Role: Fighter/Attack.
The unit was formed on 22.2.1954 with
Grupo de Aviación 7 (Fighter) with de Havilland Vampire
and Grupo de Aviación 8 (Bomber) with Douglas B-26C Invader.
Ala Base 1 was part of
I Brigada Aérea at that time.
Grupo de Aviación 9 became part of this unit in 1964.
At about
1997 the unit was composed of
Grupo de Aviación 7 (Fighter) with F-5E/F, Grupo de Aviación 8
(Fighter) with Mirage 5 and Escuadrilla de Enlace 11 with one DHC-6 and two
Lama.
Grupo de Aviación N° 5
Role: Transport/Liaison.
The unit was formed as
Escudrilla de Anfibios
Nº 1 on 27.7.1929 with Vickers
Vendette at
Base Aérea
El Bosque/Santiago. On 15.11.1929 the unit moved to
Base Aérea
La Chamiza/Puerto Montt. The unit was expanded in 1936 and became Grupo de Aviación 5,
part of
II Brigada Aérea from 1937.
In 1940 it became part of
III Brigada Aérea at
Base Aérea
Maquehue/Temuco.
In 1944 the unit consisted of seven
North American AT-6 Texan, five Vultee BT-13 Valiant, five Fairchild PT-19
and two Avro 626.
In 1949 the unit became a fighter unit, when it received
Republic F-47D Thunderbolt
from
Grupo de Aviación 2
and moved to
Base Aérea
Quintero/Valparaiso.
After a reorganisation in 1954, the unit was part of
Ala Base 1 and was now a communication unit
at
Base Aérea
La Chamiza/Puerto Montt again, as all remaining
Republic F-47D were centralized at Grupo de Aviación
11. In 1956 the group received five Beech C50 Twin Bonanza
and in 1957 five
de Havilland DHC-3 Otter. In 1967 the unit became part of the recently formed
Ala Base 5. The main equipment of the unit is now the de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter.
An
Escuadrilla de Enlace operates two Cessna O-2A Skymaster
from
Mataveri IAP on Rapa Nui.
Aircraft Used:
|
Type |
Qty |
Service |
Example
Serials |
|
Vickers Vedette V |
6 |
1928 - n/a |
1-6 |
|
de Havilland DH.60 Moth |
2 |
1930 - n/a |
n/a |
|
Avro 626 |
2 |
1930 - n/a |
n/a |
|
North American NA-74 |
1 |
n/a - n/a |
n/a |
|
North American AT-6 Texan |
7 |
1943 - 1954 |
n/a |
|
Vultee BT-13 Valiant |
5 |
1943 - n/a |
101-160 |
|
Fairchild PT-19/PT-19A/PT-19B |
5 |
1943 - n/a |
n/a |
|
Republic F-47D Thunderbolt |
26 |
1949 - 1954 |
750-772 |
|
de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver |
2 |
1952 - n/a |
907,911 |
|
Beech C50 Twin Bonanza |
5 |
1956 - n/a |
476-480 |
|
Sikorsky S-55 Chickasaw |
1 |
1957 - 1971 |
H-53 |
|
de Havilland DHC-3 Otter |
5 |
1957 - n/a |
930-934 |
|
de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter |
10 |
1966 - Present |
932-949 |
|
Bell UH-1H Iroquois |
n/a |
1966 - Present |
H-77 |
|
CASA 212-300 |
1 |
1997 - Present |
966 |
|
Cessna O-2A Skymaster |
2 |
1999 - Present |
262,263 |
|
Cessna 525 Citationjet (CJ1) |
4 |
2001 - Present |
361-364 |
|
Cessna 206ANF Stationair |
1 |
n/a - Present |
251 |
Grupo de Aviación N° 7
Role: Fighter.
The unit was formed on 1.9.1949, but received its first aircraft at
Base Aérea
Los Cerrillos in Santiago only in 1954, when the de Havilland Vampire arrived in
country.
After a reorganisation in 1954, the unit was part of the recently formed
Ala Base 1 at the new base
Base Aérea
Cerro Moreno at Antofagasta. In 1956 the group was
reequipped with four Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star while Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star
arrived in 1958.
In 1967 the Lockheed F-80C and T-33A were replaced with
Hawker Siddeley Hunter and were delivered to the newly formed Grupo de Aviación
9 at Puerto Montt. Grupo de Aviación 7 operated the Hunter aircraft until 1976,
when they were replaced with Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II and the unit moved to its
current base. The aircraft were sent to Grupo de Aviación 12 in 2009 and the
unit will eventually be reequipped with Lockheed F-16AM Fighting Falcon. The
former KLu aircraft arrived from 11.2010 in Chile.
Aircraft Used:
|
Type |
Qty |
Service |
Example
Serials |
|
de Havilland Vampire |
6 |
1954 - 1958 |
J-01-J-05 |
|
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star |
4 |
1956 - 1964 |
J-314-J-317 |
|
Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star |
18 |
1958 - 1964 |
J-330-J-347 |
|
Hawker Siddeley Hunter F.71 |
14 |
1967 - 1976 |
J-700-J-713 |
|
Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II |
15/3 |
1974 - 2009 |
J-800-J-817 |
|
Lockheed F-16AM Fighting Falcon |
18 |
2010 - Present |
J-741-J-758 |
Grupo de Aviación N° 8
Role: Fighter/Bomber.
The unit was formed on 6.2.1948 as
Grupo de Bombardeo Pesado Nº
1 with North American B-25J Mitchell
at
Base Aérea
Quintero in Valparaiso and was later renamed Grupo de Aviación 8.
After a reorganisation in 1954, the unit was part of the recently formed
Ala Base 1 at the new base
Base Aérea
Cerro Moreno at Antofagasta. From 1954 the unit was
reequipped with Douglas B-26C Invader. In 1963 the group received its first jet
aircraft, the reactivated de Havilland Vampire in the fighter-trainer role. They
served until 1971, when all Vampires except J-302 were retired. In 1973 the Hawker Siddeley Hunter F.71 from Grupo de Aviación 7
replaced the obsolete B-26C Invader. After these aircraft were phased out by 1995, the unit
operated Dassault Mirage M5 Elkan, which they bought from Belgium. From 2006 the
unit was reequipped with Lockheed F-16A/B Fighting Falcon from the Netherlands.
Aircraft Used:
| Type |
Qty |
Service |
Example
Serials |
|
North American B-25J Mitchell |
8 |
1948 - 1957 |
800-811 |
|
Douglas B-26C Invader |
38 |
1954 - 1979 |
812-849 |
|
de Havilland Vampire |
11 |
1963 - 1971 |
J-301-J-311 |
|
Hawker Siddeley Hunter F.71 |
15 |
1973 - 1995 |
J-700-J-713 |
|
ENAER PA-28-235 Dakota |
2 |
1980 - Present |
224,228 |
|
Hawker Siddeley Hunter Mk.9 |
15 |
1981 - 1995 |
J-741-J-754 |
|
Dassault Mirage M5 Elkan |
25 |
1995 - 2006 |
J-701-J-725 |
|
CASA 212-300 |
1 |
1997 - Present |
965 |
|
Bell 412 |
6 |
2000 - Present |
H-41-43,H-46,H-48,H-51 |
|
Lockheed F-16A/B Fighting Falcon |
11/7 |
2006 - Present |
J-721-J-738 |
Grupo de Aviación N° 9
Role: Fighter.
The unit was formed in 1964 at
Base Aérea
La Chamiza/Puerto Montt, part of
Ala Base 1, with Lockheed F-80C Shooting
Star and Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star from Grupo de Aviación 7. Six years later
the unit was reequipped with Hawker Siddeley Hunter F.71 while some F-80C and T-33A were
sent to Grupo de Aviación 12 in 1967. Hunters of this unit played a principal role in
attacking the presidencial palace in Santiago on September 11, 1973 as part of
the military coup to oust President Allende. On 30.3.1975 the group moved to
Base Aérea
Cerro Moreno/Antofagasta. The unit was disbanded on 2.12.1981 and
the Hunter were sent to Grupo de Aviación 8. On 18.3.1993 the unit was
reactivated as a helicopter unit at
Base Aérea
Los Cerrillos/Santiago, part of Ala Base 2.
Aircraft Used:
| Type |
Qty |
Service |
Example
Serials |
|
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star |
15 |
1964 - 1967 |
J-314-J-328 |
|
Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star |
15 |
1964 - 1970 |
J-330-J-336,J-338-J-340,J-342,J-343,
J-345-J-347 |
|
Hawker Siddeley Hunter F.71 |
12 |
1970 - 1981 |
J-721-J-732 |
Escuadrilla de Enlace N° 11
Role: Liaison.
No unit history known.
Aircraft Used:
| Type |
Qty |
Service |
Example
Serials |
|
Douglas C-47 Skytrain |
n/a |
1954
- n/a |
950-972 |
|
Sikorsky S-55 Chickasaw |
n/a |
1971
- n/a |
H-50-57 |
|
de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter |
1 |
1978 -
n/a |
n/a |
|
ENAER PA-28-235 Dakota |
n/a |
1980
- n/a |
n/a |
|
Aérospatiale SA.315B Lama |
n/a |
1982
- n/a |
H-10-16 |
Grupo de Defensa Antiaérea
Nº
21
Role: Air Defense.
The unit was formed in 1953 as Batería de Artillería Nº 3 in Temuco, but moved
to
Base Aérea
Cerro Moreno/Antofagasta in 1956. The group got its present
name on 5.5.1975.
Weapons Used:
| Type |
Qty |
Service |
Example
Serials |
|
Rheinmetall RH 202 MK 20 twin 20mm |
n/a |
n/a -
n/a |
n/a |
|
Oerlikon K63 twin 35mm |
n/a |
n/a -
n/a |
n/a |
|
FAMIL FAM-2M twin 20 mm |
n/a |
n/a -
Present |
n/a |
|
Short Blowpipe |
n/a |
1982 -
n/a |
n/a |
|
Aérospatiale-Matra Mistral |
n/a |
n/a -
Present |
n/a |
|
Thales Javelin |
n/a |
n/a -
Present |
n/a |
Grupo de Telecomunicaciones y Detección Nº
31
Role: Communication.
The unit was formed as Grupo de Comunicaciones y Detección Nº 31 on 14.10.1975.
Aircraft Used:
| Type |
Qty |
Service |
Example
Serials |
|
no aircraft assigned |
|
|
|
Air Bases:
|
Base
|
Duration |
|
Base Aérea
Cerro Moreno/Antofagasta |
1954 - Present |
Unit Insignia:
|
Ala Base Nº 1 |
Grupo de Telecomunicaciones y
Detección Nº 31 |
 |
 |
References:
