The Belize Defence Force Air Wing History

The Belize Defence Force Air Wing is the aviation branch of the Belize Defence Force. Formed in 1983, it is based at the Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Ladyville. The main tasks of the Air Wing are Reconnaissance, SAR, CASEVAC, aerial resupply and troop transport. Furthermore, they assist the police in drug interdiction and anti-smuggling operations, and can be called upon by the Maritime Wing. Two Britten-Norman Defenders (registration BDF-01 and BDF-02) were purchased in Britain and formed the backbone of the air wing for years. The two aircraft could be equipped with light armament, making them the first armed aircraft in Belizean history. The British Forces in Belize maintained a strong position throughout the eighties and it was only in 1990, twelve years after its formation, that three Belizeans took command of the Belize Defence Force as Commandant of BDF, Guard Commander, Commander of Air & Maritime Wing.

The Air Wing had 2 or 3 Ayres Thrush planes that were used for counter insurgency and crop dusting which initially entered service in 1988. One of them may have crashed at some point. They have apparently been placed in storage due to being deemed obsolete. The Air Wing had a Dornier 27 from 1987 to 1990, and also a Beech A90 King Air from 2004 to 2006.

The Belize Defence Force Air Wing is responsible for recovering and storing captured aircraft such as drug planes and helicopters. One such incident occurred in 2015 when a helicopter was reported circling near the border with Mexico in Orange Walk. It was discovered abandoned at around 3:00 pm. The helicopter was a Bell 407 with the registration N607AZ. While it was suspected to be used for drug transportation, no evidence of drugs was found inside. The registration number was unmatched upon searching for it, so it was theorized that it was a fake registration to mislead authorities. If nobody came to claim it, the aircraft would be put into service with the Air Wing. As stated by Brig. Gen. David Jones of the Defence Force, it was unlikely to be claimed.[5] However, no information is available to confirm this.

Through late 2015 and early 2016, two UH-1H helicopters were donated and delivered to the Air Wing from Taiwan, which use registration BDF-11 and BDF-12.

Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia