Colombian Aerospace Force
The Colombian Aerospace Force, created by law on 31 December 1919 and flying since 1921, fought Peru over Leticia in 1933 and has since spent most of its life in a war at home — from DC-3 gunships and Super Tucanos to the 2008 strike in Ecuador — and now, with 17 Gripens on order and its old name back in use, is trying to rebuild a fighter force it let wither.
The Colombian air force story: a war on the Amazon in 1933, half a century of war at home and the Gripen
1919–1933: a flying school, a French mission and a war on the Amazon
Colombian military aviation was created on paper by Law 126 of 31 December 1919 and in practice on 15 February 1921, when a French mission opened a school at Flandes with three Caudron G.3s, three G.4s and four Nieuport-Delage 21s. Money ran out and the school closed in 1922; it reopened at Madrid, near Bogotá, on 8 November 1924 with Swiss help. The first real combat aircraft, a Curtiss Falcon, was shown on 28 December 1928. Four years later the service was tested. On 1 September 1932 Peruvians seized Leticia on the Amazon, and Colombia, with four Ospreys and one Falcon, bought an air force in months: Junkers, Dorniers, 20 Falcons and 30 Curtiss Hawk IIs, many flown by German pilots from the SCADTA airline under Herbert Boy. Air actions at Tarapacá and Güepí followed in 1933 before a ceasefire in May.
1934–1966: patrols, Thunderbolts and the first jets
The war made aviation a permanent arm. A Pacific base opened at Buenaventura in January 1933 and three Seversky P-35s, the first all-metal monoplane fighters, came in 1936. When Colombia broke with the Axis and a U-boat sank the schooner Resolute off San Andrés on 23 June 1942, Falcons and then AT-6 Texans patrolled the Caribbean coast until 1945. After the war the service became the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana and re-equipped with American aid: P-47 Thunderbolts from 1947, B-26 Invaders, the Apiay base in the eastern plains in 1948. When Colombia sent a battalion and three frigates to Korea in 1951, the air force stayed at home; the sources checked mention no Colombian air component there. The jet age began with six T-33s in 1954 and six Canadair Sabres in 1956.
1966–1999: Mirages, Kfirs and an air force turned inward
The 1960s brought the C-130 Hercules, the UH-1, the T-37 and T-41, and in 1962 the state airline SATENA, run by the air force for regions no airline would serve. In 1972 eighteen Mirage 5s arrived, the first supersonic fighters, and twelve ex-Israeli Kfir C2s followed in 1989–1990; both were upgraded in Israel and refuelled from a Boeing 707 tanker. New groups were formed on the Caribbean coast (1977), San Andrés (1979) and at Marandúa in the east (1983). But the real war was internal. The T-37Cs were turned into light attack aircraft in the early 1980s, A-37s came in numbers, gunships were improvised from DC-3s from 1986, and in 1991 the USAF handed over twelve OV-10 Broncos. A fighter force sized for a neighbour spent its life bombing guerrilla camps.
1999–2016: Plan Colombia, the Super Tucano and the raid on Angostura
Plan Colombia, about US$10 billion of American aid from 2000, paid for radars, surveillance aircraft and helicopters, and the air force built its own Arpía gunship from the Black Hawk. Twenty-five Super Tucanos arrived from December 2006 and flew the type’s first combat mission on 18 January 2007. Precision air power then decapitated the FARC: Raúl Reyes was killed at Angostura on 1 March 2008, Mono Jojoy in Operation Sodoma in 2010 and Alfonso Cano in Operation Odiseo in 2011. Angostura lay about 1.8 km inside Ecuador. President Uribe called it a step against terrorism that “does not respect borders”; President Correa called it aggression, and Ecuador broke relations on 3 March 2008. The campaign worked militarily; its diplomatic and human costs, with four Mexican students among the dead according to Spanish Wikipedia, are still argued over.
2016–2026: peace, the Gripen and a name that would not settle
The 2016 peace agreement with the FARC did not end the bombing. Dissident fronts and the ELN grew, and the Defence Minister said in September 2026 that armed groups had nearly doubled to about 29,000 in four years. Under President Petro the strikes were rare but did not stop: an air strike in Guaviare on 12 November 2025 killed 19 people. Petro also chose the Saab Gripen in April 2025, the most expensive of three bids according to Infodefensa, and Saab signed for 17 on 15 November 2025. The name was the oddest fight. Law 2302 of 2023 made the service the Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana, the Constitutional Court struck it down in 2024, and a constitutional reform restored it that November; on 21 August 2026 the new government of Abelardo de la Espriella announced a return to Fuerza Aérea Colombiana.
What the air force is good at, and what it still lacks
The Colombian air force is one of the most combat-experienced in the Americas, but in a narrow way: close air support, night gunship work, helicopter assault and interdiction of drug flights, not air combat. Its fighter arm has been allowed to run down to about eleven Kfirs, eight of them flyable in November 2025, and the Gripen will not be complete before 2032. Transport is stretched: the C-130H crash at Puerto Leguízamo on 23 March 2026, which killed 69 or 70 people, came on a mission cut from two aircraft to one for lack of money, according to Infodefensa. The strikes resumed in August 2026 killed children recruited by armed groups, and the courts have now set conditions on further bombing. Those are the questions the next decade will answer.
The Colombian Aerospace Force in numbers
Servicio
- Nombre nativo
- Fuerza Aeroespacial ColombianaThe constitutional name since the reform of November 2024. On 21 August 2026 the government of Abelardo de la Espriella announced a return to the historic name Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (FAC), which the press now uses; the legal instrument for the change was not confirmed in the sources checked
- Fundado
- 31 December 1919Law 126 of 1919 created military aviation; the school at Flandes opened with a French mission on 15 February 1921, the date Wikipedia’s infobox uses. It closed in 1922 and reopened at Madrid, Cundinamarca, on 8 November 1924
- Parte de
- Military Forces of ColombiaOne of three services under the Commander General of the Military Forces, since August 2026 Maj. Gen. Erick Rodríguez Aparicio
- Sede
- BogotáThe main transport base, CATAM, is at El Dorado airport in Bogotá
- Comandante
- Maj. Gen. Juan Martínez OssaNamed in the new high command of August 2026; deputy Maj. Gen. Juan Mosquera Dueñas. Gen. Carlos Silva was commander at the time of the March 2026 Hercules crash
- Ministro de Defensa
- Jorge MoraMinister under President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on 7 August 2026
Fortaleza
- Personal
- 13,500–25,000Contested: Wikipedia gives about 13,500 in 2010 (2,171 officers, 3,304 NCOs, 903 cadets, 4,673 soldiers) and 25,000 active today; Spanish Wikipedia gives about 15,000 in 2017. No official 2026 figure was reachable
- Aviones de combate
-
- IAI Kfir C10/C12 — 11 (Infodefensa, Nov 2025) to 16 (Wikipedia)
- Gripen E/F — 17 on order
The Kfir is due to be replaced by the Gripen from 2026; deliveries run to 2032
- Attack and gunships
-
- A-29 Super Tucano — 24
- AC-47T Fantasma — 5–6
- AH-60L Arpía IV — 10
The counter-insurgency core of the service
- Transporte y buque cisterna
-
- C-130B/H Hercules — 9
- C295 — 7
- KC-767 — 1
- Boeing 737 — 5
- C-212 — 4
Wikipedia inventory figures; two KC-390 ordered in 2026
- Helicópteros
-
- UH-1H/Huey II — 52
- UH-60 family — 24
- Bell 212 — 11
- MD 530 — 4
Wikipedia inventory figures; army and police fly their own helicopters
- Zapatos de deporte
-
- Cessna 172 — 16
- T-27 Tucano — 14
- T-6C Texan II — 6–8
- Bell 206 — 47
The T-37 and A-37 have been retired
Infraestructura
- comandos aéreos
-
- CACOM 1 Palanquero — Kfir
- CACOM 2 Apiay
- CACOM 3 Malambo (Barranquilla)
- CACOM 4 Melgar — helicopters
- CACOM 5 Rionegro — Black Hawk
- CACOM 6 Tres Esquinas
- CACOM 7 Cali
- CATAM Bogotá — transport
- CAMAN Madrid — maintenance
Plus the Caribbean Air Group on San Andrés and the Eastern Air Group at Marandúa
- Air groups
-
- GACAR San Andrés (1979)
- GAORI Marandúa (1983)
Formed to extend control over the islands and the eastern plains
- Schools
-
- EMAVI Military Aviation School, Cali
- ESUFA NCO school, Madrid
- Military Aeronautical Institute, Bogotá
Primary flying on the Cessna 172 at EMAVI
- Gripen works
- US$91 million at PalanqueroEight bunker-type shelters, a four-position alert bunker and a 7,800 m² hangar, due by 30 November 2028
- State airline
- SATENACreated on 12 April 1962 to serve remote regions and entrusted to the air force
How the Colombian Aerospace Force is organised
A headquarters in Bogotá over seven combat air commands (CACOM 1 to 7), a transport command at CATAM, a maintenance command at Madrid and regional air groups on San Andrés, at Marandúa and at Leticia. The only fighter squadron, Escuadrón de Combate 111 at Palanquero, flies about eleven Kfirs, eight of them on the flight line in November 2025 according to Infodefensa, until 17 Gripen E/F arrive between 2026 and 2032; the counter-insurgency core is the Super Tucano. Helicopters fly from Melgar and Rionegro, and officers learn to fly at Cali.
Colombian Aerospace Force
One of the three services of the Military Forces of Colombia. Maj Gen Juan Martínez Ossa was named commander in the high command of President Abelardo de la Espriella in August 2026, with Maj Gen Juan Mosquera Dueñas as deputy; the exact date was not confirmed. The name has been in the Constitution since November 2024, and on 21 August 2026 the government announced a return to Fuerza Aérea Colombiana.
Combat Air Command No. 1 (CACOM 1)
Escuadrón de Combate 111 ‘Dardos’, Colombia’s only fighter squadron according to Wikipedia, flies the Kfir C10/C12: Infodefensa counted 11 in November 2025, eight of them on the flight line. 17 Gripen E/F were ordered in November 2025 for delivery from 2026 to 2032, with US$91 million of works at the base due by 30 November 2028. Wikipedia also lists AC-47T gunships, helicopters and the T-6C with Escuadrones 113 and 116.
Super Tucano squadrons
The counter-insurgency core of the service, 24 A-29s according to Wikipedia: Escuadrón de Combate 211 ‘Grifos’ and the AT-27 Tucanos of 212 at Apiay (CACOM 2), 312 ‘Drakos’ at Malambo (CACOM 3) and 611 at Tres Esquinas (CACOM 6); Spanish Wikipedia adds Escuadrón de Combate 101 on San Andrés. The type flew its first-ever combat mission in Colombia on 18 January 2007.
Combat Air Commands No. 4 and 5
Melgar, the first helicopter base from 1954, houses CACOM 4 and the Joint Helicopter School, with Bell 212 ‘Rapaz’, UH-1H Huey II and MD 530 squadrons. CACOM 5 at Rionegro has been the Black Hawk centre since 1990 and flies the AH-60L Arpía IV; Infodefensa counted ten Arpía IVs in September 2026, with plans for 18.
Military Air Transport Command (CATAM)
Grupo de Transporte Aéreo 81 flies the C-130B/H Hercules, C295s, CN-235, Boeing 737s and the KC-767 tanker Júpiter, and Grupo de Vuelos Especiales 82 the presidential aircraft. C-130H FAC 1016 crashed on take-off at Puerto Leguízamo on 23 March 2026, killing 69 or 70 people; two KC-390s are being bought for delivery by the end of 2030.
Military Aviation School (EMAVI)
The officer cadet school, where 16 Cessna 172s fly primary training; Combat Air Command No. 7 is also listed at Cali. The NCO school ESUFA, the maintenance command CAMAN, which upgraded the Kfirs and Mirages in the 1990s, and the light transports of Grupo de Transporte Aéreo 91 are at Madrid, Cundinamarca, where the flying school reopened in 1924.
Caribbean, Eastern and Amazon Air Groups
The Caribbean Air Group, created in 1979 to defend sovereignty over San Andrés and Providencia, flies Super Tucanos, King Airs and Caravans; the Eastern Air Group, created in 1983, AC-47T gunships, helicopters and ScanEagle drones; and the Amazon Air Group Caravans, Tucanos, helicopters and a C-212, according to Spanish Wikipedia.
What the Colombian Aerospace Force flies today
Cada tipo está sujeto a cargos, vinculado a su página en el Libro de las Bestias, cuando existe. Las cifras corresponden a aeronaves registradas, no a aeronaves disponibles en un día determinado.
| Tipo | Role | En servicio | Desde | Unidades | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IAI Kfir C10/C12 COAEn servicio | luchador polivalente | 11 | 1989 | Contested: Infodefensa counted 11 in November 2025, eight on the flight line and three in maintenance; the Wikipedia inventory table gives 16; 23 were listed in 2019. | ||
| Embraer A-29 (EMB 314) Super TucanoEn servicio | Light attack and counter-insurgency | 24 | 2006 | 25 bought; at least one lost on 11 July 2012. The Wikipedia inventory table gives 24 in service. | ||
| Basler BT-67 (AC-47T ‘Fantasma’)En servicio | Helicóptero de combate | 6 | 1986 | Infodefensa counts six; Wikipedia’s AC-47 article speaks of five armed BT-67s. | ||
| Boeing KC-767 MMTT ‘Júpiter’En servicio | Transporte de cisternas | 1 | 2010 | One aircraft, FAC-1202. | ||
| Lockheed C-130B/H HérculesEn servicio | Transporte táctico | 9 | 1968 | Wikipedia inventory figure, which already notes the 23 March 2026 loss; not confirmed by an official count. | ||
| Airbus C295En servicio | Transporte táctico | 7 | Figura de inventario de Wikipedia. | |||
| CASA C-212 AviocarEn servicio | Transporte ligero | 4 | Figura de inventario de Wikipedia. | |||
| Boeing 737En servicio | VIP transport and electronic warfare | 5 | Figura de inventario de Wikipedia. | |||
| Embraer Legacy 600 and ERJ-145En servicio | Transporte VIP | 2 | Two Legacy 600 per Wikipedia; Infodefensa reported the purchase of one ERJ-145 in 2026. | |||
| Cessna 208 CaravanEn servicio | Utility transport and reconnaissance | 16 | Wikipedia lists 6 for reconnaissance and 10 for utility transport. | |||
| Cessna 560 Citation UltraEn servicio | Vigilancia | 5 | Figura de inventario de Wikipedia. | |||
| Beechcraft King Air 90/350En servicio | Transport and electronic warfare | 11 | Wikipedia: 11, three of them for electronic warfare. | |||
| CASA CN-235En servicio | Reconocimiento | 1 | Figura de inventario de Wikipedia. | |||
| Sikorsky UH-60L/AH-60L Black Hawk and ArpíaEn servicio | Utility, rescue and attack helicopter | 24 | 1990 | Wikipedia gives 24 UH-60 of all versions; Infodefensa counted ten AH-60L Arpía IV attack versions in September 2026. | ||
| Bell UH-1H/Huey IIEn servicio | Helicóptero utilitario | 52 | Wikipedia inventory figure, including two Bell 205s. | |||
| Campana 212En servicio | Helicóptero utilitario | 11 | Figura de inventario de Wikipedia. | |||
| MD 530 DefenderEn servicio | Helicóptero ligero | 4 | Figura de inventario de Wikipedia. | |||
| Bell 206 / TH-67En servicio | Entrenador de helicópteros | 47 | Wikipedia inventory figure; not confirmed by another source. | |||
| Embraer T-27 (EMB 312) TucanoEn servicio | Entrenador básico y avanzado | 14 | Figura de inventario de Wikipedia. | |||
| Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIEn servicio | Entrenador avanzado | 8 | Contested: Wikipedia’s FAC article gives 8 in service with more on order; the T-6 article gives 10 ordered and six delivered by December 2023. | |||
| Cessna 172 SkyhawkEn servicio | Entrenador principal | 16 | 2021 | 16 (FAC2470–FAC2485) in January 2026; the last three arrived in December 2025. | ||
| Elbit Hermes 450 y Hermes 900En servicio | Surveillance UAV | 8 | Wikipedia: six Hermes 450 and two Hermes 900; plus six ScanEagle. |
Bajo pedido
| Tipo | Ordenado | Primera entrega | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saab JAS 39 Gripen E/FBajo pedido | 17 | 2026 | Contract signed 13 November 2025 and celebrated on 14 November.
MásSaab gives 15 single-seat E and 2 two-seat F, EUR 3.1 billion and deliveries 2026–2032; Infodefensa reported US$4.402 billion and wrote that all would be E models. In October 2025 the defence ministry had announced 16 aircraft for 16.8 trillion pesos. US$91 million of runway, shelter and hangar works at Palanquero are due by 30 November 2028. A first delivery in Colombia was not confirmed by 1 October 2026. The new government wants eight or nine Rafael RecceLite XR pods, which the Petro government had excluded. |
|
| Embraer KC-390 MillenniumBajo pedido | 2 | President Petro ordered the purchase closed in July 2026; Infodefensa reported a US$366.43 million package with delivery by 30 December 2030, the first aircraft with air-to-air refuelling.
MásSignature was expected around 4 August 2026 but was not confirmed in the sources checked. |
||
| Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIBajo pedido | Wikipedia’s FAC article lists further T-6Cs on order (2 plus 14); the T-6 article gives 10 ordered and six delivered by December 2023. The outstanding number is not confirmed. |
Every type the Colombian Aerospace Force has retired
17 types, from the Caudron G.3, Caudron G.4 and Nieuport-Delage NiD 21 to the Cessna A-37B Dragonfly. Las cifras máximas corresponden a las aeronaves puestas en servicio durante toda su vida útil, no al número total de efectivos de la flota en una fecha concreta.
| Tipo | Role | Cima | Servido | Reemplazado por | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna A-37B Dragonfly | Ataque ligero | 16 | T-6C Texan II | 16 received. | ||
| Cessna T-37B/C Tweet | Entrenador a reacción y ataque ligero | 14 | 1968–2021 | T-6C Texan II | 4 T-37B and 10 T-37C. | |
| North American Rockwell OV-10A/D Bronco | Counter-insurgency | 12 | 1991–2015 | A-29 Super Tucano | 12 OV-10A from the USAF in 1991 and three ex-USMC airframes for spares. | |
| Douglas B-26 (A-26) Invader | Bombardero ligero | |||||
| Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star | Entrenador a reacción | 6 | 1954–1972 | Mirage 5 | Six in 1954. | |
| Canadair Sabre | caza a reacción | 6 | 1956–1966 | Mirage 5 | Six; the mark is contested (Wikipedia’s FAC article says Mk IV, the Canadair Sabre article lists them under the Mk 6). | |
| Republic P-47 Thunderbolt | cazabombardero | 1947–1957 | ||||
| Curtiss Falcon (O-1 and F-8F) | Observation and attack | 21 | 1928–1943 | AT-6 Texan | One O-1 before the war and 20 F-8F bought for it. | |
| Caudron G.3, Caudron G.4 and Nieuport-Delage NiD 21 | Primer avión militar | 10 | 1921–1922 | 3 G.3, 3 G.4 and 4 NiD 21. | ||
| Dassault Mirage 5COA/COR/COD | Cazabombarderos y aviones de reconocimiento | 18 | 1972– | Kfir C10/C12 | 14 5COA, two 5COR reconnaissance and two 5COD two-seaters. | |
| Estrella Fugaz del Lockheed F-80 | caza a reacción | 16 | Sixteen delivered. | |||
| North American AT-6 Texan | Trainer and coastal patrol | 1943– | ||||
| Seversky P-35 (2PA Guardsman) | Combatiente | 3 | 1936– | Three bought in 1936. | ||
| Curtiss Hawk II (F11C) | Combatiente | 30 | 1932– | 30 ordered during the Leticia war. | ||
| Curtiss-Wright CW-14R Osprey | Ataque ligero | 4 | Four in September 1932. | |||
| Junkers Ju 52/3m | Bombardero y transporte | 6 | 1932– | Six bought in 1932–1933. | ||
| Junkers F 13, W 34 and K 43; Dornier Wal and Merkur | Transport, floatplane bombing and patrol | 17 | 1932– | 4 F 13, 4 W 34, 3 K 43, 4 Dornier Wal, 2 Dornier Merkur. |
Where the Colombian Aerospace Force flies from
Los marcadores negros indican bases activas, los marcadores huecos, aeródromos que han cerrado. Palanquero, chosen during the Leticia crisis of 1932 because it lies in the middle of the country, has been the fighter base since the Sabres of the 1950s and is being rebuilt for the Gripen. Palanquero, Apiay and Malambo were among the installations opened to US forces by the 2009 defence cooperation agreement, which the Constitutional Court held could not take effect without approval by Congress. Several commands share runways with civil airports, among them CATAM at El Dorado and Rionegro at Medellín’s airport. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| Base | OACI | Estado | Pista | Unidades y aeronaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ApiayCaptain Luis F. Gómez NiñoMeta (Villavicencio) | SKAP | Activo | 10/282,501 m |
|
| CATAM, BogotáBrigadier General Camilo DazaBogotá, Capital District | SKBO | Activo | 14L/32R3.800 m14R/32L3.800 m |
|
| LeticiaAmazon Air GroupAmazonas (Leticia) | SKLT | Activo | 03/212,010 m |
|
| Madrid (CAMAN), CundinamarcaCundinamarca (Madrid) | Activo |
|
||
| MalamboMajor General Alberto Pauwels RodríguezAtlántico (Malambo, Barranquilla) | SKBQ | Activo | 05/233.000 metros |
|
| MarandúaEastern Air GroupVichada (Marandúa) | Activo |
|
||
| Marco Fidel Suárez, CaliMilitary Aviation SchoolValle del Cauca (Cali) | SKGB | Activo | 06/241,900 m |
|
| MelgarLieutenant Colonel Luis F. Pinto ParraTolima (Melgar) | SKME | Activo | 05/231,154 m04/22402 mconcreto |
|
| PalanqueroCaptain Germán Olano MorenoCundinamarca (Puerto Salgar) | SKPQ | Activo | 18/363,044 m |
|
| RionegroBrigadier General Arturo Lema PosadaAntioquia (Rionegro) | SKRG | Activo | 01/193,557 m |
|
| San AndrésCaribbean Air GroupSan Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina | SKSP | Activo | 06/242,375 m |
|
| Tres EsquinasCaptain Ernesto Esguerra CubidesCaquetá (Solano) | SKTQ | Activo | 07/251,896 mconcreto |
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Ninguna base aérea coincide con esa búsqueda.
Who is stationed where in the Colombian Aerospace Force
Unidades voladoras por base, unidades actuales primero. Most Colombian squadrons take their first digit from their combat air command — 111 ‘Dardos’ at CACOM 1, 211 ‘Grifos’ at CACOM 2, 312 ‘Drakos’ at CACOM 3, 411 ‘Rapaz’ at CACOM 4, 511 to 513 at CACOM 5 and 611 at CACOM 6. Former units such as the Mirage 5s and Sabres at Palanquero and the A-37s of Escuadrón 311 are marked as former. Where English and Spanish Wikipedia list different squadrons or aircraft, the entry says so.
- Escuadrón de Combate 111 ‘Dardos’ (Combat Squadron 111)Dardos · Fighter squadron · active
- IAI Kfir C10/C12
- Escuadrón de Combate Táctico 113 ‘Fantasma’Fantasma · Tactical combat squadron · active
- Basler BT-67 (AC-47T Fantasma), Bell 212 Rapaz, Sikorsky AH-60L Arpía IV
- Escuadrón de Combate 116Advanced and lead-in training squadron · active
- Beechcraft T-6C Texan II, Cessna T-37B/C Tweet (retired 2021)
- Mirage 5 fighter unit1972–
- Dassault Mirage 5COA/COR/COD
- Sabre and Invader units1955–
- Canadair Sabre Mk 4, Douglas B-26 (A-26C) Invader
- Escuadrón de Combate 211 ‘Grifos’Grifos · Light attack squadron · active
- Embraer A-29B Super Tucano
- Escuadrón de Combate 212 ‘Tucanos’Tucanos · Light attack and training squadron · active
- Embraer AT-27 Tucano
- Escuadrón de Combate Táctico 213Tactical combat squadron · active
- Basler BT-67 (AC-47T Fantasma), Sikorsky AH-60L Arpía IV, CASA C-212-300, Cessna 208 Caravan, Schweizer SA2-37B, Cessna SR-560 Citation (surveillance)
- Escuadrón 217 ‘Quimera’Quimera · Unmanned aircraft squadron · active
- Elbit Hermes 450 y Hermes 900
- Pilot training and early jet units1956–
- North American AT-6 Texan, Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, Douglas B-26 Invader, Lockheed T-33, Cessna T-37
- Grupo de Transporte Aéreo 81 (Escuadrón 811)Strategic transport and tanker group · active
- Lockheed C-130B/H Hércules, Airbus C295, CASA CN-235, Boeing KC-767 MMTT ‘Júpiter’, Boeing 737
- Grupo de Vuelos Especiales 82VIP and special flights group · active
- Boeing 737 BBJ, Learjet 60, Embraer Legacy 600
- Escuadrón 831Intelligence and reconnaissance squadron · active
- Beechcraft King Air 300/350 (ELINT and reconnaissance)
- Escuadrón de Combate 312 ‘Drakos’Drakos · Light attack squadron · active
- Embraer A-29B Super Tucano
- Escuadrón de Combate Táctico 313Tactical combat squadron · active
- Bell 212, Bell UH-1H Huey II, Schweizer SA2-37B
- Escuadrón de Combate 311 ‘Dragones’
- Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
- Coastal patrol squadron1942–1945
- Curtiss Falcon F-8, North American AT-6 Texan
- Escuadrón de Combate 411 ‘Rapaz’Rapaz · Combat helicopter squadron · active
- Bell 212 Rapaz
- Escuadrón de Asalto Aéreo 412Air assault squadron · active
- Bell UH-1H Huey II, Cessna 208 Caravan
- Escuadrilla de Ataque 413 ‘Escorpión’Escorpión · Light attack helicopter flight · active
- MD 500E / MD 530MG
- Escuela Conjunta de Helicópteros (Joint Helicopter School)Helicopter training school · active
- Bell 206 / TH-67
- Escuadrón de Combate 511Escuadrón de helicópteros de ataque · activo
- Sikorsky AH-60L Arpía IV
- Escuadrón 512Attack and special operations helicopter squadron · active
- Sikorsky AH-60L Arpía IV / UH-60
- Escuadrón 513Escuadrón de helicópteros utilitarios · activo
- Sikorsky UH-60A/L Halcón
- Escuadrón de Combate 611Light attack squadron · active
- Embraer AT-27 Tucano, Embraer A-29B Super Tucano
- Escuadrón de Combate Táctico 613Tactical combat squadron · active
- Basler BT-67 (AC-47T Fantasma), Bell 212, CASA C-212-300, Bell UH-1H Huey II, Boeing Insitu ScanEagle (UAV)
- Escuela Militar de Aviación Marco Fidel Suárez (EMAVI)Officer cadet and flying school · active
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk
- Comando Aéreo de Mantenimiento (CAMAN)Maintenance and upgrade command · active
- Grupo de Transporte Aéreo 91Light transport group · active
- Beechcraft C90 King Air, CASA C-212-300
- Escuela de Suboficiales Capitán Andrés María Díaz Díaz (ESUFA)Non-commissioned officer school · active
- Colombian air arm in the war with Peru1924–1933
- Junkers, Curtiss and other types of the 1930s
- Escuadrón de Combate 101Light attack squadron · active
- Embraer A-29 Super Tucano
- Escuadrilla de Combate Táctico 1013Tactical flight · active
- Beechcraft C90 King Air, Cessna 208 Caravan
- Escuadrilla de Combate Táctico 1113Tactical combat flight · active
- Basler BT-67 (AC-47T Fantasma), Bell 212 Rapaz, Bell UH-1H, Boeing Insitu ScanEagle (UAV)
- Escuadrón Aerotáctico 102Tactical air squadron · active
- Cessna 208 Caravan, Embraer AT-27 Tucano, Bell UH-1N, Sikorsky UH-60A, CASA C-212
- Amazon seaplane service
- Consolidated PBY Catalina
No se encontró ninguna unidad que coincida con esa búsqueda.
Colombian Aerospace Force milestones, 1914 to today
31 December: Law 126 authorises military aviation under President Marco Fidel Suárez.
15 February: the military aviation school opens at Flandes with a French mission; it closes in 1922.
8 November: the school reopens at Madrid, Cundinamarca, with Swiss support.
1 September: Peruvians seize Leticia; Colombia buys Junkers, Dorniers, Falcons and 30 Curtiss Hawk IIs.
14 February: air action over Tarapacá. 26 March: eleven Colombian aircraft bomb Güepí. 24 May: ceasefire.
23 June: a German submarine sinks the schooner Resolute near San Andrés; coastal patrols follow until 1945.
The jet age begins with six T-33s; Melgar becomes the first helicopter base. Six Sabres follow in 1956.
12 April: SATENA is created and placed under the air force.
Eighteen Mirage 5s arrive, Colombia’s first supersonic fighters.
The first ex-Israeli Kfir C2s are delivered; twelve plus one TC2 by 1990.
Twelve OV-10A Broncos are transferred by the USAF; the DC-3 gunships are re-engined.
14 December: the first three Super Tucanos land at CATAM. 18 January 2007: first combat mission of the type.
1 March: the strike on Raúl Reyes’ camp at Angostura in Ecuador; Ecuador breaks relations on 3 March.
November: the KC-767 tanker Júpiter is delivered.
24 August: final peace accord with the FARC; a revised agreement is approved by Congress in November.
Law 2302 renames the service Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana; the Constitutional Court strikes it down in 2024 and a constitutional reform adopts it in November 2024.
April: Petro announces the Gripen and the Kfir’s retirement. 12 November: air strike in Guaviare kills 19. 13–15 November: Gripen contract for 17 aircraft.
23 March: C-130H crash at Puerto Leguízamo. 21 August: return to the name Fuerza Aérea Colombiana announced. August–September: strikes resume and courts set conditions.
Every war the Colombian Aerospace Force has fought
Salidas y pérdidas donde consta en el registro, y un espacio en blanco honesto donde no.
- Colombia–Peru War 1932–1933 Built an air arm almost from nothing to support river flotillas and bomb Peruvian garrisons
- Second World War coastal patrols 1941–1945 Patrolled the Caribbean coast after Colombia broke with the Axis; no combat with enemy forces is recorded
- Internal armed conflict 1964– Close air support, bombing of guerrilla camps, night gunship work, helicopter assault, transport and surveillance
- Operation Phoenix 2008 Bombed the FARC camp of Raúl Reyes about 1
- Air Bridge Denial and drug-flight interdiction 2003– Intercepts suspect aircraft, forces them to land and, under the programme’s rules, may use force against those that refuse
The Colombian Aerospace Force display team
Each team has its own page: history, aircraft, the display, the accidents and the sources.
Everything people ask about the Colombian Aerospace Force
What is the Colombian Aerospace Force called in Spanish, and is it the air force again?
When was the Colombian Air Force founded?
What fighter jets does Colombia fly?
Why did Colombia choose the Gripen?
Has the Kfir been retired?
What happened in the Colombia–Peru war of 1932–1933?
Did the Colombian Air Force fight in Korea?
What was Operation Phoenix?
What is the AC-47 ‘Fantasma’?
What caused the Hercules crash of March 2026?
Read the aircraft the Colombian Aerospace Force flew
Cada tipo tiene una página en el Libro de las Bestias, primero en servicio y luego por el año en que abandonó la flota.
Todos los datos, verificados
- Infodefensa: Colombia devuelve a su Fuerza Aérea su denominación histórica (25 August 2026)Law 2302 of 2023 renamed the service; Constitutional Court struck it down in 2024; constitutional reform of November 2024; government of Abelardo de la Espriella announced the return to Fuerza Aérea Colombiana on 21 August 2026.
- Infodefensa: Colombia define la nueva cúpula de sus Fuerzas Militares (August 2026)Maj. Gen. Juan Martínez Ossa named air force commander, Maj. Gen. Juan Mosquera Dueñas deputy; Maj. Gen. Erick Rodríguez Aparicio commander of the Military Forces.
- Infodefensa: Colombia despliega cazas Kfir en el norte del país tras el paro armado de las ACSN (23 September 2026)Kfir C10/C12 patrols over Santa Marta ordered by President De La Espriella.
- Infodefensa: Aviones de combate Kfir, armados con misiles israelíes, patrullan el norte de Colombia (23 November 2025)11 Kfir (8 on the flight line, 3 in maintenance), 27 J79 engines; Derby and Python 5 missiles; patrols during the CELAC summit.
- Infodefensa: Colombia firma con Saab la compra de 17 aviones Gripen E (November 2025)Signed 13 November 2025, ceremony 14 November; US$4.402 billion; replaces the Kfir C10/C12; infrastructure included; CONPES 4155 and Decree 1001 of 2025.
- Infodefensa: Colombia pagará 4.300 millones de dólares por la compra de sus 16 aviones Gripen (20 October 2025)Announcement by defence minister Pedro Sánchez; 16 aircraft for 16.8 trillion pesos; reported competing bids for Rafale F3 and F-16 Block 70.
- Infodefensa: Colombia invertirá 91 millones de dólares en infraestructura para la futura operación de sus Gripen (31 January 2026)US$91 million of works at CACOM 1 Palanquero, due 30 November 2028.
- Infodefensa: Colombia buscará incorporar el sistema de reconocimiento RecceLite a sus Gripen E/F (September 2026)New government seeks eight or nine RecceLite XR pods that the previous government had excluded.
- Saab: Saab signs contract for Gripen E/F with Colombia (15 November 2025)15 Gripen E and 2 Gripen F; EUR 3.1 billion; deliveries 2026–2032; weapons, training and support included.
- Infodefensa: Colombia prevé firmar esta semana la compra de dos KC-390 por 366,4 millones de dólares (3 August 2026)Two KC-390, US$366.43 million, deliveries by 30 December 2030; first with air-to-air refuelling.
- Infodefensa: El presidente de Colombia ordena cerrar la compra de dos KC-390 de Embraer para la FAC (14 July 2026)Petro orders the purchase closed; C-130J and A400M had been evaluated.
- Infodefensa: El reciente accidente del avión C-130 habría ocurrido por error humano (2026)C-130H FAC 1016 crash at Puerto Leguízamo, 23 March 2026; 70 dead and 57 injured as reported; probable cause reported as a take-off performance error.
- Infodefensa: La FAC desmiente la versión del presidente Petro sobre la causa principal del accidente del Hercules (March 2026)Petro called the aircraft scrap; commander Gen. Carlos Silva cited maintenance in 2021, 2023 and 2024; FAC 1016 built 1983, in Colombian service since 2020.
- Infodefensa: Dos C-130 Hercules de la Fuerza Aeroespacial Colombiana arriban a Venezuela transportando rescatistas (27 June 2026)Two C-130H flew 63 rescuers and over 12 tonnes of aid to Maiquetía after earthquakes in Venezuela.
- Infodefensa: Colombia despliega un AC-47T ‘Fantasma’ contra las disidencias de las FARC (1 November 2025)Six AC-47 gunships since 1986, re-engined in 1991; GAU-19A guns and FLIR; close support against FARC dissidents in Cauca.
- Infodefensa: Colombia proyecta ampliar a 18 helicópteros su flota de Arpía IV (5 September 2026)Ten Arpía IV in service; plan for 18; Spike NLOS, ER and LR missiles.
- Infodefensa: La Fuerza Aeroespacial de Colombia completa un inventario de 16 entrenadores Cessna 172 (7 January 2026)16 Cessna 172 (FAC2470–FAC2485) with Primary Flight Squadron 111 at EMAVI.
- Infodefensa: Colombia — Aire (section index, pages 1–4, consulted 1 October 2026)Headlines only: ERJ-145 for VIP transport; L-410 NG proposed to replace the C-212; electronic-warfare fit of two Boeing 737s completed in Switzerland; Cessna 172 additions.
- El Tiempo: Juez levanta suspensión de bombardeos y aclara los criterios… (16 September 2026)Bogotá Family Court 34 lifts its suspension with an enhanced-precaution standard; August 2026 strikes and minors killed per the Ombudsman and Medicina Legal.
- El Tiempo: La batalla judicial por los bombardeos cambia de escenario (9 September 2026)Strikes of August 2026 in Catatumbo and Guaviare; at least six minors killed per Medicina Legal; tutelas consolidated 7 September 2026.
- El Tiempo: Mindefensa defiende los bombardeos (16 September 2026)Defence minister Jorge Mora defends air strikes; armed groups estimated at about 29,000 members.
- El Tiempo: Bombardeos (topic index, consulted 1 October 2026)Headlines: a third tutela suspending strikes in Cauca where minors or civilians are present (10 September 2026); the government appealed the ruling (21 September 2026).
- Corte Constitucional de Colombia, Auto 288 de 2010 (17 August 2010), expedientes D-7964 and D-7965The 30 October 2009 US-Colombia agreement lists Palanquero, Malambo, Apiay, Tolemaida, Larandia, Cartagena and Bahía Málaga; held to be a treaty that cannot take effect without congressional approval.
- Congressional Research Service, Colombia: Background, U.S. Relations, and Congressional Interest (RL32250, 28 November 2012)October 2009 base agreement let US troops use seven facilities and “further inflamed” President Chávez.
- Aviation Safety Network: Basler BT-67 FAC-1670, 18 February 2009Training flight from Palanquero; crashed about 8 km from the base; five crew killed.
Cifras verificadas el 1 de octubre de 2026. Las páginas de Orden de Batalla se regeneran a partir de un único conjunto de datos; si algún número aquí no coincide con el de una página del Libro de las Bestias, esta página es la más reciente de las dos.
Photographs: Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Ministerio de Defensa del Perú / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) · Photo: Markus Eigenheer from Genève / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Aeroprints.com / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lolita Lewis / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Neoreich (talk) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Photo: Hans Hillewaert / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Staff Sgt. Jared Duhon / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Mfield – Matthew Field, http://www.photography.mattfield.com / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5) · Photo: Matti Blume / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photos: US Air Force / Wikimedia Commons (public domain) · Photo: Clemens Vasters from Viersen, Germany, Germany / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)