Brazilian Naval Aviation
Brazilian Naval Aviation — the Navy’s Força Aeronaval at São Pedro da Aldeia — dates itself to a flying school created on 23 August 1916, was absorbed into the new air force in 1941, came back as a helicopter arm after a bitter quarrel with that air force, regained fixed-wing jets with 23 ex-Kuwaiti Skyhawks in 1998, and in 2026, with no carrier for its jets since the São Paulo was scuttled in 2023, flies a handful of AF-1 Skyhawks, Seahawks, Super Lynx and Super Cougars from the helicopter carrier Atlântico and shore.
The Brazilian Naval Aviation story: a flying school in 1916, a quarrel with the air force and the last Skyhawks without a carrier
1916–1941: the Naval Aviation School and the first air arm in Brazil
Decree 12,167 of 23 August 1916, signed by President Venceslau Brás, created the Escola de Aviação Naval, and the Navy still calls it “the cradle of our military aviation”. Three Curtiss F flying boats arrived on 25 June 1916 and flew from Ilha das Enxadas in Guanabara Bay; the first three naval aviators received their brevets on 24 October 1916. Officers trained in Britain, France and Italy during the First World War, and Lieutenant Eugênio Possolo, killed in a collision in England, became the first naval aviator to die. By 1923 there were squadrons of Curtiss F-5L patrol boats, SVA reconnaissance aircraft and Sopwith fighters, and from 1924 the school was at Ponta do Galeão, where a factory later licence-built about 25 Focke-Wulf Fw 58s. In 1932 Savoia-Marchetti and Martin flying boats flew against São Paulo in the Constitutionalist Revolution.
1941–1965: abolished, rebuilt, and a quarrel with the air force
The first air arm ended by decree. When Getúlio Vargas created the Ministry of Aeronautics in January 1941, naval aviation handed over 97 aircraft, 156 officers and 267 non-commissioned officers and ratings to the new air force, according to Wikipedia. The Navy did not give up the idea. Law 1,658 of 4 August 1952 re-created a Directorate of Naval Aeronautics; an air training centre followed in 1955; and in December 1956 Brazil bought the British light carrier Vengeance, rebuilt in Rotterdam and commissioned as Minas Gerais on 6 December 1960. A presidential notice of 5 June 1961 created the Naval Air Force. The question of who would fly from her deck turned into a bitter quarrel between the services: the Navy bought six Pilatus P-3 trainers and six T-28 Trojans in 1963, a newspaper reported in June 1963 that a FAB aircraft was nearly machine-gunned over the naval air base at São Pedro da Aldeia, and in December 1964 air force soldiers fired at a Navy helicopter at Tramandaí.
1965–1998: a helicopter navy with an air force carrier wing
Decree 55,627 of 26 January 1965 settled it in the air force’s favour. The Navy kept the carrier and its helicopters; fixed-wing aircraft, including the S-2 Trackers on the Minas Gerais, would be flown by the FAB. For 33 years Brazilian naval aviation was a helicopter service, and a busy one: Sikorsky SH-34s and, from 1970, Sea Kings for anti-submarine work; Wasps, Whirlwinds and Hughes trainers; Westland Lynx from 1978 for the new Niterói-class frigates; Esquilos from 1979 and Super Pumas from 1986. The Esquilo squadron has flown in the Brazilian Antarctic Programme since 1982. The arrangement had a cost: the Minas Gerais spent most of her career as an anti-submarine carrier, and her catapult was unusable from 1987 until a replacement from the Argentine carrier was fitted in 1995–96.
1998–2017: Skyhawks, the São Paulo and a carrier that rarely sailed
The Falklands/Malvinas war of 1982 left Brazil’s armed forces, in Wikipedia’s summary, with a feeling of impotence in the South Atlantic, and in the 1990s the Navy asked again for fixed-wing aircraft. Decree 2,538 of 8 April 1998 gave it back the right to fly them from ships. The Navy bought 20 single-seat A-4KU and three two-seat TA-4KU Skyhawks from Kuwait for about US$70 million; they arrived by sea on 5 September 1998 as AF-1 and AF-1A, and the squadron VF-1 was formed on 2 October 1998. The French carrier Foch, bought for US$12 million and commissioned as São Paulo on 15 November 2000, was meant to give them a deck. She rarely gave it: a steam explosion killed three men in 2005, a fire followed in 2012, and Wikipedia says the Skyhawks made only about 600 launches from her. In 2017 only three or four of the 23 were available on a given day.
2017–2026: a helicopter carrier, drones and an ageing jet squadron
On 14 February 2017 the Navy announced that the São Paulo would be decommissioned rather than rebuilt. In her place it bought HMS Ocean for £84.6 million and commissioned her as Atlântico on 29 June 2018, a helicopter carrier reclassified as a multipurpose carrier (NAM) on 12 November 2020. The São Paulo herself was sold for scrap, refused by Turkey over asbestos concerns and towed back, and was scuttled about 350 km off the coast on 3 February 2023 despite objections from environmental groups. The helicopter fleet was renewed meanwhile: Super Cougars (UH-15) from 2010–11 under the national H-XBR programme, six SH-16 Seahawks, eight Super Lynx modernised under a 2014 contract, ScanEagle drones with a new squadron in 2022 and, from 2025, H125 trainers to replace the Jet Rangers. The KC-2 Turbo Trader programme for carrier tanker and transport aircraft was closed in March 2023 without an aircraft entering service.
What is still unresolved
Three things are unresolved in 2026. The first is the jets. The Embraer modernisation contract of 14 April 2009 produced five AF-1B and two AF-1C by April 2022, according to Portuguese Wikipedia, and the AF-1s were still flying patrols off Fernando de Noronha in May 2025; but a US Navy image from September 2022 shows others stored in the open, and in June 2026 Poder Naval wrote that the next challenge was to find an aircraft to replace them and keep VF-1 alive. No retirement date and no successor have been announced. The second is the deck: Atlântico can take helicopters and drones but has no catapult or arrester wires, and the AF-1s’ most recent carrier work found was a series of approaches and go-arounds on the USS George Washington in May 2024. The third is the numbers: the Navy publishes no aircraft inventory, and the counts in Wikipedia and the specialist press differ for almost every type, as the fleet table below shows.
The Brazilian Naval Aviation in numbers
Service
- Native name
- Força Aeronaval (Aviação Naval Brasileira)The Navy’s operational command is the Comando da Força Aeronaval (ComForAerNav); Aviação Naval is the name used for the service and its anniversary. English Wikipedia’s article title is “Brazilian Naval Aviation”
- Founded
- 23 August 1916Decree 12,167 created the Naval Aviation School. Abolished in 1941; Directorate of Naval Aeronautics re-created by Law 1,658 of 4 August 1952; Naval Air Force created by presidential notice 1,003 of 5 June 1961
- Part of
- Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil)The Força Aeronaval is a command of the Fleet; four district helicopter squadrons answer to the naval districts
- Headquarters
- São Pedro da Aldeia, Rio de JaneiroBase Aérea Naval de São Pedro da Aldeia (BAeNSPA); the command moved there in 1971, per Portuguese Wikipedia
- Commander
- R. Adm. Alexandre Vasconcelos ToniniNamed by the Força Aeronaval’s site in August–September 2026; date of appointment not published
- Ship for aircraft
- NAM Atlântico (A140)Ex-HMS Ocean, commissioned 29 June 2018, reclassified as a multipurpose carrier on 12 November 2020; helicopters and drones only
Strength
- Jet aircraft
-
- AF-1B/AF-1C Skyhawk — 3–7
23 bought in 1998. Portuguese Wikipedia counts five AF-1B and two AF-1C modernised by April 2022; Wikipedia’s list of active aircraft gives three A-4KU and three TA-4KU; a 2022 image shows others in storage
- Helicopters
-
- UH-15/UH-15A/AH-15 Super Cougar — 15
- UH-12/UH-13 Esquilo — about 17
- SH-16 Seahawk — 6
- AH-11A/B Super Lynx — 5–8
- IH-6B Jet Ranger — 5–10
- UH-17 H135 — 2–3
- IH-18 H125 — deliveries from 2025 (15 ordered)
Counts are Wikipedia’s (list of active Brazilian military aircraft and the naval aviation articles), not an official inventory; the Navy does not publish one
- Unmanned aircraft
- 6 ScanEagle1st Remotely Piloted Aircraft Squadron (QE-1), activated 5 July 2022
- Total aircraft
- 76 (2022)Wikipedia’s 2022 figure, including drones
- Personnel
- 3,539 (2022)Wikipedia’s figure; no official total was found
- Cancelled programme
- KC-2 Turbo TraderGrumman C-1 Traders to be re-engined as carrier tankers and transports under a contract of October 2011; the reception group was dissolved on 10 March 2023 without an aircraft entering service. How many airframes were involved was not confirmed
Infrastructure
- Main base
- São Pedro da Aldeia naval air baseAll seven squadrons of the Força Aeronaval, the training centre CIAAN and the maintenance group are there; runway 07/25, 2,402 m (DECEA AIP)
- District squadrons
-
- HU-41 — Belém (4th Naval District)
- HU-51 — Rio Grande (5th)
- HU-61 — Ladário (6th)
- HU-91 — Manaus (9th)
The Navy lists the four district squadrons; locations per Wikipedia and Poder Naval; HU-41 flies from the air force base at Belém (Ala 9)
- Former carriers
-
- Minas Gerais (A11) — 1960–2001
- São Paulo (A12) — 2000–2018
Minas Gerais decommissioned 16 October 2001; São Paulo’s decommissioning announced 14 February 2017, formal on 22 November 2018; scuttled 3 February 2023
- Historic stations
-
- Ilha das Enxadas — first school, 1916
- Ponta do Galeão — from 1924
- Santa Catarina (Florianópolis), Santos, Porto Alegre — 1930s
Per Portuguese Wikipedia and the FGV history; all passed to the air force or closed in 1941
How the Brazilian Naval Aviation is organised
One command of the Fleet, the Força Aeronaval, with seven squadrons, a training centre and a maintenance group, and four district helicopter squadrons that answer to the naval districts. Every squadron of the Força Aeronaval flies from São Pedro da Aldeia: the AF-1 Skyhawks of VF-1, the Navy’s only jets, the Seahawks of HS-1, the Super Lynx of HA-1, the Esquilos of HU-1, the Super Cougars of HU-2, the trainers of HI-1 and the ScanEagles of QE-1. Since the São Paulo was decommissioned, the ship for aircraft is the multipurpose carrier Atlântico, which takes helicopters and drones but has no catapult or arrester wires. The Brazilian Air Force is a separate service and is not counted here.
Naval Air Force Command
The Navy’s air arm, a command of the Fleet, with its headquarters at São Pedro da Aldeia since 1971 according to Portuguese Wikipedia. Its own site names Rear Admiral Alexandre Vasconcelos Tonini as commander at the August 2026 ceremonies for the 110th anniversary of naval aviation; the date he took command was not published. The head of the Navy is Admiral Marcos Olsen, according to Wikipedia.
Squadron VF-1 “Falcões”
The Navy’s only jets: AF-1B and AF-1C Skyhawks, from the 23 bought from Kuwait in 1998. Published counts of those flying range from three to seven, and a 2022 image shows others stored in the open. Formed on 2 October 1998 according to Portuguese Wikipedia, the squadron flew patrols off Fernando de Noronha in May 2025; no retirement date or successor has been announced.
Squadrons HS-1 and HA-1
HS-1, created on 28 May 1965 according to Portuguese Wikipedia, flies six SH-16 Seahawks for anti-submarine warfare, which replaced its Sea Kings from 2012. HA-1, created in 1978 for the Niterói-class frigates, flies the AH-11 Super Lynx, five to eight by different counts, armed with torpedoes, depth charges and Sea Skua missiles; it passed 70,000 flying hours in February 2025.
Squadron HU-2 “Pégasus”
Transport and search and rescue: formed in 1986 with Super Pumas, which were retired in 2018, and flying UH-15 Super Cougars since April 2011. Its UH-15s flew rescue and supply missions in the Rio Grande do Sul floods of May 2024.
Squadron HU-1 “O Faz Tudo”
UH-12 and twin-engined UH-13 Esquilos for liaison, plane guard and search and rescue. The Navy dates it to 1961 as its first operational air unit (Portuguese Wikipedia gives 17 April 1962), and it has flown in the Brazilian Antarctic Programme since 1982.
Squadron HI-1
The helicopter training squadron, created on 27 June 1962 according to Portuguese Wikipedia. IH-18 (H125) trainers, 15 ordered, have been replacing its IH-6B Jet Rangers since 2025, and the Força Aeronaval reported IH-18s operating from the Atlântico in July 2026.
Squadron QE-1
The Navy’s first drone squadron, activated on 5 July 2022 with six ScanEagles; the first launch was on 27 June 2022.
Squadrons HU-41, HU-51, HU-61 and HU-91
Four helicopter squadrons that answer to the naval districts. HU-41 has flown UH-15 Super Cougars from the air force base at Belém since 2019, covering the 4th Naval District; HU-51, HU-61 and HU-91 fly UH-12 Esquilos, three to five each according to English Wikipedia.
What the Brazilian Naval Aviation flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas AF-1B/AF-1C Skyhawk (A-4KU/TA-4KU)In service | Carrier-capable fighter and attack aircraft | 1998 | 3–7 flying. 23 bought (20 A-4KU, 3 TA-4KU).
MorePortuguese Wikipedia counts five AF-1B and two AF-1C modernised by Embraer by April 2022; Wikipedia’s list of active aircraft gives three single-seat and three two-seat; English Wikipedia’s A-4 article says three in service in 2022. The Navy publishes no figure. |
|||
| Sikorsky SH-16 Seahawk (S-70B)In service | Anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare helicopter | 6 | 2012 | Six S-70B received, per Poder Naval’s 2019 programme review and Wikipedia. | ||
| Westland (Leonardo) AH-11A/AH-11B Super LynxIn service | Shipborne attack and reconnaissance helicopter | 1978 | 5–8. AgustaWestland was contracted in 2014 to modernise eight for US$160 million (Poder Naval); Wikipedia’s lists give five in service. | |||
| Airbus Helicopters UH-15/UH-15A/AH-15 Super Cougar (H225M/EC725)In service | Utility, search-and-rescue and anti-ship helicopter | 15 | 2010 | 15 per Wikipedia’s list of active aircraft; the Navy’s share of the 50 EC725s ordered for Brazil’s three services in 2008. | ||
| Helibras (Airbus Helicopters) UH-12/UH-13 Esquilo (AS350/AS355)In service | Light utility helicopter | 1979 | About 17 UH-12 per Wikipedia’s list of active aircraft; English Wikipedia gives HU-1 six UH-12 and three twin-engined UH-13 in 2020, and each district squadron three to five UH-12. | |||
| Bell IH-6B Jet Ranger III (Bell 206)In service | Training helicopter | 1974 | 5–10: Wikipedia’s list gives five, the naval aviation article ten (2022). Being replaced by the IH-18. | |||
| Airbus Helicopters UH-17 (H135)In service | Light utility and training helicopter | 2–3: two in Wikipedia’s list, three in Portuguese Wikipedia. | ||||
| Helibras (Airbus Helicopters) IH-18 (H125 “Esquilo B3e”)In service | Training helicopter | 2025 | 15 ordered; acceptance of the first began in April 2025. The number delivered by October 2026 was not published. | |||
| Boeing Insitu ScanEagleIn service | Shipborne reconnaissance drone | 6 | 2022 | Six air vehicles with launchers and recovery systems, per Poder Naval. |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helibras (Airbus Helicopters) IH-18 (H125)On order | 15 | 2025 | Project TH-X to replace the IH-6B Jet Ranger in HI-1; acceptance of the first began at Itajubá in April 2025. Wikipedia’s list also records the order (as “UH-18”).
More |
Every type the Brazilian Naval Aviation has retired
24 types, from the Curtiss F flying boat (Model 1914) to the Aérospatiale UH-14 Super Puma (AS332F1). Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aérospatiale UH-14 Super Puma (AS332F1) | Transport helicopter | 1986–2018 | UH-15 Super Cougar | |||
| Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (SH-3A, SH-3B) | Anti-submarine helicopter | 1970–2012 | SH-16 Seahawk | Six in 1970; six more overhauled SH-3D (designated SH-3B) plus two for spares in 1996. | ||
| Sikorsky SH-34J Seabat | Anti-submarine helicopter | Sea King | ||||
| Pilatus P-3 | Basic trainer | 6 | 1963–1965 | Six. | ||
| North American T-28 Trojan | Trainer and light attack aircraft | 6 | 1963–1965 | Six. | ||
| Savoia-Marchetti S.55A | Patrol flying boat | At least three (nos 1, 4 and 8) flew in 1932. | ||||
| Martin PM | Patrol flying boat | At least two (nos 111 and 112) flew in 1932. | ||||
| Vought O2U-2A Corsair | Scout and observation biplane | |||||
| Focke-Wulf Fw 58B Weihe (D2FW / D2AvN) | Maritime patrol and training | 1938–1941 | About 25 Fw 58B-2 licence-built at the Fábrica do Galeão, plus German-built examples (number not confirmed). | |||
| Curtiss F flying boat (Model 1914) | Training flying boat | 3 | 1916– | The first three aircraft of Brazilian naval aviation. | ||
| Curtiss HS-2L | Patrol flying boat | 6 | 1918– | Six, among 35 aircraft of nine types received in 1918–19. | ||
| Curtiss N-9H | Training seaplane | 9 | 1918– | Nine, received 1918–19. | ||
| Macchi M.9 and related Macchi flying boats | Reconnaissance flying boat | 1918– | ||||
| Curtiss F-5L | Patrol bomber flying boat | 14 | 1923– | 14 equipped the bombing and patrol squadron formed in 1923. | ||
| Ansaldo SVA 10 | Reconnaissance aircraft | 18 | 1923– | 18 in the reconnaissance squadron of 1923. | ||
| Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe | Fighter | 12 | 1923– | 12 in the fighter squadron of 1923; Wikipedia writes “Sopwith 7F-1 Spite”, evidently the 7F.1 Snipe. | ||
| Bell 47 family (HTL-6, Bell 47D) | Training and liaison helicopter | 1958– | Two Kawasaki-built HTL-6 in 1958 and six Bell 47D in 1961, per Portuguese Wikipedia. | |||
| Bell HUL-1 | Utility helicopter | 3 | 1958– | Three in 1958. | ||
| Westland Widgeon | Utility helicopter | 2 | 1958– | Two in 1958. | ||
| Westland Whirlwind (Series 1 and Series 2/3) | Utility helicopter | 1961– | Series 1 from 1961; five turbine UH-5 from 1965. | |||
| Hughes 269 | Training helicopter | 20 | 1962– | 20 in all, from 1962. | ||
| Westland UH-2 Wasp | Shipborne light helicopter | 1965– | Lynx | |||
| Fairchild Hiller UH-4 (FH-1100) | Light utility helicopter | 6 | 1965– | Six. | ||
| Westland SAH-11 Lynx | Shipborne attack helicopter | 9 | 1978– | Super Lynx (AH-11A) | Nine for the Niterói-class frigates. |
Where Brazilian Naval Aviation flies from
Black pins are active bases. São Pedro da Aldeia, on the Araruama lagoon east of Rio de Janeiro, has been the centre of Brazilian naval flying since the air training centre moved there on 23 November 1961; Ponta do Galeão and Florianópolis, stations of the first naval air arm, passed to the air force in 1941 and are air force bases today. Ilha das Enxadas in Guanabara Bay, where the Naval Aviation School began in 1916, is no longer an air station. The district squadron HU-41 is a tenant at the air force base at Belém; the bases of HU-51, HU-61 and HU-91 are not mapped. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belém Air Force BasePará | SBBE | Active | 07/252,800 m03/211,830 m |
|
| Florianópolis Air Force BaseSanta Catarina | SBFL | Active | 14/322,400 m03/211,320 m |
|
| Galeão Air Force BaseRio de Janeiro | SBGL | Active | 10/284,000 mconcrete15/333,180 m |
|
| São Pedro da Aldeia NavalRio de Janeiro | SBES | Active | 07/252,402 mconcrete |
|
| Ilha das EnxadasNaval Aviation SchoolRio de Janeiro (Guanabara Bay) | Closed |
|
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Brazilian Naval Aviation
Flying units by base, current units first. Brazilian naval squadrons are esquadrões lettered by role — VF for the jets, HS anti-submarine, HA attack, HU general purpose, HI instruction and QE drones — and the district squadrons take the number of their naval district, as HU-41 does for the 4th. The school and stations of the first naval air arm, at Ilha das Enxadas, Ponta do Galeão and Florianópolis, are listed as former units. Where a date rests on Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.
- 1º Esquadrão de Aviões de Interceptação e Ataque (EsqdVF-1)Falcões · Fighter and attack squadron · active
- AF-1B/AF-1C Skyhawk
- 1º Esquadrão de Helicópteros de Esclarecimento e Ataque (EsqdHA-1)Shipborne attack helicopter squadron · active
- AH-11A/B Super Lynx
- 1º Esquadrão de Helicópteros Antissubmarino (EsqdHS-1)Anti-submarine helicopter squadron · active
- SH-16 Seahawk
- 1º Esquadrão de Helicópteros de Emprego Geral (EsqdHU-1)O Faz Tudo · General purpose helicopter squadron · active
- UH-12 Esquilo, UH-13 Esquilo
- 2º Esquadrão de Helicópteros de Emprego Geral (EsqdHU-2)Pégasus · Transport and search-and-rescue helicopter squadron · active
- UH-15 Super Cougar
- 1º Esquadrão de Helicópteros de Instrução (EsqdHI-1)Helicopter training squadron · active
- IH-6B Jet Ranger III, IH-18 (H125)
- 1º Esquadrão de Aeronaves Remotamente Pilotadas (EsqdQE-1)Drone squadron · active
- ScanEagle
- 1º Esquadrão de Helicópteros de Emprego Geral do Norte (EsqdHU-41)District helicopter squadron (4th Naval District) · active
- UH-15 Super Cougar
- Escola de Aviação Naval and naval air units1924–1941
- Savoia-Marchetti S.55A, Martin PM, Focke-Wulf Fw 58B
- Centro de Aviação Naval de Santa Catarina1932–1941
No unit matches that search.
Brazilian Naval Aviation milestones, 1914 to today
23 August: Decree 12,167 creates the Naval Aviation School; the first three Curtiss F flying boats had arrived on 25 June and the first flight follows on 8 August. 24 October: first three naval aviators receive their brevets.
26 October: Brazil recognises a state of war with Germany; naval aviators train in Britain, France and Italy, some flying with the Royal Air Force.
17 June: ten naval aircraft receive the Portuguese aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral after the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic.
The first three squadrons form: 14 Curtiss F-5L, 18 SVA-10 and 12 Sopwith fighters. From 1924 the school is at Ponta do Galeão.
12 July: naval flying boats leave Galeão to support the blockade of São Paulo in the Constitutionalist Revolution.
January: the Ministry of Aeronautics absorbs naval aviation — 97 aircraft, 156 officers and 267 other ranks pass to the new air force.
4 August: Law 1,658 re-creates the Directorate of Naval Aeronautics.
14 December: Brazil buys HMS Vengeance; rebuilt in Rotterdam, she is commissioned as Minas Gerais on 6 December 1960.
5 June: presidential notice 1,003 creates the Naval Air Force. 23 November: the air training centre CIAAN moves to São Pedro da Aldeia.
26 January: Decree 55,627 restricts the Navy to helicopters after the 1963–64 clashes with the air force.
Six Sikorsky SH-3 Sea Kings arrive for anti-submarine warfare.
Nine Westland Lynx and the attack helicopter squadron HA-1 for the new frigates.
8 April: Decree 2,538 restores fixed-wing aircraft to the Navy. 5 September: 23 ex-Kuwaiti Skyhawks arrive by sea. 2 October: squadron VF-1 is formed.
15 November: the ex-French Foch is commissioned as São Paulo; Minas Gerais is decommissioned on 16 October 2001.
26 July: an AF-1B is lost at sea off Saquarema; its pilot is never found.
29 June: ex-HMS Ocean is commissioned as Atlântico; São Paulo is formally decommissioned on 22 November.
5 July: the first drone squadron, QE-1, is activated with six ScanEagles.
3 February: the hulk of the São Paulo is scuttled in the Atlantic. 10 March: the KC-2 Turbo Trader programme’s reception group is dissolved.
Every war and operation Brazilian Naval Aviation has flown in
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- The First World War 1917–1918 Brazilian naval aviators trained with Allied air services and some flew with the Royal Air Force; the Navy’s own aircraft stayed at home
- The Constitutionalist Revolution 1932 Naval flying boats and scouts supported the federal blockade of São Paulo’s coast
- UNIFIL Maritime Task Force 2011–2020 Helicopters of the Força Aeronaval flew from the Brazilian flagship of the UN Maritime Task Force
- Rio Grande do Sul floods 2024 Navy helicopters flew rescue and supply missions; the helicopter carrier Atlântico was sent south
Who built the Brazilian Naval Aviation fleet
Every company behind the aircraft on this page has its own page: the story, every type it built, the numbers and the other air forces that fly them.
Current fleet and orders
Helibras, Airbus Helicopters, Bell, Insitu, McDonnell Douglas, Sikorsky, Westland
Former fleet
Curtiss, Aérospatiale, Ansaldo, Fairchild, Focke-Wulf, Glenn L. Martin Company, Hughes, Macchi, North American Aviation, Pilatus, Savoia-Marchetti, Sopwith, Vought
Everything people ask about the Brazilian Naval Aviation
What is the Brazilian Naval Aviation called in Portuguese?
When was Brazilian Naval Aviation founded?
Does the Brazilian Navy still fly Skyhawks?
Does Brazil have an aircraft carrier?
Why did the Brazilian Navy fly only helicopters from 1965 to 1998?
What happened at Tramandaí in 1964?
Where is Brazilian Naval Aviation based?
What helicopters does the Brazilian Navy fly?
Why was the aircraft carrier São Paulo sunk?
Did Brazilian naval aircraft fight in the Falklands/Malvinas war?
Read the aircraft the Brazilian Naval Aviation flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- Marinha do Brasil: Comando da Força Aeronaval (home page)Commander Contra-Almirante (FN) Alexandre Vasconcelos Tonini named in August–September 2026 news; 110th anniversary ceremony 21 August 2026; IH-18 aboard Atlântico July 2026; HS-1, HI-1, QE-1.
- Marinha do Brasil: Comando da Força Aeronaval – Histórico e Missão23 August 1916 school; 1941 dissolution; Law 1,658 of 4 August 1952; Minas Gerais 1961; presidential notice 1,003 of 5 June 1961; 1965 restriction; Decree 2,538 of 8 April 1998; squadrons at Manaus, Ladário, Rio Grande and Belém; mission.
- Marinha do Brasil: Comando da Força Aeronaval – OM SubordinadasSubordinate units: BAeNSPA, CeIMSPA, CIAAN, EsqdHA-1, HI-1, HS-1, HU-1, HU-2, VF-1, PNSPA, GAerNavMan, QE-1.
- Marinha do Brasil: Comando da Força Aeronaval – Esquadrões DistritaisLists EsqdHU-41, HU-51, HU-61 and HU-91.
- Marinha do Brasil: 1º Esquadrão de Aviões de Interceptação e Ataque (EsqdVF-1)Decree 2,538 of 8 April 1998; purchase from Kuwait 30 April 1998 of 20 A-4KU and 3 TA-4KU; arrival 5 September 1998 at Porto do Forno, Arraial do Cabo; studies from July 1996; nine qualified pilots at first.
- Marinha do Brasil: Esquadrão HA-1Created 1978; SAH-11 then AH-11A Super Lynx; Niterói-class frigates; torpedoes, depth charges, Sea Skua.
- Marinha do Brasil: Esquadrão HU-1“O Faz Tudo”; first operational air unit, 1961; UH-12 and UH-13; Antarctic support.
- Marinha do Brasil: Esquadrão HU-2Created 1986; page (2015, updated 2025) lists the UH-14 Super Puma.
- Marinha do Brasil: Centro de Instrução e Adestramento Aeronaval (CIAAN)Created 27 May 1955 (Decree 37,398); moved to São Pedro da Aldeia 23 November 1961; under ComForAerNav from 1971.
- FGV Projetos: Aviação Naval (2016)Ilha das Enxadas; Curtiss F arrival 25 June 1916, first flight 8 August 1916; brevets 24 October 1916; WWI training and Possolo’s death; 35 aircraft in 1918–19; 1920 and 1922 flights; Protógenes Guimarães.
- Poder Naval: Imagem mostra jatos AF-1 da Marinha do Brasil armazenados em São Pedro da Aldeia (19 June 2026)US Navy image of 12 September 2022 showing AF-1s stored in the open; replacement still to be found.
- Poder Naval: Marinha emprega caças AF-1 Skyhawk em ações de vigilância na fronteira marítima nacional (23 May 2025)21 May 2025 patrol over Atol das Rocas and Fernando de Noronha.
- Poder Naval: Aviação Naval amplia capacidade operacional com caças AF-1 Skyhawk (18 June 2025)16 May – 6 June 2025 campaign at Maxaranguape: practice bombs, 20 mm guns.
- Poder Naval: Caça da Marinha cai no mar do RJ; piloto ejeta (26 July 2016)AF-1B lost about 24 nm off Saquarema on 26 July 2016; Navy note.
- Poder Naval: Marinha encontra peças de caça AF-1 desaparecido há mais de um ano (7 November 2017)Collision during training; pilot CC Igor Simões Bastos not found; search ended 21 October 2016; fin pieces found November 2017.
- Poder Naval: Jatos AF-1 da MB treinaram pouso e arremetida no USS George Washington (24 May 2024)19 May 2024, Southern Seas 2024; approaches and go-arounds, no arrested landings.
- Poder Naval: Aviação Naval inicia o processo de recebimento da primeira aeronave IH-18 (11 April 2025)H125 Esquilo B3e; 15 ordered; HI-1; TH-X; replaces IH-6B.
- Poder Naval: Programas da MB em 2019: PROAERO (9 January 2020)Six S-70B (SH-16) received; KC-2 about 47% complete; H135 (UH-17) contract effective 8 March 2019.
- Poder Naval: tag UH-15First EC725 “Pégasus 7101” October 2010; UH-15 joins HU-2 April 2011; HU-2 in POIT 2025.
- Poder Naval: NI-EsqdHU-41 recebe segundo UH-15 (24 July 2019)HU-41 nucleus at Base Aérea de Belém (Ala 9); second UH-15 on 17 July 2019; activation planned 20 November 2019.
- Poder Naval: tag Super Lynx2014 contract to modernise eight Super Lynx for US$160m; first flight September 2017; Barroso first ship with Wild Lynx, July 2019.
- Poder Naval: Porta-aviões Minas Gerais em Pensacola: a visita de 1996 que trouxe os Sea King SH-3B para a MB (22 April 2026)Six overhauled SH-3D (SH-3B) plus two for spares; at São Pedro da Aldeia June 1996; Sea King with HS-1 since 1970.
- Poder Naval: Marinha do Brasil extingue grupo de recebimento de aeronaves C-1T COD/AAR (KC-2 Turbo Trader) (23 March 2023)Reception group dissolved 10 March 2023; modernisation contract of October 2011; first engine run 15 November 2018 (from the KC-2 tag listing).
- Poder Naval: Marinha do Brasil ativa o 1º Esquadrão de Aeronaves Remotamente Pilotadas (6 July 2022)Activated 5 July 2022 at São Pedro da Aldeia with six ScanEagles.
- Poder Naval: tag ScanEagleFirst launch 27 June 2022; materials delivered March 2022; 16 personnel trained in the US by November 2021.
- Poder Naval: EsqdHA-1 realiza tiro real em águas do Mar Mediterrâneo (24 November 2020)HA-1’s “Lince 04” aboard Independência, UNIFIL Maritime Task Force flagship, 7 November 2020.
- Poder Naval: Marinha do Brasil intensifica ações de resgate e suporte na Região Sul após temporais (5 May 2024)UH-15 of HU-2 and UH-12 of HU-51; 1,200 litres of fuel flown; family of four rescued.
- Poder Naval: tag Força Aeronaval (HA-1 reaches 70,000 flying hours, 11 February 2025)Lists the 11 February 2025 article on HA-1’s 70,000 hours.
- Poder Naval: tag VF-1Chronology of VF-1 articles 2011–2025, including the 2016 loss and 2025 patrols.
- DECEA AISWEB (Brazilian AIP / ROTAER): Tenente Jorge Henrique Möller, São Pedro da Aldeia (SBES)22 49 00S 042 05 33W; 18.72 m; runway 07/25, 2,402 x 30 m concrete; military, Força Aeronaval.
- DECEA AISWEB (Brazilian AIP / ROTAER): Val de Cans – Júlio Cezar Ribeiro, Belém (SBBE)01 23 05S 048 28 44W; 17 ft; 07/25 2,800 x 45 m and 03/21 1,830 x 45 m asphalt; international, civil and military.
- DECEA AISWEB (Brazilian AIP / ROTAER): Galeão – Antônio Carlos Jobim (SBGL)22 48 36S 043 15 02W; 8.51 m; 10/28 4,000 x 45 m concrete; 15/33 3,180 x 47 m asphalt.
- DECEA AISWEB (Brazilian AIP / ROTAER): Hercílio Luz, Florianópolis (SBFL)27 40 13S 048 33 09W; 5.13 m; 14/32 2,400 x 45 m and 03/21 1,320 x 45 m asphalt.
- Marinha do Brasil: Grupo Aéreo Naval de Manutenção (GAerNavMan)Created 6 December 2019 at the São Pedro da Aldeia complex.
Figures verified 2026-10-01. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
Photographs: Photo: Marinha do Brasil / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: AFP Radio DWDD / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Aeroprints.com / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Lt. Col. Edward C. Johnson, USMC. Edited by Graham A. Cosmas. History and Museums Division / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: NACA / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: tormentor4555 / Wikimedia Commons (PDM-owner) · Photo: lkarasawa / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Huhu Uetersen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) · Photo: Balon Greyjoy / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Petty Officer 3rd Class NPASEWest Hawaii / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)