The Ecuadorian Air Force (; FAE) is the air branch of the Armed Forces of Ecuador.

Mission The FAE provides two different mission statements on its website in Spanish:

Vision The FAE provides two different vision statements on its website in Spanish:

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 Air Force. The history of Ecuador is marked by many skirmishes with its neighbour Peru. As a direct result of the 1910 Ecuador-Peru crisis the members of decided to expand their sporting activities into aviation as well. Renamed , they started an aviation school. Cosme Rennella Barbatto, an Italian living in Guayaquil, was one of the first members of . In 1912, Barbato was sent to his native Italy for training where he graduated as a pilot. He later returned to Europe a second time in 1915, where he participated in World War I.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. In 152 combat sorties he scored 18 victories, although only seven were confirmed. When he returned to Ecuador, his experiences served as motivation for a reduced group of Ecuadorian pilots, who moved to the Aviation School in Turin, Italy, with the objective of graduating as the first Ecuadorian pilots of the nascent Ecuadorian Military Aviation.

By 1939, the Ecuadorian Air Force was still limited to about 30 aircraft and a staff of about 60, including 10 officers. Military aviation did not start in earnest until the early forties when an Ecuadorian mission to the United States resulted in the delivery of an assortment of aircraft for the Aviation school at Salinas. Three Ryan PT-22 Recruits, six Curtiss-Wright CW-22 Falcons, six Fairchild PT-19A Cornells and three North American AT-6A Harvards arrived in March 1942, considerably boosting the capacity of the at Salinas.

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 was founded. The Second Air Zone controlled the units in the southern half of Ecuador, , at Guayaquil and at Manta as well as the (ESMA) at Salinas.

The has its own commercial branch, like in many other South American countries, the (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. 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 is the current structure of the Ecuadorian Air Force:Eric Katerberg & Anno Gravemaker, Force Report: Ecuador Air Force, Air Forces Monthly, July 2008 issue.

21 Combat Wing () - Taura Air Base 2112 Combat Squadron Cheetah () - Used to operate until July 28, 2024 Atlas Cheetah 22 Combat Wing () - Simon Bolivar Air Base 2211 Combat Squadron () - operating Cessna 206 2212 Combat Squadron () - operating TH-57 23 Combat Wing () - Eloy Alfaro Air Base 2311 Combat Squadron Dragons () - operating A-29 Super Tucano 11 Transport Wing () - Cotopaxi Air Base 1111 Transport Squadron Hercules () - operating C-130H/L100-30 1112 Transport Squadron Avro () - operating CASA 295 1113 Transport Squadron Twin Otter () - operating DHC-6 Twin Otter 1114 Transport Squadron Sabreliner () - operating Sabreliner Air Force Academy Cosme Rennella () - Salinas Air Base - operating Diamond DA20

Aircraft Current inventory

AircraftOriginTypeVariantIn serviceNotes Combat aircraft EMB 314 Super Tucano Counter-insurgency aircraft 17 Transport Boeing 737 VIP transport 1 Boeing 727 Transport / VIP 1 C-130 Hercules Transport C-130E/H 3 CASA C-295 Transport / SAR 3 Piper PA-34 Utility 1Gulfstream II VIP transport1 DHC-6 Twin Otter Utility / Transport 3STOL capable aircraft Super King Air Utility 350 1 Military helicopters Leonardo AW119 Utility Mk II4 Eurocopter EC145 Utility 6 Trainer aircraft Bell 206 Rotorcraft trainer 4 Grob G 120TP Trainer 8 Diamond DA20 Katana Trainer 19 One lost in accident in november 2024.

Retired Previous notable aircraft flown included the Gloster Meteor FR.9, English Electric Canberra B.2, SEPECAT Jaguar ES, BAC Strikemaster Mk.89A, Mirage F1JA, Mirage 50EV, Republic P-47, PBY Catalina, Hawker Siddeley HS 748, Lockheed F-80C, IAI Kfir, Atlas Cheetah C, Lockheed AT-33A T-Bird, T-28 Trojan, Cessna T-37B Tweet, Cessna A-37B Dragonfly H-13 Sioux, HAL Dhruv.

Air defense NameOriginTypeIn serviceNotes Mobile surface-to-air missile system 9K33 Osa Soviet Union amphibious SAM system 2 obtained from Ukraine 9K38 Igla Russia MANPADS 222 M167 VADS United States SPAAG 28

See also Military of Ecuador Ecuadorian Army Colombian Aerospace Force Peruvian Air Force

References

External links