Airforces

72 // JANUARY 2018 #358 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

Force

Report Brazilian Naval Aviation

propulsion system and lack of
budget. Skyhawks have embarked
on only very few occasions, most
recently in 2009. A plan was
developed to modernise the carrier
between 2015 and 2019, at a
cost of more than $200m. Due to
budget restrictions, works never
began and in February 2017 the
Marinha do Brasil announced it
would decommission the carrier.
According to a statement
from Brazil’s Directorate of
Communications and Information
Technology of the Navy: “After
several attempts to recover the
operational capacity of the São
Paulo, the Admiralty concluded
that a modernisation programme
would require high financial
investment, contain technical
uncertainties and would require
a long completion period.”
Once the carrier is withdrawn,
the navy has said it plans to
continue to train for fixed-wing
aviation naval warfare, schooling
pilots both locally and abroad.
The force has also increased
its presence, inaugurating small
bases along the coast and in the

Amazon and Paraná Basin regions.

However, São Pedro da Aldeia has

remained the major base, and all

the larger units are still found here.

Current organisation

The force is organised under

the Diretoria de Aeronáutica da

Marinha (DAerM, Navy Aeronautical

Direction), located at Rio de

Janeiro, which is in charge of

materiel, personnel and the

Comando da Força Aeronaval

(ComForAerNav, Naval Aviation

Force Command), at São Pedro

da Aldeia. ComForAerNav is

responsible for all the air units,

which include nine squadrons, eight

of them with helicopters and one

equipped with the AF-1 Skyhawk.

HI-1

The only training unit, the 1º

Esquadrão de Helicópteros de

Instrução (HI-1, 1st Training

Helicopter Squadron) operates

a fleet of 16 Bell 206Bs (IH-6B)

to prepare pilots and flight crews

after they have received basic

training with the FAB on the

Neiva T-25 Universal. Training

includes the first stage of weapons

employment, using 7.62mm MAG

machine guns and 70mm SBAT

seven-tube rocket launchers.

The unit is currently studying

replacement of the JetRangers

with a new helicopter due to the

introduction of the S-70 Seahawk

and EC725 Cougar and the

on-going modernisation of the

Super Lynx. This would incorporate

Left: The two versions of the Helibras Esquilos are the most numerous helicopters

in the force. The Esquilos of HU-1 are used on the Antarctic campaigns, with

doors and other parts painted in high-visibility orange. Serial N-7063 is a twin-

engine HB355F (UH-13), c/n 5335. Below: A Super Puma of HU-2 powers up.

These helicopters are mainly used for troop and cargo transport in support of

logistic ships and the Fuzileiros Navais, Brazil’s marine component.

Above: Super Lynx N-4003 (c/n 380) was delivered to the improved AH-11A (Lynx Mk21A) standard, and eight are now

being upgraded once again to AH-11B standard to extend their service life. The aircraft usually operate from the

Niteroi and Type 22 class frigates and the Inhaúma and Barroso class corvettes. Below: Serial N-7102 is one of the new

EC725 (UH-15) Super Cougars, c/n 2819/BRA008. Due to a lack of funds, the original contract for 16 examples for the

navy is being renegotiated with hopes to reduce it to 12.