Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana, FANB): Bolivarian National Army (Ejercito Nacional Bolivariano, ENB), Bolivarian Navy (Armada Bolivariana, AB; includes Naval Infantry, Coast Guard, Naval Aviation), Bolivarian Military Aviation (Aviacion Militar Bolivariana, AMB), Bolivarian National Guard (Guardia Nacional Bolivaria, GNB) Active 115,000 (Army 63,000 Navy 17,500 Air 11,500 National Guard 23,000) Terms of service 30 months selective, varies by region for all services Reserve 8,000 (Army 8,000)

VENEZUELAN AIR FORCE • Aviación Militar Bolivariana

Air Force (Aviación Militar Nacional Bolivariana)

Air Force 11,500 personnel.

Forces by Role & Equipment by Type

incl Air Defence Flying hours 155 hrs/year

• AIRCRAFT 135 combat capable. Total 309 Aircrafts.

Multi-role Strike Fighter 2 gp (3 Sqdns) with 24 Multi-role ac:

24 Sukhoi Su-30MKV2 Flanker-G

Multi-role Fighter 2 gp with 21 Multi-role ac:

15 GD F-16A Fighting Falcon Block 15OCU;

6 GD F-16B Fighting Falcon Block 15OCU;

Fighter Ground Bomber 1 gp with 29 FGA ac:

13 Northrop VF-5A Freedom Fighter,

4 Northrop VF-5B Freedom Fighter*;

7 Canadair (Northrop) CF-5A Freedom Fighter,

1 Canadair (Northrop) CF-5D Freedom Fighter*,

1 Canadair (Northrop) NF-5A Freedom Fighter;

3 Canadair (Northrop) NF-5B Freedom Fighter*;

Fighter Ground Bomber 1 gp with 8 FGA Ac (Stored):

6 Dassault Mirage 50EV;

2 Dassault Mirage 50DV

Lead-in Ftr Trainer & Light Ground Attack 1 gp (2 Sqdns) with 26 LIFT Ac:

26 Hongdu K-8W Karakorum*

Counter Insurgency & Light Ground Attack 1 gp with 14 Coin ac:

5 Rockwell OV-10E Bronco (Light Attack Observation)*;

9 Embraer EMB-312 (AT-27) Tucano*

Reconnaissance 1 sqn with 11 Recce ac:

2 Northrop RVF-5A Freedom Fighter (Storage);

5 Rockwell OV-10A Bronco ECM;

4 Rockwell OV-10A Bronco ECM (Storage)

Electronic Counter Measures 1 sqn with 3 ECM ac:

1 Dassault Falcon 20DC EW;

2 Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner C-26B Merlin (ELINT)

Air-to-Air Refueling & Heavy Transport 1 gp with 2 Tanker/Tpt ac:
1 Boeing 707-384C (KC-135);

1 Boeing 707-346C (KC-135);

Logistical Support 10 Spt ac:

10 Dornier Do 228NG-212

Presidential VIP Transport flt with 14 VIP Tpt ac:

1 Airbus A319-133X CJ;

1 Boeing 707-320C;

1 Boeing 737-2N1Adv;

1 Gulfstream IV;

1 G-1159A Gulfstream III;

1 Gates Learjet 24D;

2 Dassault Falcon 900;

3 Dassault Falcon 50EX;

3 Dassault Falcon 20F

Tactical Transport 1 gp with 25 Tpt ac:

4 Lockheed C-130HV/C-130H-3 Hercules;

2 Alenia G.222;

7 Fairchild C-123B Provider,

3 Short 360-300D Sherpa;

1 SC-7SD-330;

8 Shaanxi Y-8F-200W Pegasus

Advanced Training 12 Trg ac:

12 Rockwell T-2D Buckeye (Storage?)

Training 1 gp with 42 Trg ac (with Aviation School):

12 Embraer EMB-312 (T-27) Tucano;

12 Aeromacchi SF-260EV Warrior

3 Beech VT-34A Mentor,

11 Quat City Challenger II LSS;

4 Pitts S-2

Light Transport & Liaison 41 Liaison Tpt ac:

1 Beech 350C King Air;

5 Beech 80 Queen Air;

1 Cessna 750 Citation X;

1 Cessna 551Citation II;

6 Cessna 550 Citation II;

1 Cessna 500 Citation I;

5 Cessna 206H Turbo Stationair

6 Cessna 206 Stationair;

5 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan;

10 Cessna 182N Skylane

Medical Evacuation 6 Medical ac:

5 Beech 200 Super King Air;

1 C-26A Metroliner

Ordered:

2 Ilyushin IL-78 Midas (Air-to-Air Refueling & Heavy Transport);

20 IL-76 Candid (Heavy Transport)

• HELICOPTER No armed capable. Total 36 Helicopters.

  Hel sqns with

Medium-lift transport & Special Operations 12 CSAR hel: 

7 Aérospatiale AS-532AC Cougar;

5 Aérospatiale AS-332B1 Super Puma;

VIP Transport 4 VIP Tpt hel:

2 Aérospatiale AS-532 Cougar;

2 Mil Mi-172 Hip-H

Transport 8 Tpt hel:

8 Mil Mi-17V-5 Hip-E;

Utility 12 Utl hel:

2 Bell 412SP;

6 Bell UH-1H Iroquois;

3 Bell UH-1D Iroquois;

1 Bell UH-1B Iroquois;

Training 2 Trg hel (with Aviation School):

2 Enstrom F-280FX Light helicopter

16 Enstrom TH-480B Light helicopter (delivery 2014-2015)

Ordered 9 Atk hel:

9 Mil Mi-28NE Havoc (Attack Helicopter)

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

• UAV • observation 1 sqn with 12 Obs UAV:

 12 Ghods Mohajer-3 (Iranian UAV version; Venezuelan designation probably Sant Arpia)

  4 Cavim ANT-3X Venezolano

• MISSILES

  ASM 50 Kh-59ME/AS-18 Kent (For SU-30MKV2), 50 Kh-29/AS-14 Kedge (For SU-30MKV2)

  Anti-ship missile/ARM 50 Kh-31A1/AS-17 Krypton (For Su-30MKV2), 20 AM-39 Exocet (For Mirage-50), KH-29T (AS-14 Karen);

 SRAAM 150 Vympel R-73E/AA-11 Archer (For Su-30MKV2), 75 AIM-9P-4 Sidewinder (For F-16A), 75 AIM-9L Sidewinder (For F-16A), 100 AIM-9B Sidewinder-1A (For F-5A), 100 PL-5E (For K-8), 35 R-550 Magic-2 (For Mirage-50EV), 50 R-550 Magic-1 (For Mirage-3 and Mirage-5)

 BVRAAM Vympel R-77/AA-12 Adder 100 Vympel R-27AE/AA-10 Alamo-E (For Su-30MKV2), 54 Rafael Python-4 (For F-16A), 20 R-530 Magic (For Mirage-3)

• BOMBS

  Guided Bomb 200 KAB-500Kr/KAB-1500L,

  Multipurpose Bomb Elbit Lizard, Mk.82, Mk.84, FAB (Fugasnaya Aviabomba), BLU-107 Durandal II, AL CB-1& CB-2, Natak (Bomba Iluminante)

 Cannons and machine guns

GE M-61A1 Vulcan, Colt M-39A3, Gryazev Shipunov GSh-301,M-60C,FN MAG 58M, Giat NC-26, FN HMPRL

• RADAR • Directors of Tyre and Surveillance Radars

RADARS • LAND Thales-Nederland B.V Flycatcher Mk.1 /Mk.2, Thales-Nederland B.V Reporter ,Thales-Nederland B.V Mirador, Elta EL/M 2106 , Northrop Grumman Corporation AN/TPS-63, Westinghouse AN/TPS-43, CETEC JYL-1 3D

Air Force Air Defence Systems

AD • Tor-M1 (3 bty planned);

SAM 24+ SAM system +: 14 Tor-M1 (further 8 on order);

40 Barak-1 (incl 3 ADAMS launchers); for Defender SAM system from Netherlands; ordered via Dutch company)

11 launchers S-125 Pechora-2M (SA-3) SAM systems (450 5V27/SA-3B Goa SAM delivery 2011-2014; Second-hand but probably modernized before delivery)

3 launchers 9K40 Buk/SA-17 (60 9M317/SA-17 Grizzly SAM)

MANPAD 500+ Portable SAM

400 launchers 4000 Igla-S/SA-24, 100 MBDA Mistral - Atlasl, ADAMS;

GUNS

TOWED 228+:

20mm: 114 IMI TCM-20;

35mm;

40mm 114 Bofors L/70; Otobreda 40 towed

• FACILITIES

Defence Force Main Headquarters: Comandancia de la Aviación, B.A. Fransisco de Miranda, La Carlota IAP, Caracas

           
 Venezuelan Bolivar AF Airfields and Airbases Organisation (Current Order of Battle):

Grupos Aereos Administrativos y de Caza

Grupo Aéreo 4 con aeronaves: A-319CJ, B-737, Falcon-50, Mi-172.

Grupo Aéreo 5 con aeronaves: BE200/350,Citation III/X,Falcon-20/900 y C-26B.

Grupo Aéreo 6 con aeronaves: C-130, Short 330, B-707.

Grupo Aéreo 7 no posee aeronaves (unidad para el entrenamiento fisiológico).

Grupo Aéreo 9 con aeronaves: Cessna 206, Cessna 208.

Grupo Aéreo 10 con aeronaves: Super Puma, Cougar.

Grupo Aéreo 24 con aeronaves: Su-30MK2.

Grupo Aéreo 12 con aeronaves: VF-5, CF-5, NF-5B, K-8W Karakorum.

Grupo Aéreo 13 con aeronaves: Su-30MK2.

Grupo Aéreo 14 con aeronaves: SF-260, AT-27 Tucano, Cessna 182.

Grupo Aéreo 15 con aeronaves: OV-10 Bronco, AT-27 Tucano.

Grupo Aéreo 16 con aeronaves: F-16A/B Block 15OCU.

Grupo Aéreo 52 con aeronaves: Mil Mi-17.

Grupo Aéreo 85 con aeronaves: Falcon-20, C-26B.

Note: Venezuela has 129 airports with paved runways (over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 63 under 914 m: 17), 280 airports with unpaved runways (2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 91 under 914 m: 172), and 4 heliports.

Official website: http://www.aviacion.mil.ve/