnaud Montalvo, head of Africa and the Middle East at Airbus Helicopters, in a brief statement accompanying the announcement.
Previous notable aircraft operated were the Aermacchi MB-339, MB-326, DHC-4 Caribou, Fokker F27 Friendship, de Havilland Heron, Short Skyvan, BN-2 Islander, Beagle Husky, DHC-3 Otter, DHC-2 Beaver, Cessna 172, Bell 212, Westland Wessex, Aérospatiale Alouette III, Mil Mi-2, Scottish Aviation Bulldog, DHC-1 Chipmunk, L-29 DelfÃÂn, HAL HT-2 and the Aero L-39ZO.
The senior appointment in the GHF is the Chief of Air Staff. The following is a list of the Ghana Air Force Chiefs of Air Staff:
The GHF's rank structure is similar to the RAF's rank structure from where its ranks were derived.