Bolivian Air Force
Encyclopedia
The Bolivian Air Force ('Fuerza Aérea Boliviana' or 'FAB') is part of the Military of Bolivia
.
fighters, Curtiss T-32 Condor II
and Junkers W 34 bombers, Junkers Ju 86
used as transport craft, and Fokker C.V
, Breguet 19
and Vickers Vespa
reconnaissance planes), and about 300 staff; the officers were trained in Italy.
, Cochabamba
, Santa Cruz
, Puerto Suárez
, Tarija
, Villamontes
, Cobija
, Riberalta
, and Roboré
.
Major commands included the following:
(the Bolivian Military Airline) is an airline
based in La Paz
, Bolivia
. It is the civilian wing of the 'Fuerza Aérea Boliviana' (the Bolivian Air Force), operating passenger services to remote towns and communities in the North and Northeast of Bolivia. TAM (aka TAM Group 71) has been a part of the FAB since 1945.
A similar airline serving the Beni Department
with small planes is Línea Aérea Amaszonas
, using smaller planes than TAM.
, was created as a subsidiary company of the FAB in 1977. It is subordinate to the Air Transport Management (Gerencia de Transportes Aéreos) and is headed by an FAB general. TAB, a charter heavy cargo airline, links Bolivia with most countries of the Western Hemisphere
; its inventory included a fleet of Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. TAB's Base of operations was headquartered at El Alto, adjacent to La Paz
's El Alto International Airport
. TAB also flew to Miami and Houston, with stops in Panama
.
Military of Bolivia
- Army :The Bolivian Army has around 55,500 men. There are six military regions in the army. The Army is organized into ten divisions...
.
History
By 1938 the Bolivian air force consisted of about 60 aircraft (Curtiss HawkCurtiss Hawk
Curtiss Hawk was a name common to many aircraft designed and produced by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, most of them fighters:-Curtiss Model 34 & Hawk I:...
fighters, Curtiss T-32 Condor II
Curtiss T-32 Condor II
|-Accidents and incidents:*On 27 July 1934, Swissair Condor CH-170 broke up in mid-air and crashed at Tuttlingen, Germany killing all 12 passengers and crew.-See also:-References:...
and Junkers W 34 bombers, Junkers Ju 86
Junkers Ju 86
The Junkers Ju 86 was a German monoplane bomber and civilian airliner designed in the early 1930s, and employed by both sides during World War II. The civilian model Ju 86B could carry 10 passengers. Two were delivered to Swissair and five to Luft Hansa...
used as transport craft, and Fokker C.V
Fokker C.V
Fokker C.V was a Dutch light reconnaissance and bomber biplane aircraft manufactured by Fokker. It was designed by Anthony Fokker and the series manufacture began in 1924 at Fokker in Amsterdam.-Development:...
, Breguet 19
Breguet 19
The Breguet 19 was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane, also used for long-distance flights, designed by the French Breguet company and produced from 1924.-Development:...
and Vickers Vespa
Vickers Vespa
|-See also:*Aerial operations in the Chaco War-Bibliography:* Andrews, C.F. and Morgan, Eric B. Vickers Aircraft since 1908, Second edition. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1....
reconnaissance planes), and about 300 staff; the officers were trained in Italy.
Current organization
FAB is organized into nine air bases located at La PazLa Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
, Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
, Puerto Suárez
Puerto Suárez
Puerto Suárez is an important inland river port and municipality in Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. It is located 10 km west of the border with Brazil.-Location:...
, Tarija
Tarija, Bolivia
Tarija or San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa is a city in southern Bolivia. Founded in 1574, Tarija is both the capital and largest city within the Tarija Department, with an airport offering regular service to primary Bolivian cities, as well as a regional bus terminal with domestic and...
, Villamontes
Villamontes
Villamontes is a town in the Tarija Department in south-eastern Bolivia.-Location:Villamontes is the administrative center of Villamontes Municipio and situated at , 390 m above sea level, on the left bank of Río Pilcomayo where the river crosses the Sierra del Aguarague mountain range and flows...
, Cobija
Cobija
The Bolivian city of Cobija is located about 600 km north of La Paz in the Amazon Basin on the border of Brazil and Peru. Cobija lies on banks of the Rio Acre across from the Brazilian city Brasiléia. Cobija lies at an elevation of ca...
, Riberalta
Riberalta
Riberalta is a town in the Beni Department in northern Bolivia, situated where the Madre de Dios River joins the Beni River. Riberalta is on the south bank of the Beni River....
, and Roboré
Roboré
-References:...
.
Major commands included the following:
- General Command Systems Department in La Paz, equipped with sophisticated computers. In March 1989, FAB took a major step toward modernizing its force by inaugurating the
- Group of Security and Defense of Air Installations (Grupo de Seguridad y Defensa de Instalaciones Aéreas—GSDIA); and GADA-91, GADA-92, GADA-93 and GADA-94.
- Four air brigades with thirteen subordinate air groups.
-
- First Air Brigade (El Alto):
- Fighter Group 31 "G.J.Market": Fighter squadron 311, Executive squadron 310
- Transport air group 71 "Gen.W.A.Rojas" (Military airlift TAM):Air squadron 710, Air squadron 711, Air squadron 712
- Aerophotogrammetry National Service (NSS)
- Transporte Aereo Boliviano-TAB
- Task Force "Black Devils"
- Group air defence artillery GADA-91
- First Air Brigade (El Alto):
-
- Second Air Brigade (Cochabamba):
- Fighter Group 34 "P.R.Cuevas": Aerotactico squadron 340, Link training squadron 341
- Group air search and rescue 51: Helicopter Squadron 511
- Group air defence artillery GADA-92
- Third Air Brigade (Santa Cruz):
- Hunting air group 32 "B.B.Rioja": squdron 321,squadron 320,squadron 327 (maintenance)
- COLMILAV Training squadrons: primary squadron,basic squadron,squadron "NN" (prob.navigation)
- Air group air reconnaissance and exploration 82(air base Puerto Suarez): 831 squadron
- Air group 61 "Gen.L.G.Pereiera (air base Puerto Suarez): squadron 610
- Task force "Red Devils" (air base The Trompillo-Robore)
- Group air defence artillery GADA-93
- Fourth Air Brigade:
- Group air reconnaissance and exploration 82 "Cap.A.V.Peralta" (air base Tarija): squadron 821
- Air Group 63 "Tcnl.E.L.Rivera" (air base Villamontes): squadron 630
- Group air defence artillery GADA-94
- Second Air Brigade (Cochabamba):
Units under direct control of the general command of the FAB
-
-
- Tactical air group 62 (air base Riberalta): squadron 620
- Air group 64: squadron (air base Cobija) 640
- Transport air group 72 (air base Trinidad) : squadron 720
-
Civil Aviation
The General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil—DGAC) formerly part of the FAB, administers a civil aeronautics school called the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (Instituto Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil—INAC), and two commercial air transport services TAM and TAB.TAM (Transporte Aéreo Militar)
TAM - Transporte Aéreo MilitarTAM - Transporte Aereo Militar
TAM – Transporte Aéreo Militar is an airline based in La Paz, Bolivia. It is the civilian wing of the Bolivian Air Force, operating passenger services to remote towns and communities in the North and Northeast of Bolivia....
(the Bolivian Military Airline) is an airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. It is the civilian wing of the 'Fuerza Aérea Boliviana' (the Bolivian Air Force), operating passenger services to remote towns and communities in the North and Northeast of Bolivia. TAM (aka TAM Group 71) has been a part of the FAB since 1945.
A similar airline serving the Beni Department
Beni Department
Beni, sometimes El Beni, is a northeastern department of Bolivia, in the lowlands region of the country. It is the second largest department in the country , covering 213,564 square kilometers , and it was created by supreme decree on November 18, 1842 during the administration of General José...
with small planes is Línea Aérea Amaszonas
Amaszonas
Línea Aérea Amaszonas, often shortened to Amaszonas, is an airline in Bolivia, operating scheduled and chartered short-haul, low-volume passenger flights throughout the Northern and North Eastern regions of the country. The company was founded in 2000...
, using smaller planes than TAM.
TAB (Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos)
Although a civil transport airline, TAB - Transportes Aéreos BolivianosTAB - Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos
Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos is a Bolivian airline, which operates civil cargo flights between Bolivias and the United States.-History:...
, was created as a subsidiary company of the FAB in 1977. It is subordinate to the Air Transport Management (Gerencia de Transportes Aéreos) and is headed by an FAB general. TAB, a charter heavy cargo airline, links Bolivia with most countries of the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
; its inventory included a fleet of Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. TAB's Base of operations was headquartered at El Alto, adjacent to La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
's El Alto International Airport
El Alto International Airport
El Alto International Airport is an international airport located south west of La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia.The airport is located in the city of El Alto and has served since the first half of the 20th century, but was modernized in the late 1960s, when its runway was lengthened and a new...
. TAB also flew to Miami and Houston, with stops in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
.