Air Surveillance Service

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There is officially no Air Force of Costa Rica, the only air wing in existence is attached to the Ministry of Public Security. Currently this unit, officially called Air Surveillance Service, does not operate armed military aircraft. The main air bases are located in three different points, San José (Base 1) being the main operations center. The aircraft and helicopters used by this unit include a few Cessna 337, 206, Piper PA-31T Cheyenne, Piper PA-34 Seneca and Hughes 369E. According to a most recent publication issued by the Ministry of Public Security, the Air Surveillance Service is part of the Border Police. More recently, partly due to a joint agreement with the U.S., there have been successful operations on the war against drug trafficking mainly occurring in the coastal areas and at sea. Rescue operations, medical evacs and VIP transport services are part of daily missions. The prefix for most aircraft is MSP followed by a serial number. ^[1]