| Peruvian Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Fuerza Aérea del Perú | |
 Badge of the Peruvian Air Force | |
| Founded | 28 January 1919; 106 years ago (1919-01-28) |
| Country |  Peru |
| Type | Air force |
| Role | Aerial warfare |
| Part of | Peruvian Armed Forces |
| Nickname | FAP |
| March | Himno de la Fuerza Aérea del Perú |
| Engagements | |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Dante Antonio Arévalo Abate |
| Chief of Staff | Julio Valdez Pomareda |
| Inspector General | Javier Ramírez Guillen |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |   |
| Fin flash |  |
| Flag |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Su-25 |
| Fighter | MiG-29,Mirage 2000 |
| Helicopter | Mil Mi-24,Mi-17 |
| Patrol | C-26B |
| Reconnaissance | Learjet 36 |
| Trainer | KAI KT-1,CH 2000 |
| Transport | An-32B,C-130 Hercules,Y-12,Boeing 737,DHC-6,PC-6 |
ThePeruvian Air Force (Spanish:Fuerza Aérea del Perú,FAP) is the branch of the PeruvianArmed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use ofair power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding internal security, conducting disaster relief operations and participating in international peacekeeping operations.
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On 20 May 1929, the aviation divisions of thePeruvian Army andNavy were merged into theCuerpo de Aviación del Perú (Peruvian Aviation Corps, abbreviated CAP). During theColombia-Peru War of 1933, itsVought O2U Corsair andCurtiss Hawk II biplanes fought in theAmazon region. The CAP lost three aircraft to theColombian Air Force. The corps was renamedCuerpo Aeronáutico del Perú (Peruvian Aeronautical Corps, also abbreviated CAP) on 12 March 1936.
In 1941, the CAP participated in theEcuadorian–Peruvian War. At that time, the CAP were equipped withCaproni Ca.114 andNorth American NA.50Torito fighters,Douglas DB-8A-3P attack aircraft, andCaproni Ca.135Tipo Peru andCaproni Ca.310Libeccio bombers,[1] among others.
The Peruvian Air Force had also established aparatroop unit during the war and used it to great effect by seizing the strategic Ecuadorian port city ofPuerto Bolívar, on 27 July 1941, marking the first time in the Americas thatairborne troops were used in combat.[2]
LieutenantJosé Quiñones Gonzales was a Peruvian pilot during the war. On 23 July 1941, his plane, a North American NA-50 fighter, was hit while performing a low-level attack on an Ecuadorian border post on the banks of the Zarumilla river. According to traditional Peruvian accounts, Quiñones, upon being hit by ground fire, crashed his damaged aircraft deliberately into the Ecuadorian anti-aircraft position, destroying it. He was promoted posthumously to captain, and is today considered a National Hero of Peru.[citation needed]
In 1942, anaerial photography service was annexed to the air force.[3]
During the 1950s presidency of GeneralManuel A. Odría, the Peruvian Air Force was reorganized and on 18 July 1950, had its name changed to theFuerza Aérea del Perú (Air Force of Peru, or FAP). Peru was an ally of the United States during this period, and was predominantly equipped with aircraft built in the US and Great Britain. By the end of General Odria's presidency, the FAP ushered in theJet Age with the introduction ofEnglish Electric Canberra bombers andHawker Hunter,Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star andNorth American F-86 Sabre fighters.
However, on 3 October 1968, a military junta led by pro-Soviet Peruvian Army GeneralJuan Velasco Alvarado organized a swift and bloodless coup d'état against presidentFernando Belaúnde Terry. Velasco aligned Peru more closely with theSoviet Bloc and relations with the United States deteriorated. The US declared an arms embargo in 1969, making it difficult to obtain spare parts for Peru's American weaponry. In the 1970s and 1980s, Peru turned to the Soviet Union for its military hardware. During this time, the FAP acquired several Soviet-made aircraft, includingSukhoi Su-22 fighters,Antonov An-26 andAn-32 transport aircraft, as well asMil Mi-8,Mi-17,Mi-25 andMi-26 helicopters. Soviet advisors were also dispatched to Peru.
Velasco was overthrown by other military officers in 1975 and Belaúnde returned to power as a civilian president in 1980. The FAP purchased the French-madeMirage 5P and 5DP and theMirage 2000 in 1984. Relations improved with the United States and the FAP obtained American aircraft like theCessna A-37B Dragonfly attack aircraft, as well asLockheed C-130 andL-100-20 Hercules transport aircraft.
The stagnation of thePeruvian economy during the late 1980s and early 1990s forced cost reductions and the downsizing of the fleet size.Budget cuts in training meant Peruvian pilots had a low number of annual flying hours (AFH) per pilot if compared to the 1970s. The number of annual flying hours is of course very important in estimating the individual skill and experience of the pilots of an air force: more annual flying hours suggest better trained pilots and general readiness.There are also a number of possible explanations for FAP's low AFH: concern over the aging of equipment, scarcity of spare parts – especially for the older aircraft – difficulties with worn airframes and the scarcity of fuel are all contributing factors.[citation needed] It is very likely however that some 'elite' pilots and regiments such as those based in Talara AFB and La Joya AFB received considerably more flying hours.[citation needed] Especially since those regiments until today are equipped with modern aircraft and tasked with homeland defence.
The Peruvian Air Force participated in the 1995Cenepa War againstEcuador's Air Force in theAmazon Basin. It provided aerial support to the Peruvian army, carrying out bombings with Mi-25 helicopters, Canberra bombers, A-37 and Su-22 aircraft. Due to a lack of reliable roads, troops were transported by Mi-17 helicopters, as well as L-100 Hercules, An-28 and An-32 aircraft. During the course of the war, at least two helicopters were shot down.[4]
In 1997 and 1998, the FAP's outlook started to change for the better. In order to achieve presidentAlberto Fujimori's militarily bold plans, FAP required a much-needed general overhaul and new purchases.[5]
In 1997, the FAP acquired 21MiG-29 fighters and 18Su-25 attack fighters from Belarus. In 1998, an additional three MiG-29 fighters were bought from Russia,[6] which, along with the 12Mirage 2000 fighters purchased from France's Dassault Aviation in 1984, made a total of 54 fighters in Peru's inventory.
These purchases were expensive and a number of observers questioned their usefulness against more pressing security concerns at the time such as the Marxist guerillas, theSendero Luminoso group (translated as Shining Path). On the other hand, the FAP still remembered the 1995 Cenepa War with Ecuador, and stationed its MiG-29s close to the border at Chiclayo AFB and Talara AFB.
Peru's Mirage 2000C/B and MiG-29S fighters form the backbone of its current multirole fighter fleet, alongside specialized Su-25 close air support jets. Its Mirage 2000Ps sit at La Joya AFB near the border with Bolivia and Chile; the 3 Andean countries have a minor 3-way maritime borders dispute, and residual tensions with historical foe Chile have been a long-running issue in Peru.
RAC MiG began the upgrade of FAP's MiG fleet to the MiG-29SMT external link standard in 2008. In 2009, Dassault began working with Peru on a comprehensive inspection of the Mirage fleet, coupled with some electronics modernization.
Since 2013, Peru is in talks with European suppliers as part of a long-term plan of replacing FAP's aging air force aircraft with second-handSu-35s,Rafales orEurofighters. Hitherto, FAP was exploring the possibility of buying as many as sixty Eurofighter Typhoon EF-2000 fromSpain[7] and sixty Sukhoi Su-35 fromRussia.[8] Cost was a major issue for Peruvian PresidentOllanta Humala, who was looking at competitively priced fighter jets that would fit the national budget. In 2014, Peru began to update the operations and mechanical equipment of itsCessna A-37 aircraft, replacing analog controls with new digital hardware.[9] Peru has been evaluating multiple helicopters to modernize or replace previous utility helicopters and search and rescue operations with the Italian-madeAW139. The purchase would consist of 12 helicopters for a total of $193 million.[citation needed]
Following the unveiling of theKAI KF-21 Boramae in April 2021,The National Interest reported that Peru may be a potential customer for the4.5 generation fighter.[10]
In June 2025, the Swedish Rikstag agreed to negotiate with the Peruvian Air Force for the sale of twelve Gripens of the E/F variants. These may replace the Mirage 2000's and MiG-29's.[11]
In July 2025, it was confirmed that Peru will buy 24 Saab Gripens.[12]
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| Personnel (as of 2001)[13] | |
|---|---|
| Commissioned Officers | 1,909 |
| Non-commissioned officers | 7,559 |
| Cadets | 325 |
| NCO in training | 296 |
| Enlisted | 7,880 |
| Civilians | 8,708 |
| Total | 17,969 (excl. civilians) |
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Peruvian Air Force[14] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||||
| General del aire | Teniente general | Mayor general | Coronel | Comandante | Mayor | Capitán | Teniente | Alférez | ||||||||||||||||
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peruvian Air Force[14] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Suboficial primero | Suboficial segundo | Suboficial tercero | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo | Avionero | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Name | Origin | Type | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small arms | ||||
| Vektor SP1[22] | South Africa | semi-auto pistol | ||
| AKM[22] | Soviet Union | assault rifle | ||
| M4 carbine[22] | United States | assault rifle | M4A1 | |
| IMI Galil[22] | Israel | assault rifle | ||
| Milkor BXP[22] | South Africa | submachine gun | ||
| Uzi[22] | Israel | submachine gun | ||
| Air defense | ||||
| 9K38 Igla[22] | Russia | MANPADS | ||
| Javelin[23] | United Kingdom | MANPADS | ||
| Armor | ||||
| BTR-60[22] | Soviet Union | Armoured personnel carrier | amphibious capable vehicle | |
| BRDM-2[22] | Soviet Union | Armoured personnel carrier | Malyutka | amphibious capable vehicle |
| Service Branches | .svg) | |
|---|---|---|
| Wars and Conflicts | ||
| Related dependencies | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
