Ghantish Air Force
| Ghantish Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1939 (as reconstituted in its current form) |
| Country | Ghant |
| Allegiance | Monarch(s) of Ghant |
| Branch | Air force |
| Size | 42,275 |
The Imperial Ghantish Air Force is the aerial arm of the Ghantish Imperial Forces. Reconstituted in its modern form in 1939, the IGAF benefits from having a modern air arm equipped with capable multirole combat aircraft.
Ghant had been involved in the sphere of military aviation since the early-20th century. However, it did not possess an indigenous fighter industry until a few decades later. The first Ghantish fighters were imported or license-built foreign models, including the Arthuristan Flycatcher, Fury and Gladiator, as well as Latin types such as the CR.42. The Latin SM.79 would remain its standard bomber and maritime attack aircraft well into the early-1950's.
It was not until the early-40's that the indigenous aircraft industry began to manufacture high quality aircraft for the IGAF, beginning with piston-powered models such as ES-22 and E-21, and transitioning into the jet age with the E-21R and E-29 (the 'E' stands for 'Ehiztari' - hunter). These models were in turn replaced by the E-35 Draco for the fighter/interceptor role and the E-32 for the ground attack and anti-ship roles.
In the late-60's, the decision was made to economise by using a single platform to perform all missions of tactical aircraft, in other words, to adopt a multirole fighter. This came in the form of the E-37, which was replaced in the 2000's by the E-39 Grifo. The latest model, the E-39E Grifo NG, features AESA radar, data fusion and other advanced sensors and network technological suites.
Inventory
| Aircraft | Origin | Role | In service | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter Aircraft | ||||||
| E-39E Grifo NG |  Ghant
|
4.5th-generation multirole fighter | 186 | |||
| E-39 Grifo | Ghant
|
4.5th-generation Multirole fighter | 87, to be fully replaced by the Grifo NG by 2024 | |||
| Surveillance Aircraft | ||||||
| Globaleye | Ghant
|
AEW&C aircraft | 8 | |||
| Centaur JSTARS |  Arthurista
|
Ground surveillance aircraft | 4 | |||
| Centaur E.1 | Arthurista
|
Electronic warfare aircraft | 5 | |||
| Support aircraft | ||||||
| Centaur C.1 | Arthurista
|
Strategic airlifter/refueller | 54 | |||
| Continental Pegasus |  Belfras
|
Tactical airlifter | 33 | |||
| Maritime patrol aircraft | ||||||
| Majestic Glaucus | Belfras
|
Maritime patrol aircraft | 36 | |||
| Trainer | ||||||
| P-105 | Ghant
|
Trainer aircraft | 45 | |||
| P-312 | Arthurista
|
Trainer aircraft | ||||
| UAV/UCAV | ||||||
| NOVA Drone | Arthurista
|
UCAV | 22 | |||
| Global Falcon |  Latium
|
UCAV | 6 | |||