SA 316 Alouette III
- Portugal
This is the SA 316 Alouette III of
Esquadra 552 "Zangões", of the Força Aérea Portuguesa, based at BA 11,
Beja.
SA 316 Alouette III
- Portugal
For the fire-support role, the
Alouette carries a door-mounted MG 151 20-mm gun.
In 1963 the first 80 of the 142
Alouettes III helicopters brought from France were received.
Esquadra 552 Alouettes III are the
last in service. A similar number are in storage, and the remainder were
lost either in accidents or during the African Wars (in which they
provided outstanding service), or simply disposed of.
The Alouettes are going to be replaced
by 12 new Eurocopter EC-120 Colibris.
The roles of Esquadra 552 are:
Primary Roles
- Tactical Airlift Operations
Secondary Roles
- Helicopter Pilot Trainning
- Combat Air Support Operations
- SAR Operations
- General Airlift Operations
- Fire-fighting Support Operations
SA 330 Puma -
Portugal
This is the SA 330 Puma of Esquadra
751 "Pumas", of the Força Aérea Portuguesa, based at BA 6, Montijo.
Portugal brought 12 SA 330 Pumas that
were used for the first time in 1969. Subsequently they were converted to
SA 330L standard.
Since then, the survivors (10) have
been re-engined with Makila turboshafts, becoming the SA 330S, a virtual
hybrid between the Puma and Super Puma.
All the FAP Pumas are equipped with
the Omera ORB-31 Hercules Search radar and flotation gear.
The Pumas are equally splited between
Esquadra 751 "Pumas", based at BA 6 Montijo, and Esquadra 711 "Albatrozes",
based at BA 4 Lajes (Açores).
Special mention must be made to the
decisive role of the Air Force in the Azores archipelago. Esq. 711,
stationed at BA 4 Lajes, is the only means available to come to the
rescue of people in urgent need of medical care. The locals know they can
count on the crews, the aircraft and the medical teams of the Air Force
at any time, even in the adverse weather conditions.
The SA 330 Pumas are going to be
replaced by 12 Agusta / Westland EH-101 Merlins in 2004, in the SAR CSAR
and tactical transport roles.
Two of them will be funded by the
European Union for use in the SIFICAP on a rotational basis.
The roles of Esquadras 711 and 751
are:
Primary Roles
- SAR Operations
Secondary Roles
- Tactical Airlift Operations
- General Airlift Operations
SA
316 / SA
330 - Sud-Aviation
Esquadra - Squadron
Zangões - Drones
Pumas - Pumas
Albatrozes - Albatrosses
Força Aérea Portuguesa (FAP) -
Portuguese Air Force (PAF)
Base Aérea (BA) - Air Base
Açores - Azores
SAR - Search And Rescue
CSAR - Combat Search And Rescue
Sistema de Fiscalização e Controlo
das Actividades da Pesca (SIFICAP) - System of Supervision of Fishing
Activity Control