Provide support for fire fighting operations. (currently not applicable)
History
Formed on September 23, 1977, with the initial designation of Transport and Maritime Patrol Squadron (Portuguese: Esquadra de Transporte e Patrulhamento Marítimo), its origins date back to 1952, when upon the merger of the Army's Aviation and the Naval Aviation these services' transport aircraft — Junkers Ju 52, C-54 Skymaster and C-47 Dakota — were transferred to the Portuguese Air Force (PoAF).[1]
With this reorganization of the Portuguese military aviation, the two C-54 Skymaster of the former Army's Aviation, which were based at Lajes Air Base transporting passengers between Lisbon and Azores, were transferred to Portela. With the acquisition of five more C-54 in 1953, the Military Air Transports (Portuguese: Transportes Aéreos Militares, TAM) constitutes its first transport squadron based at Portela, the 81 Squadron.[2]
Two groups of the Military Air Transports were created, the first constituted by the already existing C-54 Skymaster and C-47 Dakota aircraft, which continued to be based at Portela; and the second group was an independent unit to be equipped with ten Douglas DC-6, which was based at Air Base No. 6, in Montijo, with the motto "Onde Necessário, Quando Necessário" (Where required, when required). The first DC-6 was delivered on March 10, 1961.
With the start of the Ultramar War there was the necessity for a medium-range aircraft capable of performing transportation in the theater of operations. Six Nord Noratlas aircraft were then purchased from the French UAT airline. A new squadron, 92 Squadron was then formed in Luanda to operate these aircraft. Later, six additional aircraft were acquired for operations in Mozambique by 102 Squadron.
During the war, the transport between the continental Portugal and the oversea territories was performed by 81 Squadron, using the DC-6 and C-54 aircraft based at Portela (Air Base No. 1), while 82 Squadron was equipped with C-45 Expeditor, C-47, and Max Holste Broussard aircraft.
Numerous problems with the maintenance of the DC-6 fleet appeared along the years, mainly due to lack of planning and the age of the airplanes. In April 1968, the fleet consisted of 7 operating aircraft. Meanwhile, with the decision to give the Portuguese Air Force the responsibility for the transportation of the military personnel of all the three branches of the Armed Forces, two Boeing 707s were purchased, having performed their first mission on October 17, 1971. The DC-6s continued flying between the continent and the Azores and Guinea Bissau and the C-54s were finally retired from service. From the 81 Squadron then originated the 131 Squadron, now only with a few DC-6, and 82 Squadron was renamed as 132 Squadron, with the recently acquired 707.
In 1974, with the end of the war, the CASA C-212 aircraft entered service, replacing the C-47, C-45 and, in some missions, the Noratlas aircraft of 32 Squadron, based at Tancos. With the end of the war the Portuguese government then decided to transfer the 707 aircraft to TAP Portugal and to create a new medium- and long-range transport squadron, which was to be equipped with the Lockheed C-130 Hercules to replace the Noratlas, DC-6 and the transferred 707s.
On September 15, 1977, the first C-130H landed at Air Base No. 6, in Montijo, considered today as the "Squadron's Day".
In 1978, the 501 Squadron's initial designation was changed to 501 Transport Squadron "Bisontes".
The Portuguese Air Force is the aerial warfare force of Portugal. Locally it is referred to by the acronym FAP but internationally is often referred to by the acronym PoAF. It is the youngest of the three branches of the Portuguese Armed Forces.
No. 37 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) medium tactical airlift squadron. It operates Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules aircraft from RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales. The squadron has seen active service flying transport aircraft during World War II, the Vietnam War, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the military intervention against ISIL. It has also supported Australian humanitarian and peacekeeping operations around the world, including in Somalia, East Timor, Bali, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.
The Nord Noratlas was a dedicated military transport aircraft, developed and manufactured by French aircraft manufacturer Nord Aviation.
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The 39th Airlift Squadron is a United States Air Force unit based at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. The unit flies the Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules. It is primarily tasked to transport cargo and personnel, and where circumstances require, airdrop them. It traces its history to 1942 and fought in the Pacific during the Second World War.
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The 711 Squadron "Albatrozes" was a flying squadron of the Portuguese Air Force. Its primary mission was Search and Rescue and it has had secondary missions tactical air transport and general air transport in the Azores archipelago. During the time it was active it was the only operational squadron in the Portuguese military to operate both rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft.
The 302 Squadron "Falcões" / "Águias Reais" is an attack and air defense squadron of the Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) disbanded in 1996.
The 304 Squadron "Magníficos" is an attack and air defense squadron of the Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) disbanded in 1999.
The 103 Squadron "Caracóis" is a jet advanced training squadron of the Portuguese Air Force. Prior to 1978, the "Caracóis" also received following designations: 22 Squadron, Esquadra de Instrução Complementar de Pilotagem (EICP) and Esquadra de Instrução Complementar de Pilotagem em Aviões de Combate (EICPAC).
The 313th Expeditionary Operations Group is a Provisional United States Air Force unit, assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe to activate or inactivate as needed. It was last active at Moron Air Base, Spain, supporting Operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya. It was inactivated on 31 October 2011.
The 47th Airlift Flight is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 375th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, where it served as an operational support airlift flight, operating Learjet C-21s from 1997 until 2004.
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The 1501st Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit, being inactivated on 8 January 1966.
The 1608th Air Transport Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Eastern Transport Air Force of Military Air Transport Service (MATS) at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. It performed strategic airlift missions until it was discontinued on 8 January 1966 and replaced by the 437th Military Airlift Wing of Military Airlift Command, which inherited its honors, but not its lineage or history.
The 502 Squadron "Elefantes" is a transport squadron of the Portuguese Air Force. Its primary mission is tactical air transport and has the secondary mission of providing additional pilot training in multi-engine aircraft and in navigation, search and rescue, and general air transport.
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601 Squadron "Lobos" is a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare squadron of the Portuguese Air Force (PoAF), currently based at Beja Air Base. It operates the Lockheed P-3C CUP+ Orion.
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