Founder of AIRFORCES, Inc. Meets with U.S. Southern Command Leadership

Chilean Presidency Changes aging Boeing 707 with Boeing 767-300ER

Boeing 767-3Y0R / FACh 985 (s/n 26205)

Contacts at Brazil VEM Maintenance and Engineering facility informed Latin Airforces in October 2008, that Boeing 767-300ER (s/n 26205) was turn over to the Chilean Air Force (FACh) to serve as their new Presidential aircraft, thus replacing their ageing Boeing 707.

The Fuerza Aerea de Argentina Retires Their Boeing 707's

We at Latin AirForces / AirForces, Inc., learned via our Bueno Aires contacts that on 25th January of this year, the Fuerza Aerea Argentina (FAA) will retire their Boeing 707 fleet, despite having no suitable replacement for the type. This retirement shall stymie the (FAA) ability for its long range transport and reconnaissance missions.

Proposals to transform them in effective tanks have been disregarded as well. Of the entire (FAA) active fleet of B707's, five were know to be in service until 2006 when the type was initially taken out of service. The B707's have been in (FAA) service since the late 1970's and provided long range reconnaissance mission during the Falkland War in 1982. The type was employed to transport troop in support of UN peace keeping mission in Haiti in 2006.

We have also learned, but not yet confirmed that one Hull has and / or was converted for electronic intelligence (ELINT) and signal intelligence (SIGINT) missions.

Brazilian Air Force (FAB) Retires the De Havilland C-115 Buffalo's

After forty (40) years of service the Forca Aerea Brasilieira (FAB) has retired the last of their De Havilland C-115 "Buffalo's". Originally delivered to FAB back in 1968, have flown with the Manus based 1 Squadron of the 9th Aviation Group ( 1 Esquadrao 9 Grupo de Aviacao 1/9 GAV).

The FAB had official retirement ceremonies for the C-115 were had back on March 15th 2008, thus ending an era of FAB operational history.

The Chilean Air Force "Italian Connection" with the Breda Ba-65

The Ba.65 sprang from the concept of a flying military jack-of-all-trades, formulated by Colonel Amadeo Mecozzi as he set about procuring a modern ground-attack plane for the Regia Aeronautica. Evolved from the Ba.64, the Ba.65 was also a single-seat, all-metal, cantilever low-wing monoplane with aft-retracting main undercarriage. Initially intended as an interceptor and attack-reconnaissance plane the Ba.65 carried wing-mounted armament of two 12.7mm and two 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, and provided internal stowage for a 440-pound bomb-load in addition to external ordnance that could total 2,200 pounds.In 1938, 17 single-seat attack planes and three dual-control trainers, were delivered to Chile, thus making Chile the only Latin American Air Force to operate Mussolini's attack aircraft.

Mexico & Chile The Two Latin American Countries That Operated The Famed USN WWII Dive Bomber "The Dauntless"

The Northrop BT-1 provided the basis for the SBD, which began manufacture in 1940. It was designed by designers team lead by Ed Heinemann with a 1,000 horsepower Wright Cyclone powerplant. The Douglas SBD Dauntless was the U.S. Navy's main dive bomber from mid-1940 until late 1943, when it was supplanted (although not entirely replaced) by the SB2C Helldiver.

The U.S. Army had its own version of the SBD, known as the A-24 Banshee, it was the same aircraft except it came it came without the tail hook used for carrier landings, and a pneumatic line replaced the solid tail wheel on some of them. This was the same version acquired and thus operated by both the Mexican and Chilean Air Forces, thus making each Country the only Latin American Airforces who operated the famed U.S. Navy Pacific War Dive Bomber.

Chilean Air Force (FACh) Phalcon System

The IAI EL/M-2075 Phalcon is an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) radar system in use by a number of countries to give intelligence to maintain air superiority and conduct surveillance. It was developed with a partnership between Israeli Aircraft Industries and Elta Electronics Industries, of Israel. The Phalcon was considered the most advanced AEW&C system in the world, before the introduction of American made Wedgetail for Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF).

Under a contract signed with Chile in 1989, the first Phalcon system to be installed was fitted to a former LanChile Boeing 707 and first flown in 1993. In May 1994 the aircraft was delivered to the Chilean Air Force, where it is known as the Condor.