Air Force of Zaire

Comprised of approximately 4,500 members, the Zairian air force's primary purpose are air support, aerial reconnaissance, transporting units of the army and navy, and providing logistical support for other branches of the military. Because of poor maintenance, lack of spare parts, insufficient funding, and minimal training, the effectiveness of the air force's effectiveness was once negligible at best. Many pilots were involved in black marketeering; others operated their own (illegal) commercial airlines, costing the national airline millions every year. It was estimated that at least 75% of the air force's aircraft were non-deployable. But after the 1996 civil war/rebellion, Mobutu hired Chinese technicians to repair the aircraft and, although they are growing old and becoming increasingly obsolete, they are now fully functional; in addition, Mobutu is gradually replacing the older aircraft with newer models. Although pilots are now properly paid (albeit with Parthian taxpayers' money), illegal activities by them remain commonplace, due to the permanently entrenched ethic of corruption that pervades Zaire.