Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya
| Uruguayan Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya | |
FAU emblem.
|
|
| Active | April 1, 1935 |
| Country |
 Oriental Republic of Uruguay
|
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Military aviation |
| Role | "To defend the honor, the independence, and the peace of the Republic, the integrity of its territory, its constitution and its laws. To be an exemplary Air Force, though small according to the possibilities of the country, with a high degree of professionalism and skill, with modern and suitable equipment, capable of dissuasion and being a pride to the nation." |
| Size | 2.148 |
| Part of | Armed Forces of Uruguay |
| Nickname(s) | FAU |
| Motto(s) | Aviation vanguard of the homeland |
| Colors | Blue, red and white |
| March | FAU march |
| Mascot(s) | Southern lapwing |
| Anniversaries | 17 March: Air Force Day 10 August: Day of the Martyrs of Military Aviation |
| Aircraft | 89 |
| Website | http://www.fau.mil.uy/ |
| Commanders | |
| Commander in chief of the Air Force | Air Force General Alberto Zanelli |
| National Director of Civil Aviation and Aviation Infrastructure | Brigadier General Antonio Alarcón |
| Commander of Air Command Operations | Brigadier General Ismael Alonzo |
| Commander of Air Command Staff | Brigadier General Luis Pepelescov |
| Chief of General Staff | Brigadier General Hugo Marenco |
| Commander of the Air Logistics Command | Brigadier General José Visconti |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Fin Flash |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack |
A-37 Dragonfly IA-58 Pucará |
| Helicopter |
AS365 Dauphin UH-1 Iroquois Bell 212 |
| Trainer |
T-6 Texan SF.260 PC-7 Turbo Trainer |
| Transport |
C-212 Aviocar C-130 Hercules EMB-110 Bandeirante EMB-120 Brasilia |
|
Beechcraft Baron PA-18 Super Cub T-41 Mescalero Cessna 206 |
|
The Uruguayan Air Force (Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya, abbreviated FAU) is one of the three main branches of the Armed Forces of Uruguay under the Uruguayan Ministry of Defense.
Military aviation in Uruguay was born on 17 March 1913 when the Military Aviation Academy (Escuela de Aviación Militar) was formed at a small airport 50 km from Montevideo. The first aircraft were a Farman Longhorn biplane and a Blériot XI monoplane. As with many other Latin American countries, flight instruction was initially performed by a European (in this case French) instructor. Ten army officers formed the select group chosen to be the first Uruguayan military aviators. Among them were Cpt Juan Manuel Boiso Lanza and Lt. Cesáreo L. Berisso. Boiso Lanza was the first fatality of the FAU, dying in a plane crash on 10 August 1918; he later became the namesake of Cpt Boiso Lanza Air Base in Montevideo, the current FAU headquarters. Berisso became the first commander of the Air Force flight school and was later the namesake of Gen. Cesáreo Berisso Air Base in Carrasco, the headquarters of Air Brigade I.
Along with two other young officers, Adhemar Saenz Lacueva and Esteban Cristi, they gained their military aviator rating in Argentina and Chile and formed the Military Aeronautical School on 20 November 1916. This school was the only military aviation facility in Uruguay until 1935. Several European aircraft types were used in fairly large numbers during the twenties, among them sixteen Avro 504Ks, thirteen Breguet 14s, five Castaibert 913-IVs, twenty-eight Nieuport 27s. These pioneering years saw many air routes opened and an overall increase in the awareness of the military potential of this nascent force.
...
Wikipedia