Venezuelan Air Force

Bolivarian Venezuelan Military Aviation Aviación Militar Bolivariana Venezolana (AMBV)
Active	22 June 1946 - Present
Country	Venezuela
Branch	Air Force of Venezuela
Size	202 aircraft
Patron	Our Lady of Loreto
Motto(s)	Spatium superanus palatinus (Latin:The paladin of the sovereign space)
Colors	Bleu celeste
Anniversaries	10 December, Air Force Day 27 November, anniversary of the 2nd 1992 Coup d'état by members of the Air Force,part of the 1992 Venezuelan coup d'état attempts
Commanders
Commanding General of the Venezuelan Air Force	Jorge Arévalo Oropeza Pernalete
Insignia
Roundel
Aircraft flown
Attack	F-16, Su-30MK2
Electronic warfare	Dassault Falcon 20C Prometeo, Fairchild C-26B Metro EW,
Fighter	Su-30MK2, F-16, VF-5
Trainer	C182, SF-260, EMB-312, K-8
Transport	C-130, G.222, Boeing 707-320C, Short 360-300

The Bolivarian National Air Force of Venezuela/Venezuelan National Bolivarian Military Aviation, since end of 2008: (Spanish) Aviación Militar Bolivariana Venezolana (previously Fuerza Aérea Venezolana, FAV) is a professional armed body designed to defend Venezuela's sovereignty and airspace. It is a component of the Venezuelan armed forces.

History

In the aftermath of the first plane flight in Venezuela on 22 September 1912, a council was formed to search for a suitable aircraft for the growing Venezuelan Army in 1913.

The FAV goes back to 10 December 1920, when the Military Aviation School of Venezuela was formed with COL David López Henríquez as its first commandant in Maracay.^{[citation needed]}Its mission was the training of pilots for the fledging national air service, then a part of the army.

Most of the airbases in Venezuela were built in the 1960s. The main fighter types in those years were Venom, Vampire, and F-86. Bomber squadrons typically operated B-25 Mitchell aircraft. The 70s and 80s saw a considerable increase in capacity, mainly because the rising oil prices enabled the FAV to re-equip most of its units. The mixture of various aircraft types was maintained and Mirage IIIE and V, VF-5A and D, T-2D, OV-10A and E, T-27 were introduced. Venezuela was one of the first export customers for the F-16 which arrived in 1983 to equip the newly formed Grupo Aéreo de Caza 16 at El Libertador Airbase.

In the 1992 Venezuelan coup d'état attempts, elements of the Venezuelan Air Force were key instigators of the rebellion. FAV units concentrated at El Libertador Air Base under the command of Brig. General Visconti seized control of the airbase and then launched an attack on the capitol. OV-10s, AT-27 Tucanos, and Mirage III fighters under his command bombarded targets in the capitol and loyalist air bases, destroying 5 CF-5 fighters on the ground. Two loyalist pilots escaped with F-16 fighters and shot down 2 OV-10s and 1 Tucano, claiming air superiority for the government . Two more rebel OV-10s were lost to ground fire. As the tables turned on the coup attempt, General Visconti and his allies fled in two C-130s, 2 Mirages, 1 OV-10 Bronco, and several SA.330 helicopters.

In 2006, Venezuelan F-16s, F-5s and Mirages participated in the joint exercise Cruzex III held in Brazil along with the air forces of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Peru and Uruguay.

See also: Museo Aeronáutico de Maracay

Modernization

The AMV purchased 24 Sukhoi Su-30 planes from Russia in July 2006, as a result of the American embargo on spare parts for their F-16 force.

Currently Venezuela is in talks with Russia with regards to potential acquisitions of the Su-35 fighter aircraft and a second batch of aircraft 12-24 Sukhoi Su-30.

Organization

Venezuelan Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MK2, decorated in G-13 5th Anniversary & Venezuela Independence Bicentennial special tail art, landing at Barcelona, Venezuela.

Venezuelan Air Force General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon

Venezuelan AT-27 Tucano

The Air Force is organized in twelve air groups, one for each aircraft type in use:^{[citation needed]}

• Air Group 4 with A-319CJ, Boeing 737, Dassault Falcon 50 and Mil Mi-17
• Air Group 5 with Beechcraft Super King Air
• Air Group 6 with Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Short 330 and Boeing 707
• Air Group 85 with electronic warfare planes (Dassault Falcon 20 and C-26B)
• Air Group 9 with Cessna 206 and Cessna 208
• Air Group 10 with helicopters F-280FX Shark Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma and Eurocopter AS532 Cougar
• Air Group 11 with Su-30MK2
• Air Group 12 with K-8VV
• Air Group 13 with Su-30MK2
• Air Group 14 with Aermacchi SF.260, T-27 Tucano and Cessna 182
• Air Group 15 with K-8VV and T-27 Tucano
• Air Group 16 with General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
• Air Group 17 with Mil Mi-17

List of Venezuelan Air Force Bases (former and present)

• General in Chief Rafael Urdaneta AFB, Maracaibo, Zulia (HQ 1st Air Zone)
• Lieutenant General Vicente Landaeta Gil AFB, Barquisimeto, Lara (HQ 2nd Air Zone)
• El Libertador AFB, Palo Negro, Aragua (HQ 3rd Air Zone)
• Lieutenant Luis del Valle Garcia AFB, Barcelona, Anzoátegui (HQ 4th Air Zone)
• Generalissmo Francisco de Miranda AFB, Caracas, Venezuelan Capital District and Miranda (HQ 5th Air Zone and HQ, Venezuelan Air Force)
• Marshal Antonio Sucre AFB, Boca del Rio, Aragua
• Cacique Guaicaipuro AFB, La Esmeralda, Amazonas
• Manuel Rios AFB, El Sombrero, Guárico
• Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi Tactical AFB, Porlamar, Nueva Esparta
• Aeronautics Museum of Maracay and Maracay Metological AFB, "Birthplace of Venezuelan Military Aviation", Maracay, Aragua
• Lieutenant Colonel Luis Apolinar Méndez AFB, Puerto Ordaz, Bolívar
• El Vigía Tactical AFB, El Vigía, Mérida
• General in Chief José Antonio Páez AFB, Puerto Ayacucho, Amazonas
• Major Buenaventura Vivas Guerrero AFB, Santo Domingo, Táchira

Aircraft inventory

As of December 2014, the Venezuelan Air Forces consists of the following aircraft models and numbers:

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service	Notes
Sukhoi Su-30MKV Flanker-G	Russia	multirole strike fighter	SU-30 MK2	24
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon	USA	fighter trainer	F-16A Block 15OCU F-16B Block 15OCU	18 2
Dassault Falcon 20	France	Electronic Warfare VIP	Falcon-20DC	1 3
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner	USA	Electronic Warfare transport	C-26B	1 1	ELINT
Lockheed C-130 Hercules	USA	transport	C-130H	4
Shaanxi Y-8	China	transport	Y-8	6	2 on order.
Short 360	UK	transport	360-300	2
Dornier Do 228	GER	logistical support	228 NG		10 in order.
Airbus A-319CJ	European Union	transport	A-319CJ	1	Presidential Aircraft (air force one)
Boeing 737	USA	VIP transport	737-2N1	1
Cessna Citation X	USA	VIP transport	Cessna Citation X	1
Dassault Falcon 50	France	VIP	Falcon-50EX	3
Dassault Falcon 900	France	VIP	Falcon 900	2
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan	USA	transport air ambulance	208B	2 2
Cessna Citation II	USA	transport	Citation II	1
CESSNA T206H STATIONAIR	USA	transport	T206H STATIONAIR	15
Beechcraft B200 Super King Air	USA	transport;air ambulance		4
Hongdu K-8VV Karakorum	China/Pakistan	trainer/light attack	K-8VV	15	in order Nine (09) training aircraft Hongdu K-8vv Karakorum to complete the aircraft fleet of AMB in the amount of Bs 2,379,196 and $75,530,000. -One was lost in an accident of 2010,[citation needed] a second one on Nov 27th 2012 during a ceremony on national television, and a third was lost during a night exercise on July 26, 2013.
Embraer EMB 312 T-27 Tucano	Brazil	trainer	EMB 312 T-27	20
Aermacchi SF.260	Italy	trainer/light attack	SF-260EV	12
SKYLANECessna 182	USA	trainer	182 SKYLANE	12
Diamond DA 40	Austria	trainer	DA 40	?	on order
QUAD CITY ULTRALIGHT CORP	USA	trainer	Quad City Challenger	7
Eurocopter AS 332 Super Puma	France	transport helicopter		8
Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar	France	AS-532AC AS-532UL	transport VIP	6 2
Kazan Mi-17	Russia	Transport Helicopter	Mi-17V-5 Mi-171VIP	5 2	6 Mi-17V-5; 2 Mi-171VIP purchased. One lost to crash.[citation needed]
Enstrom 480B	USA	trainer Helicopter	Enstrom 480B		16 in order.
ENSTROM F-280	USA	trainer Helicopter	280FX SHARK	2
EMB 312 AT-27 Tucano	Brazil	tactical support	EMB 312 AT-27	12
Ghods Mohajer/Saint Arpia	Iran/Venezuela	observation UAV		12+	12 drones bought directly from Iran. More to be produced locally in Venezuela.
Cavim ANT-3X Venezolano	VEN	observation UAV		4
Boeing 707	USA	transport		1	Fuel Tanker

References

• Republic of Égyptien Q42 user:mgbtrust0 ®™✓©§∆∆∆€¢£. "World Air Forces". Venezuela Air Force. http://www.worldairforces.com/Countries/venezuela/ven.html. Retrieved 28 January 2007. 

External links

• (Spanish) Sitio oficial de la Aviación Militar de Venezuela
• (Spanish) Sitio no oficial de la Fuerza Armada de Venezuela
• U.S. Arms Sales to Venezuela from the Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives