Mnangagwa Confers Wings on 10 New Air Force of Zimbabwe Pilots at Gweru

President Emmerson Mnangagwa conferred flying wings on 10 newly qualified Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) officers on 4 November 2026 at Josiah Tungamirai Air Force Base in Gweru, completing Number 70 Pilot Training Course. State media and The Herald reported the cohort as nine men and one woman, trained to serve as combatant pilots in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

Course, syllabus and losses

Mnangagwa, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, said the course began on 8 November 2021 with 12 flying officer cadets. One cadet was later discharged; another died in an air crash with an instructor pilot. The president repeated official condolences to both families at the parade, according to The Herald and Zimbabwe Situation’s reprint of the same report.

AFZ flying training has been upgraded to a degree pathway administered by the Zimbabwe National Defence University. Number 70 is the second cohort to finish that route. Cadets took a Bachelor of Science Honours in Aviation Sciences, Aircraft Systems and Operations — covering navigation, air law, aerodynamics, radar technology and air traffic management — then moved to practical flying with Number 6 Squadron. Mnangagwa said student pilots were expected to log about 120 flying hours covering general handling, circuits, instrument flying, navigation, formation and aerobatics.

Modernisation message, not a procurement announcement

Addressing the parade, Mnangagwa called for continuous modernisation of the AFZ through advanced training, technology transfer and skills development, citing the changing character of air operations and the growing role of artificial intelligence. He praised an overhaul and maintenance facility at the Gweru base intended to build technical expertise through supplier technology-transfer arrangements, without naming new aircraft types, quantities or contract values.

He also pointed to regional work under the SADC Standing Aviation Committee, said he looked forward to the AFZ hosting Exercise Blue Runde in 2027, and mentioned AFZ displays at the Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition in South Africa. Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, deputy Levy Mayihlome, service chiefs and senior officials attended.

The ceremony adds trained aircrew; it does not by itself change the AFZ’s order of battle. Zimbabwe’s combat and trainer fleets — including surviving Hawk airframes and Chinese-origin K-8 trainers tracked in open sources — remain constrained by sustainment and sanctions-era spare-parts limits that Defence Mena has discussed in broader African light-attack and trainer coverage. No new fighter, trainer or helicopter delivery was announced at Gweru.

Sources

• The Herald: President Mnangagwa hails excellence as 10 AFZ pilots earn flying wings (4 November 2026)
• The Herald: Mnangagwa on AFZ modernisation, degree syllabus and 120-hour flying phase (5 November 2026)
• Zimbabwe Situation: reprint of The Herald commissioning report (5 November 2026)
• The Granite Post: Gweru commissioning ceremony summary (4 November 2026)