Brazilian Air Force
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The Brazilian Air Force (Portuguese: Força Aérea Brasileira, FAB) is the air force branch of the Brazilian armed forces.
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[edit] History
[edit] Formation
FAB was founded on January 20, 1941 in response to a growing number of German submarines on the Brazilian coast in the beginning of World War II.
Equipped with American airplanes, mainly the P-47 Thunderbolt, the FAB saw action on the Italian front, earning respect for its high rate of sorties and the hard work of both pilots and support personnel.
[edit] Post World War II
After the war, the FAB begin operating the British Gloster Meteor jet fighter. The jet was bought from the British with 15,000 tons of crude cotton, as the Brazilian Republic had no foreign currency reserves to spare. The jet was operated by the FAB until the 1970s, when it was replaced by the Northrop F-5 Tiger. The FAB also had in its squads the P-80 Shooting Star and TF-33A, which was replaced by the F-5 and Mirage III jets.
[edit] Cold War
During the Cold War, The Brazilian Republic was an ally of the United States and NATO. This meant that the F-5 could be bought cheaply from the United States, who practically sponsored this jet as the Freedom Fighter. Many other countries, such as Mexico, benefited from this policy.
The now successful Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica, Brazilian Aeronautic Co.) has its origins as an enterprise directly managed and sponsored by FAB. Working with Italian corporations, it developed the new AMX fighter which makes up the backbone of the FAB's attack force. The successful Tucano T-27 trainer and the new light attack aircraft "A-29" (mainly based on the T-27 turboprop, but with a more powerful engine and fourth generation avionics and precision weaponry) are also developments from Embraer.
[edit] Present
The FAB was looking for a new jet fighter to replace its aging Mirage III. The former competitors were the Lockheed F-16, the Dassault-Embraer Mirage 2000-BR, the SAAB-BAE Gripen, and the Sukhoi Su-35. The project, called F-X project, was cancelled; the FAB high command alleges that most competitors will soon become obsolete. Some specialists say the Gripen fighter does not have enough operational range for the FAB's purposes. The government stated that the money is needed for fighting poverty.
Some rumors circulated about the FAB and Embraer joining the French fighter programme Dassault Rafale. Other rumors stated the FAB made a deal with Sukhoi and Avibras in order to obtain Sukhoi Su-35 fighters and its technology as soon as they start being manufactured in large scale. However, until these rumors can be confirmed, or another program initiated, the Brazilian Air Force will need a step fighter, for the Mirage III has retired in 2005. The F-5 (currently being upgraded by Embraer) is an option, since many F-5s in good condition are spoiling in the inventory of other nations, available for low prices. However, the Brazilian government recently bought one squadron (12 units) of used Mirage 2000s from the French. FAB still has in mind the purchase of new aircraft until 2011. Rafale and EF-2000 are the preferred aircraft of Brazilian pilots, but Brazilian Air Force's lack of funds may change the result.
[edit] Operations
One of the most recent operations of the FAB was the bombing of illegal landing sites in the Amazon Forest, used by drug dealers to transport drugs into and out of Brazil (see SIVAM). The operation also had support from the Brazilian Army and Brazilian Federal Police with many drug dealers being arrested as a result. The AMX Bomber/Fighter was used in this operation.
The FAB is currently working on the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) supporting the United Nations force (a joint Brazilian, Uruguaian and Argentinian force) currently deployed there.
[edit] SIVAM
FAB is responsible for the aerospace vigilance and defence on program Sistema de Vigilância da Amazônia (Amazon Surveillance System).
[edit] Aircraft
| Aircraft | Designation | Role | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| EADS/CASA C-295** | C-105A | Transport | 12 |
| EADS/CASA C-212 Aviocar** | Transport | 50 | |
| Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk** | H-60L | C-SAR | 6 |
| Dassault Mirage 2000B/C** | F-2000B/C | Interception/Training | 10/2 |
| Embraer A-29 Super Tucano** | A-29A/B | Attack/Training | 99 |
| Airbus A319 | VC-1A | VIP Transport | 1 |
| Bell 206B Jet Ranger | H-4B | Utility | 2 |
| Bell UH-1 Iroquois | H-1H | Attack/SAR/Utility | 42 |
| Boeing 737 | VC-96 | VIP Transport | 2 |
| British Aerospace BAe 125-400 | VU-93 | Calibration/VIP Transport | 10 |
| Cessna 208 Caravan I/II | C-98A/B | Transport/Utility | 7/10 |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-5A Buffalo | C-115 | Transport | 10 |
| Embraer R-99A/B | R-99A/B | AEW/SR | 5/3 |
| Embraer C-95 | C-95/A/B/C | Calibration/SAR/Transport | 90 |
| Embraer P-95 | P-95A/B | MPA | 19 |
| Embraer C/VC-97 | C/VC-97 | Transport/VIP Transport | 23 |
| Embraer Xingu | VU-9 | VIP Transport | 6 |
| Embraer C-99 | C-99 | Transport/VIP Transport | 10 |
| Embraer Ipanema | REB | 2 | |
| Embraer T-27 Tucano | AT/T-27 | Attack/Liaison/Training/Demonstration | 107 |
| Embraer AT-26 Xavante/Atlas Impala Mk I/II | AT-26/A | Attack/Training | 30/12 |
| Embraer Seneca II/III | U-7/7A | Liaison/Utility | 9 |
| AMX A-1A/B | A-1A/B | Attack/Recon | 53 |
| Eurocopter AS 332 Cougar | CH-34 | Transport/VIP Transport | 10/1 |
| Lear Jet VC/R-35A | VC/R-35A | VIP Transport | 9/3 |
| Lear Jet VC-55 | VC-55 | VIP Transport | 1 |
| Glasflügel H-201B | PLA | 1 | |
| Raytheon Hawker 800XP | EU-93A | Calibration | 4 |
| Helibras HB 350B | H-50 | Liaison/SAR/Transport | 25 |
| Helibras HB-355 | H-55 | Utility/VIP Transport | 3 |
| LETBlanick L-13/L-23/L-33 Solo | PLA/Trainer | 3/4/2 | |
| Lockheed KC/C-130E/H Hercules | C-130 | Transport | 23 |
| Lockheed P-3BR Orion* | P-3M | MPA/ASW | 8 |
| Neiva U-42 Regente | U-42 | Liaison/Utility | 21 |
| Neiva T-25C Universal | T-25 | Trainer | 96 |
| Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II*** | F-5E/F | Interception/Fighter/Attack/Trainer | 49/6 |
| Schleicher ASW 20 | PLA | 1 |
*Order placed
**Order placed (delivery underway) / One Mirage 2000C and one B delivered on September 2006, the others should be delivered up to 2008
***Undergoing modernization to reach M standard
[edit] See also
- Brazilian Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron - Esquadrilha da Fumaça
- Brazilian Navy
- Brazilian Army
[edit] External links
- Brazilian Air Force official Web site (Portuguese)
- Scramble.nl's Brazilian Air Force page
- History of Brazilian Air Force in World War II (Portuguese)
Timeline of aviation
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