SAHRAWI PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY (SPLA)
SAHRAWI PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY (SPLA)
The military wing of the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), is characterized in the sources as a ground-based force with significant anti-aircraft capabilities but no operational combat aircraft or helicopters in its inventory. Following your requested format, the available data for the SPLA's defense capacity is as follows: SAHRAWI PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY (SPLA) • Polisario Front Active Forces:
ε10,000–15,000 (estimated ε4,000 active). No permanent air bases or registered military flying hours. Forces by Role & Equipment by Type
Military Wing (Sahrawi People's Liberation Army) • AIRCRAFT No aviation assets recorded in active military inventory. • HELICOPTERS No aviation assets recorded in active military inventory. • AIR DEFENCE SYSTEMS SAM: SA-6 Gainful; SA-7 Grail; SA-9 Gaskin. Guns: ZSU-23-2 23mm self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. • LAND EQUIPMENT (Primary Combat Power) Main Battle Tanks: T-55; T-62. Armoured Fighting Vehicles: BMP-1; ε20–30 EE-9 Cascavel MICV; BTR series APCs. Artillery: M-1931/37 122mm howitzers; 120mm and 160mm mortars. Multiple Rocket Launchers: BM-21 122mm MRL. Anti-Tank Guided Weapons: AT-4 Spigot. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strategic and Operational Context: • Conflict Status: A 30-year ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front ended in late 2020. Sources indicate that hostilities have resumed, though they are currently characterized as "low-level". • Regional Defense: Morocco maintains a significant military presence in the territory, utilizing F-16 and Mirage F1 aircraft for regional control, which are listed under the Royal Moroccan Air Force inventory in the sources. • UN Presence: The United Nations maintains the MINURSO mission in Western Sahara to monitor the situation, with personnel levels remaining stable through 2024–2025
Note: Based on the provided sources, including the "2025 World Air Forces" report and recent editions of "The Military Balance," there is no record of an independent air force or aviation branch for Western Sahara (the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic or the Polisario Front).
(26.02.2026)
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4/5 Generation Fighters 
