Burkina Faso has no fighter jets. Global Firepower’s 2026 estimate credits its air force with about 26 crewed military aircraft: three light attack aircraft, two fixed-wing transports, two special-mission aircraft and 19 helicopters, five of them attack helicopters. Much of its strike capability now comes from drones: Turkish Bayraktar TB2s delivered from 2022 and Bayraktar AKINCIs, at least two of which were shown in April 2024. The government has never published how many drones it holds, so drone numbers below are estimates or counts of aircraft shown, not totals.
Quick answer
Total crewed military aircraft: about 26 (Global Firepower 2026, estimate). Fighter jets: none. Light attack aircraft: 3 EMB-314 Super Tucano (2011). Attack helicopters: 5 counted by GFP, consistent with the 5 Mi-24/Mi-35 SIPRI records as delivered (serviceability not published). Armed drones: Bayraktar TB2 (SIPRI estimates about 8 delivered in 2022-2023) and AKINCI (at least 2 shown on 8 April 2024; SIPRI estimates about 2 delivered in 2024); totals not published.
Data verified on 7 November 2026. Delivery data from SIPRI (to end-2025) and official Burkinabè statements; aircraft totals are estimates.
How many military aircraft does Burkina Faso have?
About 26 crewed aircraft, according to Global Firepower’s 2026 data, which do not include drones. By comparison, GFP credits Mali with about 44 and Nigeria with about 159. Its only fixed-wing combat aircraft are three Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucanos, delivered from Brazil in 2011 according to SIPRI. Global Firepower counts no fighters and no jet trainers.
Specialist counts of the helicopter fleet, as compiled by migflug.com from FlightGlobal and defenceWeb, differ almost type by type, notably for Mi-8/17 and H125/AS350 numbers. None is official, and serviceability is unknown.
Burkina Faso Air Force aircraft and drone inventory
| Platform | Variant | Quantity | Status | Source / period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer Super Tucano | EMB-314 / A-29B | 3 delivered | In service (light attack) | SIPRI (2011) |
| Airbus C295 | C295W | 1 | Delivered 2021 | SIPRI |
| CASA/IPTN CN-235 | CN-235-220M | 1 | Delivered 2007 (second-hand); status not confirmed | SIPRI |
| Diamond DA42 MPP / King Air | DA42 MPP; King Air B200 | 1 / 1 | Delivered 2016 / 2006 | SIPRI |
| Mil Mi-24 / Mi-35 | Mi-35 (Mi-24P, 2005); Mi-24D (2018-2021) | 5 delivered; GFP counts 5 | Listed (serviceability unknown) | SIPRI; GFP 2026 |
| Mil Mi-17 / Mi-171Sh | Mi-171Sh (armed); other Mi-8/17 | 2 Mi-171Sh delivered 2018; tracker counts differ | Listed | SIPRI; FlightGlobal and defenceWeb via migflug.com |
| Airbus H125 / AS350 | H125, AS350 | 5 delivered 2020 (second-hand, Spain); tracker counts differ | Listed | SIPRI; trackers via migflug.com |
| Bell UH-1H / AW139 | Bell 205A-1 (UH-1H); AW139 | 2 / 1 | Donated by Taiwan 2017 / delivered 2016 | SIPRI |
| Baykar Bayraktar TB2 (UAV) | TB2 | About 8 delivered 2022-2023 (SIPRI estimate); three TB2s shown April 2024; overlap with SIPRI count unknown | Total not published; one crash reported June 2023 (trackers) | SIPRI; Présidence du Faso, 8 Apr 2024 |
| Baykar Bayraktar AKINCI (UAV) | AKINCI | At least 2 shown (Janes); about 2 delivered 2024 (SIPRI estimate) | Handed over April 2024 | Janes; Présidence du Faso; SIPRI |
Drones are listed separately and are not counted as crewed aircraft. SIPRI marks the TB2 and AKINCI numbers as estimates; Burkina Faso has not published official totals.
Turkish drones at the centre of the force
Burkina Faso’s air power has been rebuilt around Turkish drones since 2022. Trackers compiled by migflug.com report the first TB2s arriving in April 2022; SIPRI estimates about eight were delivered across 2022 and 2023. On 8 April 2024 transitional president Captain Ibrahim Traoré handed over what his office called “about a dozen” combat drones, “consisting mainly of Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar Akinci”, saying they had been bought partly with citizens’ contributions. Photographs from that ceremony showed two AKINCIs and three TB2s, Janes reported. It is not known how many of those drones were additional to the TB2s SIPRI already counts.
The drones have been used heavily in the war against jihadist groups. Human Rights Watch documented three TB2 strikes in 2023 in which it said at least 60 civilians were killed, as summarised in our analysis of the TB2 and AKINCI combat record in Mali and Burkina Faso.
Helicopters and the Russian question
Attack helicopters remain Burkina Faso’s main crewed combat asset. Two modernised Mi-35s (Mi-24P) arrived from Russia in 2005 and three second-hand Mi-24Ds from Bulgaria between 2018 and 2021, SIPRI records; two armed Mi-171Sh transport helicopters followed in 2018. In July 2026 the French aviation site Avions Légendaires reported that Russia had declined a request from the Alliance of Sahel States for Mi-35M gunships. We found no official Russian or AES statement confirming that report, so it should be treated as unverified.
How Burkina Faso compares with its AES partners
Global Firepower’s 2026 estimates give Mali about 44 aircraft and Niger about 26, the same as Burkina Faso. Unlike Burkina Faso, both received jet ground-attack aircraft: SIPRI records second-hand Su-25s delivered to Niger in 2013 and to Mali in 2022-2023, and L-39C armed trainers to Mali. Mali’s Su-25s have since been lost and the status of Niger’s is unconfirmed. See our Mali Air Force inventory and our overview of military drones in the Sahel.
Frequently asked questions
Does Burkina Faso have fighter jets?
No. Its only fixed-wing combat aircraft are three Super Tucano light attack turboprops delivered in 2011, per SIPRI; GFP counts three attack aircraft.
How many drones does Burkina Faso have?
The number has not been published. SIPRI estimates about eight TB2s delivered by 2023 and about two AKINCIs, probably second-hand, in 2024. At an April 2024 ceremony the presidency presented “about a dozen” drones, but how many were new is not known.
Does Burkina Faso have attack helicopters?
Yes, on paper: SIPRI records five Mi-24/Mi-35 gunships delivered from Russia and Bulgaria, plus armed Mi-171Sh helicopters, but how many are serviceable is not published.
Where does Burkina Faso buy its aircraft?
Mainly Türkiye (drones), Russia and Bulgaria (helicopters), Brazil (Super Tucano) and Spain (C295 and second-hand H125s).
Related reading
- TB2 and AKINCI in Mali and Burkina Faso: combat record
- Which African countries operate the Bayraktar TB2?
- Burkina Faso’s Sky Dragon 30 air defence
- Why Burkina Faso bought Chinese armoured vehicles
- Mali Air Force aircraft
Sources
- SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, trade register for Burkina Faso, 1960-2025 (data published March 2026; accessed November 2026).
- Global Firepower, Burkina Faso military strength 2026 (accessed November 2026).
- Présidence du Faso, “Reconquête du territoire : le Chef de l’Etat remet des vecteurs aériens aux forces armées nationales”, 8 April 2024.
- Janes, “Burkina Faso receives Akinci UAVs”, April 2024.
- Avions Légendaires, report on Russia’s response to AES Mi-35M request, July 2026 (single source, unconfirmed).
Last updated: 7 November 2026.