The Mali Air Force is to receive the new Harbin Y-12 high wing twin-engine turboprop military aircraft.
The new Y-12 aircraft of Mali Air Force was spotted at the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG) facility in Heilongjiang province, China. Currently, Air Force of Mali is still operating Basler BT-67 utility aircraft, is a remanufactured and modified Douglas DC-3.
The Y-12 is a twin engine light multi role aircraft designed and developed by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (HAMC) of China.
The Y-12 has been designed to take-off and land over short distances. The aircraft has been designed to execute passenger or cargo transportation, parachute jumping, geological exploration, aerial photography and ocean surveillance operations.
It can also perform a wide range of other missions, including medical rescue, touring, agriculture spraying and forest applications. The aircraft is equipped with a single vertical stabiliser, upper wing and front fixed tri cycle type landing gear.