Ecuadorian Air Force
Ecuadorian Air Force | |
---|---|
Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana | |
Ministry of National Defence | |
Anniversaries | 27 October |
Engagements | |
Website | fae |
Commanders | |
Comandante General | Brigadier General Geovanny Espinel |
Insignia | |
Piper PA-34 |
The Ecuadorian Air Force (Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, FAE) is the air branch of the Armed Forces of Ecuador.
Mission
To develop the military air wing, in order to execute institutional objectives which guarantee sovereignty and contribute towards the nation's security and development.
Vision
To be a dissuasive Air Force, respected and accepted by society, pioneering within the nation's air-space development.
History
The FAE was officially created on October 27, 1920. However, like in many other countries, military flying activity started before the formal date of birth of the
By 1939 the Ecuadorian Air Force was still limited to about 30 aircraft and a staff of about 60, including 10 officers.
The 1950s and 1960s saw a further necessary buildup of the air force, gaining more units and aircraft. Meanwhile, efforts were made in enhancing the facilities at various airbases. In May 1961 the First Air Zone with its subordinate unit Ala de Transportes No.11 was founded. The Second Air Zone controlled the units in the southern half of Ecuador, Ala de Combate No.21 at Taura, Ala de Rescate No.22 at Guayaquil and Ala de Combate No.23 at Manta as well as the Escuela Superior Militar de Aviación "Cosme Rennella B." (ESMA) at Salinas.
The Ala 11 has its own commercial branch, like in many other South American countries, the Transporte Aérea Militar Ecuatoriana (TAME). Besides military transport aircraft, it also uses commercial airliners. Flying to locations off the beaten track, TAME provides an additional service to the people of Ecuador.
The FAE saw action on several occasions. A continuous border dispute with Peru flared up in 1981 and 1995.[4][5] Today the FAE faces the war on drugs as well as many humanitarian and logistic missions into the Amazon-region of the country.
Structure
This article needs to be updated.(May 2016) |
This is the current structure of the Ecuadorian Air Force:[6]
- 21 Combat Wing (Ala de combate 21) - Taura Air Base
- 2112 Combat Squadron Cheetah (Esc. de combate 2112 "Cheetah") - operating Atlas Cheetah[7]
- 22 Combat Wing (Ala de combate 22) - Simon Bolivar Air Base
- 2211 Combat Squadron (Esc. de combate 2211) - operating Cessna 206
- 2212 Combat Squadron (Esc. de combate 2212) - operating TH-57
- 23 Combat Wing (Ala de combate 23) - Eloy Alfaro Air Base
- 2311 Combat Squadron Dragons (Esc. de combate 2311 "Dragones") - operating A-29 Super Tucano
- 11 Transport Wing (Ala de transporte 11) - Cotopaxi Air Base (part of Latacunga International Airport)
- 1111 Transport Squadron Hercules (Esc. de transporte 1111 "Hercules") - operating C-130H/L100-30
- 1112 Transport Squadron Avro (Esc. de transporte 1112 "Avro") - operating CASA 295
- 1113 Transport Squadron Twin Otter (Esc. de transporte 1113 "Twin Otter") - operating DHC-6 Twin Otter
- 1114 Transport Squadron Sabreliner (Esc. de transporte 1114 "Sabreliner") - operating Sabreliner
- 1111 Transport Squadron Hercules (Esc. de transporte 1111 "Hercules") - operating
- Air Force Academy Cosme Rennella (Escuela Superior Militar de Aviacion "Cosme Rennella") - Diamond DA20
Aircraft
Current inventory
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat Aircraft | ||||||
Atlas Cheetah | South Africa | fighter | Cheetah C | 9[8] | upgraded variant of the Dassault Mirage III | |
Transport | ||||||
Boeing 737 | United States | VIP transport | 1[8] | |||
Boeing 727 | United States | transport / VIP | 1[8] | |||
C-130 Hercules | United States | transport | C-130E/H | 3[8] | ||
CASA C-295 | Spain | transport / SAR | 3[8] | |||
Piper PA-34 | United States | utility | 1[8] | |||
Gulfstream II | United States | VIP transport | 1[8] | |||
DHC-6 Twin Otter | Canada | utility / transport | 3[8] | STOL capable aircraft | ||
Super King Air | United States | utility | 350 | 1[8] | ||
Military helicopter | ||||||
Leonardo AW119 | Italy | utility | Mk II[9] | 4[8] | ||
Eurocopter EC145 | Germany | utility | 6[8] | |||
Trainer Aircraft
| ||||||
Bell 206 | United States | rotocraft trainer | 4[8] | |||
Grob G 120TP | Germany | trainer | 8[8] | |||
EMB 314 Super Tucano | Brazil | advanced trainer | 17[8] | |||
Diamond DA20 Katana | Austria | trainer | 20[10] |
Retired
Previous notable aircraft flown included the
Air defense
Name | Origin | Type | In service | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mobile surface-to-air missile system | ||||||
9K33 Osa | Soviet Union | amphibious SAM system | 2[14] | obtained from Ukraine | ||
9K38 Igla | Russia | MANPADS | 222[14] | |||
M167 VADS | United States | SPAAG | 28[14] |
See also
- Military of Ecuador
References
- ISBN 9781032012278.
- ^ Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell; Alegi, Gregory. (1997) Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918: Volume 4 of Fighting Airmen of WWI Series: Volume 4 of Air Aces of WWI. Oxford: Grub Street. pp. 155-156.
- ^ Schnitzler, R.; Feuchter, G.W.; Schulz, R., eds. (1939). Handbuch der Luftwaffe [Aviation Manual] (in German) (3rd ed.). Munich and Berlin: J. F. Lehmanns Verlag. p. 64.
- ^ "Peru vs. Ecuador; Alto-Cenepa War, 1995". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ "Ecuador Air Force". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Eric Katerberg & Anno Gravemaker, Force Report: Ecuador Air Force, Air Forces Monthly, July 2008 issue.
- ^ Leon Engelbrecht (2009-10-08). "Denel hopes Ecuador Cheetah buy will be complete by year-end". defenceWeb.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "World Air Forces 2023". Flightglobal Insight. 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- AirForces Monthly. Key Publishing. May 2019. p. 22.
- Diamond Aircraft. 6 March 2012. Archived from the originalon 25 May 2012.
- ^ "World Air Forces 1973 pg. 145". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "World Air Forces 1955 pg. 623". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "World Air Forces 2012" (PDF). Flightglobal Insight. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Peace Research Institute". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2018.