Brazilian Air Force

From Freepedia

The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira, or FAB) was founded on January 20, 1941, during the Second World War.

Equipped with American airplanes, mainly the P-47 Thunderbolt, the FAB saw action on the Italian front, earning respect for its high rate of sorties and hard work between the pilots and support personnel.

After the war, the FAB begin operating the British jet fighter Gloster Meteor. The jet was bought from the British with 15,000 tons of crude cotton, as The Brazilian Republic had no foreign currency reserves to spare. The jet was operated in the FAB until the 1970s, when it was replaced by the Northrop F-5 Tiger. The FAB also had in its squads the F-80 Shooting Star, which was replaced by the F-5 and Mirage III jets.

During the Cold War, The Brazilian Republic was an ally of the USA and other NATO nations. This allowed the F-5 to be bought cheaply from the United States, who practically sponsored this jet as the Freedom Fighter. Many other countries, such as Mexico, profited from this policy.

The now successful Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica, Brazilian Aeronautic Co.) has its origins as an enterprise directly managed and sponsored by FAB. Working with Italian corporations, it developed the new AMX fighter which makes up the backbone of the FAB. The successful Tucano T-27 trainer and the new light attack aircraft "ALX-29" (mainly based on the T-27 turboprop, but with a more powerful engine and fourth generation avionics and precision weaponry) are also developments from Embraer.

The FAB was looking for a new jet fighter to replace its aging Mirage III. The former competitors were the Lockheed F-16, the Dassault-Embraer Mirage 2000-BR, the SAAB-BAE Gripen, and the Sukhoi Su-35. The project, called F-X project, was cancelled; The FAB high command alleges that most competitors are becoming obsolete in coming years; Some specialists says the Gripen fighter does not have enough operational range for the FAB's purposes. The government stated the money is needed for fighting poverty. Some rumors circulated about the FAB and EMBRAER joining the French fighter programme Dassault-Rafale. However until these rumors can be confirmed or other program be initiated, the Brazilian Air Force will need an step fighter, for the Mirage III will retire in 2005. The F-5 (currently being upgraded by Embraer) is an option, since many F-5s in good condition are spoiling in the inventary of other nations, available for cheap prices. However, the Brazilian government recently bought one squadron (12 units) of used Mirage 2000s from the French.

One of the most recent operations of the FAB was the bombing of illegal landing sites in the Amazon Forest, used by drug dealers to transport drugs into and out of Brazil. The operation also had support from the Brazilian Army and Federal Police with many drug dealers being arrested as a result. The AMX Bomber/Fighter was used on this operation. The FAB is currently working in the United Nations Mission for Haiti (MINUSTAH) supporting the United Nations army (a Joint Brazilian, Uruguaian and Argentinian army) currently deployed on the Island.

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