Army of the Nation, Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile, includes Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine Directorate (Directemar)), Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile, FACh), Carabineros Corps (Cuerpo de Carabineros).  Active 60,560 (Army 35,000 Navy 17,800 Air 7,760). Paramilitary 41,500 Note: Terms of service Army 1 year Navy and Air Force 22 months. Voluntary since 2005. Reserve 40,000 (Army 40,000)

CHILEAN AIR FORCE • Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh)
Air Force 7,300 personnel; 460 conscript (total 7,760)
Flying hours 100 hrs/year

Forces by Role & Equipment by Type
(incl AD units)

• AIRCRAFT 92 (128) combat capable. Total 223 (259) Aircrafts.

Air Defence (Interceptor) 1 sqn with 16 Ftr ac:
13 Northrop F-5E Tigre III (modernized F-5E Tiger III Plus);
3 Northrop F-5F Tigre III (modernized F-5ETiger III Plus);

Fighter Ground Attack 3 sqn with 46 FGA ac:
1 sqn with
6 Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 50 Fighting Falcon;
4 Lockheed Martin F-16D Block 50/52 Fighting Falcon;
1 sqn with
11 General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon;
7 General Dynamics F-16BM Fighting Falcon
1 sqn with
18 General Dynamics F-16MLU Fighting Falcon (Ex-Dutch)

Storage or retired:?
FGA 1 sqn with 15 Pantera (modernized Dassault Mirage 50)
12  (modernized Mirage 50F/50C/50CN):
1 Enaer/Dassault Mirage 50CD Pantera;
2 Enaer/Dassault Mirage 50DCM Pantera    ;
Ftr/Recce 1 sqn with 21 Mirage 5 Elkan:
15 Dassault Mirage 5MA Elkan;
5 Dassault Mirage 5MD Elkan;
2 Dassault Mirage 5BR Elkan;
1 Dassault Mirage 5BD Elkan

Combat Counter Terrorism 2 gps with 31 CCT ac:
9 Enaer A-36CC Halcón (C-101CC)*;
8 Enaer T-36BB Halcón (C-101BB)*;
13 Cessna A-37B Dragonfly;
1 Boeing 707SP Tanquero (with Aerial refueling)

Reconnaissance 3 (photo) unit with 6 Recce ac:
2 Gates Learjet 35A (Second role VIP transport);
1 Beech A-100 King Air;
3 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter;

Airborne Early Warning 1 with tpt gp 6 AEW ac:
Airborne early warning and control 1 AEW&C ac:
1 EC-707 AEW&C Cóndor (IAI Boeing 707 Phalcon)
Electronic intelligence  (Alfa/Beta) 5 ELINT ac:
3 Beech 99 Petrel A (Alfa);
2 Beech 99 Petrel B (Beta);

Air-to-Air Refueling 4 Tkr ac:
1 Boeing KC-707 Águila (Aerial refueling);
3 KC-135E Stratotanker (Ex-US;Tanker/transport ac);

VIP Transport (Escuadrilla Presidencial) 1 with tpt gp 5 VIP ac:
1 Boeing 767-3Y0ER (B-767-300ER);
1 Boeing 737-58N,
1 Boeing 737-300QC;
1 Beech 200CT Super King Air,
1 Gulfstream Aerospace Gulfstream G-IV;

Transport & Liaison 3 gps with 49 Tpt/Liaison ac:
6 Embraer KC-390 (ordered)
1 Lockheed C-130B Hercules;
2 Lockheed C-130H Hercules;
3 CASA 212-400 Aviocar;
5 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-100 Twin Otter;
8 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter;
17 Piper PA-28-140 Dakota / Cherokee;
14 Piper PA-28-236 Dakota / Cherokee;
3 Beech 99A Pertel;
6 Cessna 0-2A Skymaster (Observation aircraft);

Training 1 gp with 51 Trg ac:
1 Dassault Mirage IIIBE;
12 Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano (A-29B; second role: light attack);
19 Enaer T-35A Pillán;
14 Enaer T-35B Pillán;
5 Cessna 525 Citation CJ-1 (second role: VIP transport);
Bell 206A Jet Ranger (trg);*

Aerial Demonstrations Team 7 Aerobatics ac:
6 Extra 300S
1 Pitts Special S-2S


• HELICOPTER 12 combat capable. Total 40 Helicopters.

Combat Search and Rescue 1 sqn with 16 CSAR hel:
16 Bell 412EP Twin Huey;
12 Bell 412 Twin Huey (on order);

Support & Utility 4 sqn with 25 Utl hel:
1 Sikorsky S-70A-39 Black Hawk;
4 Bell 412 Twin Huey;
13 Bell UH-1H Iroquois (utility);
1 MBB / Kawasaki BK-117B-1 (utility);
1 MBB Bo-105CBS-4 (utility);
4 Eurocopter AS-350B Fennec;
2 Aérospatiale SA-315B Lama;
10 Mil Mi-17 Hip-H (on order)

Rotary Flying Training gp with 3 Trg hel:
3 Bell 206A/B Jet Ranger


• GLIDER Total ? Glider
  Discus T
  Janus C
  L-13 Blanik
  L-19A
  L-23 Super Blanik
  Nimbus 3DT
  Nimbus 4M
  Ventus cM


Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
• UAV • Reconnaissance 1 sqn with 3 Recce UAV:
  3 Elbit Hermes-900


• MISSILES
  ASM: 150 AS-12, 14 AGM-65F/G Maverick Air-to-surface missile
  ARD: AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation missile
  AAM
  SRAAM: 50 Shafrir-2 (For F-5E),  120 Rafael Python-3 (For Pantera and Tigre-3), 200 AIM-9E Sidewinder (For F-5E and Mirage-50), AIM-9B Sidewinder, AIM-9J Sidewinder, Shafrir
  BVRAAM (Beyond-visual-range missile): 60 BVR Derby (For Tigre-3),  80 Rafael Python-4 (For Tigre-3),  200 Python-4 (For F-16), 100 AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM

• BOMBS
  Laser-guided/GPS: GBU-24 Paveway III; GBU-12 Paveway II
  Low-drag general purpose bomb: Mark 84 General Purpose (GP) Bomb, Mark 82 General Purpose (GP) Bomb


Air Force Air Defence Units
AD 1 regt (5 AD gp) with
AD SYSTEMS
NASAMS Medium range air defense system
Sistema Mygale Short Range Anti-Aircraft System
SAM • MANPAD 750 Portable SAM:
750 Mistral (Deal incl also Mygale SAM system with ASPIC launchers and MANPADS launchers)
SAM • SP 60
60 R-440 Crotale SAM (Deal incl also 5 launchers)
GUNS • TOWED
20mm M-163 VADS Vulcan SP/M-167 VADS Vulcan;
35mm twin cannon GDF-005 Oerlikon

• RADAR
  2 Skyguard Fire control radar (For use with GDF-005 35mm AA guns)
  1 EL/M-2075 Phalcon AEW&C system (For $150 m modification of 1 Chilean Boeing-707 to Phalcon-707-385C AEW&C aircraft in Israel; Chilean designation Condor; plan for 1 more cancelled)
  5 Litening Aircraft EO system (For F-5E combat aircraft);
  1 Ground Master-400 Air search radar;
  14 EL/M-2032B Combat ac radar (For modernization of 14 Chilean F-5ETigre-3 version)
  16 M-2001 Combat ac radar (For upgrade of Mirage-5 combat aircraft to Pantera version)

• FACILITIES
  Chilean Air Force Headquarters: HQ Located at Santiago, Chile

  Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile) Airfields and Airbases Organisation:

   Air Force Airbases: Santiago/El Bosque, Punta Arenas/Pdte. Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, Iquique/Diego Aracena, Santiago/Arturo Merino Benitez Int'l, Antofagasta/Cerro Moreno, Santiago/Municipal de Vitacura, Isla Rey Jorge/Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martín, Puerto Montt/El Tepual,

Combat Command:
 
Brigada Aérea I
Los Condores, Iquique/Diego Aracena (SCDA) Air Base
Grupo de Aviación Nº1: A-29B Super Tucano, A/T-36 Toqui
Grupo de Aviación Nº2: Beech 99, C212-100, PA-28-236, Bell 412EP, UH-1H
Grupo de Aviación Nº3: F-16C-50M, F-16D-50M
The A-29B, delivered in 2010, are operated alongside the A-36s.

Brigada Aérea
Antofagasta/Cerro Moreno (SCFA) Air Base
Grupo de Aviación Nº7: F-16AM (o/o), F-16BM (o/o)
Grupo de Aviación Nº8: F-16AM, F-16BM, C212-300DF, PA-28-236, Bell 412,
Escuadrilla 11: DHC-6, SA.315B, PA-28

Brigada Aérea II
Santiago/Arturo Merino Benitez Int'l (SCEL) Air Base
Grupo de Aviación Nº9: Bell 206B, BK117B2, UH-1H, Bell 412EP, PA-28-236, S-70A-39
Grupo de Aviación Nº10;Beech B200,B-707-321/Aguila, B737-330QC, C-130B/H, KC-135E, G-IV        
Escuadrilla de Alarma Temprana: B-707 Cóndor
Escuadrilla Presidencial: Beech 200, B737-58N, B767-3Y0R, G-IV    
Servicio Aerofotogramétrico (SAF): Beech A100, DHC-6-100, LearJet 35A

Brigada Aérea III
Puerto Montt/El Tepual (SCTE) Air Base
Grupo de Aviación Nº5: C-212, DHC-6-300, O-2A, UH-1H, Bo-105

Brigada Aérea IV
Punta Arenas/Pdte. Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (SCCI) Air Base
Grupo de Aviación Nº6: Bell 412, DHC-6-300, UH-1H
Grupo de Aviación Nº12: F-5E Tiger III, F-5F Tiger III

Brigada Aérea IV
Isla Rey Jorge/Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martín (SCRM) Air Base
(Antártica Chilena)
Grupo de Exploración Antártica Nº19: Bell 412, DHC-6-300

Air Force Personnel Command
Santiago/El Bosque (SCBQ) Air Base
Escuela de Aviación 'Capitan Manuel Avalos Prado'
Escuela de Aviación: T-35A, T-35B, PA-28
Escuadrilla de Alta Acrobacia "Los Halcones": Extra 300L
Escuela de Especialidades Sargento 1º Adolfo Menadier Rojas (Air Force Specialists' School): PA-28
División de Abastecimiento (DdA): various stored aircraft (A-37, Mirage 5 Elkan, Halcón, Pantera C/D, T-37)

Santiago/Municipal de Vitacura (SCLC)
Escuela de Aviación 'Capitan Manuel Avalos Prado': Discus T, Janus C, L-13 Blanik, L-19A, L-23 Super Blanik, Nimbus 3DT, Nimbus 4M, Ventus cM

Grupo 4 has been disbanded.
IV BA also controls Grupo de Exploración Antártica Nº19 (at B.A. Teniente Marsh), Grupo de Defensa Antiaérea Nº23 and Grupo de Communicaciones y Detección Nº33.
The civilian part of the airfield is also known as Pdte. Carlos Ibanez del Campo.
The A-37B from Grupo 12 were withdrawn from use on 24 November 2009, having been replaced by the F-5E/F Tiger III from Grupo 7


Note: Chile has 84 airports with paved runways (over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 24), and 282 airports with unpaved runways (2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 50 under 914 m: 217).

Official website: http://www.fach.cl