Colombian Air Force

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Colombian Air Force
Coat of arms of the Colombian Air Force
Active
Country	Colombia
Part of	Colombian Armed Forces
Insignia
Roundel

The Colombian Air Force or FAC (Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Colombiana) is the Air Force of The Republic of Colombia.

[edit] History

[edit] Creation

Military aviation began in Colombia in 1919 with the creation of a military aviation school for the Colombian Army. Previously by Law 15 of 1916 of September 7 to commissions were sent overseas to study new technological advancements in aviation, infantry, cavalry, engineering and trains. Officers pertaining to the Colombian Army were also sent to take a course on flight training on techniques and tactics. The school is then created in Colombia along with the Colombian National Army Aviation as a fifth regiment by Law 126 of 1919 of December 31 authorized by President of Colombia, Marco Fidel Suárez. The unit was officially activated on February 15, 1921 in Flandes, Department of Tolima with the support of French mission led by Lieutenant Colonel Rene Guichard. The Aviation School initially had 3 Caudron G.3 E-2, 3 Caudron G.4 A-2 and four Nieuport Delage 11 C-1. The school was closed due to financial hardships on 1922.

The School of Military Aviation was reopened on November 8, 1924 in Madrid, Department of Cundinamarca with the support of a Swiss mission headed by Captain Henry Pillichody. The aircraft used for training were 4 Wild WT and 8 Wild X performing the first air review on August 7, 1927. Then on December 28, 1928 the first combat aircraft was showed in Colombia, the Curtiss Falcon O-1 pertaining to the United States.

[edit] War with Peru

See also: Colombia-Peru War

On September 1, 1932 civilian Peruvians illegally crossed into Colombian territory and invaded the town of Leticia in the Colombian Amazon arguing and claiming that the town was original Peruvian territory. The Colombian military aviation only had 11 instructors, four air combat support planes Osprey C-14R and one Curtiss Falcon O-1. The military aviation then received full financial support from the Congress of Colombia. Colombia bought aircraft from Germany and the United States, while others were activated from the airline operating in Colombia SCADTA (Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transporte Aéreo) and their pilots, which included some German citizens, one of these was Major Herbert Boy. The imported aircraft were 4 Junkers F.13, 4 Junkers W 34 and 3 Junkers K 43, 6 Junkers Ju 52, 2 Dornier Merkur II, 4 Dornier Wal, 20 Curtiss Falcon F-8F and 30 Curtiss Hawk II F-11C.

The contingent was then sent to southern Colombia to fight Peruvian forces with the main mission of delivering supplies to the front lines, aerial recognizance and air to land attacks. The fleet was divided into three squadrons with Puerto Boy as the main camp site. Support bases were in Caucaya airstrip (Puerto Leguízamo), El Encanto, Puerto Arica, La Pedrera and Tarapacá. The main combat operations started on February 14, 1933 in Tarapacá where the Peruvian garrison was bombed by seven Colombian aircraft and later assaulted by land forces. Later, on March 26, in the village of Guepi eleven Colombian planes and two canon boats (MC Cartagena y MC Santa Marta) bombarded Peruvian positions and took over the town.

The last military actions of the conflict with Peru were on May 8, 1933 and in which there was an aerial engagement between the two forces. Peruvian planes were attacking the fluvial fleet of Colombia over the Algodón River and were surprised by the Colombian squadron. One of the Peruvian aircraft, an Douglas O-38P was gunned down and taken to Colombian territory. On May 24, 1933 the cease fire was declared after an agreement was reached with the intervention of the League of Nations. The town of Leticia was returned to Colombia. The captured plane was returned then to Peru. As a result of the war, four pilots died in four accidents, non combat related actions, among these there was one of the German pilots. Four planes were lost in these accidents a Falcon O-1, an Osprey C-14, a Junker F-13 and a Curtiss F-11.

While the war was on going in the south of Colombia, the Air Force built Air Force bases in the town of Buenaventura and Cartagena. The base in Buenaventura was dubbed Air base of the Pacific and covered the area of the Colombian Pacific region by the Pacific Ocean and began operations on January 26, 1933. The main purpose of this base was to protect the Pacific coast from any maritime intervention, since there were reports that the Peruvian protected cruiser BAP Almirante Grau was patrolling the area, as well as two submarines. The Buenaventura base closed in 1949 while the base in Cartagena was handed over to the Colombian Navy in 1936 becoming the ARC Bolívar Naval Base, the most important naval base in Colombia.

Once the conflict with Peru was over the bases in the Amazon basin were dismantled and the troops sent to new bases like Tres Esquinas Air Force Base in the Department of Caqueta, Palenquero Air Force Base in the Department of Cundinamarca and San José del Guaviare in the Department of Guaviare. Meanwhile the School of Military Aviation was moved to Cali, and leaving in Madrid the Radiotelegraphy and Maintenance Schools.

In 1935 the first combat monoplanes made of aluminium were purchased by the Colombian Air Force; 4 Seversky P-35/2PA Guardsman.

[edit] Organization

Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, the latest acquisition of the Colombian Air Force, primarily to be used in counter-insurgency operations.

The Air Force comprises six main commands:

• Comado Aereo de Combate (CACOM)
  • Comando Aereo de Combate No. 1 (CACOM-1), in Puerto Salgar, Cundinamarca.
  • Comando Aereo de Combate No. 2 (CACOM-2), in Apiay, Meta.
  • Comando Aereo de Combate No. 3 (CACOM-3), in Barranquilla, Atlantico.
  • Comando Aereo de Combate No. 4 (CACOM-4), in Melgar, Tolima.
  • Comando Aereo de Combate No. 5 (CACOM-5), in Rionegro, Antioquia
  • Comando Aereo de Combate No. 6 (CACOM-6), in Tres Esquinas, Caqueta.

• Comando Aereo de Transporte Militar (CATAM), in Bogota DC
• Escuela Militar de Aviacion (EMAVI), in Cali, Valle del Cauca
• Escuela de Suboficiales (ESUFA), in Madrid, Cundinamarca
• Instituto Militar Aeronáutico (IMA), in Bogota DC
• Comando Aereo de Mantenimiento (CAMAN), in Madrid, Cundinamarca.
• Grupo Aereo del Caribe (GACAR), in San Andres Island.
• Grupo Aereo del Oriente (GAORI), in Marandua, Vichada.
• Servicio de Aeronavigacion a Territorios Nacionales (SATENA)

projects jets battle cazabonbarderos (multiproposito type: f15f, saab 39c and etc.) projects supersonicos jets: NESHER30/2000+20, ARIE/S, GUERRERO HAWK /S, F20S

[edit] Aircraft Inventory

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service[1]	Notes
Aero Commander 695	United States	utility transport	-	3
Basler BT-67	United States	tactical transport	AC-47T Spooky	6	Some may be outfitted as gunships
Beechcraft Baron	United States	utility transport	D55	1
Beechcraft King Air	United States	utility transport Reconnaissance	Super King Air 300	1
Beechcraft Queen Air	United States	utility transport	65-B80	2
Beechcraft T-34 Mentor	United States	trainer	T-34M	9
Beechcraft Twin Bonanza	United States	utility transport	D50	1
Bell 205	United States	utility helicopter	Model 205 UH-1H/P	5 21
Bell 212 Twin Huey	United States	transport helicopter		12
Bell 412	United States	Transport helicopter	412HP	2
Boeing 707	United States	transport	707 707-358C	1 1
Boeing 727	United States	transport		2
Boeing 737	United States	VIP	737-700 BBJ	1
Boeing Stearman PT-17 Kaydet	United States			1
CASA C-212 Aviocar	Spain	tactical transport	C-212 C-212-100	4<BR3
CASA CN-235	Spain	tactical transport		3
Cessna T-41 Mescalero	United States	trainer	T-41D	8
Cessna 337 Skymaster	United States	liaison		3
Cessna Citation	United States	VIP	Citation II<BRCitation V	2 5
Cessna AT-37 Dragonfly	United States	attack trainer	A-37B Dragonfly T-37B Tweet T-37C Tweet	9 3 4
Dassault Mirage 5	France	fighter trainer fighter	Mirage 5COA Mirage 5COD Mirage 5COR	14 2 2
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver	Canada	utility		1
Dornier Do 328	Germany	airliner		6	operated by SATENA
Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante	Brazil	transport	EMB 110P1A	2
Embraer EMB 312 Tucano	Brazil	trainer		14
Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano	Brazil	combat		24
Embraer ERJ 145	Brazil	Airliner	50 seats	5	operated by SATENA
Embraer 170	Brazil	airliner	76 seats, single class	1	operated by SATENA, 1 more to be delivered early 2007
Fairchild C-26 Metroliner	United States	transport	C-26A	1
Fokker F28 Fellowship	Netherlands	transport	F28-1000 F28-3000	1 1
Gavilan 358	Colombia	utility		4
IAI Arava	Israel	utility transport	Arava 201	1
IAI Kfir	Israel	fighter	Kfir C7 Kfir TC7	11 1	On February 2008, Colombia signed a deal with the Israeli government to update the 12 Kfir C7s to the C10 version and acquire another 13 former Israeli Air Force Kfir C10s.
Lockheed C-130 Hercules	United States	tactical transport	C-130B C-130H	4 3
MD Helicopters MD500 Defender	United States	combat helicopter	369HM MD 530FF	13 3
North American OV-10 Bronco	United States	counter insurgency	OV-10A	11
Piper PA-23 Aztec	United States	utility		1
Piper PA-31 Navajo	United States	utility transport	PA-31 Navajo PA-31T Cheyenne	1 1
Piper PA-34 Seneca	United States	utility transport		3
Schweizer SA 2-37	United States	reconnaissance		5
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk	United States	transport helicopter combat helicopter	UH-60L AH-60 Arpía	90

Other aircraft have been reported in recent service:

• Cessna 208 Caravan
• Cessna 310
• Enstrom F-28 Falcon
• Let L-410 Turbolet (SATENA)
• Piper PA-42 Cheyenne

FAC is not Colombia's exclusive operator of military aircraft, as smaller inventories are maintained by the Colombian Army, Colombian Navy, and even the Colombian National Police.

[edit] See also

• List of airports in Colombia

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• (Spanish) Fuerza Aerea Colombiana homepage (in spanish)
• (Spanish) Colombia: Seguridad & Defensa wwww.fuerzasmilitares.org
• (Spanish) Aviacol.net: History of the Colombian Air Force