Ecuadorian Air Force
history
The FAE was officially created on October 27th 1920. However, like in many other countries, military flying activity started before the formal date of birth of the Air Force. The history of Ecuador is marked by many skirmishes with its neighbour Peru. As a direct result of the 1910 Ecuador-Peru crisis the members of Club de Tiro Guayaquil decided to expand their sporting activities to aviation as well. Renamed Club de Tiro y Aviación they started an aviation school. Cosme Renella, who gained his civil aviation license in Italy, was asked as an instructor and the first aircraft that arrived in November 1912 was a Farman. Surviving a crash during a demonstration flight, Capitán Renella went on to fight in Europe during the first World War. Renella was a true ace, as many as 17 combat victories are ascribed to him, and he received several distinctions in Europe. His efforts in the founding phase of Ecuadorian military aviation are still honoured today by naming the Escuela Superior Militar de Aviación after him.
Aviation did not start in earnest until the early forties when a Ecuadorian mission to the United States resulted in the delivery of an assortment of aircraft for the Aviation school at Salinas. Three Ryan PT-22 Recruit, six Curtiss-Wright CW.22 Falcon, six Fairchild PT-19A Cornell and three North American AT-6A Harvard arrived in March 1942, considerably boosting the capacity of the Escuela de Aviación at Salinas.
The fifties and sixties saw a further build up of the airforce, gaining more units and aircraft. Meanwhile efforts were made in enhancing the facilities at various airbases. In may 1961 the First Air Zone (I Zona Aérea) with its subordinate unit Ala de Transportes No.11 was founded. The Second Air Zone (II Zona Aérea) controls the units in the southern halve of Ecuador: Ala de Combate No.21 at Taura, Ala de Rescate No.22 at Guayaquil and Ala de Combate No.23 at Manta as well as the Escuela Superior Militar de Aviación (ESMA) at Salinas
7.10.1920 The Escuela Militar de Aviación was formed.
1925 Compañia de Aviación del Ejército was established.
1927 The CAE was renamed Cuerpo de Aviadores Militares del Ejército.
3 July 1935 The Fuerza Aérea del Ejército Equatoriana was formed.
July 1941 War with Peru
January 1942 Protocolo de Rio was signed
1944 FAEE became an independent service and was renamed Fuerza Aérea Equatoriana.
January 1981 Paquisha Conflict (Border conflict with Peru).
1995 Alto-Canepa War (Border conflict with Peru).
2006 Comando de Operaciones Aéreas y Defensa (COAD) and the Comando de Educación y Doctrina (CED) were formed.
Structure
Current structure of the Ecuadorian Air Force:
21st Combat Wing (Ala de combate 21) - Taura Air Base
2112th Combat Squadron "Mirage" (Esc. de combate 2112 "Mirage") - operating Mirage F1JA/JE, Mirage 50 (To be replaced by Atlas Cheetah)
2113th Combat Squadron "Kfir" (Esc. de combate 2113 "Kfir") - operating Kfir CE/TC2
nd Combat Wing (Ala de combate 22) - Simon Bolivar Air Base
2211th Combat Squadron (Esc. de combate 2211) - operating HAL Dhruv, Alouette III, Piper PA-34, Cessna 206
2212th Combat Squadron (Esc. de combate 2212) - operating TH-57
23rd Combat Wing (Ala de combate 23) - Manta Air Base (Eloy Alfaro Air Base)
2311 Combat Squadron "Dragons" (Esc. de combate 2311 "Dragones") - operating A-37 Dragonfly (replacement in progress, Super Tucano)
2313 Combat Squadron "Falcons" (Esc. de combate 2313 "Halcones") - in storage BAC Strikemaster (replacement in progress, Super Tucano)
11th Transport Wing (Ala de transporte 11) - Mariscal Sucre Air Base (part of Mariscal Sucre International Airport)
1111th Transport Squadron "Hercules" (Esc. de transporte 1111 "Hercules") - operating C-130B/H
1112th Transport Squadron "Avro" (Esc. de transporte 1112 "Avro") - operating Hawker Siddeley HS 748 (to be replaced by four Xian MA60)
1113th Transport Squadron "Twin Otter" (Esc. de transporte 1113 "Twin Otter") - operating DHC-6 Twin Otter
1114th Transport Squadron "Sabreliner" (Esc. de transporte 1114 "Sabreliner") - operating Sabreliner
Air Force Academy "Cosme Rennella" (Escuela Superior Militar de Aviacion "Cosme Rennella") - Salinas Air Base - operating Cessna A-150L Aerobat, T-34 Mentor.
