In order to modernize its military capabilities, Equatorial Guinea has recently acquired two Harbin Z-9WE armed helicopters from China. The acquisition was made public by the country’s ruling Democratic Party (Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial, PDGE), highlighting Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue’s inspection of the new aircraft on April 8.
The Armed Forces of Equatorial Guinea (FAGE) is now operating these new helicopters, which were showcased in photographs released by the PDGE. The images featured Vice President Mangue with the helicopters at what appeared to be the airbase at Malabo International Airport. These state-of-the-art aircraft are equipped with gimballed electro-optical systems for enhanced surveillance capabilities and weapon pylons capable of carrying guns, rockets, and anti-tank missiles.
Designed to carry eight passengers, the Z-9WE helicopters are fitted with advanced electro-optical gimbals for day and night operations, and hardpoints for an array of weaponry. This marks a significant upgrade for the FAGE, which previously did not have any Chinese aircraft in its predominantly Soviet-era fleet.
The Z-9WE model is an export variant of the Z-9W light attack helicopter, itself a Chinese-built version of the Airbus AS365 Dauphin. The PDGE has identified the potential for acquiring additional combat helicopters to further strengthen the military, particularly to combat maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea’s recent military acquisitions from China include Red Arrow-8 anti-tank missiles, a landing ship, SM-4 self-propelled mortars, and WZ-551 armoured personnel carriers. This trend reflects the nation’s efforts to diversify and modernize its military hardware.
The air force branch has seen rapid expansion, adding various aircraft over the last two decades, including L-39s, Su-25s, An-32, Mi-26, An-72 transports, and Mi-24 attack helicopters from Ukraine. Russia has also contributed Mi-17 transport helicopters to the fleet.
For air defence, it acquired two units of Pantsyr-S1 (SA-22 Greyhound) air defence systems in March 2018.
In November 2018, as part of ongoing rehabilitation efforts, Equatorial Guinea received two Mil Mi-17 ‘Hip’ transport helicopters from Russia, with one configured for VIP use and the other for standard passenger transport. This delivery was part of a contract with Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Rostec State Corporation, and manufactured at the Kazan Helicopters (KVZ) production facility.
The recent acquisitions underscore Equatorial Guinea’s commitment to modernizing its military forces and enhancing its defensive and offensive capabilities in the region.