Namibia has become the first international customer of the Shaanxi Y-9E tactical transport, taking delivery of two examples.
The two aircraft recently arrived at Namibia’s Grootfontein air base after a transit from China, according to a report by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation.
“These medium transport aircraft will go a long way in improving and enhancing the Namibian Defence Force’s operational capacity,” says Namibian president Nangolo Mbumba.
He adds that the aircraft will support the rapid deployment of troops across the vast expanse of the west African nation’s territory.
Air vice marshal Teofilus Shaende, the commander of Namibia’s air force, says that the aircraft will be crucial for humanitarian and military transport work.
The aircraft bear the registrations NAF 1990, to commemorate the year of Namibia’s independence, and NAF 1962, the birth year of the nation’s defence chief, Martin Kambulu.
According to China’s state-run Global Times news outlet, Namibia is the first overseas recipient of the Y-9E.
FlightGlobal’s 2024 World Air Forces Directory shows that prior to the arrival of the two Y-9Es, Namibia operated just three tactical transports: two Harbin Y-12s and a single Antonov An-26.
The Y-9 family is a stretched and updated version of the previous Y-8. The aircraft has a capacity of around 100 troops and is powered by four WoJiang WJ-6C turboprops, itself derived from the Ivchenko AI-20.
