Mostly concerned with fighting limited wars against guerrilla forces, South Africa nonetheless maintains a fairly strong conventional air force which it often uses for strikes into neighboring Angola. The focus of the 13,000 men and some 370 combat aircraft is decidedly on ground-attack missions, as the current threat from enemy air attacks is minimal. From 1975 to 1989, however, the South African Air Force was engaged in the war in Angola, where it fought many air combats with Angolan air forces.
