Chilean Air Force

Chilean Air Force
Coat of arms of the Chilean Air Force
Founded	March 21, 1930
Country	Chile
Part of	Chilean Armed Forces
Motto	"Quam celerrime ad astra"
March	Alte Kameraden
Anniversaries	March 21 (Air Force Day)
Commanders
Commander in chief of the Air Force	General del Aire (Air General) Jorge Robles Mella
Insignia
Roundel
Roundel 1918–1930
Aircraft flown
Attack	Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon
Electronic warfare	707 Cóndor AEW&C
Fighter	Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon, Northrop F-5E Tiger III
Trainer	T-35 Pillán, Super Tucano, T-36 Halcón
Transport	UH-1H Huey, Bell 412EP, UH-60 Black Hawk, C-130 Hercules

The Chilean Air Force (Spanish: Fuerza Aérea de Chile, FACh) is the air force of Chile, a branch of the Chilean military.

History

The first step towards the current FACh was taken by Teniente Coronel Pedro Pablo Dartnell, when he founded the Servicio de Aviación Militar de Chile (Military Aviation Service of Chile) on December 20, 1910, being trained as a pilot in France. Although a school was included, the first officers were sent to France for their training as well. One of them, Captain Manuel Ávalos Prado, took command over the Chilean military aviation school that was officially instated 11 February 1913, and remained in command until 1915. The Escuela de Aviación Militar (Military Aviation School) was named in honor of him in 1944, and still carries that name today.

In those early years many aviation milestones were achieved; conquering the height of the Andes was one of the main targets as well as long distance flights. Typical aircraft of that era were Avro 504, Bleriot XI, Bristol M.1C, DH.9, and SE5a. In the following decade, the (Airmail Line of Chile) Línea Aeropostal de Chile was created on 5 March 1929 as a branch of the military aviation. This postal airline later developed into the airline Línea Aérea Nacional (National Airline) that is still the leading airline in Chile today. Shortly afterwards, on 21 March 1930, the existing aviation elements of the army and navy were amalgamated into a dedicated department: the Subsecretaria de Aviación (Department of the Air Force) effectively creating the current independent Air Force. It was initially named Fuerza Aérea Nacional (National Air Force). The international airport of Chile carries the name of Lan's founding father and first commander of the air force, Air Commodore Arturo Merino Benítez. Its baptism of fire was in the 1931 sailors' rebellion in Coquimbo, where Air Force attack aircraft and bombers and 2 transport planes converted into bombers contributed to its failure.

The first outlines of the organization of the current air force were visible in 1945 with the inception of Grupo de Transporte No.1 (First Transport Group), later renumbered Grupo 10, with two C-45s and a single T-6 Texan at Los Cerrillos. Two years later the first Fuerza Aérea flight to Antarctica was performed. The fifties meant entry into the jet age for the FACh, and Grupo 7 was the first unit to receive them in 1954. Chile got its aircraft from both the United States and Europe. The American supply consisted of Lockheed F-80, Lockheed T-33, Beech T-34 Mentor, Cessna T-37, Cessna A-37 Dragonfly and Northrop F-5E/F for example, whereas the British supplied Hawker Hunters and the French delivered various helicopters and Dassault Mirage 50 aircraft.

The Chilean air force hosted the joint exercise Salitre with other friendly nations. It also participated in several United Nations peacekeeping missions overseas in 5 occasions.

Commanders-in-chief

Order of Battle

Personnel = 10,600 (including 700 conscripts)

Combat Command of the Air Force

The Delphos building, designed by the Division of Infrastructure Logistics Command Air Force

.

First Air Brigade with headquarters in Los Cóndores Air Base (Base Aérea Los Cóndores) in Iquique

• 1st Aviation Group
• 2nd Aviation Group
• 3rd Aviation Group
• 24th Air Defense Group
• 34th Electronic Detection Group
• 44th Aviation Infantry Group

Second Air Brigade with headquarters in Pudahuel Air Base (Base Aérea Pudahuel) in Santiago

• 9th Aviation Group
• 10th Aviation Group
• Air Defence Artillery and Special Forces Regiment (Regimiento de Artillería Antiaérea y FF.EE)
• Air Early Warning Squadron
• Halcones High Acrobatics Squad (Escuadrilla de Alta Acrobacia Halcones)
• 32nd Electronic Detection Group

Third Air Brigade with headquarters in El Tepual Air Base (Base Aérea El Tepual) in Puerto Montt

• 5th Aviation Group
• 25th Air Defense Group
• 35th Electronic Detection Group

Fourth Air Brigade with headquarters in Chabunco Air Base (Base Aérea Chabunco) in Punta Arenas

• 6th Aviation Group

F-16D Block 50M of Chilean Air Force

• 12th Aviation Group
• 23rd Air Defense Group
• 33rd Electronic Detection Group
• 19th Antarctic Exploration Group

Fifth Air Brigade with headquarters in Cerro Moreno Air Base (Base Aérea Cerro Moreno) in Antofagasta

• 7th Aviation Group
• 8th Aviation Group
• 21st Air Defense Group
• 31st Electronic Detection Group

Personnel Command

Education Division

• Aviation School "Captain Manuel Ávalos Prado"
• Air Specialties School "Flight Sergeant Adolfo Menadier Rojas"
• NCO Perfectioning School
• Air War Academy
• Aeronautical Polytechnical Academy
• Air Photographic Surveying Service

Health Division
General Hospital of the Air Force
Air Force High Command Prefecture

Logistics Command

Maintenance Division
Administration Division
Infrastructure Division

Aircraft

Current inventory

A Chilean Air Force F-5E in flight

The EB-707 Condor surveillance aircraft

A Bell 412 on lift off

Future Aircraft

The Chilean government has signed letter of intent to purchase six Embraer KC-390 tanker/transport aircraft.^[1][6]

Air Defense

Chile aquried 3 NASAMS systems like this one

Armament

Paveway II laser guided bomb

Illustration of an AGM -65 Maverick

Mark 84 gereral purpose bomb

Industry

ENAER T-35 Pillán

Chile also maintains its own aviation industry, ENAER. The design of the T-35 Pillán trainer, based on the Piper PA-28 Dakota, is the best known example, seeing some export success as well. Furthermore, the assembly of the A-36/T-36 Halcón (CASA C-101) was achieved as well. Performing maintenance on most types in the current inventory, such as minor modifications on F-5E aircraft for example, the industry is of significant importance to the air force. ENAER is reported to be in talks with Embraer of Brazil to codesign the first indigenous South American military transport plane. Also, under the Pacer Amstel programme, with initial Dutch support, and later locally ENAER upgraded an F-16 combat jet, which for the Chilean Air Force is an advance for their maintenance of the F-16 fleet (becoming the 5th country to modify their jets under authorization).

Ranks of the Chilean Air Force

Ranks and insignia, similar to the Royal Air Force but adapted to suit the origins of the Chilean Air Force, are worn on shoulder collars and cuffs. General officers have the Condor eagle in their shoulder collars while officer cadets have a unique symbol, that of the Aviation School "Captain Manuel Ávalos Prado", on their shoulder collars. On the NCOs and enlistees, only Subofficer Majors and Subofficers wear both shoulder and cuff insignia, while Graduate Soldiers wear a double capital letter E (for the Air Force Specialties School "First Sergeant Adolfo Menandier Rojas") on their shoulder collars alongside their unique cuff marking.

Officer Ranks (SS.OO.)

The officer ranking system and insignia are similar to the RAF pattern of ranks, save for the General officer ranks, modified to suit the British style ranks, and the Colonel rank.^[8] Other ranks with foreign influences are that of Air Brigade General, a general officer rank in the French Air Force, and Air General, a general officer rank in the Spanish Air Force and the Bolivian and Colombian air forces.

Rank[9]	General Officer			Superior Officer		Chief Officer		Junior Officer			Cadet Officer
Shoulder
Sleeve (service dress)
Sleeve (full dress)
–
Rank	General del Aire	General de Aviación	General de Brigada Aérea	Comodoro	Coronel de Aviación	Comandante de Grupo	Comandante de Escuadrilla	Capitán de Bandada	Teniente	Subteniente	Alférez	Cadete
Abbreviation	(C.J.)	(G.D.A.)	(G.B.A.)	(-)	(C.D.A.)	(C.D.G.)	(C.D.E.)	(C.D.B.)	(TTE.)	(STE.)	(ALF.)	-
Translation	Air General	Aviation General	Air Brigade General	Commodore	Aviation Colonel	Group Commander	Squadron Commander	Flight Captain	Lieutenant	Sub-lieutenant	Ensign	Cadet Officer
Equivalent	Air Chief Marshal	Air Marshal	Air Vice-Marshal	Air Commodore (optional rank for senior Group Captains)	Group Captain	Wing Commander	Squadron Leader	Flight Lieutenant	Flying Officer	Pilot Officer	Acting Pilot Officer	Officer Cadet

^[10]

Noncommissioned and Enlisted Ranks^[11]

Rank	Subofficer Major	Subofficer		Class				Student	Conscripted Soldier
Shoulder				–	–	–	–		–
Sleeve									–
Rank	Suboficial Mayor	Suboficial	Sargento 1°	Sargento 2°	Cabo 1°	Cabo 2°	Cabo	Alumno	Soldado Conscripto
Abbreviation	(SOM)	(SOF)	(SG1)	(SG2)	(CBO1)	(CBO2)	(CBO)	-	-
Translation	Sub-officer Major	Sub-officer	First Sergeant	Second Sergeant	First Corporal	Second Corporal	Corporal	Student	Conscript Soldier
Equivalent	Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer	Flight Sergeant	Sergeant	Corporal	Senior Aircraftman (Air Groups and Topography Service), Lance Corporal(Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment, Personnel Command and Logistics)	Leading Aircraftman	Student NCO	Aircraftman

Badges of the Chilean Air Force

Officers

Officer[12]	Line Corps
Badge
Arm of service	Aviation	Engineering	Air Defense	Telecommunications and Information Technology	Administration	Air Base
Abbreviation	(A)	(I)	(DA)	(TI)	(AD)	(BA)
Specialty	Aviators (Fighter, Helicopter) and Air transport officers	Aviation engineers	Air defense	Information and telecommunications engineers	Engineers assigned to administrative duties	Logistics

Officer[12]	Services/Staff Corps
Badge
Arm of service	Justice	Medical Corps Dental Corps	Chaplainancy	Bands Service	General Services Corps
Abbreviation	(J)	(S) y (SD)	(SR)	(B)	(SG)
Specialty	Attorneys and Judges	Doctors, Nurses and Dentists of various specialties	Chaplains	Musicians	Professional workers and civilian employees

Non-commissioned officers and airmen

NCOs and airmen of the[12]	Line Corps			Services Corps
Badge				-
Arm of service	Weapons	Technical support	Administration	Combat medicine and surgery
Specially	Air Defense Intelligence personnel Aircrews	Maintenance and armaments Communications, information technology and electronics Air Operations Support	Administrative staff	Combat medics and surgeons

Officers' cap badges

Chilean Air Force officers wear the following cap badges in their peaked caps.

Rank cap badge[9]	Air Generals and Air Commodores				Colonels and Group Commanders		Ensigns through Squadron Commanders
Full dress
Service dress
Rank	Air General	Aviation General	Air Brigade General	Air Commodore	Aviation Colonel	Group Commander	Squadron Commander	Flight Captain	Lieutenant	Sublieutenant	Ensign

References

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Air force of Chile.

• Fuerza Aérea de Chile website (Spanish)
• Ranks of Fuerza Aérea de Chile website (Spanish)

Chilean Armed Forces Ejército de Chile (Army) Armada de Chile (Navy) Fuerza Aérea de Chile (Air Force)

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