Colombia, Latin America’s large anti-drug and anti-terrorist fleet

For the past four decades, Colombia has relied heavily on various types of rotary-wing aircraft for anti-insurgent, anti-terrorist, and anti-narcotics operations.

The terrain and security situation have necessitated this approach, which has proved operationally effective due to experiences from ongoing conflict situations.

The Air Force, Army’s Air Assault Aviation Division, Navy’s Naval Aviation, and the Police Air Service primarily operate fleets that include a diverse range of models, such as Lockheed Martin’s Black Hawk UH-60A/L and Russian Helicopters’ Mi-17-IV/MD/V5.

Their fleets are further augmented by Bell Helicopters’ UH-1H Huey-II, Airbus Helicopters’ AS365 Dauphin, and Leonardo AW-139 aircrafts.

These helicopters have a broad range of uses, including transport, liaison, search and rescue, aeromedical evacuation, forest fire control, and ground attack missions.

In particular, the Black Hawk UH-60A/L has a dedicated variant for presidential use, labeled FAC-0007.

Maintenance for these aircraft is carried out at Air Maintenance Command No. 5’s facilities, and the Colombian Aeronautical Industry Corporation does some upgrades.

The Army’s Air Assault Aviation Division operates the largest number of Black Hawks, which are used for various operations and maintained by Aviation Maintenance Battalions.

The National Police also operates a considerable number of Black Hawks, primarily used in anti-narcotics operations.

These helicopters are mainly donated by the US State Department’s Counterdrug and Law Enforcement Affairs Section.

Other key aircraft include the Mi-17-IV/MD/V5 from Russian Helicopters, UH-1H Huey-II from Bell Helicopters, and Leonardo AW-139.

These are used for a variety of operations and are maintained according to strict schedules and protocols.

Despite the successful deployment of these aircraft, plans are in motion to replace older models with newer ones, such as the Airbus Helicopters H145 and Leonardo AW-139.

This move aims to enhance operational capabilities and reduce maintenance costs.

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