Salvadoran Air Force

The Salvadoran Air Force (Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña, abbreviated FAS) is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of El Salvador.

Salvadoran Air Force
Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña
Emblem of the Salvadoran Air Force
Founded	20 March 1923; 102 years ago (1923-03-20) (as the Salvadoran Aviation Corps)
Country	El Salvador
Type	Air force
Role	Aerial warfare
Size	2,000[1] 49 aircraft
Part of	Armed Forces of El Salvador
Engagements	La Matanza Football War Salvadoran Civil War Haitian conflict
Website	www.fas.gob.sv/fuerza_aerea.html
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	President Nayib Bukele
Minister of National Defense	Vice Admiral René Merino Monroy
Chief of the Air Force Staff	Colonel Pablo Alberto Soriano Cruz
Insignia
Flag
Roundel

History

Early history

The Salvadoran Army Air Force was formed on 20 March 1923 during a period of heavy interest in aviation in El Salvador. In 1947, after signing the treaty of Rio (which was a mutual defense treaty among the states of America including the U.S.), El Salvador gained a new US air mission and the United States increased transfers of aircraft to the nation.^{[clarification needed]}

Recent operations

IAI Arava 201 of the Salvadoran Air Force in 1975

The Salvadoran Air Force first saw action in the 1969 Football War against Honduras equipped with F4U Corsairs and P-51 Mustangs. From the late 1970s, isolated guerrilla actions rapidly developed into a civil war. US aid to El Salvador in 1980 consisted of six UH-1Hs and four in 1981; they were used as gunships. Other deliveries brought that number of UH-1Hs in service up to 40. In February 1982 onwards the United States delivered eight A-37B Dragonflies, 12 UH-1Hs, four O-2As and three C-123Ks. On 6 May 2013, in celebration of the 189th anniversary of the Armed Forces of El Salvador, the Salvadoran Government announced the planned purchase of 10 A-37 aircraft from Chile.^[2]

A four-engined Douglas DC-6B provided long-range logistical capability between 1975 and its retirement in 1998. It was used on supply flights to and from the United States.^[3] In December 1984, two AC-47s were delivered to be in service with the other three C-47s in use. The civil war ended in mutual exhaustion in 1990 and the Air Force was geared for internal security.

In September 2016 it was reported that the Salvadoran Air Force in cooperation with the Colombian Air Force was finalizing negotiations on modernizing its Bell UH-1H helicopters to the Huey 2 standard.^[4]

In 2025 Air Force personnel were deployed to Haiti as part of the Multinational Security Support mission to combat the organized gangs there.^[5]

Aircraft

Current inventory

An FAS A-37 Dragonfly in flight over Mexico

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Variant	In service	Notes
Combat aircraft
Cessna A-37	United States	attack		13[6]
Transport
Cessna 208 Caravan	United States	Transport	B EX	1[7]
IAI Arava	Israel	Transport		3[6]
Helicopters
Bell 412	United States	Utility		3[6]
Bell UH-1	United States	Utility	UH-1H/M	13[6]	1 crashed in 2024[8]
Hughes 269	United States	Light utility		5[6]	1 used as trainer aircraft
MD500 Defender	United States	Light utility	500E/530F	7[6]	Originally 12 donated by the United States in 2021.[9]
Trainer aircraft
ENAER T-35 Pillán	Chile	Trainer		2[6]
Cirrus SR22[10]	United States	Trainer		2[6]
forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS)
Cessna O-2	United States	forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS)	Cessna O-2A and Cessna O-2B

Retired aircraft

Some notable aircraft, previous operated by the Air Force were the Dassault Ouragan, CM.170 Magister. Douglas AC-47, SOCATA R235 Guerrier, and the Hughes 300C.^[11]