For more than four decades, different versions of the classic Dassault Mirage fighter have served as some of the most potent combat aircraft in Latin America. Equipping the air forces of seven South American nations in significant quantities, the delta-winged jets have seen action in various different wars and internal conflicts, and they continue to fulfill their mission with a number of operators.This book tells the story of all the members of the Mirage family in service with Latin American air arms, with individual histories of the air arms and their constituent units that have operated the Dassault-designed fighter, as well as its Israeli and South African derivatives.The volume provides a comprehensive collection of color photographs and profile artworks that cover all the variants, plus maps, and tables that illustrate the individual stories of all the aircraft, their units and their various weapons.

Latin American Mirages: Mirage III / 5 / F.1 / 2000 in Service with South American Air Arms

History

Rivas, Santiago

Cicalesi, Juan Carlos

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Harpia Publishing

In the 1960's guerrillas were operating in almost all Latin American countries, as well as in Africa and Asia, and the need of specialized weapons to fight them arose. The Argentine Air Force, seeing this threat grow, asked the FMA factory to produce a counterinsurgency airplane to equip the force, but also to offer on the international market. After several proposals were analyzed, a final product emerged, called the IA-58 Pucará, a robust twin turboprop aircraft with heavy internal weapons, planned to operate from unprepared airstrips on very hard conditions. The plane entered service with the Argentine Air Force in 1975 and more than 100 were produced over the years, with several versions being developed or proposed.It was purchased by Uruguay, Colombia and Sri Lanka, the type gained world notoriety when they took part on the 1982 South Atlantic war, but also had combat experience in Colombia and Sri Lanka, and was tested by the Royal Air Force.Now, with the original version already retired, the Argentine Air Force plans to convert them into the Pucará Fénix version, with new engines and avionics, with new missions too, like intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.While some aspects of its story were described in many publications, most of it has never been told until now, including many unknown proposed versions and details of its operational record, both in Argentina and in the other countries that operated the plane.

The Argentine Flying Fortress: The Story of the FMA IA-58 Pucará

Americas

Air World

Colombian military aviation is one of the most powerful in Latin America and comprises aviation divisions from four branches: the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (FAC, Colombian Air Force), Armada Nacional de la República de Colombia (ARC, Colombian National Navy), Ejército Nacional de Colombia (EJC, Colombian National Army) and Policía Nacional de Colombia (PNC, National Police of Colombia). While the FAC has been operating for more than a century, and remains the main aviation force, the other three have become very powerful and efficient forces over the past 40 years. The PNC is the biggest force of its type in the world. Colombia has struggled for decades with internal conflicts involving guerrilla groups and drug traffickers. In recent years, the threat posed by Venezuela has forced its aviation units to develop fighting capabilities from largely asymmetric warfare to facing a more conventional enemy. With over 180 images, this book provides a look at the history, organization, deployment, missions and aircraft of all four of Colombia's aviation forces.

Air Forces of Latin America: Colombia (Air Forces Series)

Key Publishing

Air Forces of Latin America: Chile (Air Forces Series)

In 1982 the second largest country in South America went to war with one of the major NATO powers, over a sparsely populated group of islands in a remote corner of the South Atlantic. Known as the 'Falklands' in Great Britain (even if few Britons knew of their existence before 1982), and as the 'Malvinas' in Argentina (which laid claim to the islands), the skies above and beyond this apparently insignificant territory became the backdrop to a major sea, air, and land war that neither side could afford to lose.
For the first time, Wings of the Malvinas provides a comprehensive and exhaustively researched history of the battle from the Argentinean side, from the first landings at Stanley airport to the near-suicidal bombing attacks on the Royal Navy landing force in the San Carlos strait. Far more than just a history of units and operations, Wings of the Malvinas uncovers the personal stories from both sides of the conflict: "The earth seemed to come to life; missiles, tracers, explosions, and they all seemed to be coming towards my plane. I knew I mustn't lose concentration! ...Again I pulled the trigger, watching the rockets heading for the target, when suddenly I heard bangs shaking my plane again and again. A light, an explosion and sparks began to jump everywhere to the right of my instrument panel...the canopy disintegrated and I felt the freezing air from outside. I was flying just 30 feet from the ground and I was out of control! My hands flew to the ejection handle. There was nothing more to do, I was very low, out of control and I felt that death was very close, but I wasn't scared, I was quiet."
Illustrated throughout with maps, diagrams and more than 450 photographs - the vast majority of them previously unseen, Wings of the Malvinas is the definitive account of the Argentinean air war over the Falkland Islands and the hostile waters of the South Atlantic.

Wings of the Malvinas: The Argentine Air War over the Falklands

Hikoki Publications

Following World War I, and aided by the many German and Italian immigrants, the aviation industry of Latin America developed their first commercial airlines from Axis pre-WWII aircraft. While Latin American commercial aviation was greatly influenced by the German aviation industry, its military aviation focused pimarily on Italian combat aircraft. This new book features many famous Axis aircraft from the inter-war period, including the Junkers Ju 52/3m and F.13 transports, the Dornier Do J Wal flying boat, the Focke Wulf Fw 58 Weihe, the Fiat CR.20 fighter, as well as the only Japanese type, the Mitsubishi Betty. This colorful and detailed history will be of interest to WWII aviation enthusiasts and modelers alike.

Axis Aircraft in Latin America

Tincopa, Amaru

Military

This book covers the story of all the British military aircraft that served in Latin America since 1940. Though the presence of British combat types is now almost gone from the skies over Latin America, its legacy will last for a long time. 
After World War II, Britain was happy to sell the most modern equipment to the region giving it an advantage over the United States, hitherto the main provider of planes to Latin American air forces. This was one of the main reasons why many air forces chose to buy British combat aircraft up to the 1970s. 
In many countries Gloster Meteors or de Havilland Vampires were the first jet combat aircraft, while the Argentina’s Avro Lancasters and Lincolns was once the most potent bomber force in Latin America. BAC Canberras had five South American operators, were the only jet bombers in use in the region and saw action several times. Combat activity by British types include Argentine planes used during the 1955 revolution and ironically Argentine Canberras in action during the Malvinas/Falklands War against British forces, Cuban Sea Furies over the Bay of Pigs, Peruvian Canberras in the conflicts with Ecuador, Chilean Hunters during the 1973 coup d’etat, Dominican Vampires, Mosquitoes and Beaufighters in internal struggles.

British Combat Aircraft in Latin America

Europe

Hikoki

Wings of Argentina: Argentina's Aircraft Industry Since 1927

Business & Money

Benedetto, Fernando

Biography & History

In 1961 - two years after a revolution in Cuba overran the government of Fulgencio Batista - a group of Cuban exiles (backed by the CIA) landed on the beaches of the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro from the new government. After three days of intense fighting on the beaches and swamps around the area, the invaders were defeated by Castro’s forces and most of them surrendered, while a few managed to escape to the ships. Failures in the plans developed by the CIA and the lack of decision by the Kennedy administration were decisive in a fiasco that became one of the most shameful defeats by a US-backed operation in the 20th century. Among the forces that defended the Cuban Revolution, the Revolutionary Air Force played a key role - despite their lack of operational planes and pilots - sinking the main transport ships of the expeditionary force and forcing the others to leave, while abandoning the invading force on the beaches until they ran out of ammunition. Also, they won the control of the air space over the area - denying their use to the A-26 Invaders of the exiles - and thus leaving the ground forces with no close air support. The exiles fought remarkably against a much more powerful enemy and even won the first round of combat, but the lack of support left them with no ammunition or food, while the enemy forces thrown against them grew more and more as the hours since the landing passed by. In the end, they ran out of ammunition and had to surrender. After more than 50 years, much was written about the invasion, but only ever showing one side of the coin - told by veterans or historians from the Castro side their part of the story (and being highly subjective in the process). This book attempts to show the full picture from an objective point of view - gathering information from some of the few veterans still alive and from information both previously published and never published before.

Playa Girón: The Cuban Exiles' Invasion at the Bay of Pigs 1961 (Latin America@War)

Helion and Company

When the Second World War erupted, Latin America - despite being initially neutral - became part of it. Brazil, with its large provision of goods to the Allied Powers, was soon a victim of the Axis submarines - leading to the urgent development of an anti-submarine aviation arm. As it was developed, it also sent a fighter squadron and an observation unit to the Mediterranean Front - taking part in the operations over Northern Italy and supporting the Brazilian ground forces, as well as other Allied units, until the end of the war. This book covers the story of both the operations along the Brazilian coasts and on Italy and contains a large volume of information that is not been published in English before, including many photographs, and color profiles of the aircraft.

Brazilians at War: Brazilian Aviation in the Second World War (Latin America@War)

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