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Ecuadorian Air Force Information

The Ecuadorian Air Force (Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, FAE) is the Air arm of the Military of Ecuador.

Contents

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 Club de Tiro Guayaquil decided to expand their sporting activities to aviation as well. Renamed Club de Tiro y Aviación they started an aviation school. Dn. Cosme Rennella, an Italian emigrated mechanic and practical pilot who born in Secondigliano, Naples, was the first intrepid willing to fly in the first airplane brought to the country. Surviving a crash during this demonstration flight, Rennella named by the Ecuadorian authorities with a "Capitan" rank, went to Europe to gain more experience during the first World War. When he returned to the country, his experiences served as motivation for a reduced group of Ecuadorian pilots, who moves to the Aviation School in Turin, Italy, with the objective of graduating as the first Ecuadorian pilots of the nascent Ecuadorian Military Aviation.

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 Recruit, six Curtiss-Wright CW-22 Falcon, six Fairchild PT-19A Cornell and three North American AT-6A Harvard arrived in March 1942, considerably boosting the capacity of the Escuela de Aviación at Salinas.

The fifties and sixties saw a further necessary build up 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 (I Zona Aérea) with its subordinate unit Ala de Transportes No.11 was founded. The Second Air Zone (II Zona Aérea) controls 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 (ESMA) at Salinas.

Mirage FI1JA Ecuadorian Air Force Kfir CE (C.10). Note the refuelling probe and the characteristic longer nose of this variant. Dhruv helicopters at Aero India 2009.

The air force has a unique mixture of types on its inventory, mostly from Western origin. The prime fighters are the Mirage F.1, Kfir C2, CE, and Jaguar Mk.1 all based at Taura with Ala 21. For advanced training and light attack missions, Strikemaster Mk.89, 90, and A-37B are in use at Manta with Ala 23. These aircraft often operate from airfields in the amazon region.

The transport wing uses various marks of the C-130 Hercules, DHC-6, BAe.748 to transport passengers, haul cargo and support the units deployed to the secondary airfields dotted around the country. Ala 11 has its own 'commercial' branch, like in many other South-American countries, the Transporte Aérea Militar Ecuatoriana (TAME). Besides the military transport aircraft, they also use Boeing 727 and Fokker 28 aircraft. Flying to locations off the beaten track, mostly lacking service by commercial airlines, TAME provides an additional service to the people of Ecuador. Presidential transport is among the tasking of Ala 11 as well; several Sabreliners are in use for this mission.

The FAE saw action on several occasions. An history of border disputes with Peru saw escalation in 1981 and 1995. The FAE managed to down nine Peruvian aircraft in this last conflict, over the south-eastern Cenepa area, among which were one A-37B, two Su-22 and several helicopters.

After 1998 Brasilia peace treaty, the FAE faces the war on drugs as well as many humanitarian and logistic missions into the Amazon region of the country. Being a small country, supporting the relatively large, but obviously necessary, air force with a variety of aircraft types, is a burden.

The Ecuadorian Armed Forces have the President of the Republic as their Supreme Commander in Chief, the president is advised by the Minister of Defense (this was always an Active or Passive duty General or Admiral until January 15 2007 when Guadalupe Larriva became Minister of Defense) and The N. S. C. (National Security Council). Although the idea of founding a naval air arm dates back to 1952, the aviation branch of the navy only formed in 1967. In March 1968 it became a subordinate division resorting under the Primera Zona Naval. Starting off with fixed wing aircraft, the first helicopters followed in 1973.

Structure

This is the current structure of the Ecuadorian Air Force:[1]

Aircraft inventory

Aircraft Origin Type Versions In service[2] Notes
IAI Kfir Israel fighter Kfir C.2/C.10 Kfir TC.2 12 1

18 Kfir have been delivered throughout the years 5 have been lost. An undisclosed number was upgraded to the C.10 version, referred to in Ecuador as Kfir CE, featuring a Helmet Mounted Display System, armed with Python 3 and Python 4 IR-homing AAMs.
Atlas Cheetah South Africa fighter Cheetah C 12 The contract includes maintenance for five years. The delivery of the aircrafts will commence in December 2009. These Cheetahs are now being upgraded with new avionics and radar systems equivalent to those of Israel's KFIR CE fighter aircraft.
Dassault Mirage F1 France fighter F.1JA F.1JE 11 1 Armed with Python 3 air to air missile. To be eventually replaced by the Cheetah C Supersonic fighter.
Mirage 50 France fighter Mirage 50M 6 Upgraded batch of Mirage IIIEs and 5s to the Mirage 50 standard. All donated cost free by Venezuela. To remain in service until 2012/2013.
SEPECAT Jaguar United Kingdom attack Jaguar EB Jaguar ES 2 5 All stored, non-flying.
BAC Strikemaster United Kingdom attack Mk 89A 7 To be replaced by Embraer Super Tucano in 2010. [3]
Cessna A-37 Dragonfly United States attack A-37B 20 To be replaced by Embraer Super Tucano in 2010. [4]
Embraer Super Tucano Brazil Trainer/Light attack/COIN EMB 314 2 (+22) First 2 units arrived in 2009, delivery to be completed by 2012.
Beechcraft T-34 Mentor United States trainer T-34C-1 15 Based at the Cosme Renella Aviation School.
Cessna 150 United States trainer A150L 24 Based at the Cosme Renella Aviation School. [5]
T-41 Mescalero United States trainer T-41A T-41D 8 12 Based at the Cosme Renella Aviation School.
North American Sabreliner United States VIP Sabreliner 40 Sabreliner 60 1 1 Modified to generate microgravity for the Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency
Embraer Legacy Brazil VIP Legacy 600 1 Presidential machine.
Embraer Brazil passenger transport ERJ-170 ERJ-190 3 2 Operated by TAME
Airbus A320 France passenger transport A320-200 3 Operated by TAME
Boeing 727 United States passenger transport 727-200 2 Operated by TAME
Boeing 727 United States strategic transport 727-100 1 Ex-TAME
Lockheed C-130 Hercules United States transport C-130B C-130H L-100-30 2 1 1 Maybe not all are operational since sources vary.
Avro 748 United Kingdom transport HS.748 4 2 additional used for spares. To be replaced by 4 MA60 [6]
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Canada transport DHC-6-300 3 STOL aircraft.
IAI Arava Israel transport IAI-201 2 STOL aircraft.
HAL Dhruv India Utility helicopter 6 (+2) Handover in Feb 2009[7][8][9] 2 additional units are to be delivered in 2010 [10] One Dhruv was lost in accident during military ceremony in Quito, remain 6.[11]
Bell TH-57 Sea Ranger United States training helicopter TH-57 Sea Ranger 9 Initially 12 were ordered in 1990.
Bell 212 United States Utility helicopter Bell 212 3 2 bought in 1977, 1 in 1980.
Eurocopter AS 555 Fennec France Utility helicopter AS-555AN 4
Eurocopter AS 350 Ecureuil France Utility helicopter AS 350 5
Aérospatiale Alouette III France Utility helicopter SA 316B SA 319B 8 3 [12]

South Africa’s Denel Aviation has confirmed that talks are underway concerning an order for its Cheetah-C aircraft, which bear a number of similarities to Ecuador’s Kfir CEs but have French SNECMA engines and older radars. The offer includes 12 aircraft, plus a complete 5-year, renewable maintenance and support package. Complete maintenance and acceptance flight testing would be conducted in South Africa and in Ecuador, and Denel expects a deal to be finalized before the end of 2009.

A deal has been concluded in June 2009 between Chilean and Ecuadorian governments to approve the sale of 14 former Chilean air force Pantera 50CN/DCN fighters (12 single seats and 2 two seaters)to Ecuador. The Pantera is a indegineous derivative of Dassault Mirage 50. Only 10 of these aircraft will be put in service, the other 4 being used for spare.(AFM October 2009).

Types previously operated include:

References

  1. ^ Eric Katerberg & Anno Gravemaker, Force Report: Ecuador Air Force, Air Forces Monthly, July 2008 issue.
  2. ^ Ecuadorian military aviation OrBat
  3. ^ http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Cheetahs-and-Mirage-50s-for-Ecudaor-05832/
  4. ^ http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Cheetahs-and-Mirage-50s-for-Ecudaor-05832/
  5. ^ http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/americas/ecuador/AirForce/Ecuador-af-EC2213.htm
  6. ^ http://www.elcomercio.com/noticiaEC.asp?id_noticia=294385&id_seccion=4
  7. ^ HAL to hand over first export Dhruvs
  8. ^ Images of Ecuadorian Dhruv's
  9. ^ Cockpit images of EAF Dhruv
  10. ^ http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/hal-bets-on-more-overseas-orders-for-dhruv-choppers_10084194.html
  11. ^ Un helicóptero indio recién adquirido por la FAE se estrelló durante ceremonia militar
  12. ^ http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/americas/ecuador/AirForce/Ecuador-af-EC2211.htm
Military of Ecuador
Ecuadorian Navy · Ecuadorian Army · Ecuadorian Air Force

Categories: Air forces by country | Military of Ecuador | Aviation in Ecuador | Military units and formations established in 1920

 

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