| Nicaraguan Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Fuerza Aérea Nicaragüense | |
 | |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Country |  Nicaragua |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Size | 17 aircraft[1] |
| Part of | Nicaraguan Armed Forces |
| Colors | Red, Black and yellow |
| Anniversaries | 31 July[2] |
| Insignia | |
| Former Roundel 1979-1990 | .svg) |
| Former roundel (1936–1980) | .svg) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Utility helicopter | Mi-17 |
| Trainer | Cessna 185,Cessna T-41D |
| Transport | Cessna 337,PA-28,AN-26 |
.jpg)
TheNicaraguan Air Force (Spanish:Fuerza Aérea Nicaragüense) is theair defense branch of thearmed forces ofNicaragua. It continues the formerSandinista air units. Before 1979 theNicaraguan National Guard had some air units (Fuerza Aérea de la Guardia Nacional).
In 1920, theNational Guard received from theUnited States its first four aircraft, fourCurtiss JN-4.
In 1927 the first use of aircraft in combat took place in the country – on July 5 during theBattle of Ocotal five AmericanAirco DH.4 aircraft attacked the forces of GeneralAugusto Sandino.[3]
The "Nicaraguan National Guard Air Force" (Fuerza Aérea de la Guardia Nacional) was formed in 1938. From 1942 small numbers of trainers and transports were acquired from the United States and by 1945 a total of 20 aircraft were on strength. In 1952 a US aviation mission arrived and saw an increase of the numbers of trainers and transports delivered followed by combat aircraft such as the P-38, P-51 and P-47. For some years the Nicaraguan air force was the strongest in Central America but after the 1979 civil war most of its US trained pilots defected and thereafter much eastern bloc equipment was acquired.
When the Sandinistas assumed control in 1979, the Sandinista Air Force/Air Defense Force (Fuerza Aérea Sandinista/Defensa Anti-Aérea—FAS/DAA) inherited only the remnants of the National Guard's small air force. Equipment included a few AT-33A armed jet trainers,Cessna 337s, and some transports, trainers, andhelicopters. The time required to train pilots and construct airfields precluded a rapid FAS/DAA buildup. Beginning in 1982, the Sandinistas received fromLibya the Italian-madeSF-260A trainer/tactical support aircraft and the CzechoslovakAero L-39 Albatros, a subsonic jet trainer that could be missile-armed for close-in air defense. In addition to light and medium transport aircraft, the air force acquired a fleet of helicopters from theSoviet Union that served as a vital asset in the war against theContras. They includedMi-8 andMi-17 transport helicopters and later theMi-24, followed by its export variant, the Mi-25, a modern armored assault helicopter. AfterHumberto Ortega revealed thatNicaragua had approached France and the Soviet Union forMirage 50 or MiG fighter planes, theUnited States warned against introducing modern combat jets to the region. Although Nicaragua began construction of a new airbase with a longer runway and protective revetments, it did not succeed in acquiring new fighter aircraft.
A series of radar sites were constructed to give the Sandinistas radar coverage over most of Nicaragua, with the added capability of monitoring aircraft movements in neighboring countries. A Soviet-designed early-warning/ground-control intercept facility gave the air force the potential to control its combat aircraft from command elements on the ground.
After 1990 the FAS/DAA was no longer able to maintain its full aircraft inventory without Soviet support. The personnel complement fell from 3,000 in 1990 to 1,200 in 1993. Airbases atBluefields, Montelimar,Puerto Cabezas,Puerto Sandino, andManagua remained operational. Combat aircraft were reduced to a single mixed squadron of Cessna 337s, L-39s, and SF-260As. However, the serviceability of all these aircraft was doubtful. In 1992 a number of helicopters and six radar units were sold to Peru. A small fleet of helicopters, transports, and utility/training aircraft was retained. In 1996 the Nicaraguan air force changed its name fromFuerza Aérea Sandinista to theFuerza Aérea Nicaragüense (FAN). In 2015 it was reported by some online sources that the FAN intended to acquire a number ofMikoyan MiG-29 fighters for air defense purposes. However, as of 2022 this has not taken place.[4]
Previous aircraft operated by the Air Force consisted of theAero L-39 Albatros,Antonov An-2,Beechcraft Model 18,Boeing B-17,C-212 Aviocar,Consolidated PBY-5,Consolidated B-24,Douglas C-47,Grumman TBF,Hughes OH-6A Defender,AT-33A,Mikoyan MiG-17,Mikoyan MiG-21,Mil Mi-2,North American P-51 Mustang,North American AT-28D Trojan andSIAI SF-260W.
World Air Forces 2025 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page). | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(December 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
