ARUBA AVIATION • Dutch Caribbean & International Support

Personnel: Protected by the Kingdom of the Netherlands / U.S. Personnel on rotation.

Forces by Role & Equipment by Type
(incl Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard units)

• AIRCRAFT No combat capable. Total 0 independent military Aircraft.

Maritime Patrol & Surveillance 1 Joint Unit (Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard) with:

• De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 (MPA - Tasked with counter-narcotics and SAR);
• AgustaWestland AW139 (SAR / Multi-role).

Regional Security Support 1 Cooperative Security Location (USA - US Southern Command) at:

• Reina Beatrix Airport (Forward facility for maritime detection and monitoring).
• Note: Potential equipment includes heavily modified Bombardier P-9A Pale Ale (DHC-8) aircraft owned by the USAF and tasked with counter-drug operations in the Caribbean.

Capabilities & Role Aruba does not maintain a sovereign, independent air force. As a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, its external defense and territorial integrity are the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, primarily supported by the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Local maritime security, border control, and search and rescue (SAR) missions are conducted by the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG), which operates as a unified force for Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten. Furthermore, the island plays a strategic role in international security by hosting a U.S. Southern Command Cooperative Security Location (CSL) at Reina Beatrix Airport. This facility supports multi-national efforts to detect and monitor illicit trafficking in the Caribbean and South American regions.


AIR ARUBA

Forces by Role & Equipment by Type
Local Aviation (Air Aruba)

• AIRCRAFT Total 22 Transport Aircraft.

Transport Air Aruba's fleet with 22 Tpt ac:
3 NAMC YS-11A/213
2 Embraer EMB-120
1 Boeing 727-100 leased
2 Boeing 737-3M8 Leased
1 Boeing 757-23A Leased
3 Boeing 767-204ER Leased
1 Boeing 767-310ER Leased
2 Douglas DC-9-30s
1 McDonnell Douglas MD-83
3 McDonnell Douglas MD-88
3 McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30


• FACILITIES
  Capital city: Oranjestad
  Reina Beatrix International Airport at Oranjestad, Aruba

Note: Aruba has 1 airport with paved runways (2,438 to 3,047 m: 1)