Attack helicopters have long formed the backbone of many African air arms, frequently providing the main frontline element of smaller sub-Saharan air forces, rather than fast jets. These are often older aircraft types, including Gazelles in Niger, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Egypt, Eswatini, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Rwanda, and Tunisia; Bell AH-1 Cobras in Kenya; and Mi-24 ‘Hinds’ and rocket-armed Mi-8/17 helicopters across the continent.