Peter R. Foster provided Combat Aircraft with an excellent overview of the Royal Air Force of Oman in its 50th year. The full version of this article appears in Combat Aircraft issue 10.3.

Fifty years on from its establishment, the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO, al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat Oman) is a well-structured, modern front-line force. Equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, the RAFO is manned primarily by Omanis and operates with only minimal external support.
Situated on the most easterly point of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman is one of the more moderate and pro-western Islamist countries in the region, although it continues to be governed by a hereditary Sultan. Oman’s air force was formed in March 1959 with the assistance of British personnel led by Air Commodore Eric Bennett, a serving Royal Air Force officer. Initially equipped with a number of liaison and transport aircraft, the beginning of the Dhofar Rebellion in 1962 ensured that limited numbers of combat aircraft began to be delivered.
Increased tensions in the region and Oman’s commitment to self-reliance saw a somewhat surprising May 2002 order for the F-16 Block 50 Fighting Falcon. The RAFO ordered eight single-seat F-16Cs and four two-seat F-16Ds to equip the newly formed No 18 Squadron, which operates from a purpose-built dispersal on the north side of Thumrait.
The RAFO’s most pressing needs are to select a replacement for the Jaguar and to find a successor to the Short Seavan in the coastal patrol role. It has been widely reported that the RAFO will receive up to 24 Eurofighter Typhoons from 2012 in order to supersede the Jaguar, and Omani crews are already talking about this option. There have been mixed signals as to whether the Typhoons would be new-build aircraft — possibly from the RAF’s Tranche 2 allocation, which is considered most likely — or upgraded former RAF Tranche 1 examples.
With just over 100 aircraft on operational strength and a modernization program well under way, the RAFO is one of the most progressive and self-sufficient air forces in the Middle East. The air force may not be a ‘big hitter’ in overall terms, but it is self-reliant and plays a very important role by its virtue of its strategic location. Most importantly, in its 50th year, the RAFO is a significant factor in maintaining stability in an otherwise troubled region.

All photos - Peter R. Foster