At one point the air force was well respected, having been credited with helping defend Kinshasa in 1998, but most planes have been grounded in recent years for lack of maintenance and spare parts.
The air force has Hawker Hunters, BAe Hawks, and Chinese Chengdu F-7 interceptors, as well as a variety of helicopters. Total personnel is estimated at about 5,000 in 1999, and there are two airbases, Gweru-Thornhill, and Manyame Air Base near Harare.
In July 2003 the AFZ demonstrated recently-acquired MiG-23 jets and Mi-35 helicopter gunships.
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