Air Force of El Salvador

The Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña, FAS) is structured primarily for internal security, counter-insurgency (COIN), and support to ground and special forces. Its organization includes the Second Air Brigade, which contains specialized groups for transport and helicopters. The force's doctrine was heavily shaped during the civil war of the 1980s with substantial U.S. assistance, which transformed it into a force focused on mobility, surveillance, and air-to-ground attack in a COIN environment. This doctrinal focus persists, with missions expanding to include drug interdiction support.

Operational capability is centered on a small fleet of aging, but functional, assets. The fixed-wing attack component relies on the Cessna A-37B Dragonfly. For transport and reconnaissance, the FAS uses Basler BT-67 aircraft, which are modified C-47s equipped with FLIR sensors and machine guns for transport, special forces insertion, and anti-narcotics missions. A handful of IAI Arava 202 aircraft supplement this transport capability. The helicopter fleet is the most versatile component, providing tactical mobility, close air support, and VIP transport with types including the Bell 412EP, MD500E, and UH-1H.

Modernization has been modest and targeted. A notable recent acquisition involved the purchase of 10 A-37 aircraft from Chile in 2013 to bolster the attack squadron. In 2016, the FAS initiated a program with the Colombian Air Force to upgrade its Bell UH-1H helicopters to the more capable Huey II standard.