List of aircraft of the Portuguese Armed Forces

This list of current and former aircraft of the Portuguese Armed Forces also includes aircraft of the National Republican Guard.

Air Force

The Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) was founded in 1952 as the result of the amalgamation of the Aeronáutica Militar and Aviação Naval. With the merger many aircraft were transferred from these earlier aviation services to the Air Force, having been in service before 1952.

Aircraft	Qty	In service	Retired	Origin	Notes
de Havilland DH-82 Tiger Moth	30(?)	1952	1954	UK Portugal	Received from Aeronáutica Militar and Aviação Naval
de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Junkers Ju 52	12	1952	1972	Germany	Received from Aeronáutica Militar[1][2]
Junkers Ju 52/3 mg3e
Amiot A.A.C.1 Toucan	15	1961		France
Miles Master II/III	?	1952	1958	UK	Received from Aeronáutica Militar
Miles Martinet T.T.1	?	1952	?	UK	Received from Naval Aviation
Douglas C-47 Dakota	29	1952	1976	USA	One aircraft received from Aeronáutica Militar in 1952. Remaining aircraft bought in 1958[3]
Hawker Hurricane IIB/IIC	151	1952	1954	UK	Received from Aeronáutica Militar
Airspeed Oxford	?	1952	1957	UK	Received from Aeronáutica Militar
Airspeed Oxford II					Received from Naval Aviation
Supermarine Spitfire VB	?	1952	?	UK	Received from Aeronáutica Militar
Miles Magister I	8	1952	1956	UK	Received from Aeronáutica Militar
Avro Anson T.1	10	1952	?	UK	Received from Aeronáutica Militar
North American AT-6 Texan	257	1952	1978	USA	Received from Aeronáutica Militar
North American SNJ-4					Received from Naval Aviation
North American Harvard Mk.III		1956		USA	Former British Fleet Air Arm aircraft
North American T-6G Texan		1961		USA	Former-French Air Force aircraft
North American Harvard Mk.IV		1964		Canada	Former-Luftwaffe aircraft
North American Harvard Mk.IIA		1969			Former-South African Air Force aircraft
North American Harvard Mk.III
Boeing SB-17G Flying Fortress	5	1952	1960	USA	Received from Aeronáutica Militar[4]
Douglas C-54 Skymaster	8	1947	1952	USA	Some Ex-Aeronáutica Militar[5]
SC-54/HC-54 Searchmaster	10	1952	?	USA	Ex-Aeronáutica Militar[4]
de Havilland DH-89A Dragon Rapide	1	1952	1968	UK	Ex-Aeronáutica Militar
de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk	10	1952	1997	UK	Ex-Aeronáutica Militar
	66			Portugal	Built under license by OGMA; As of 1997 six airframes refurbished
Grumman G-21B Goose	9	1952	1960	USA	Received from Naval Aviation
Piper PA-18/L-21 B Super Cub	22	1955	1976	USA	Received from the Portuguese Army Artillery arm
Piper PA-18/L-18 SL21A	5
Piper PA-18-125 Super Cub		1954
Grumman G-44 Widgeon	12	1952	1962	USA	Received from Naval Aviation
Fleet F-10G	1	1952	?	USA	Received from Naval Aviation
Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan	6	1952	1977	USA	First units received from Naval Aviation
Beechcraft D-18S	15
C-45 Expeditor		1959	1976
Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver	6	1952	1952	USA	Received from Naval Aviation
Republic F-47D Thunderbolt	50	1952	1956	USA
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star	28	1952	1991	USA
de Havilland Vampire T.55	2	1952	1962	UK	[6][7][8]
Lockheed PV-2C/D Harpoon	42	1953	1975	USA	Only 34 flown
Republic F-84G Thunderjet	125	1953	1974	USA
Grumman SA-16A Albatross	3	1954	1962	USA	[4]
Sikorsky UH-19A	2	1954	1960	USA	First helicopter operated in Portugal. Used only in search and rescue operations in Azores. Removed from service after an accident on October 4, 1959[4][9]
Sud Aviation Alouette II	7	1958	1976	France	More received for the Portuguese Republican National Guard
North American F-86F Sabre	65	1958	1980	USA
Canadair T-33A-N Silver Star	5	1959	1960	Canada
Hunting Jet Provost	1	1959	1959	UK	Received PoAF markings for demonstration but wasn't bought[10]
Lockheed RT-33A	2	1960	1982	USA
Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune	12	1960	1977	USA
Auster D.5/108&180	76	1960	1976	UK
Nord Noratlas N.2502	12	1960	1978	France	[11]
Nord Noratlas N.2501D	18
Auster D.5/160	99	1961	1976	UK Portugal	84 built under license by OGMA
Dornier Do 27 A1/A3/A4/B1	146	1961	1979	Germany
Max Holste M.H.1521 Broussard	4	1961	1977	France
Douglas DC-6A	4	1961	1978	USA
Douglas DC-6B	6
Saunders-Roe Skeeter	10	1961	1961	UK	Delivered in July from German Army Aviation Corps and German Navy stocks, never flew due to being non-airworthy and lack of spares to be rebuilt[12][13][14]
Cessna T-37C	30	1961	1992	USA	[15][16]
Sud Aviation Alouette III SA 319	142	1963	2020	France	Additional airframes bought to be used as source for spare parts and to rebuild damaged airframes.. Retired 17 June 2020.
Douglas B-26B Invader	7	1965	1975	USA	[17][18]
Douglas B-26C Invader
Fiat G.91R/4	40	1965	1993	Italy
Cessna 310B	1	1969	1974	USA
Cessna 182C	1	1969	?	USA
Sud Aviation SA-330C Puma	13	1969	2011	France	Retired in 2006, re-entered service in 2008 in Azores, finally retired in 2011. On the market to be sold(2015)[19]
Aérospatiale Puma SA-330S1 Puma		1971
Cessna 206	1	1969	?	USA
Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six	4	1970	1974	USA
Cessna 401B	1	1971	1974	USA	Used PoAF markings in special missions
Cessna 185A Skywagon	5	1971	1974	USA	Received from South African Air Force
Boeing 707-3F5C	2	1971	1976	USA	Transferred to TAP
CASA C-212-100 Aviocar	24	1974	2010	Spain	Replaced by CASA C-295M[20]
Cessna Skymaster FTB-337G	32	1974	2007	USA
Fiat G.91R/3	70	1976	1993	Italy	Only 34 flown, others were used for spares
Fiat G.91T/3	26				Only 11 flown
Northrop T-38A Talon	12	1977	1994	USA
Lockheed C-130H Hercules	6	1977		USA
Lockheed C-130H-30 Hercules
Vought A-7P Corsair II	44	1981	1999	USA
Vought TA-7C Corsair II	1	1982	1984		One example (s/n 154404; c/n B-044), nicknamed "Pomba Branca" (white dove), leased from the USN for pilot conversion
Vought TA-7P Corsair II	6	1984	1999
Fournier RF-10	4	1984	1994	France
Dassault Falcon 20 DC	2	1985	1993	France	Used in VIP transport and MEDEVAC. Sold on the civilian market
	1		2005		Used in VIP transport, MEDEVAC and radio calibration. Preserved at Museu do Ar
Lockheed P-3P Orion	6	1985	2011	USA	Replaced by former-Dutch P-3C Update II.5/CUP-CG. One being used for crew training by CFMTFA.
Alexander Schleicher ASK 21	4	1986		Germany
Aérospatiale Epsilon TB-30	18	1989		France Portugal	Assembled in Portugal by OGMA
Dassault Falcon 50	3	1990		France
Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet A	50	1993	2018	France Germany	Former-Luftwaffe aircraft, offered by Germany for the use of the Beja Air Base — BA11[21]
General Dynamics F-16A OCU Fighting Falcon	17	1994		USA	Peace Atlantis I aircraft. Converted and updated to Mid Life Update (MLU) standard (F-16 AM/BM) by the Air Force workshops at Monte Real Air Base and OGMA[22]
General Dynamics F-16B OCU Fighting Falcon	3
CASA C-212-300 Aviocar	2	1994	2011	Spain	Replaced by C-295MPA
LET L-23 Blanik	3	1996		Czech Republic
de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk Lycoming engine	7	1997		UK Portugal	Refurbished from existing de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk aircraft
General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon	23	1999		USA	Peace Atlantis II aircraft. Updated to Mid Life Update (MLU) standard (F-16 AM/BM) by the Air Force workshops at Monte Real Air Base and OGMA[22] 9 F-16 AM and 3 F-16 BM transferred to the Romanian Air Force in 2015–2016. 3 ex-USAF F-16s including 2 F-16A and 1 F-16B delivered in 2019.[23]
General Dynamics F-16B Fighting Falcon	5
Advanced Ceramics Research Silver Fox	2	2004		USA	Used by the Portuguese Air Force Academy for research and development of aeronautical components and UAV systems[24]
AgustaWestland EH101	12	2005		UK Italy	6 Search and rescue variant, 4 Combat search and rescue variant and 2 fisheries protection variant.[25]
Lockheed P-3C Update II.5/CUP-CG Orion	5	2006		USA	Former-Dutch Navy aircraft. Receiving electronics upgrade to CUP+ standard
CASA C-295	12	2008		Spain	7 Transport aircraft (PG01) and 5 Maritime patrol aircraft (C-295 MPA, three PG02 and two PG03).[26]
ANTEX-M	4	2008		Portugal	Unmanned Air Vehicle prototype developed by the Portuguese Air Force Academy. At least four built and operated[24][27][28]
General Dynamics F-16B Fighting Falcon	3	2016		USA	Originally intended for Romania after undergoing upgrade; instead acquired to replace 3 Portuguese F-16 BM transferred to the Romanian Air Force. Updated to Mid Life Update (MLU) standard (F-16 BM) by the Air Force workshops at Monte Real Air Base and OGMA[22][29]
Eurocopter AS350 B3	3	2018		France	3 helicopters acquired by the Portuguese government in 2007 for the extinct public company EMA - Empresa de Meios Aéreos. These helicopters were transferred to the Portuguese Air Force in 2018.[30][31]
Leonardo AW119 Koala Mk. II	7	2019		UK Italy	Assembled at Leonardo's Philadelphia facility.[32] Two additional units received in 2023.[33][34]
UAVision OGASSA OGS42	12	2020		Portugal	Unmanned Air Vehicle used for Surveillance and Recognition, 4 of them equipped with VTOL capacity[35]
Kamov Ka-32A11BC	6	2022	2024	Russia	6 helicopters acquired by the Portuguese government in 2006 for the extinct public company EMA - Empresa de Meios Aéreos. This firefighting helicopters were received in 2022 from the Portuguese National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority.[36] In October 2022 the Ministry of National Defence confirms that the 6 helicopters will be sent to Ukraine as military aid due the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[37] The helicopters were received by Ukraine in 2024.[38]
Dassault Falcon 900	1	2023		France	Plane seized by the Portuguese Authorities and reverted to the Portuguese Air Force.[39]
Embraer C-390 Millennium	2+3	2023		Brasil Portugal	Five C-390s ordered in 2019 to replace its C-130s.[40]
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk	2+7	2023		USA	The Portuguese Air Force signed in August 2022 the acquisition of 6 UH-60A for use in fighting forest fires.[41] The Air Force announced that will order 3 additional units.[42]
Lockheed P-3C Orion Cup II	4+2[43]	2023		USA	The Government of Portugal acquired, for 45 million euros, 6 aircraft together with Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) sets, spare parts, support equipment and test benches, as well as flight simulators and tactical procedures. The aircraft will be received from 2023 to 2027.[44][45]
Canadair CL-515	0+2	2026		Canada	Two units purchased in 2022 to fight forest fires. To be received in 2026[46][33]

Army

After Military Aeronautics became an independent branch, the Portuguese Army activated a small aviation component in its Artillery Arm. This aviation component was disbanded in 1955, with its aircraft and role being transferred to the Air Force. The Army even signed two contracts for the purchase of helicopters, the first in the late 90s for the purchase of Eurocopter EC635 helicopters, which was canceled in 2002 due the lack of a certification to fire HOT 2 anti-tank missiles. In 2012 the acquisition of 10 NH-90 helicopters was canceled after the economic crisis that hit the country that year. The Portuguese Army would only operate air assets in the 21st century, where it currently employs a wide range of UAVs.

Aircraft	Qty	In service	Retired	Origin	Notes
Piper PA-18/L-21 B Super Cub	22	1952	1955	USA	Transferred to the PoAF (Used by former Army Artillery Arm)
Griffon Aerospace MQM-170 Outlaw	?	2012		USA	Target drone, operated by Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment No. 1.[47][48]
DJI Mavic PRO	?	2018		China	Seen in use by Portuguese Paratroopers and Madeira Military Operational Command. Number of units purchased unknown.[49][50]
AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven	36	2019		USA	36 aircraft or twelve systems (together with associated services and equipment) were purchased through the NSPA on 20 August 2018.[51]
SenseFly eBee X	?	2020		Switzerland	Used by the Army Geospatial Information Center for mapping missions.[52]
DJI Matrice 300 RTK	?	2020		China	Used by Madeira Military Operational Command for surveillance.[53] Madeira Military Operational Command also plans to acquire a long-range drone. Number of units purchased unknown.[54]
MyFlyDream Nimbus Tricopter 1800	?	2020		China	Unmanned aerial vehicle with VTOL capacity, used by Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment No. 1. Number of units purchased unknown.[55]
Parrot ANAFI	2	2022		France	Used by Special Operations Troops Centre.[56]
MicroUAV	?	2022		?	Seen in use with the Garrison Regiment Nº3.[57]
Autel EVO II Dual 640T Enterprise V2	?	2023		Chnia	Seen in use for the first time in 2023.[58]
Beyond Vision BVQ418		2024		Portugal	Smart Quadcopter with Thethered Capabilities[59]

National Republican Guard

Aircraft	Qty	In service	Retired	Origin	Notes
Sud Aviation Alouette II	2	1976	?	France	Former Portuguese Air Force helicopter. Used for highway patrol.[60][61]
Tekever AR4	4	2014		Portugal	At least 4 units received.[62][63][64]
DJI Mavic PRO	?	?		China	[65]
UAVision UX Spyro	?	?		Portugal
Tekever AR5	1	2024		Portugal	Operated by GNR from Figueira da Foz[66]

Naval Aviation

The Navy's Aviação Naval (Naval Aviation) was created in 1917. In 1993, the Naval Aviation was reborn with the creation of the Esquadrilha de Helicópteros da Marinha (Navy's Helicopter Squadron), which operates the helicopters that serve on board the Navy's ships.

Aircraft	Qty	In service	Retired	Origin	Notes
F.B.A. Type B	3	1917	1918
Donnet-Denhaut D.D.8	18	1918	1923	France	Eight left by the French Aeronavale at Aveiro[67][68]
Tellier T.3	5	1918	1928
Georges Levy G.L.40HB-2	2	1918	?	France	Left by the French Aeronavale at Aveiro
Felixstowe F.3	3	1920	1922	UK
Curtiss HS-2L	4	1921	1931	USA	Left by the United States Navy at Horta. Started flying in 1923
Fairey IIID/IIID Mk.2	6	1922	1931	UK
Fokker T.IIIW	4	1924	1933	Netherlands
Avro 504K	3	1925	1927	UK	The first wheel aircraft
CAMS 37A	8	1927	1935		[69]
Hanriot H.41H	8	1927	1935		[69]
Macchi M.18	9	1928	1934
de Havilland DH-60HG Gipsy Moth	8	1929	1942	UK	Bought four directly from de Havilland. Other four were built from parts after the loss of the first four in accidents
Fleet F-10	26	1933	1953		Several batches
Fleet F-10B
Fleet F-10G
Junkers K 43W	5	1933	1941	Germany Sweden	Manufactured in Sweden
Hawker Osprey III	8	1935	1942	UK
Blackburn Shark IIA	6	1936	1938	UK
General Aircraft Monospar S.T.12	1	1936	1943
Avro 626	12	1939	1950	UK
Grumman G-21B Goose	12	1940	1952	USA	Transferred to PoAF
Grumman G-44 Widgeon	12	1941	1952	USA	Transferred to PoAF
Short Sunderland I	1	1941	1944	UK	Interned after force landing in Portugal due to storm
Fleet 16	5	1942	?	UK
Miles Martinet T.T.I	4	1943	1952	UK	Transferred to PoAF
Airspeed Oxford II	12	1943	1952	UK	Transferred to PoAF
Bristol Blenheim IVF	12	1943	?	UK
de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth	30	1943	1952	UK	Transferred to PoAF
Bristol Beaufighter TF.X	17	1945	1946	UK	[70]
Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan	7	1947	1952	USA	Transferred to PoAF
Beechcraft D-18S	5	1948	1952	USA	Transferred to PoAF
North American SNJ-4	8	1950	1952	USA	Transferred to PoAF
Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver	14	1950	1952	USA	Used only for spares
Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver	24				Transferred to PoAF
AgustaWestland Super Lynx Mk.95A	5	1993		UK	The first aircraft of the recreated Naval Aviation
Tekever AR4	?	2014		Portugal	Given to the Navy by its manufacturer to improve its development[71]
Tekever AR3	?	2015		Portugal	In service with the Portuguese Navy at least since 2015[72]
UAVision OGASSA OGS42 V	2	2020		Portugal	Acquired two units to be operated from Frigates and Offshore patrol vessels[73][74]
UAVision UX Spyro	4	2020		Portugal	Purchased at least 4 units to be operated from Frigates and Offshore patrol vessels. Designate Açor-class[75]
Beyond Vision VTOne	6	2023		Portugal	Acquired 6 units in early 2023[76][77]
Beyond Vision HEIFU	6	2023		Portugal	Acquired 6 units in early 2023[77]
Autel EVO II Dual 640T Enterprise V2	?	2023		China	Seen in use for the first time in 2023.[78]
AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma	?	2024		USA	In service since 2024[79]

Military Aeronautics

The Army's Aeronáutica Militar (Military Aeronautics) was the first military aviation service created in Portugal and much of the Portuguese aviation origins date back to it.

Aircraft	Qty	In service	Retired	Origin	Notes
Maurice Farman Type 1911-1912	1	1912	1916	France
Deperdussin Type B	1	1912	1916	France
Maurice Farman MF-11	3	1912	1917	France
Farman F.40	5	1916	1920	France
Morane-Saulnier H	1	1916	?	France
Caudron G.III	58	1916	?	France Portugal	50 built from 1922 at Alverca
Nieuport Ni.83	7	1917	?	France
Caudron G.IV	9	1918	1923	France
Breguet 14 A.2	28	1919	?	France
Breguet 14 T.2	1
SPAD S.VII C.1	12	1919	1935	France	More units possibly received
Martinsyde F-4 Buzzard	4	1919	1933	UK
Nieuport Ni.21	8	1920	?	France
Nieuport Ni.80	3	1920	?	France
Breguet 16 Bn.2	1	1921	?	France
Vickers Valparaiso II	4	1923	1933	UK
Vickers Valparaiso I	10	1924
Caudron C.59	1	1924	?	France
Fairey IIID	1	1924	1925	UK
Avro 548 AX Airdisco	2	1924	1933	UK
Avro 504K	27	1924	1937	UK
Dornier Wal	1	1927	?	Germany
Potez 25 Bidon	1	1928	1937	France
Potez 25 A.2	35	1931	1943
Junkers W 34L	1	1928	1936	Germany
Farman F.191	1	1929	1934	France
Morane-Saulnier MS.130	1	1931	?	France
Morane-Saulnier MS.133	4	1931	?	France
Morane-Saulnier MS.233	15	1931	?	France	Built under license
Junkers A50Ce Junior	1	1931	1940	Germany
Vickers Valparaiso III	13	1933	1943	UK	Built under license
de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth	11	1934	1952	UK Portugal	Small number of airframes built under license in Alverca; Transferred to PoAF
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth	9
de Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth	1	1934	?	UK	Aircraft named "Dilly", did Lisbon-Timor-Macau-India-Lisbon flight on December 25, 1934
Avro 631 Cadet	1	1934	1952	UK
Caproni Ca.100 Caproncino	1	1934	1940	Italy
Caproni Ca.113 Farfalla	1	1934	1939	Italy
Hawker Fury I	3	1934	1945	UK
Avro 626 Tutor	31	1936	1952	UK
Junkers Ju 52	12	1936	1952	Germany	Transferred to PoAF[1][2]
Junkers Ju 52/3 mg3e
de Havilland DH.84 Dragon	3	1937	?	UK
Hawker Hind	4	1937	?	UK
de Havilland DH.88 Comet	1	1937	?	UK	Reregistered CS-AAJ Salazar
Junkers Ju 86K-7	10	1938	1948	Germany
Gloster Gladiator II	30	1938	1952	UK	[80][81][82]
Breda Ba.65Bis	10	1939	1941	Italy
Curtiss 75A-4 Mohawk	17	1941	1945	USA
Miles Master II/III	13	1941	1958	UK
Miles Martinet T.T.I	7	1942	?	UK
Lockheed P-38F Lightning	2	1942	1945	USA	Interned during WWII after an emergency landing in Lisbon[83]
Lockheed P-38G Lightning
Supermarine Spitfire I	18	1942	1948	UK
Supermarine Spitfire VB	93	1943	1952		Transferred to PoAF
Bell P-400 Airacobra	15	1942	1950	USA	Interned during WWII[84][85]
Bell P-39L Airacobra	4
Consolidated B-24/PB4Y-1 Liberator	6	1943	?	USA	Interned during WWII
Douglas C-47 Dakota	1	1944	1952	USA	Interned during WWII. Transferred to PoAF[3]
de Havilland Hornet Moth	1	1943	?	UK
Bristol Blenheim IV	10	1943	1947	UK
Bristol Blenheim V	3
Lockheed Hudson III/VI	3	1943	?	USA	Interned during WWII
Hawker Hurricane IIB/IIC	142	1943	1954	UK
Westland Lysander IIIA	13	1943	1952	UK
Vickers Wellington X	1	1943	?	UK	Interned during WWII
Airspeed Oxford	19	1943	1952	UK	Transferred to PoAF
Miles Magister I	10	1946	1952	UK	Transferred to PoAF
Beechcraft Bonanza	1	1947	?	USA
Avro Anson T.1	10	1947	1952	UK	Transferred to PoAF
North American AT-6A Texan	48	1947	1952	USA	Transferred to PoAF
North American AT-6B Texan
North American AT-6C Texan
North American AT-6G Texan
Boeing SB-17G Flying Fortress	5	1947	1960	USA	Transferred to PoAF
Douglas C-54 Skymaster	9	1947	1978	USA	Transferred to PoAF
Douglas SC-54/HC-54 Searchmaster	9	1947	?	USA	3 used for spares
de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide	1	1950	1952	UK	Transferred to PoAF
de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk	10	1951	1952	UK	Transferred to PoAF
Piper PA-18/L-21 B Super Cub	22	1952	1955	USA	Used by Army artillery for observation, already after dissolution of the Army Aviation and the creation of the PoAF in 1952. Transferred to PoAF only in 1955

See also

• Portuguese military aircraft serials
• Portuguese Naval Aviation
• Portuguese Air Force
• Portuguese Colonial War
• OGMA
• UALE