Portuguese Air Force

Portuguese Air Force Força Aérea Portuguesa
Portuguese Air Force Coat of Arms
Founded	July 1, 1952 (64 years)
Country	Portugal
Type	Air Force
Role	Aerial warfare, search and rescue and air policing
Size	6599 personnel 103 aircraft
Part of	Portuguese Armed Forces
Headquarters	Alfragide
Patron	Our Lady of Loreto Our Lady of Air
Motto(s)	Latin: Ex Mero Motu "Of his own free will"
Anniversaries	1 July
Engagements	Portuguese Colonial War
Website	www.emfa.pt
Commanders
Chief of Staff of the Air Force	General Manuel Teixeira Rolo
Notable commanders	Craveiro Lopes, Humberto Delgado, Kaulza de Arriaga
Insignia
Logo
Roundel
Fin flash
Aircraft flown
Attack	Lockheed Martin F-16
Fighter	Lockheed Martin F-16
Patrol	P-3 Orion,
Reconnaissance	C-295MPA/Persuader
Trainer	Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet, Epsilon TB 30, Aerospatiale Alouette III
Transport	C-130 Hercules, CASA C-295, EH-101 Merlin, Aerospatiale Alouette III, Dassault Falcon 50

The Portuguese Air Force (Portuguese: Força Aérea Portuguesa) is the aerial warfare force of Portugal. Locally, it is referred to by the acronym FAP, but internationally is often referred to by the acronym PoAF. It is the youngest of the three branches of the Portuguese Armed Forces.

The Portuguese Air Force was formed on July 1, 1952, when the former Aeronáutica Militar (Army Aviation) and Aviação Naval (Naval Aviation) were united and formed an independent air branch of the Armed Forces.

However, the remote origins of the FAP go back to the early 20th century, with the establishment of the first military air unit in 1911, of the Military Aeronautics School in 1914, of the participation of Portuguese pilots in the World War I and of establishment of the Army and Navy aviation services.

The FAP is commanded by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CEMFA), a subordinate of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the operational matters and a direct subordinate of the Minister of National Defense for all other matters. The CEMFA is the only officer in the Air Force with the rank of general (four-star rank).

Presently, the FAP is an entirely professional force made of career personnel (officers and NCOs) and of volunteer personnel (officers, NCOs and enlisted ranks). As 2015, the FAP employed a total of 5957 military personnel, of which 1677 were officers, 2511 were NCOs and 1769 were other enlisted ranks. The Air Force further included 842 civilian employees.

Besides its warfare role, the FAP has also public service roles, namely assuring the Portuguese Air Search and Rescue Service. Until 2014, the FAP also integrated the National Aeronautical Authority (AAN). The AAN is now a separate body, but continues to be headed by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, with the Air Force assuring most of its activities, namely the air policing service.

Its aerobatic display teams are the Asas de Portugal jet aircraft display team and the Rotores de Portugal helicopter display team.