Venezuelan Air Force
The Venezuelan Air Force, officially the Venezuelan National Bolivarian Military Aviation (Spanish: Aviación Militar Nacional Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a professional armed body designed to defend Venezuela's sovereignty and airspace. It is a service component of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela.
| Bolivarian Venezuelan Military Aviation | |
|---|---|
| Aviación Militar Bolivariana | |
 Venezuelan Air Force emblem | |
| Founded | 22 June 1946 |
| Country |  |
| Allegiance | President of Venezuela |
| Type | Air force |
| Part of | Ministry of Defense |
| Patron | Our Lady of Loreto |
| Motto(s) | Spatium superanus palatinus (Latin: The paladin of the sovereign space) |
| Colors | Bleu celeste |
| March | Venezuelan Air Force Hymn (Himno de la Aviacion Militar Nacional) |
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| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Nicolás Maduro |
| Minister of Defence | Vladimir Padrino López |
| Commander | M/G Pedro Juliac Lartiguez |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |   |
| Fin flash |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
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Etymology
The organization is also known as the Bolivarian National Air Force of Venezuela. Its current official name has been in use since the end of 2008. It was previously called the Venezuelan Air Force (FAV; Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Venezolana).[1]
History
Most of the airbases in Venezuela were built in the 1960s as part of a massive expansion program. The main fighter types in those years were Venom, Vampire, and F-86. Bomber squadrons typically operated B-25 Mitchell aircraft. The 1970s and 1980s 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 the Mirage IIIE and Mirage 5, VF-5A and D, T-2D, OV-10A and E, and 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.[2][3]
In the 1992 Venezuelan coup d'état attempts, elements of the Venezuelan Air Force were key participants in the rebellion. FAV units at El Libertador Air Base under the command of Brigadier General Visconti seized control of the airbase and then launched an attack on the capital. OV-10s, T-27s, and Mirage III fighters under Visconti's command bombarded targets in the capital and loyalist air bases, destroying five CF-5 fighters on the ground. Two loyalist pilots escaped with F-16 fighters and shot down two OV-10s and a 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, two Mirages, an OV-10, and several SA 330 helicopters.[4]
Modernization
The AMV purchased 35 Sukhoi Su-30 planes from Russia in July 2006, as a result of the United States embargo on spare parts for their F-16 force.[5] In 2008, Venezuela was reported for a potential acquisition of a number of Su-35 fighter aircraft and a second batch of aircraft 12–24 Sukhoi Su-30 from Russia.[6][7] It did not proceed further.
In October 2015, Venezuela announced the purchase of 12 more Su-30MK2 from Russia for $480 million.[8][9]
Combat organization
Current inventory
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Ranks
Officer ranks
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| General en Jefe | Mayor General | General de Division | General de Brigada | Coronel | Teniente Coronel | Mayor | Capitán | Primer Teniente | Teniente | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equivalent NATO Code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | OF(D) and student officer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Professional and enlisted
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| Sargento Supervisor | Sargento Ayudante | Sargento mayor de Primera | Sargento mayor de Segunda | Sargento mayor de Tercera | Sargento Primero | Sargento Segundo | Cabo Primero | Cabo Segundo | Distinguido | Aviador | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equivalent NATO Code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- "Sukhoi Su-30 story in colours. Sukhoi Su-30 fighter worldwide camouflage and painting schemes". Mars.slipsk.pl. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- "F-16s for Venezuela". F-16.net. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- "Venezuelan F-16s". Airtoaircombat.com. Archived from the original on 8 May 2004. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- Cooper, Tom. "Venezuelan Coup Attempt, 1992". ACIG.org. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
- Archived 14 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- "Venezuela Buying Su-30s, Helicopters, etc. From Russia". defenseindustrydaily.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
- "Venezuela buys Russian aircraft, tanks to boost power". UPI. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- "Venezuela allocates $480m to buy Sukhoi aircraft from Russia". airforce-technology.com. November 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- "Pese a la crisis económica, Venezuela compra doce cazas rusos". Clarín. 29 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- "World Air Forces 2020". Flightglobal Insight. 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- "La Fuerza Aérea Venezolana exhibe sus vehículos aéreos no tripulados ANT-1X". Infodefensa.com. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Air force of Venezuela. |
