Escuadrilla Cuscatlán
El Salvador’s display team began on Fouga Magisters in 1978 and has flown the A-37B Dragonfly, the country’s front-line jet, since 1988.
Escuadrilla Cuscatlán: how the team came to be and what it flies today
Magisters in 1978
In October 1978 the commander of the Salvadoran Air Force’s Combat Group, Major Juan Rafael Bustillo, was ordered to form a display team. It flew three Fouga CM.170 Magister jets and gave its first display at La Aurora airport in Guatemala on 8 December 1978, followed by its first home display two days later. The coup of 15 October 1979 and the civil war of 1980 to 1992 cut its activity, although the FAS says it still appeared at national celebrations.
The A-37 team
In 1988 the team was re-formed on four Cessna A-37B Dragonflies, with a solo aircraft added to the routine. On 21 November 1999 five A-37Bs displayed over the shore of Lake Managua in Nicaragua. The A-37B remains El Salvador’s combat jet, flown by the Fighter-Bomber Group, and four aircraft of the “Escuadrón Cuscatlán” flew formation at the Ilopango Air Show on 9 February 2025.
Escuadrilla Cuscatlán in numbers
The team
- Formation
- 4 aircraft
- Three Magisters in 1978
- Four A-37B from 1988
- Four A-37B at Ilopango 2025
航空機
- Flown
- Cessna A-37B Dragonfly
- Fouga CM.170 Magister (1978–)
- Cessna A-37B Dragonfly (1988–)
家
- Based at
- Comalapa Air Base
- A-37Bs of the Fighter-Bomber Group, Second Air Brigade
The display
- Aircraft in the display
- 4
Every type Escuadrilla Cuscatlán has flown
| 航空機 | 年 | Number | 注記 |
|---|---|---|---|
| フーガ CM.170 マジスター | since 1978 | 3 | FAS 501, 503 and 504. |
| Cessna A-37B Dragonfly | since 1988 | 4 | Four plus a solo routine from 1988; five flew at Managua in 1999. |
What Escuadrilla Cuscatlán is known for
- First display at La Aurora, Guatemala, on 8 December 1978 (FAS).
- Four-aircraft formation at the Ilopango Air Show, 9 February 2025 (Infodefensa).
Escuadrilla Cuscatlán, year by year
Combat Group ordered to form the team on Fouga Magisters.
First display, at La Aurora airport, Guatemala.
First display in El Salvador.
Re-formed on four A-37B Dragonflies with a solo aircraft.
Five A-37Bs display at the Lake Managua air show, Nicaragua.
Four A-37Bs fly formation at the Ilopango Air Show.
Everything people ask about Escuadrilla Cuscatlán
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