The month of August in São Pedro da Aldeia, in the Lagos Region of Rio de Janeiro, is marked by several celebrations due to the anniversary of the Naval Aviation, celebrated on the 23rd. The festivities include a street race, exhibitions, in addition to the traditional military parade held annually at the city's Naval Air Base.
The municipality was chosen in the 1960s for the installation of the Base, being one of the 13 Military Organizations that are currently part of the Aeronaval Complex. Since then, it maintains a historical-cultural relationship with the activity, being known as the home of Naval Aviation.
At the entrance to São Pedro da Aldeia, on the edge of Praia do Centro, an AF-2020 model military aircraft was installed in 1 Skyhawk, portrait of historic links and a symbol of welcome to the city.
This year, the military ceremony celebrating the anniversary of Naval Aviation was held this Friday (26). The event featured overflights of the main aircraft of the Brazilian Navy (MB). On the occasion, the Commander of the Navy, Fleet iral Almir Garnier Santos, highlighted the accomplishments of the 106 years of Naval Aviation.
“A pioneer in our country, the Força Aérea Naval dates back to 1916, when the Navy introduced military aviation in Brazil. An initiative that proved to be visionary and that even today includes our Navy in the select list of those that operate on-board aviation”, praised the Navy Commander.
During the ceremony, the Commander of the Naval Air Force, Rear iral Augusto José da Silva Fonseca Junior, said in his speech that the Naval Air Force looks forward to receiving two more AH-15B Super Cougar helicopters, which operate in search and rescue missions and humanitarian actions, as well as completing the modernization program for the AH-11B Wild Lynx helicopters.
Military parade and air parade of operating units in São Pedro da Aldeia (RJ)
“The future, always challenging, drives us to seek constant investments to provide our Force with the most modern and advanced in of air resources and to improve the training of airmen. As a result, the Naval High istration has provided for the renewal of the aircraft inventory, the modernization of means and the holding of courses, in the country and abroad, providing greater and better operability for the Force”, pointed out iral Fonseca Junior.
Phases of Brazilian Naval Aviation
Since Santos Dumont made the first flight of the 14Bis, in 1906, aviation has progressed in Brazil. The feat enabled the search for building more aircraft and training personnel in the area, in addition to a prospective view of the potential of its use in the military field.
Thus, the centennial history of Brazilian military aviation began to be built with the milestone on August 23, 1916, with the creation of the Naval Aviation School by the Navy.
The so-called first phase of Naval Aviation encomes the period between 1916 and 1941, with a rapid development of air activities driven by the pioneering spirit of the MB.
In addition to the creation of the Naval Aviation School, the period was marked by the transport of the first civilian and military air bag, which later promoted the creation of the National Air Mail (CAN), as well as the first flight of a President of the Republic in a Brazilian military aircraft and the participation of naval aviators in real patrol operations, during the First World War, integrating the 10th Operations Group of the Royal Air Force.
In January 1941, by virtue of a Decree-Law, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) was born, receiving the entire collection of planes, bases, equipment and personnel, both from Naval Aviation and from the Military Aviation of the Army, ending the first phase. However, the Second World War proved the unequivocal need to have aviation on board to ships at sea.
As a result, in 1952, the Navy's Directorate of Aeronautics was recreated, thus beginning the second phase of Naval Aviation, which lasted until 1961. The phase included a restructuring of the Armed Forces and was marked by the creation and installation of the Naval Air Instruction and Training, in 1957, with the arrival of the first helicopters, in 1958, and the arrival in Brazil of the Light Airship “Minas Gerais”, in 1961. operations in São Pedro da Aldeia.
rotary wing
In 1965, the Navy began operating exclusively rotary-wing aircraft, transferring its planes to the FAB and receiving advanced SH-34 anti-submarine helicopters. These facts marked the beginning of the third phase, a period in which there was a great development in the ability to use rotary wing aircraft on board ships.
MB was one of the few military forces in the world that operated with helicopters on board, extending its operations into night periods and allowing the expansion of operations capacity. Currently, one of the highlights of the Navy's helicopters is the SH-16, designed to operate on board and capable of carrying out a complete mission of anti-submarine warfare.
Fixed Wing
In 1998, MB obtained authorization to once again operate fixed-wing aircraft on board ships and acquired A-4 Skyhawk aircraft. Thus began the fourth phase of naval aviation, placing Brazil in the select group of countries with the capacity to operate high-performance aircraft from aircraft carriers.
In April 2022, the modernization program for five AF-1B and two AF-1C fighters was completed. Among the activities carried out after this stage, we highlight the graduation flight with four AF-1 fighters carried out in July this year by the 1st Squadron of Interception and Attack Aircraft and the performance with attacks on targets in Operation Formosa 2022.
“Today, in the VF-1 Squadron, we have six pilots and the six were present in this flight of four aircraft. It was a very important flight and we were able to show the strength of the Squadron's crew to get the aircraft in flying condition. We perform an impeccable flight with different configurations and in any type of formation. It was a flight we had not done for a few years and it helps a lot in training flights with nearby aircraft”, said the pilot, Sea and War Captain José Assunção Chaves Neto.
New Times
In the year 2022, Naval Aviation embarks on the fifth phase of its history, with the landmark Inauguration of the 1st Squadron of Remotely Piloted Aircraft, a fact that started the operations of a new type of aircraft in the Force capable of carrying out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
“ScanEagle has great features. The first is because it is very small, making it difficult to see. It has a range capacity of around 100 km, which gives a great possibility of surveillance coverage. It doesn't need a track because it has a launcher and a collector, this is a strength factor in its use. We have the ability to use it both from land and sea. It has both an electro-optical and an infrared sensor and that gives it a capacity of 24 hours of operation”, reports the Squadron Commander, Frigate Captain Fábio Nunes.
The new phase is marked by the modernization and acquisition of high-tech aircraft and equipment, providing technical innovations and combat tactics, such as the use of night vision goggles, technology that provides the ability to overcome the limitations of the human eye under conditions of low lighting and, consequently, low visibility.
Although Naval Aviation is concentrated in São Pedro da Aldeia, it operates throughout the national territory through the four district squadrons, located in Belém (PA), Rio Grande (RS), Ladário (MS) and Manaus (AM). They make it possible to operate in the Amazon, Pantanal, and the Blue Amazon, protecting the wealth and interests of the country and abroad.
Watch the documentary Luz Verde no Convoo, a narrative construction of the history of Brazilian naval aviation produced by the Navy's Social Communication Center.
