Every war the Paraguayan Air Force has fought
Paraguay’s military aviation fought Bolivia in the Chaco War of 1932–1935 and fought itself in the civil wars of 1922 and 1947, when part of the air arm sided with the rebels. The air-combat claims of the two sides in the Chaco differ and were not confirmed, so individual kills are not listed. The decisive effect of the Xavante passes in the 1989 coup against Stroessner is Spanish Wikipedia’s assessment, and the coup’s death toll is given as the official 31 beside the higher estimates. Where a consolidated sortie or loss figure exists in the official record it is given here; where accounts disagree, the range is shown and the disagreement named. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified, not because the fighting was small.
From the civil war of 1922 and the Chaco War to the interception of smuggling flights since 2025.
| Conflict | Jaren | Tegen | Hoofdvliegtuig | Uitvallen | Vliegtuig verloren | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The 1922–1923 civil warthe revolution of 1922Paraguayan army aviation (both sides used aircraft) | 1922–1923 | Typen ONGEVERIFIEERD | ||||
|
Aircraft were used in small numbers, flown mostly by foreign pilots. Paraguay’s first use of military aircraft came in the civil war that began in 1922. English Wikipedia says aircraft were used in limited numbers and flown mostly by foreign pilots. Antonio Luis Sapienza’s study for Helion (2018), cited by Wikipedia, is titled Aerial Operations in the Revolutions of 1922 and 1947 in Paraguay and subtitled The First Dogfights in South America; the details of those combats were not checked for this page. Resultaat The government prevailed. Types, pilots and claimed air combats were not confirmed from an accessible source and are omitted.
|
||||||
| The Chaco WarGuerra del Chaco, against BoliviaParaguayan army aviation (Arma Aérea) and naval aviation | 1932–1935 | Bolivia | Potez 25 A.2 and TOE, Wibault 7 C.1, Fiat CR.20bisen nog 1 | |||
|
Reconnaissance, bombing, fighter escort, liaison and casualty evacuation from the first day of the war to the last. Bolivia went into the Chaco War with the stronger air arm. English Wikipedia counts at least 20 Curtiss-Wright CW-14 Ospreys, four Junkers Ju 52 transports and three Vickers Vespas on the Bolivian side, against 14 Potez 25s, two Macchi M.18 flying boats and two Travel Air transports for Paraguay. Paraguay’s army flew a 1st Fighter Squadron with Wibault 7s and Potez squadrons; a second reconnaissance and bombing squadron formed late in 1932 and the 11th Fighter Squadron, Los Indios, received Fiat CR.20bis fighters in April 1933. The first air action recorded by Wikipedia came on 22 December 1932, when three Bolivian Vespas attacked Bahía Negra and one was shot down by the gunboat Tacuary. On 27 April 1933 six Bolivian Ospreys struck the supply base at Puerto Casado. Paraguay’s naval seaplanes raided the Bolivian outposts of Vitriones and San Juan on 22 December 1934, described as the first night air attack in South America. The Paraguayan Air Force still holds its day on the anniversary of the air battle of Ballivián; its 92nd commemoration was on 10 July 2026. Resultaat Ceasefire 12 June 1935; the 1938 treaty of Buenos Aires gave Paraguay about three-quarters of the disputed territory. Air-combat claims by the two sides differ and were not confirmed in accessible primary sources, so individual kills are not listed. The date and details of the Ballivián air battle were not confirmed beyond the 2026 commemoration.
|
||||||
| The 1947 civil warthe Concepción revolutionParaguayan military aviation, split between government and rebels | 1947 | Rebel forces (Febreristas, Liberals and Communists, with army units) | Typen ONGEVERIFIEERD | |||
|
Government aircraft bombed the rebel stronghold of Concepción; a rebel air element operated from there. The civil war ran from March to 20 August 1947. After rebels set up a military government in Concepción on 8 March, Spanish Wikipedia says the city was bombed by government aviation, and it refers to a rebel "Fuerza aérea de Concepción". By the time the rebel columns came down the river to Villeta, near Asunción, their modest air force had been all but annihilated. Sapienza’s Helion study of 1922 and 1947 describes air combats between the two sides, which it calls the first dogfights in South America. Resultaat Government victory in August 1947. Aircraft types, pilots and losses were not confirmed in accessible sources. Casualty totals for the war vary by source.
|
||||||
| The coup against Stroessner2–3 February 1989Paraguayaanse luchtmacht | 1989 | Forces loyal to Alfredo Stroessner | AT-26 Xavante | 0 | ||
|
Two AT-26 Xavantes flew low intimidating passes in support of the forces of General Andrés Rodríguez. On the night of 2–3 February 1989 General Andrés Rodríguez moved against Alfredo Stroessner, who had ruled since 1954. Spanish Wikipedia names First Lieutenants Juan Antonio Rojas Duré and Gerardo Miguel Ángel Maldonado Gómez as the Xavante pilots who flew low, fast passes for the rebels, and says the flights demoralised the defenders and convinced them that further resistance was pointless. The heaviest fighting fell on the Presidential Escort Regiment. Stroessner left for Brazil on a Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas Boeing 707 on 6 February. Resultaat Stroessner was overthrown and flown into exile in Brazil on 6 February 1989. The decisive effect of the flyovers is Spanish Wikipedia’s assessment. Casualty figures differ: 31 (official), up to 200 (Radio Cáritas), about 170 (Sapienza), all as cited by English Wikipedia.
|
||||||
| Airspace control and interception of irregular flightsOperation Escudo GuaraníParaguayaanse luchtmacht | 2025– | A-29 Super Tucano, AT-27 Tucano | 0 | |||
|
Detection and interception of irregular light aircraft, many linked to drug trafficking. Paraguay bought the A-29 above all to police its own skies. Zona Militar reports that in November 2025, months after delivery, the new aircraft flew their first real interception during Operation Escudo Guaraní, against an irregular flight detected near the Brazilian border, and the air force exercised the mission again in August 2026. A new radar, due in the first quarter of 2027, is meant to complete the system. Resultaat Wordt vervolgd. No figures on intercepts or outcomes were published.
|
||||||
Niets komt overeen met die zoekopdracht.
Elk cijfer, gecontroleerd
- Zona Militar: La Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya sumó su quinto A-29 Super Tucano (21 August 2026)Six A-29 for USD 105 million; first four arrived 30 June 2025, fifth on 21 August 2026, sixth expected late September 2026; 2nd Fighter Squadron Indios; new radar due in the first quarter of 2027.
- Zona Militar: Ejercicio Sacitation: la Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya dirá presente in Chile (21 juni 2026)Four A-29 and one C-212 to Salitre 2026, about 40 personnel; cost given as over USD 96 million; first real interception in Operation Escudo Guaraní in November 2025.
- Zona Militar: El Presidente Peña anunció aeronaves de entrenamiento y nuevos helicópteros (10 July 2026)92nd commemoration of the air battle of Ballivián; trainers and helicopters from Taiwan announced, types not disclosed.
Cijfers geverifieerd op 1 oktober 2026. Back to the Paraguayan Air Force.