P
ortugal’s armed forces were
heavily engaged in wars against
revolutionary elements in its African
territories of Angola, Mozambique
and Guinea between 1961 and 1974. The
con icts, collectively known as the Guerra
do Ultramar (Overseas War), ended after a
change of regime in Lisbon, and the three
African countries gained independence.
To ght the wars the Força Aérea
Portuguesa (Portuguese Air Force – FAP)
was equipped with aircraft which, at the
outset of the con icts, were adequate for
the task – but after 14 years of operations
they were overworked and obsolete.
Meanwhile, an international arms
embargo imposed on Portugal and
sustained throughout the Guerra do
Ultramar had made it impossible to replace
them. For tactical counter-insurgency attack
and reconnaissance operations the FAP
had relied on four main types: the North
American F-86 Sabre, Republic F-84G
Thunderjet, North American T-6 Texan and
Douglas B-26 Invader.
Towards the end of the wars a deal
forged with France for the purchase of
Dassault Mirage III ghters fell through
when the missions ended in 1974.TIGER OR CORSAIR?
The FAP then focused on updating its assets.
Not only were most of its aircraft obsolete,
but their numbers had been considerably
reduced by the operations in Africa.
Portugal also had to turn its attention
to its commitments to NATO, which
had been neglected for some years. An
important aspect of this role was maritimesurveillance and anti-shipping operations,
and ageing Lockheed P-2 Neptune
maritime patrol aircraft were superseded
by Lockheed P-3 Orions while, to replace
the F-86F Sabres, it was decided to buy the
Northrop F-5E Tiger II.
The F-5Es would be made available to
the FAP through the US Military Assistance
Program (MAP) to equip Esquadra 201
(201 Squadron) at Monte Real, taking over
from its F-86Fs. In 1976, six Northrop T-38
Talons arrived at Monte Real to train the
future F-5E pilots – another six arriving at
Esquadra 201 in January 1980.
By this time, however, the Portuguese
had decided to acquire the A-7 Corsair
II from the US instead of the F-5E. The
A-7 would enable the air force to better
cover its Tactical Air Support for Maritime
Operations (TASMO) commitment to NATO,
so it became the preferred option, and a
contract for 20 aircraft was signed in May- Regardless of the decision, the FAP
retained the T-38 Talons.
INTO SERVICE
The A-7As were taken from ex-US
Navy stock held at the Davis-Monthan
AFB storage facility in Arizona. Twenty-
eight were retrieved of which 20 were
renovated – re-engined with Pratt & Whitney
TF30-P-408 engines and upgraded with the
avionics of the A-7E/D. The remaining eight
were used as a source of spares.
An initial cadre of eight pilots for
conversion to the A-7P (P for Portugal)
began training at Vought Aeronautics
at Dallas, Texas, where they completed
theoretical, ight and initial armamentinstruction. They would be the nucleus of
the rst A-7P squadron to be formed at
Monte Real, designated Esquadra 302
‘Falcões’ (Falcons).
A ceremony at Andrews AFB, Maryland,
on August 18, 1981 saw the official
handover of the rst A-7P to the FAP. The
event was signi cant in not only signalling
the beginning of a new era for the air
force but also as the occasion when the
Portuguese ambassador to Washington,
Walter F Pereira, announced his
government’s intention to acquire 30 more
A-7Ps to form another squadron.
The rst jets were delivered to
Esquadra 302 at Monte Real in December- The initial tranche of nine had left
Dallas on December 21, scheduled to
arrive at Monte Real two days later. But
they were delayed by bad weather at Lajes
in the Azores and did not arrive in Portugal
until Christmas Eve.
They had crossed the Atlantic in three
ights of three, each own by two FAP pilots
and one Vought employee. The remaining 11
Corsairs were delivered by civilians during
the rst half of 1982 and, to assist with
training for the Portuguese pilots, the US
Navy loaned a TA-7C two-seater in 1981
which returned to the US in 1985.
The additional 30 A-7Ps – including six
TA-7Ps trainers – arrived at Monte Real
between October 1984 and April 1986
and the second squadron, Esquadra 304
‘Magní cos’ (Magni cents), was activated
at the base on October 5, 1984.
THE MISSION
The Corsairs’ primary role with Esquadra
302 was tactical air support for maritime
operations, while Esquadra 304 specialised
in air-to-ground. The units were attachedSOUTHERN
WARRIORS
78 Aviation News incorporating Jets November 2018
surveillance and anti-shipping operations,WARRIORS
Doug Gordon profi les the A-7P Corsair II’s
service with the Portuguese Air Force.
Two-seater TA-7C 185283, nicknamed White Dove, was loaned to the FAP by the US Navy.
This aircraft retained its American colour scheme of grey and white but carried FAP
insignia until its return stateside in 1985. Força Aérea Portuguesa