Altri reparti:
GAORI Grupo Aereo de Oriente “Luis Arturo Rodriguez Meneses” - Base Aerea de Marandua
Grupo de Combate 111:
Esc. de Combate Tactico 1103 - Bell 212, Ce 182, UH 1H-II

GACAR Grupo Aereo del Caribe “TC.Benjamin Mendès Rey” - Base Aerea San Andrés Isl.
Esc. de Combate 101:
Escuadrilla de Combate Tactico 1013 - BeC90

GACAS Grupo Aereo del Casanare - Base Aerea Yopal
Esc. de Combate 103:
Escuadrilla de Combate Tactico 1031 - A 29B

CAMAN Grupo Aereo de Mantenimiento “MY Justino Marino Cuesto” - Base Aerea Madrid
Grupo de Trasporte Aereo 91:
Esc. de Trasporte 911 - C 212-300

English translation

Under the Law 126 of the Parliament of the Republic of Colombia, the Colombian Air Force was born on 18 June 1919 at the Flanders Aerodrome. Initially with a simple Flight School with some Caudron III and IV and Nieuport 17 and managed by the French mission of Colonel Rene Guichard. A Colombian student pilot, Major Castillo, is flying solo for the first time in a few months. In this initial phase the air force is still the "Fifth Army Weapon", having a very limited budget, in fact, soon the School of Flanders ceases flying activities.
On November 8, 1924, the Flight School was re-established at the Aerodrome of Madrid with the assistance of some Swiss consultants and equipped with some Wild WT biplanes built in Switzerland; For its prompt rebirth it earns the fame of "phoenix". The date of November 8 is consecrated in the following years as a national holiday of the Air Force.
At the beginning of the 30’s also the civil airline SCADTA, with an important German participation, is forced to close for financial reasons; Its fleet, consisting of Junkers F13,W33 and W34 along with part of the technical staff is acquired by the military.
The company SCADTA was one of the first South American airliners to operate a regular service of passengers, cargo and mail in Colombia, the company was created to operate on the Rio Maddalena with the Junker Seaplanes K43 and Dornier Do16. Only later are opened the airports of Cartagena, Cali, Barranquilla and Palanquero, quickly becoming the most important in the country. The service on the mainland is operated by the new three-engine Junker Ju 52.
While the German former SCADTA aircraft play a decisive role in the war against Peru for the recapture of the city of Leticia in the south of the country (South Conflict 1932-1934), baptism of fire for the air force with a shooting down of a Peruvian aircraft.
Soon the United States replaced the Germans in Colombia to control the strategic zone of the Panama Canal and thus began a fruitful collaboration with the Andean country, a collaboration that soon extended to the civil sector as well as the military; American aircraft such as the Curtiss Hawk and the Consolidated Catalina seaplane were delivered in those years.
During World War II, Colombia provided full support to its North American allies by obtaining aircraft such as the Vultee BT-15, Stearman PT-17, NA T 6 Texans, Douglas C 47s and Lockheed C 60A.
After being permanently separated from civil aviation, on December 31, 1944 the Air Force is now in full effect military, at the same time taking the current name of Fuerza Aérea Colombiana. Obtaining from the United States leases and loans that allow to have modern aircraft at low cost.
In 1947, Colombia signed the Rio Treaty with the United States and 17 other countries to ensure mutual assistance in the event of aggression. At the same time, other American aircraft such as the NA B 25J Mitchell bomber, the twin-engined Beechcraft C 45 transport and the P 47 Thunderbolt fighter were introduced.
In the 1950s, the link with the United States grew further and Colombian troops also fought in Korea alongside American allies; the FAC gets other more modern aircraft such as the Beechcraft T 34A, the T 33A (in 1954 and becomes the first jet aircraft in service), the P 80 (in 1956 and becomes the first fighter jet), arrive also the first helicopters as the Hiller OH 23 (1953) and the Bell OH 13. In the sixties it is the turn of the Canadair Mk4 Sabre flanked by some F 86F (in 1963 becomes the first supersonic aircraft of the Air Force) the latter replace in Palanquero the old P 47.
The transport capacity was also improved with the arrival of the first Douglas C 54 four-piston engines, and for the role SAR (Search and Rescue) the HH 43A Huskie debuted.
In quantity are delivered the ubiquitous UH 1D/H Iroquois that constitute for a long time the skeleton of the helicopter component on the air base of Melgar built in 1954.
In the meantime, the FAC also began to address other countries besides the United States, such as the United Kingdom, which provides some HS 748 or from the Netherlands, the Fokker F 28. In the transport sector a milestone is the delivery of the first Lockheed C 130H during the early seventies, so also for the FAC the era of Hercules begins.
Meanwhile, the long struggle of the Colombian state against the clandestine organizations FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and ELN (National Liberation Army) has begun, which put a strain on the FAC’s commitment to counter-guerrilla operations conducted at night and often on dense rainforest. For this task it was necessary over the years continuous updates of aircraft and armaments to respond to increasingly aggressive guerrilla warfare, especially in night navigation aids.
A number of Dassault Mirage 5COA, COD and COR, as well as the small and versatile A 37B Dragonfly (specific aircraft for these operations) enter the line. In 1987, Colombia is one step away from the clash with Venezuela for a dispute over territorial waters in the Gulf shared by the two countries on the Caribbean Sea (crisis of the corvette ARC Caldas).
As a result of this crisis, the country is subject to a temporary embargo by the United States and thus begins a period for the FAC to seek partners in other parts of the world. It is of this period the beginning of a lasting collaboration with Israel, which still lasts and has led not only to the acquisition of aircraft from the Middle Eastern country but also the related air-to-air armament (Rafael missiles), ground-to-air (fall armament guided laser) and electronic warfare equipment.
In fact, some Arava IAI and a number of Kfir C7 IAI were supplied by Israel at the end of the 1980s, and subsequently converted directly into C10 and TC12 in Colombia.
Another new supplier was the Spanish CASA, first with 212, and then with CN 235 and C295M.
The Embraer AT 27 Tucano and A29B Super Tucano were delivered from Brazil. The UH 60A Black Hawk helicopters have been joined by the UH 60L "Arpia" version equipped with semiwings with hooks for external tanks or armaments and developed in particular for the anti-war use.
Considering the primary role of the Air Force in the fight against guerrilla warfare and drug traffickers in the inventory were not missed the OV 10A Bronco, the Cessna OA 37B Dragonfly and the timeless AC 47T as a flying gunship, some of these are no longer in service but the specialty has been enriched with the Schweizer SA2-37B "Vampire" motor gliders.
As for training, the Calì School had in line a local product, the T90 "Calima", produced by CIAC under license of Lancair.
Soon this aircraft was joined by American aircraft such as the T 34A Mentor and the T 41D Mescalero.
In a more recent period is also acquired the capability to air to air refueling first with a B 707 and then with a modern KC 767 "Jupiter", a real aircraft MMTT (Multi Mission Tanker Transport) at the service of the CATAM that allowed the Air Force to participate in multinational exercises.
In recent years the policy of the FAC has been that of modernisation; rather than acquiring new machines you preferred to upgrade those already online.
The AT 27 were equipped with Glass Cockpit, HUD (Head Up Display), HOTAS (Hands On Throttle-And-Stick), A29 of FLIR (Forward Looking Infra Red), the IAI Kfir have been brought to the standard COA and COD with the possibility of using laser guided precision drop armaments.
In the helicopter compartment the tireless UH 1 were brought to the standard UH 1H-II Super Huey.
All units have been equipped with the large single-engine Cessna 208 Gran Caravan to meet the needs of transport and connection.
In November 2015 a kind of truce was signed with the FARC; Until now the suspension of this long civil war has endured without particular violations.
Recently the FAC has participated in the Red Flag at the "famous" Air Force Base of the United States Air Force of Nellis (Nevada) that with its Kfir have compared with the mighty A 10C "Thunderbolt II" and the ubiquitous F 16 "Falcon" Americans obtaining flattering results.
With over 15,000 employees, the FAC is a very important institution for the defence of the Andean country. It also supports the civilian population on a daily basis, especially in disadvantaged areas; Its presence then appears indispensable in the increasingly frequent environmental emergencies.