Tanzania Air Force Aircraft 2026: F-7 Fighters, Helicopters and Fleet Size
Tanzania’s air force has about 38 military aircraft, according to Global Firepower’s 2026 estimate: 11 fighters, six trainers, six fixed-wing transports and 15 helicopters, with no attack helicopters. The fighters are Chinese-built F-7/J-7 jets delivered in 2009-2012, and Tanzania has no confirmed military drone fleet. We found no official inventory published by the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF), so every total on this page is an estimate. Two Leonardo C-27J transports ordered in January 2024 had not been confirmed as delivered by November 2026.
Quick answer
Total military aircraft: about 38 (Global Firepower 2026, estimate; fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, drones not among the types GFP lists). Fighter jets: 11-14 F-7TN/J-7G (about 12 single-seat and 2 two-seat delivered, SIPRI estimate, 2009-2012). Trainers: about 6 Hongdu K-8. Helicopters: about 15, including H225M Caracal and H215M Cougar transports and Bell 412s. Attack helicopters: none confirmed. On order: 2 C-27J Spartan (signed 9 January 2024).
Data verified on 7 November 2026. Delivery data come from SIPRI (to end-2025); totals are index estimates, not official figures.
How many fighter jets does Tanzania have?
Between 11 and 14, all of one Chinese type. SIPRI estimates that 14 F-7MG-family fighters (an F-7TN version, including two FT-7TN two-seaters) were ordered from China around 2008 and delivered in 2009, 2011 and 2012. defenceWeb’s Tanzania profile, last updated in November 2025, lists 11 single-seat F-7G (F-7TN) and two two-seat FT-7N, and Global Firepower’s 2026 count of 11 fighters matches the single-seat figure.
These jets replaced older Chinese and Soviet types. SIPRI records 16 J-6 fighters (1973), 16 MiG-21MFs from the Soviet Union (1974) and about 12 F-7A/J-7Is (1981) delivered in earlier decades; none appears in current fleet listings. A MilAvia assessment cited in open references says Tanzania’s F-7s fly only rarely because of airworthiness problems, which is a reason to read 11-14 as the number held, not the number ready on any given day. We found no reported order for a successor fighter.
Tanzania Air Force aircraft inventory
| Platform | Variant | Quantity | Status | Source / period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chengdu F-7 / J-7 | F-7TN (J-7G), FT-7TN two-seat | 14 delivered; 11 + 2 listed in service | In service, low activity reported | SIPRI (2009-2012); defenceWeb, Nov 2025 |
| Hongdu K-8 Karakorum | K-8 (armed trainer) | About 6 delivered (SIPRI estimate) | About 6 listed | SIPRI (2011-2012); defenceWeb |
| Shaanxi Y-8 | Y-8F-200 | 2 | Listed | SIPRI (2003); defenceWeb |
| Harbin Y-12 | Y-12 | 2 | Listed | SIPRI (1994); defenceWeb |
| CASA/IPTN CN-235 | CN235M | 1 | Received February 2025 (second-hand, from the UAE) | Scramble; SIPRI |
| Leonardo C-27J Spartan | C-27J | 2 ordered | On order; delivery not confirmed | Italian Foreign Ministry, 9 Jan 2024; SIPRI |
| Airbus H225M / H215M | H225 Caracal, AS532/H215 Cougar | 2 + 4 ordered 2017; defenceWeb lists 2 + 2 | Delivered 2018-2021 | SIPRI (2018-2021); defenceWeb |
| Bell 412 / Bell 206 | AB412EP; Bell 206 variants | 2 Bell 412; about 6 Bell 206 | In service (estimate) | defenceWeb, Nov 2025; SIPRI |
| Airbus H125 | H125 (SIPRI category: “(armed) light helicopter”) | About 4 delivered 2018-2021 | Delivered; not itemised by defenceWeb | SIPRI |
| Military drones | – | None confirmed | No transfer in SIPRI register | SIPRI (absence of record) |
“Delivered” quantities are SIPRI records and are not the same as serviceable aircraft today. The helicopter rows add up to about 16 against Global Firepower’s 15, and source totals differ partly because some count VIP and stored airframes while others do not.
Helicopters and transport aircraft
Tanzania’s recent purchases have been helicopters and transports. SIPRI records an order for two H225 Caracal and four H215 Cougar helicopters from Airbus in 2017, with the H215s probably built on the Romanian production line, plus about four H125 light helicopters, which SIPRI lists in its “(armed) light helicopter” category, with no armament confirmed, delivered between 2018 and 2021. Global Firepower counts 15 helicopters and no attack helicopters; SIPRI’s register records no combat-helicopter transfer to Tanzania since 1975.
The fixed-wing transport fleet includes two Y-8s and two Y-12s, and received a second-hand CN235M from the United Arab Emirates in February 2025, Scramble reported. The two C-27J Spartans signed for on 9 January 2024 are intended mainly for humanitarian, search-and-rescue and firefighting missions, according to Italy’s Foreign Ministry. SIPRI’s register to end-2025 shows none delivered, and we found no delivery announcement by November 2026.
Does Tanzania have military drones?
No military UAV is confirmed in Tanzanian service. SIPRI records no drone transfer to Tanzania between 1960 and 2025, and we found no official announcement or credible report of a Turkish, Chinese or Israeli combat drone purchase. Indian firms, including drone maker ideaForge, showcased UAVs at an Indian “Mini Defexpo” in Dar es Salaam, but that was a sales event, not a contract. This is an absence of evidence, not proof that the TPDF holds no drones at all.
How Tanzania compares with its neighbours
Tanzania’s air arm is one of the smaller in East Africa. Global Firepower’s 2026 estimates put Kenya at 154 aircraft and Uganda at 51, against Tanzania’s 38. GFP credits Uganda with six attack helicopters and Kenya with two, against none for Tanzania. Our Kenya vs Tanzania military comparison and Kenya Air Force inventory cover the gap in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
What fighter jets does Tanzania have?
Only the Chengdu F-7TN/J-7G, a Chinese development of the MiG-21. SIPRI estimates 14 were delivered between 2009 and 2012, two of them two-seat trainers.
Does Tanzania have attack helicopters?
None are confirmed. Its helicopter fleet is made up of Airbus transport and light helicopters and Bell utility types.
Has Tanzania received its C-27J Spartans?
Not as far as public sources show. The contract was signed on 9 January 2024, but no delivery had been announced by November 2026.
Who supplies Tanzania’s military aircraft?
China supplied the fighters, the K-8 trainers and the Y-8 and Y-12 transports; France/Airbus supplied the newest helicopters; Italy is supplying the C-27Js.
Related reading
- Tanzania’s military strength in 2026
- Kenya vs Tanzania: military comparison
- Trainer aircraft in African air forces
- Tactical transport aircraft in African air forces
- Africa’s largest air forces ranked
Sources
- SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, trade register for Tanzania, 1960-2025 (data published March 2026; accessed November 2026).
- Global Firepower, Tanzania military strength 2026 (accessed November 2026).
- defenceWeb, “Tanzania” African militaries profile (updated November 2025).
- Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Tanzania, Leonardo SpA firma contratto per fornitura velivoli”, 9 January 2024.
- Scramble, “Tanzania receives CN235M from the United Arab Emirates”, February 2025.
Last updated: 7 November 2026.
