Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela
The Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela (Aviación Militar Bolivariana) began as a French-run flying school at Maracay on 10 December 1920, became one of Latin America’s best-equipped air forces on oil money — the region’s first F-16 operator in 1983 — turned to Russia and China after Washington barred arms sales in 2006, and in 2026 flies a thinned-out fleet of Su-30s, a few revived F-16s and Chinese trainers after the US operation of 3 January 2026 struck its headquarters and removed Nicolás Maduro from power.
The Bolivarian Military Aviation story: a flying school at Maracay, Latin America’s first F-16s and the turn to Russia and China
1920–1946: a flying school at Maracay
Venezuelan military flying began by decree. A decree of 17 April 1920 created the Escuela de Aviación Militar, and the school opened at Maracay on 10 December 1920 — the date the service still keeps as its anniversary. Spanish-language Wikipedia, citing the AMB’s own history, records a French mission linked to Farman and a first aircraft that was a Caudron G.3, with Caudron G.4 and Farman F.40 seaplanes from 1922. French instructors stayed until 1929 and a German mission followed from 1930 to 1933. It was a small, school-centred service for its first two decades: it became the Servicio de Aeronáutica in 1944, and only on 22 June 1946, by Decree-Law No. 349, the Fuerza Aérea Venezolana (FAV), an independent service. The early record is thin in published sources, and dates for individual aircraft before 1946 could not be confirmed.
1946–1980: jets, oil money and the air force in politics
Oil paid for jets early. Canberra bombers were ordered in October 1952 and arrived from 1953 — Wikipedia counts 46 Canberras over the years — alongside Vampires, Venoms and 30 F-86F Sabres delivered between October 1955 and December 1960 to Grupo Aéreo de Caza 12. The new air force was quickly drawn into politics. On 1 January 1958 FAV fighters flew over Caracas in an uprising from the Boca del Río base near Maracay that helped to bring down Marcos Pérez Jiménez three weeks later. Under the elected governments that followed, Canberras bombed San Cristóbal airport in General Castro León’s revolt of April 1960 and rebel army units at Barcelona in June 1961, and aircraft bombed the Solano fort during the Puerto Cabello naval revolt of June 1962. The 1970s brought Mirage IIIEV and Mirage 5 fighters, 18 Canadair CF-5s (VF-5), OV-10 Broncos and C-130H Hercules; on 3 September 1976 one Hercules crashed in the Azores, killing a university choir and its crew.
1983–1992: the F-16, the Caldas crisis and a coup in the air
Venezuela was one of the first export customers for the F-16 and the first in Latin America. It turned down the downgraded F-16/79 it was first offered and in 1981 bought 24 standard aircraft, 18 F-16A and six F-16B; Grupo Aéreo de Caza 16 “Dragones” was activated at El Libertador on 31 August 1983 and the first jets arrived on 16 November 1983. In August 1987, during the Caldas corvette crisis with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela, two F-16s made low passes over the Colombian warship. The jets were then used against Venezuelans. Air force officers had no flying role in Hugo Chávez’s army-led attempt of 4 February 1992, but on 27 November 1992 rebels led in part by air force officers seized El Libertador and attacked Caracas with Mirages, OV-10s and Tucanos. Loyalist F-16 pilots shot down rebel aircraft, and the rebels fled to Iquitos in Peru in two C-130s. The Venezuelan state today calls that day a “heroic feat”; the government of the time called it a coup.
2006–2015: embargo, and the turn to Russia and China
After Chávez took office in 1999 the service was renamed twice — Aviación Militar Venezolana and then, by 2008, Aviación Militar Bolivariana (sources disagree on the exact years). The decisive break was American. An attempted mid-life update of the F-16s with Belgian and Israeli firms stalled under US pressure, and on 8 May 2006 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice determined that Venezuela was not cooperating fully with US counter-terrorism efforts, which bars US arms sales. Spare parts for the F-16s dried up. In July 2006 Venezuela ordered 24 Su-30MK2 two-seat fighters from Russia, the first arriving in December 2006, to replace the Mirage 50EV; they went to Grupo Aéreo de Caza 13 at Barcelona. China supplied K-8W jet trainers, the first handed over on 13 March 2010, which replaced the VF-5 and T-2D, and eight Shaanxi Y-8 transports ordered in March 2011. Two Russian long-range bombers visited in September 2008. What the turn bought was capability on paper; what it cost was a single-source dependence on two suppliers far away.
2015–2025: attrition, drug flights and making do
The decade after 2015 was about keeping aircraft flying. A plan announced in October 2015 for 12 more Su-30s, reported at US$480 million, is not known to have been carried out. Wikipedia records three Su-30 crashes — during an interception in September 2015, in October 2019 and in an exercise in mid-2023 — and puts the fleet at 14 in service in 2025, citing the IISS; the number of F-16s still flying is unknown, perhaps a handful. A law promulgated in June 2012 and in force from October 2013 lets the armed forces “immobilise and disable” aircraft that enter Venezuelan airspace illegally, and interceptions of suspected drug flights have been announced regularly since. Much of the AMB’s published news now concerns aircraft returned to service after years on the ground — a Shorts 360 in 2021, an F-16B in April 2026 after 15 years and 10 months, a Y-8 in June 2026 — and two fatal crashes in 2025, a Cessna 208B in Amazonas with seven dead and an Enstrom training helicopter at Maracay with two.
2025–2026: the confrontation with the United States, and after
From August 2025 the United States built up naval and air forces in the southern Caribbean and, from September, struck boats it said were carrying drugs. On 4 September 2025, CBS News and Reuters reported, two Venezuelan F-16s flew near the destroyer USS Jason Dunham; President Trump said Venezuelan aircraft could be shot down if they endangered US ships. In late November the FAA warned airlines about the Maiquetía flight information region and Trump declared Venezuelan airspace “closed in its entirety”, which Caracas called a hostile and colonialist act. On 3 January 2026 US forces struck targets around Caracas, among them the AMB’s headquarters at La Carlota, and captured Nicolás Maduro, who was taken to New York for trial on narco-terrorism charges. Washington described a law-enforcement operation with military support; Caracas called it a kidnapping and aggression, and UN officials and experts said it breached the UN Charter. Delcy Rodríguez became acting president on 5 January, and Padrino López was replaced as defence minister on 18 March. How many Venezuelan aircraft were lost that night has not been officially published.
The Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela in numbers
Serviço
- Nome nativo
- Aviación Militar BolivarianaThe name used by the service’s own site, aviacion.mil.ve. English Wikipedia titles the article “Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela”; the service was the Fuerza Aérea Venezolana (FAV) from 1946 until the 2000s, and is still widely called the Venezuelan Air Force
- Fundada
- 10 December 1920The Escuela de Aviación Militar opened at Maracay on 10 December 1920 after a decree of 17 April 1920; 10 December is Aviation Day. Independent service as the FAV from 22 June 1946
- Parte de
- Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB)One of the FANB’s components, under the Ministry of Popular Power for Defence; its stated mission is to carry out military operations ordered by the Strategic Operational Command (CEOFANB) for aerospace defence
- Sede
- La Carlota, CaracasComandancia General at Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base (La Carlota) since 5 December 1970, according to Spanish-language Wikipedia; the minister visited it there on 1 April 2026
- Commanding General
- Maj. Gen. Royman Antonio Hernández BriceñoNamed as Comandante General on the AMB site on 23 September 2026; start date not found. Maj. Gen. Lenín Lorenzo Ramírez Villasmil held the post in November 2024
- Ministro da Defesa
- GJ Gustavo González LópezReplaced Vladimir Padrino López on 18 March 2026, appointed by acting president Delcy Rodríguez
Força
- Pessoal
- No official personnel figure was found on the ministry or AMB sites; IISS figures were not available for this page
- Aeronaves de combate
-
- Su-30MK2 — 14 in service in 2025 (24 bought)
- F-16A/B Block 15 — a handful at most (24 bought)
The Su-30 figure is the IISS 2025 number as cited by Wikipedia, before the US strikes of 3 January 2026; no post-strike count has been published. The F-16 count is unknown: some were flying in September and October 2025 and an F-16B returned to service in April 2026
- Treinadores
-
- K-8W — 23
- EMB 312 Tucano — 17
- SF.260 — 11
- DA42 — 6, plus DA40NG
Wikipedia inventory figures; the K-8W also flies light attack and interception sorties
- Transporte e missão especial
-
- Shaanxi Y-8 — 8 bought
- C-130H Hercules — 3
- KC-707 tanker — 1
- Shorts 360, Do 228, King Air, Metro, Cessna 208B
Wikipedia inventory; how many are airworthy is not published, and several have been returned to service only after long repairs
- Helicópteros
-
- AS532 Cougar — 10
- Mi-17 — 6
- Enstrom 480B — 11 (one lost in 2025)
- Enstrom 280 — 2
Wikipedia inventory. The Enstroms train rotary-wing pilots for all four FANB components at Maracay
- Drones
- Mohajer-derived Arpía — 12 listedIranian Mohajer design in its Venezuelan Arpía version; Wikipedia lists 12. A FANB academy for unmanned systems opened on 17 September 2026
Infraestrutura
- bases aéreas
-
- El Libertador, Palo Negro (Aragua) — F-16, transport
- Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda (La Carlota), Caracas — headquarters
- Mariscal Sucre, Maracay — flying training
- Teniente Luis del Valle García, Barcelona — Su-30
- Teniente Vicente Landaeta Gil, Barquisimeto
- General en Jefe Rafael Urdaneta, Maracaibo
- General en Jefe José Antonio Páez, Puerto Ayacucho
- Teniente Coronel Teófilo Luis Méndez, Ciudad Guayana
- Capitán Manuel Ríos, El Sombrero
- Mayor Buenaventura Vivas Guerrero, Santo Domingo (Táchira)
List from Spanish-language Wikipedia; unit assignments are only those published by the ministry or the press
- Fighter units
-
- Grupo Aéreo de Caza 16 “Dragones” — F-16, El Libertador
- Grupo Aéreo de Caza 13 — Su-30MK2, Barcelona
- Grupo Aéreo de Caza 12 — K-8W
As published by the ministry, Infodefensa and Spanish-language Wikipedia
- Airspace law
- Disabling of illegal aircraft since 2013The Ley de Control para la Defensa Integral del Espacio Aéreo, promulgated in June 2012, in force from October 2013
- Road landing strips
- Exercised in 2024K-8W, DA40NG and Cessna 208B landed and took off from a highway “operational recovery point” at La Marqueseña on 18 September 2024
How the Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela is organised
One component of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), commanded from La Carlota in Caracas, with numbered groups (grupos aéreos) for fighters, transport, special operations and training and, according to Spanish-language Wikipedia, air zones such as Air Zone I at Maracaibo. The fighters fly from two bases: the Su-30MK2s of Grupo Aéreo de Caza 13 at Barcelona, 14 in service in 2025 according to the IISS as cited by Wikipedia, and the F-16A/Bs of Grupo Aéreo de Caza 16 at El Libertador, a handful at most still flying. No fleet count has been published since the US operation of 3 January 2026.
Bolivarian Military Aviation
One of the components of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), under the Ministry of Popular Power for Defence; its general command has been at La Carlota since 5 December 1970. The AMB’s own site names Maj Gen Royman Antonio Hernández Briceño as Comandante General on 23 September 2026; the date he took over was not found. La Carlota was among the targets of the US strikes of 3 January 2026, and no official account of the damage has been published.
Grupo Aéreo de Caza 16 “Dragones”
Latin America’s first F-16 unit, activated on 31 August 1983, with Escuadrones 161 and 162 according to Spanish-language Wikipedia. Of 24 F-16A/Bs bought, how many still fly is not published; cut off from US spares since 2006, the air arm returned F-16B 9583 to service in April 2026 after 15 years and 10 months.
Grupo Aéreo de Caza 13
Flies the Su-30MK2, 24 of which arrived from December 2006, and 14 were in service in 2025 according to the IISS as cited by Wikipedia. The number left after 3 January 2026 is disputed: Wikipedia’s Su-30MKK article claims seven destroyed by US strikes, its article on the operation says none was confirmed, and no official figure exists.
Grupos Aéreos de Transporte 6 and 9
Grupo 6 holds all eight Shaanxi Y-8 transports, according to Infodefensa, and, according to Spanish-language Wikipedia, the C-130H Hercules, the KC-707 tanker and Short 360s; a Y-8 returned to service in June 2026. Grupo 9 flies Cessna 208B Caravans to remote communities in the south; one crashed in Alto Orinoco in July 2025 with seven dead, according to Infodefensa.
Grupo de Entrenamiento Aéreo 19 and Grupo Aéreo de Caza 12
Grupo 19 trains helicopter pilots for all four FANB components on the Enstrom 480B at the Mariscal Sucre base, where one crashed on 3 October 2025, killing both pilots. Grupo Aéreo de Caza 12 flies the Chinese K-8W jet trainer, which also flies light attack and interception sorties; its base is not stated in the sources for this page.
Grupos Aéreos de Operaciones Especiales 10 and 15
Spanish-language Wikipedia lists Grupo 10 with AS332B Super Puma and AS532 Cougar helicopters at El Libertador, which no official source confirms, and places Grupo 15 under Air Zone I, headquartered at Maracaibo, without giving its base.
What the Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela flies today
Cada tipo de cobrança, com link para sua página no Livro das Feras, quando houver. Os números indicam as aeronaves registradas, não as aeronaves disponíveis em um determinado dia.
| Tipo | Papel | Em serviço | Desde | Unidades | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sukhoi Su-30MK2Em serviço | Caça multifuncional | 14 | 2006 | 14 in service in 2025 per the IISS as cited by Wikipedia; 24 delivered.
MaisWikipedia’s Su-30MKK article also claims seven were destroyed by US strikes on 3 January 2026, but the article on the operation says no Venezuelan aircraft was confirmed destroyed, and no official figure exists: the post-strike number is unknown. |
||
| General Dynamics F-16A/B Block 15 Fighting FalconEm serviço | Caça multifuncional | 1983 | 24 bought (18 F-16A, 6 F-16B). Wikipedia lists three A/B plus one F-16B as in service and says few or none may remain; the real number flying is not published. | |||
| Hongdu K-8W Karakorum (JL-8)Em serviço | Jato de treinamento e ataque leve | 23 | 2010 | 23 in Wikipedia’s inventory; 18 were announced in 2008 and a further batch later, so the total delivered is not settled. One (2702) crashed in Zulia on 18 June 2022, both crew ejecting. | ||
| Embraer EMB 312 Tucano (T-27)Em serviço | Instrutor básico | 17 | 17 per Wikipedia. | |||
| SIAI-Marchetti SF.260Em serviço | Instrutor básico | 11 | 11 per Wikipedia. | |||
| Diamond DA42 and DA40NGEm serviço | Multi-engine and basic trainer | 6 | Six DA42 per Wikipedia; DA40NG numbers not published. | |||
| Lockheed C-130H HerculesEm serviço | Transporte tático | 3 | Three per Wikipedia. | |||
| Shaanxi Y-8F-200WEm serviço | Transporte tático | 8 | 2012 | Eight bought in March 2011; first two delivered November 2012. How many fly is not published. | ||
| Boeing 707 (KC-707)Em serviço | Tanque e transporte | 1 | Uma por Wikipédia. | |||
| Short 360 (SD3-60)Em serviço | Transporte leve | 2 | Duas, segundo a Wikipédia. | |||
| Dornier Do 228NGEm serviço | Transporte utilitário | 3 | Three per Wikipedia. | |||
| Beechcraft Super King Air 200/350Em serviço | Utility and liaison | 5 | Five per Wikipedia. | |||
| Fairchild MetrolinerEm serviço | Electronic warfare and utility | 2 | One electronic-warfare and one utility aircraft per Wikipedia. | |||
| Cessna 208B Grand CaravanEm serviço | Transporte leve | 2 | Two per Wikipedia after one was lost in 2025. | |||
| Eurocopter AS532 CougarEm serviço | helicóptero de transporte | 10 | Ten per Wikipedia. | |||
| Mil Mi-17Em serviço | helicóptero utilitário | 6 | Seis, segundo a Wikipédia. | |||
| Enstrom 480B and 280Em serviço | Helicóptero de treinamento | 13 | 11 Enstrom 480 and two 280 per Wikipedia, with four more 480s reported on order. | |||
| Ghods Mohajer-2 / CAVIM ArpíaEm serviço | Unmanned aerial vehicle | 12 | 12, segundo a Wikipédia. |
Sob encomenda
| Tipo | Encomendado | Primeira entrega | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enstrom 480BSob encomenda | 4 | Wikipedia lists four on order; no date or contract found on an official page.
MaisNo combat-aircraft order is known to be active; the 2015 plan for 12 more Su-30s was never confirmed as delivered. |
Every type the Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela has retired
16 types, from the Caudron G.3, Caudron G.4 and Farman F.40 to the Canadair CF-5A/D (VF-5) and ex-Dutch NF-5A/B. Os números máximos representam as aeronaves incorporadas à frota ao longo de toda a sua vida útil, e não a força total da frota em uma data específica.
| Tipo | Papel | Pico | Servido | Substituído por | Notas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadair CF-5A/D (VF-5) and ex-Dutch NF-5A/B | Caça leve | 1972–2010 | K-8W | 20 new (16 CF-5A and two CF-5D in 1972, two more CF-5D in 1974), plus 5–7 ex-Dutch NF-5s from 1991: Wikipedia’s CF-5 article gives four NF-5B and one NF-5A, its F-5 article seven. | ||
| North American T-2D Buckeye | Treinador a jato | K-8W | ||||
| Dassault Mirage IIIEV and IIIDV | Interceptor | 7 | Mirage 50EV | Seven IIIEV built; IIIDV trainers also delivered (number not confirmed). | ||
| Dassault Mirage 5V/5DV and Mirage 50EV/50DV | Caça-bombardeiro | 21 | Su-30MK2 | 21 airframes in all per Wikipedia: six Mirage 5V and three 5DV; six new Mirage 50EV, seven upgraded (two IIIEV, two 5V, three ex-Zaire 5M) and three 50DV. | ||
| North American Rockwell OV-10E and OV-10A Bronco | Counter-insurgency and light attack | New-build OV-10Es plus ex-USAF OV-10As. | ||||
| English Electric Canberra B.2, B(I).8/B(I).88, PR.83, T.84 | Bombardeiro e reconhecimento | 46 | 1953– | 46 in all per Wikipedia, including later refurbished B.82, PR.83, T.84 and B(I).88 batches. | ||
| North American F-86F Sabre | Lutador diurno | 30 | 1955– | 30, delivered October 1955 to December 1960. | ||
| North American F-86K Sabre | Interceptor para todas as condições climáticas | |||||
| de Havilland Venom FB.54 | Caça-bombardeiro | |||||
| de Havilland Vampire FB.52 | Lutador | |||||
| North American B-25J Mitchell | Bombardeiro | |||||
| BAC Jet Provost T.52 | Treinador a jato | |||||
| Beechcraft T-34 Mentor | Treinador principal | |||||
| Bell UH-1D Iroquois | helicóptero utilitário | |||||
| Aérospatiale Alouette III | Helicóptero leve | |||||
| Caudron G.3, Caudron G.4 and Farman F.40 | Primeiro avião militar | 1920– |
Where the Bolivarian Military Aviation flies from
Os pinos pretos representam bases ativas, os pinos ocos representam aeródromos que foram desativados. Venezuelan military flying began at Maracay in 1920, and the heart of the air arm is still in Aragua and Caracas: El Libertador, the F-16 and transport base opened in 1955, the Mariscal Sucre training base at Maracay and the headquarters at La Carlota. The regional bases were activated between 1964 and 1980; for several of them no units have been published by the ministry or the press. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| Base | OACI | Status | Pista | Unidades e aeronaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capitán Manuel Ríos Aerospace Base, El SombreroGuárico (El Sombrero); see note | SVCZ | Ativo | ||
| El LibertadorAragua (Palo Negro, perto de Maracay) | SVBL | Ativo | 09/273.170 mconcreto |
|
| General en Jefe José Antonio Páez, Puerto AyacuchoAmazonas (Puerto Ayacucho) | Ativo |
|
||
| General en Jefe Rafael Urdaneta, MaracaiboZulia (Maracaibo) | Ativo | |||
| Generalissimo Francisco de MirandaLa CarlotaMiranda (leste de Caracas) | SVFM | Ativo |
|
|
| Mariscal Sucre (Boca de Río), MaracayAragua (Maracay) | SVBS | Ativo |
|
|
| Mayor Buenaventura Vivas Guerrero, Santo DomingoTáchiraTáchira (Santo Domingo) | SVSO | Ativo | ||
| Teniente Coronel Teófilo Luis Méndez, Ciudad GuayanaBolívar (Ciudad Guayana) | Ativo | |||
| Teniente Luis del Valle García, BarcelonaAnzoátegui (Barcelona) | SVBC | Ativo |
|
|
| Teniente Vicente Landaeta Gil, BarquisimetoLara (Barquisimeto) | Ativo | |||
| Punta Palmita Naval Aviation SchoolLake ValenciaLake Valencia (Aragua / Carabobo) | Fechado |
|
Nenhuma base aérea corresponde a essa busca.
Who is stationed where in the Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela
Unidades voadoras por base, unidades atuais primeiro. Venezuelan flying units are numbered groups — grupos aéreos de caza for fighters, de transporte for airlift, de operaciones especiales and de entrenamiento — with squadrons numbered from their group, such as Escuadrones 161 and 162 of Grupo 16. Earlier FAV units and the early seaplane school at Punta Palmita are marked as former. Where only Spanish-language Wikipedia places a unit, as for Grupo Aéreo de Operaciones Especiales 10, the entry says so.
- Grupo Aéreo de Caza N.º 16Dragones · Fighter group · active
- General Dynamics F-16A/B Block 15 Fighting Falcon
- Grupo Aéreo de Transporte N.º 6Transport group · active
- Lockheed C-130H Hercules, Shaanxi Y-8F-200W, Boeing 707 (KC-707), Short 360
- Grupo Aéreo de Operaciones Especiales N.º 10Special operations and search-and-rescue helicopter group · active
- Eurocopter AS332B Super Puma and AS532 Cougar
- Earlier FAV fighter, bomber and transport units1955–
- F-86 Sabre, English Electric Canberra, de Havilland Vampire, de Havilland Venom, Canadair VF-5, Dassault Mirage (III, 5, 50)
- Comandancia General de la Aviación Militar BolivarianaSede do serviço · ativa
- Grupo de Entrenamiento Aéreo N.º 19Helicopter training group · active
- Enstrom 480B
- Grupo Aéreo de Caza N.º 13Libertador Simón Bolívar · Fighter group · active
- Sukhoi Su-30MK2
- Grupo Aéreo de Transporte N.º 9Light transport group · active
- Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Nenhuma unidade corresponde a essa pesquisa.
Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela milestones, 1914 to today
17 April: decree creates the Escuela de Aviación Militar. 10 December: the school opens at Maracay with French instructors; the date is Aviation Day.
22 June: Decree-Law No. 349 creates the Fuerza Aérea Venezolana (FAV) as an independent service.
The first Canberra bombers arrive, ordered in October 1952; 30 F-86F Sabres follow from October 1955.
1 January: air force fighters fly over Caracas in an uprising from Boca del Río; Pérez Jiménez leaves the country on 23 January.
20 April: Canberras bomb San Cristóbal airport during General Castro León’s revolt; in June 1961 they strike rebels at Barcelona.
3 June: aircraft bomb the Solano fort during the Puerto Cabello naval revolt (El Porteñazo).
16 CF-5As and two CF-5Ds arrive; renamed VF-5 in 1979.
3 September: a FAV C-130 crashes approaching Lajes in the Azores, killing the Central University choir and crew.
31 August: Grupo Aéreo de Caza 16 is activated; 16 November: the first F-16s arrive, the first in Latin America.
August: in the Caldas crisis two F-16s make low passes over a Colombian warship in the Gulf of Venezuela.
Late October: the first upgraded Mirage 50EVs are delivered.
27 November: rebels seize El Libertador and bomb Caracas; loyalist F-16s shoot down rebel aircraft; the rebels flee to Peru in two C-130s.
8 May: the US determines Venezuela is not cooperating fully against terrorism, barring arms sales. July: 24 Su-30MK2 ordered; first delivered in December.
13 March: first K-8W handed over; the VF-5 and T-2D are retired.
October: the 2012 airspace defence law enters force, allowing illegal aircraft to be disabled.
4 September: two F-16s fly near USS Jason Dunham (CBS, Reuters). November: FAA warning; Trump declares the airspace closed. Two fatal training and transport crashes.
3 January: US strikes hit La Carlota and Maduro is captured. 18 March: Gustavo González López becomes defence minister. April: an F-16B flies again after nearly 16 years.
Every conflict the Bolivarian Military Aviation has flown in
Missões e perdas onde constam nos registros, e um espaço em branco honesto onde não constam.
- The air force uprising of 1 January 1958 1958 Air force units rose against the government of Marcos Pérez Jiménez and flew fighters over Caracas
- Air strikes against military revolts, 1960–1962 1960–1962 Bombed rebel-held positions for the elected government
- The Caldas crisis 1987 F-16s made armed low passes over the Colombian corvette ARC Caldas in disputed waters
- The 1992 coup attempts 1992 In November rebel air force officers seized El Libertador and bombed targets in Caracas; loyalist F-16 pilots fought them in the air
- Air interdiction of illegal flights 2013– Intercepts aircraft entering Venezuelan airspace without authorisation and, under the 2012 law, immobilises or disables them
Everything people ask about the Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela
What is the Venezuelan Air Force called now?
What fighter jets does Venezuela have?
How many F-16s does Venezuela still have?
Why did Venezuela buy Russian Su-30s?
When was the Venezuelan Air Force founded?
What did the air force do in the 1992 coup attempts?
What happened to the Venezuelan air force on 3 January 2026?
Did Venezuelan F-16s fly near a US warship?
Does Venezuela shoot down drug planes?
Who commands the Bolivarian Military Aviation?
Read the aircraft the Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela flew
Cada tipo com uma página no Livro das Feras, primeiro em serviço e depois pelo ano em que deixou a frota.
Todos os fatos foram verificados.
- Aviación Militar Bolivariana: Misión y VisiónOfficial name and mission: military operations ordered by the Strategic Operational Command for aerospace defence.
- Aviación Militar Bolivariana: start of the 106th anniversary activities (23 September 2026)Names Maj. Gen. Royman Antonio Hernández Briceño as Comandante General; marks the 34th anniversary of the “Gesta Heroica” of 27 November 1992.
- Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Defensa: home page (checked 1 October 2026)Lists GJ Gustavo González López as minister.
- Mindefensa: Minister’s visit to the Comandancia General of the AMB (1 April 2026)Visit to La Carlota; refers to Delcy Rodríguez as acting president and commander-in-chief.
- Mindefensa: GJ Gustavo González López at the 43rd anniversary of GAC No. 16 (31 August 2026)GAC 16 “Dragones”, F-16, El Libertador, formed 1983; took part in the 1987 Gulf of Venezuela crisis.
- Mindefensa: Aeronave estratégica Y8-F200W es recuperada por la AMB (5 June 2026)Ministry headline on the Y-8 return to service (seen in the site search).
- Infodefensa: La Aviación Militar de Venezuela reintegra a la línea de vuelo un caza F-16B Block 15 (20 April 2026)24 F-16s (18 A, 6 B) bought 1981; first arrived 16 November 1983; GAC 16 activated 31 August 1983; failed MLU; F-16B 9583 back after 15 years 10 months.
- Infodefensa: La Aviación Militar de Venezuela reincorpora un Shaanxi Y-8-F200W (10 June 2026)Eight Y-8 bought March 2011; first two November 2012; GAT 6 at El Libertador.
- Infodefensa: Trump insta a considerar el espacio aéreo venezolano “cerrado en su totalidad” (1 December 2025)Trump statement; Venezuelan foreign ministry response; FAA notice 21 November; Operation Southern Spear from 13 November 2025.
- Infodefensa: Aeronaves militares de EEUU aumentan sobrevuelos frente a las costas venezolanas (9 December 2025)F/A-18F, EA-18G and MQ-4C inside the Maiquetía FIR.
- Infodefensa: La FANB intercepta e inutiliza un avión identificado como “vector hostil” (29 October 2025)F-16s intercept a Cessna 310 landing in Apure; statement by CEOFANB commander Gen. Domingo Hernández Lárez.
- Infodefensa: Un Cessna 208B de la Aviación Militar de Venezuela se precipita a tierra y deja siete fallecidos (31 July 2025)Serial 4292, GAT 9, Puerto Ayacucho; seven dead, three injured.
- Infodefensa: Un helicóptero Enstrom 480B de la Aviación Militar de Venezuela se precipita a tierra (October 2025)3 October 2025 crash beside BA Mariscal Sucre; two killed; Grupo de Entrenamiento Aéreo 19.
- Infodefensa: La Defensa Aeroespacial de Venezuela intercepta un avión vinculado al narcotráfico (14 July 2024)Piper PA-34 forced down near Turén; airspace law promulgated June 2012, in force October 2013.
- Infodefensa: La Aviación Militar de Venezuela realiza ejercicio de aterrizaje y despegue en carretera (18 September 2024)K-8W, DA40NG, C208B; GAC 12, GAOE 15, GEA 18, GAT 9; led by Maj. Gen. Royman Hernández Briceño.
- Infodefensa: La Aviación Militar de Venezuela incorpora un avión Shorts SD3-60 (5 November 2024)Serial 2358 to GAT 6; ceremony led by Comandante General Maj. Gen. Lenín Lorenzo Ramírez Villasmil.
- Infodefensa: Venezuela activa la Academia Militar de Sistemas No Tripulados (19 September 2026)Academy activated 17 September 2026 under the FANB modernisation plan 2026–2032.
- Infodefensa: Venezuela — Aire (section index)Index of recent AMB news used to locate the articles above.
- US Federal Register: Determination and Certification Under Section 40A of the Arms Export Control Act (18 May 2006)Signed by Condoleezza Rice on 8 May 2006; Venezuela listed as not cooperating fully with US antiterrorism efforts.
- US Federal Register: Amendment of the ITAR — Policy With Respect to Libya and Venezuela (7 February 2007)Adds Venezuela to the ITAR list of countries not cooperating fully with anti-terrorism efforts (abstract).
- Congressional Research Service: Venezuela — Political Conditions and U.S. Policy, RL32488 (28 July 2009)Two Russian long-range bombers arrived in Venezuela on 10 September 2008.
- Al Jazeera: Why United Nations says US boat strikes may be ‘crimes against humanity’ (22 September 2026)Strikes from September 2025; 234 killed in 70 strikes; UN special rapporteur Ben Saul; US position; UN report gives 75 killed in the January raid.
- Al Jazeera: As Chavez and Maduro images disappear, is Venezuela entering a new chapter? (13 September 2026)January 2026 operation; interim President Delcy Rodríguez; earthquakes of 24 June 2026.
- Al Jazeera: Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez promises elections at UN, gives no date (24 September 2026)Rodríguez acting president since January 2026; Maduro detained in the US awaiting trial.
- Venezuelan Ministry of Culture: A 50 años de Las Azores, las voces del Orfeón Universitario siguen resonandoFAV C-130 crash of 3 September 1976 near Lajes; choir, crew and companions listed (as used for the Lajes base page).
Dados verificados em 01/10/2026. As páginas da Ordem de Batalha são geradas a partir de um único conjunto de dados; se algum número aqui divergir de uma página do Livro das Feras, esta página será considerada a mais recente.
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