Honduran Air Force
Encyclopedia
The Honduras Air Force is the air force
of Honduras
. As such it is the air power arm of the Honduras Armed Forces
.
biplane flown by an American contracted pilot, while in 1923 the first government flying school was founded with the assistance of Italian investors. The forerunner of the modern air force, the Escuela Nacional de Aviación, or National Aviation School, came into being on 14 April 1931; and in 1938, it was renamed the Escuela Militar de Aviación y Fuerza Aérea Hondureña or Military Aviation School and Honduras Air Force when its first combat aircraft were acquired. During World War II
they fought against the Axis powers from 1942 until 1944 performing anti-submarine patrols along its Caribbean coastline.
After the war the HAF re-equipped with aircraft from USAAF and RCAF stocks including five Lockheed P-38 Lightning
s and 5 Bell Bell P-63 Kingcobras which were their first high performance fighters. Honduras ratified the Rio Treaty
in 1947, and within the next 10 years the Americans supplied new aircraft to include 19 Vought F4U Corsair fighter bombers, several C-47 transports and 6 AT-6C armed and 6 T-6G advanced trainers.
In 1969 Honduras fought the wrongly called Football War
, or more aptly, The 1969 100 Hour War with El Salvador
. The HAF managed to successfully bomb the Salvadorean fuel supplies at Acajutla and Cutuco and fight the enemy's air force out of the sky. Later, they provided close air support to the Honduras Army. After the cease fire, both countries tried unsuccessfully to acquire their first jets to replace their old prop driven aircraft. However, the political climate eventually changed and by the mid 1970s the HAF re-equipped with 10 old ex-Yugoslav CL-13Mk.4's / F-86E Sabre Jet's, 16 ex-Israeli Super Mystere B.2, and 6 new Cessna A-37B COIN jets, plus several UH-1B Huey assault helicopters. Also the HAF was re-organized, several new air bases were created and its name changed to Fuerza Aérea Hondureña only. These airplanes were however used during the 1980s confrontation with the Sandinista government of Nicaragua.
Later that decade, these were augmented or replaced with 11 ex-USAF OA/A-37B's, 12 ex-USAF F-5E/F Tiger II interceptors, 12 new T-27 Tucano armed trainers and 4 new CASA 101BB-02 attack planes; and supported with 5 ex-USAF C-130A Hercules transports, 5 armed MD500D and 10 new BELL 412SP utility helicopters; which are all in use until today.
, Comayagua, San Pedro Sula
, and La Ceiba
. Additionally, 3 air stations located at Catacamas, Alto Aguán (bomb range) and Puerto Lempira airstrips serve as forward operations locations-FOL. Also a radar station operates at La Mole peak. With the exception of Soto Cano Air Base, all other bases operates as dual civil and military aviation facilities.
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Stored
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Delivered
|-----
| Commander 1000 || || utility transport
|| || || 1
|-----
| UH-1H Iroquois || || utility helicopter
|| || 2 || 2||26(16x UH-1B+10 UH-1H ||
|-----
| Bell 412
|| || transport helicopter || 412SP || 5 || 3 ||10 Bell-412SP ||
|-----
| Cessna T-41 Mescalero
|| || trainer
|| T-41B/D Mescalero || 1 || 1 || 9(3xT-41B+6xT-41D
|-----
| Maule MXT-7-180 || || trainer || || 4 || || 4 ||
|-----
| Cessna 180 Skywagon
|| || utility || || 1 || || 1 ||
|-----
| Cessna 182 Skylane
|| || utility || || 1 || 1 || 2 ||
|-----
| Cessna 185 Skywagon
|| || utility || || 1 || 3 || 7 ||
|-----
| Cessna 310
|| || utility transport || || || 1
|-----
| Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
|| || attack
reconnaissance || A-37B
OA-37B || 5
4 || 3 || 17 A/OA-37B Delivered ||
|-----
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain
|| || tactical transport || C-47 || || 7 ||16 ||
|-----
| Embraer EMB 312 Tucano
|| || trainer || || 9 || || 12 ||
|-----
| CASA C-101 || || trainer || C-101 Aviojet || || 4|| 4 ||
|-----
| IAI Arava
|| || tactical transport || IAI201 || 1 || || 2 ||
|-----
| IAI Westwind
|| || VIP transport/Executive || || 1 || || 2 ||
|-----
| Lockheed C-130A Hercules
|| || tactical transport || C-130A || 1 || 3 || 5 ||
|-----
| MD 500D Defender
|| || utility helicopter || MD 500D || 2 || 1 || 5 ||
|-----
| Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II || || fighter
trainer || F-5E Tiger II
F-5F Tiger II || 9
2|| || 10xF-5E and 2xF-5F ||
|-----
| Piper PA-31 Navajo
|| || utility transport || || || 2 || 3 ||
|-----
| Piper PA-34 Seneca
|| || utility transport || || || 1 || 1 ||
|----
| IAI\Dassault Super-Mystere B.2\J-52 S'aar
|| || FGA || || ||12|| 16 ||
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
of Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. As such it is the air power arm of the Honduras Armed Forces
Military of Honduras
-pre-1979:During the twentieth century, Honduran military leaders frequently became presidents, either through elections or by coups d'état. General Tiburcio Carías Andino was elected in 1932, he later on called a constituent assembly that allowed him to be reelected, and his rule became more...
.
History
The first Honduras military flying took place on 18 April 1921 in a Bristol F.2b FighterBristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
biplane flown by an American contracted pilot, while in 1923 the first government flying school was founded with the assistance of Italian investors. The forerunner of the modern air force, the Escuela Nacional de Aviación, or National Aviation School, came into being on 14 April 1931; and in 1938, it was renamed the Escuela Militar de Aviación y Fuerza Aérea Hondureña or Military Aviation School and Honduras Air Force when its first combat aircraft were acquired. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
they fought against the Axis powers from 1942 until 1944 performing anti-submarine patrols along its Caribbean coastline.
After the war the HAF re-equipped with aircraft from USAAF and RCAF stocks including five Lockheed P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
s and 5 Bell Bell P-63 Kingcobras which were their first high performance fighters. Honduras ratified the Rio Treaty
Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance
The Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance was an agreement signed on 1947 in Rio de Janeiro among many countries of the Americas...
in 1947, and within the next 10 years the Americans supplied new aircraft to include 19 Vought F4U Corsair fighter bombers, several C-47 transports and 6 AT-6C armed and 6 T-6G advanced trainers.
In 1969 Honduras fought the wrongly called Football War
Football War
The Football War , also known as the Soccer War or 100 hour War, was a four-day war fought by El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. It was caused by political conflicts between Hondurans and Salvadorans, namely issues concerning immigration from El Salvador to Honduras...
, or more aptly, The 1969 100 Hour War with El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. The HAF managed to successfully bomb the Salvadorean fuel supplies at Acajutla and Cutuco and fight the enemy's air force out of the sky. Later, they provided close air support to the Honduras Army. After the cease fire, both countries tried unsuccessfully to acquire their first jets to replace their old prop driven aircraft. However, the political climate eventually changed and by the mid 1970s the HAF re-equipped with 10 old ex-Yugoslav CL-13Mk.4's / F-86E Sabre Jet's, 16 ex-Israeli Super Mystere B.2, and 6 new Cessna A-37B COIN jets, plus several UH-1B Huey assault helicopters. Also the HAF was re-organized, several new air bases were created and its name changed to Fuerza Aérea Hondureña only. These airplanes were however used during the 1980s confrontation with the Sandinista government of Nicaragua.
Later that decade, these were augmented or replaced with 11 ex-USAF OA/A-37B's, 12 ex-USAF F-5E/F Tiger II interceptors, 12 new T-27 Tucano armed trainers and 4 new CASA 101BB-02 attack planes; and supported with 5 ex-USAF C-130A Hercules transports, 5 armed MD500D and 10 new BELL 412SP utility helicopters; which are all in use until today.
Bases
The FAH operates from 4 air bases at TegucigalpaToncontín International Airport
Toncontín International Airport or Teniente Coronel Hernán Acosta Mejía Airport is a civil and military airport that serves Tegucigalpa, Honduras...
, Comayagua, San Pedro Sula
Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport
Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport , also known as La Mesa International Airport, is located from the city of San Pedro Sula, in the Cortés Department in Honduras. The airport is named after Ramón Villeda Morales, who served as President of Honduras from 1957 to 1963.It is the major and...
, and La Ceiba
Golosón International Airport
Golosón International Airport is an airport located on the western side of the city of La Ceiba, in the Atlántida Department on the north coast of Honduras. It is also known as La Ceiba Airport and Hector C. Moncada Air Base .-Facilities:The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. Additionally, 3 air stations located at Catacamas, Alto Aguán (bomb range) and Puerto Lempira airstrips serve as forward operations locations-FOL. Also a radar station operates at La Mole peak. With the exception of Soto Cano Air Base, all other bases operates as dual civil and military aviation facilities.
Aircraft inventory
As of May 3, 2010:! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Stored
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Delivered
|-----
| Commander 1000 || || utility transport
Cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. They are usually devoid of passenger amenities, and generally feature one or more large doors for the loading and unloading of cargo...
|| || || 1
|-----
| UH-1H Iroquois || || utility helicopter
Utility helicopter
A Utility Helicopter is a multi-purpose helicopter. A utility military helicopter can fill roles such as ground attack, air assault, cargo, surveillance and troop transport. Their size is generally between cargo helicopters and light observation helicopters....
|| || 2 || 2||26(16x UH-1B+10 UH-1H ||
|-----
| Bell 412
Bell 412
The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212 model, the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.-Design and development:...
|| || transport helicopter || 412SP || 5 || 3 ||10 Bell-412SP ||
|-----
| Cessna T-41 Mescalero
T-41 Mescalero
The Cessna T-41 Mescalero is a military version of the popular Cessna 172 used by the United States Air Force and Army as well as the armed forces of various other countries as a pilot training aircraft.-Design and development:...
|| || trainer
Trainer (aircraft)
A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate in-flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristics and a simplified cockpit arrangement—allows...
|| T-41B/D Mescalero || 1 || 1 || 9(3xT-41B+6xT-41D
|-----
| Maule MXT-7-180 || || trainer || || 4 || || 4 ||
|-----
| Cessna 180 Skywagon
Cessna 180
The Cessna 180 is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal aircraft and in utility roles such as bush...
|| || utility || || 1 || || 1 ||
|-----
| Cessna 182 Skylane
Cessna 182
The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engine, light airplane, built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats, installed in the baggage area....
|| || utility || || 1 || 1 || 2 ||
|-----
| Cessna 185 Skywagon
Cessna 185
-Specification for differing configurations:-References:* Jan Churchill, Hit My Smoke: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia, Sunflower University Press, Manhattan KS, ISBN 0-89745-215-1...
|| || utility || || 1 || 3 || 7 ||
|-----
| Cessna 310
Cessna 310
The Cessna 310 is an American six-seat, low-wing, twin-engined monoplane that was produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engined aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II.-Development:...
|| || utility transport || || || 1
|-----
| Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
A-37 Dragonfly
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s...
|| || attack
reconnaissance || A-37B
OA-37B || 5
4 || 3 || 17 A/OA-37B Delivered ||
|-----
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
|| || tactical transport || C-47 || || 7 ||16 ||
|-----
| Embraer EMB 312 Tucano
Embraer EMB 312 Tucano
The Embraer EMB 312 Tucano is a two seat turboprop basic trainer developed in Brazil. The prototype first flew in 1980 and initial production units were delivered in 1983. The Tucano family of aircraft became one of Embraer's first international marketing successes, with 600 units produced...
|| || trainer || || 9 || || 12 ||
|-----
| CASA C-101 || || trainer || C-101 Aviojet || || 4|| 4 ||
|-----
| IAI Arava
IAI Arava
|-See also:-References:* Cohen, Irvine J. "Arava: Israel's first-born bids for world market". Air Enthusiast International, February 1974, Vol 6, No 2. pp. 55–61, 92–93....
|| || tactical transport || IAI201 || 1 || || 2 ||
|-----
| IAI Westwind
IAI Westwind
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Frawley, Gerald. "IAI Westwind". The International Directory of Civil Aircraft 1997/98. Fyshwick ACT: Aerospace Publications, 1997. ISBN 1-875671-26-9....
|| || VIP transport/Executive || || 1 || || 2 ||
|-----
| Lockheed C-130A Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
|| || tactical transport || C-130A || 1 || 3 || 5 ||
|-----
| MD 500D Defender
MD Helicopters MD 500
The MD Helicopters MD 500 series is an American family of light utility civilian and military helicopters. The MD 500 was developed from the Hughes 500, a civilian version of the US Army's OH-6A Cayuse/Loach...
|| || utility helicopter || MD 500D || 2 || 1 || 5 ||
|-----
| Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II || || fighter
trainer || F-5E Tiger II
F-5F Tiger II || 9
2|| || 10xF-5E and 2xF-5F ||
|-----
| Piper PA-31 Navajo
Piper PA-31 Navajo
The Piper PA-31 Navajo is a family of cabin-class, twin-engine aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft for the general aviation market, most using Lycoming engines. It was also licence-built in a number of Latin American countries. Targeted at small-scale cargo and feeder liner operations and...
|| || utility transport || || || 2 || 3 ||
|-----
| Piper PA-34 Seneca
Piper PA-34 Seneca
The Piper PA-34 Seneca is an American twin-engined light aircraft, produced by Piper Aircraft since 1971 and still in production in 2011.The Seneca is primarily used for personal and business flying.-Development:...
|| || utility transport || || || 1 || 1 ||
|----
| IAI\Dassault Super-Mystere B.2\J-52 S'aar
Dassault Super Mystère
|-See also:-References: http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/americas/el_salvador/El_Salvador-af-EscCazaBomb.htm...
|| || FGA || || ||12|| 16 ||
Retired Aircraft-
- 1x Agusta A-109 Helicopter
Italy(2004) - 1x Bell-47G4
- 8x Hughes 269TH-55A
- 1x Sikorsky S-76 Spirit