During the war of national liberation, the National Liberation Army had a small Ground to Air Riposte units equipped with anti-aircraft canons of small calibre.
After the independence, these units were organized into combat formations (Anti-aircraft Defence groups) to protect the battle corps . The creation of the Air Defence radar's detection chain begining goes back to the sixties.
In the seventies, the acquisition of the first group of Ground to Air missiles and the creation, within the Air Directorate, of the Air Defence Sub Directorate, which had only the plane as a means of riposte, laid the Air Defence foundations as a whole component of the People's National Army.
Thus in 1981 was created the Territory Air Defense Directorate (TADD) which is structured in Sub Directorates at the central level and in Air Defence Areas at the regional level.
In 1986, the Territory Air Defence Directorate was attached to the Air Force Command as an Arm Division.
In 1988, under the reorganization of the People's National Army, this division was separated from the Air Force Command and built in the Territory Air Defence Forces Command.
To fulfill this mission, the country must have a powerful air defense structured essentially around:
- a command organization at a central and a regional level;
- a radar coverage system capable of detecting any aerial object flying over or heading towards the national territory;
- response means able to respond effectively to any air threat.