The
Colombian Navy also known as the
"Armada Nacional" or just the
"Armada" in Spanish, is the naval branch of the military forces of
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
The Navy is responsible for security and defence in the colombian zones of both the Atlantic (Caribbean) and Pacific oceans, the extensive network of rivers inside the country, and a few small land areas under its direct jurisdiction.
As of 2010, the Colombian Navy had 35,502 personnel including approximately 22,000 in the Marine Infantry corps.
"
ARC", is used both as the official
ship prefixA ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship.Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. Civilian prefixes are often...
for all the Colombian Navy ships, as well as the common acronym for the navy itself.
History
The Colombian Navy was born with Colombian independence from Spain. The president of the Supreme Board of Cartagena, José María García Toledo, created the Naval Command Office by means of a decree dated September 17, 1810. The navy was placed under the command of Captain Juan Nepomuceno Eslava, junior son of the (former) Spanish Viceroy
Sebastián de EslavaSebastián de Eslava y Lazaga was a Spanish general and colonial official. From April 24, 1740 to November 6, 1749 he was viceroy of the newly reestablished Viceroyalty of New Granada. He was governing the colony at the time of the defeat of British Admiral Edward Vernon at Cartagena de Indias...
.
On June 28, 1822, General
Francisco de Paula SantanderFrancisco José de Paula Santander y Omaña , was a Colombian military and political leader during the 1810–1819 independence war of the United Provinces of New Granada...
created the Naval School, which was later on decommissioned until 1907, when President
Rafael Reyes PrietoRafael Reyes Prieto was Chief of Staff of the Colombian National Army and President of Colombia .- Biographic data :...
created the Naval Academy, through decree 783 of July 6, 1907 only to be closed off yet again by his successor,
Ramón González ValenciaRamón González Valencia was a Colombian conservative, military officer and statesman. He participated in the civil wars of 1876, Colombian Civil War of 1895, and the Thousand Days War.- Biographic data :...
on December 28, 1909.
The conflict with Peru in 1932 made the Colombian Navy reappear, this time to stay. New ships were acquired and the
"Escuela de Grumetes" (Navy Sailors School) was founded in 1934 and the
"Escuela de Cadetes" (Navy Officers School) was founded in 1935. Nowadays both schools continue their work of instructing the Colombian men and women of the sea.
Engagements and Conflicts
- Battle of Lake Maracaibo
The Battle of Lake Maracaibo also known as the "Naval Battle of the Lake" was fought on 24 July 1823 in Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo between Admiral José Prudencio Padilla and royalist Captain Ángel Laborde....
- Thousand Days War
The Thousand Days' War , was a civil armed conflict in the newly created Republic of Colombia, between the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and its radical factions. In 1899 the ruling conservatives were accused of maintaining power through fraudulent elections...
(Civil war)
- Colombia-Peru War
The Colombia–Peru War was an armed conflict between the Republic of Colombia and the Republic of Peru.-Civilian takeover:...
- World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
- Colombian Armed Conflict
The Colombian armed conflict or Colombian Civil War are terms that are employed to refer to the current asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict in Colombia that has existed since approximately 1964 or 1966, between the Colombian government and peasant guerrillas such as the Revolutionary Armed...
World War II, the U-154 Incident
While initially declaring neutrality, but nevertheless being aligned towards the Allied cause, Colombia declared a state of war against Germany on November 23, 1943. The Colombian navy was already active on combat patrols in the Caribbean, after multiple depredations by U-boats in the area towards US and UK ships entering or leaving the
Panama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. On March 29, 1944 the tanker ARC
Cabimas was en route from Cartagena to Panama City, escorted by the destroyer ARC
Caldas under the command of Captain Federico Diago. Around 8:00 pm, the
Caldas detected the periscope of a U-boat and proceeded to engage with cannon fire and depth mines. Later accounts identified this U-boat as the
U-154. While badly shaken and perhaps damaged, the
U-154 managed to escape, and was finally sunk four months later in another engagement with the
USS FrostUSS Frost was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys...
and the
USS InchUSS Inch was named after Rear Admiral Richard Inch, who served with distinction during the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War....
. For his quick reaction in defence of the national seas, Captain Diago was later decorated by the Colombian government.
Organization
The Navy is part of the executive branch of the Colombian Government, the
President of ColombiaThe President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
being the commander-in-chief of all military forces,via the civilian
Minister of DefenseThe Ministry of National Defence , is the national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the armed forces of Colombia, similar to the defense ministries in...
, and the General Commander of Military Forces , who is a senior officer appointed by the president from any of the 3 services (Army, Air Force or Navy). The most senior officer organic to the Navy is the Commander of the Navy .
Forces and Commands
The Colombian Navy operates with 7 specialized forces or commands across the territory:
- Marine Infantry Command
The Colombian Naval Infantry and also referred to as Colombian Marines is the marine force of the Colombian National Armada. The 24,000-member Colombian Marine Infantry is organized into a single division with four brigades , each with several battalions plus numerous small security units.-...
: Land, amphibious and riverine operations across all territory.
- Naval Force of the Pacific: Surface and submarine defense and patrol of the Colombian Pacific sea.
- Naval Force of the Caribbean: Surface and submarine defense and patrol of the Colombian Caribbean sea.
- Naval Force of the South: Riverine operations across the Southern and Southeastern areas of the country.
- Coast Guard Command: Maritime security, control, monitoring and interdiction in both Caribbean and Pacific seas.
- Navy Aviation Command: Naval air support, surveillance, transport and logistics and Search and Rescue.
- Specific Command of San Andres y Providencia:Surface and submarine defense and patrol of the Colombian Caribbean sea around the San Andres Archipelago.
Naval educational institutions
Along with the 7 operational commands above, the Colombian Navy maintains 3 major training schools for its personnel:
- Naval Academy: Escuela Naval de Cadetes Almirante Padilla
- Navy NCO School: Escuela Naval de Suboficiales ARC Barranquilla
- Marine Infantry Basic School: Escuela de Formación Infantería de Marina
The Navy also has 12 other post graduate schools aimed at sharpening and intensifying the needed capacities and personnel of the various naval services and the Marine Corps.
Operating Bases
The ARC maintains a number of major bases in both Caribbean and Pacific littorals, as well as multiple operational riverine bases scattered over the territory.
The principal naval bases are:
- Naval Base ARC Bolívar (BN-1), near Cartagena
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
, 10°24′42.91"N 75°32′55.62"W
- Naval Base ARC Bahía Málaga (BN-2), near Buenaventura
Buenaventura is a port city and municipality located in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia . Buenaventura is the main port of Colombia in the Pacific Ocean....
, 3°58′8.64"N 77°19′1.09"W
- Naval Base ARC Leguízamo (BN-3), near Puerto Leguízamo
Puerto Leguizamo is a town and municipality located in the Putumayo Department, Republic of Colombia.-External links:...
, 0°12′10.92"S 74°46′37.29"W
- Naval Base ARC San Andrés (BN-4), at San Andrés, 12°31′31.16"N 81°43′48.61"W
- Naval Base ARC Barranquilla (BN-5), near Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
, 11°0′19.55"N 74°47′8.35"W
some of the more important operational bases are:
- Riverine and Coast Guard Post, near Tumaco
Tumaco is a port city and municipality in the Nariño Department, Colombia, by the Pacific Ocean. It is located on the southwestern of Colombia, near to border with Ecuador, and enjoys of hot tropical climate...
, 1°48′43.56"N 78°45′59.33"W
- Riverine and Marine Infantry Post, near Leticia, 4°12′48.25"S 69°56′46.23"W
- Riverine and Marine Infantry Post, near Puerto Berrío
Puerto Berrío is a municipality and town in the Colombian department of Antioquia.-Geography:Puerto Berrío is located in a region of Antioquia known as the Middle Magdalena...
6°29′27.32"N 74°23′44.91"W
- Riverine and Marine Infantry Post, near Puerto Carreño
Puerto Carreño is the departmental capital, and a municipality, of the department of Vichada in the llanos of Colombia.-History:In 1913 the Colombian government created the province of Vichada and it was decided that its capital should be at the convergence of the Orinoco and Meta rivers where...
6°10′43.63"N 67°28′54.49"W
- Riverine and Marine Infantry Post, near Puerto Inírida
Inírida, formerly Puerto Inírida, is the capital city, and a municipality, of the department of Guainía in Colombia. It was established in 1963 on the site of the small village of Obando, at the time in the municipality of San Felipe. The municipality was renamed in 1974...
3°52′7.35"N 67°55′43.41"W
Personnel
, the Colombian Navy fields approximately 35,000 personnel, including roughly 22,000 Marine Infantry, 8,000 sailors and NCOs, 2,500 Officers, 1,300 personnel in training and some 2,000 civilians (these usually deployed to specialty technical or medical posts).
Ranks & Insignias
The tables below display the rank structures and rank insignias for the Colombian Navy personnel.
|
Ranks and Insignias - Colombian Navy |
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Officers
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|style="white-space:nowrap;"|NATO code [Colombia is not a member of NATO, so there is not an official equivalence between the Colombian military ranks and those defined by NATO. The displayed parallel is approximate and for illustration purposes only.]
|OF-10>
OF-9 |
OF-8 |
OF-7 |
OF-6 |
OF-5 |
OF-4 |
OF-3 |
OF-2 |
OF-1 |
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|No equivalent
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|>
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| -
|Almirante
|Almirante de Escuadra
|Vicealmirante
|Contralmirante
|Capitán de Navío
|Capitán de Fragata
|Capitán de Corbeta
|Teniente de Navío
|Teniente de Fragata
|Teniente de Corbeta>
|
|Abbr.>
- |
ALM |
ALME |
VALM |
CALM |
CN |
CF |
CC |
TN |
TF |
TC |
|
- |
Admiral Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
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Squadron Admiral Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
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Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
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Rear AdmiralRear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
,
Counter AdmiralCounter admiral is a rank found in many navies of the world, but no longer used in English-speaking countries, where the equivalent rank is rear admiral...
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Ship-of-the-line Captain Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
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Frigate CaptainCommander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
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Corvette CaptainCommander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
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Ship-of-the-line LieutenantLieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
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Frigate Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
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Corvette LieutenantEnsign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
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Non-Commissioned Officers and Seamen
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|style="white-space:nowrap;"|NATO code |
OR-9 |
OR-8 |
OR-7 |
OR-6 |
OR-5 |
OR-4 |
OR-3 |
OR-2 |
OR-1 |
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|style="background:lightgray"|
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|No equivalent>
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|style="background:lightgray"|
|Suboficial Jefe Técnico de Comando Conjunto
|Suboficial Jefe Técnico de Comando
|Suboficial Jefe Técnico
|Suboficial Jefe
|Suboficial Primero
|Suboficial Segundo
|Suboficial Tercero
|Marinero Primero
|Marinero Segundo
| ->
|
|Abbr.>
|
SJTCC |
SJTC |
SJT |
SJ |
S1 |
S2 |
S3 |
MA1 |
MA2 |
- |
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Joint Command Chief Technical Petty Officer A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
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Command Chief Technical Petty Officer A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
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Chief Technical Petty Officer A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
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Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
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Petty Officer First ClassA petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
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Petty Officer Second ClassA petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
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Petty Officer Third ClassA petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
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SeamanSeaman is one of the lowest ranks in a Navy. In the Commonwealth it is the lowest rank in the Navy, followed by Able Seaman and Leading Seaman, and followed by the Petty Officer ranks....
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Seaman RecruitSeaman is one of the lowest ranks in a Navy. In the Commonwealth it is the lowest rank in the Navy, followed by Able Seaman and Leading Seaman, and followed by the Petty Officer ranks....
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Ships
In keeping with its 3 major operational scenarios: blue-water operations, littoral/riverine operations and coast guard, the ARC maintains a mix of ships suited to each of those profiles. The scope of its operation has been historically oriented towards lightly armed coastal patrol, and as such, the majority of its vessels had been usually mid-size cutters. Traditionally, the ARC has had strong ties to the American and German navies and shipbuilders and much of its equipment traces its roots to them.
Similar to other navies in the latin-american region, the Colombian Navy acquired many vessels in the postwar years of the 50s and 60s, usually as war surplus from the US Navy, and then went through a somewhat dormant period during the 60s to 80s, during which few major acquisitions were performed.
In more recent years, the Colombian Navy has seen two major periods of upgrading and modernization of its equipment:
The first period, as a result of the rise of the drug trade in the late 70s and 80s as well as, at the time, increased political tensions in the Caribbean due to territorial disputes with some of its neighbors -with Nicaragua over the
San Andres archipelagoSan Andrés is a coral island among the Colombian islands in the Caribbean Sea; it is the largest island of the southern group of islands. Together with the nearby island of Providencia and some smaller islands of the southern group of the Colombian archipelago, San Andrés forms the department of...
and with Venezuela over the
Los Monjes ArchipelagoThe Los Monjes islands, a federal dependency of Venezuela, are located to the northwest of the Gulf of Venezuela, 34.8 km off the coast of Guajira Peninsula, at the border between Colombia and the Venezuelan state of Zulia....
- saw the need for a stronger caribbean patrol force, and resulted in the acquisition of its biggest vessels to date, 4 missile corvettes ( later upgraded to light frigates ) in 1983 as well as some additional patrol craft.
The second period, as a consequence of the deepening in the internal Colombian conflict, started in late 90s and extended over to 2005-2006, provided strengthening of its riverine and littoral capabilities, involving R&D for new indigenous designs in collaboration with the state-owned Cotecmar shipyards that resulted in new types of vessels such as the state-of-the-art Riverine Support Patrol Boats , also called "riverine mothership" like the ARC
Juan Ricardo Oyola Vera (NF-613) which have drawn the eye of other navies with similar requirements.
Currently, the ARC is working on additional medium and long-term programs, including the development and acquisition of a number of Coastal Patrol Vessels (Fassmer CPV-40)
in 2011-2012, 2 Oceanic Oceanic Patrol Vessels (Fassmer OPV-80) (2011–2013), and the R&D of an indigenous corvette or frigate-class vessel (
"Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie"), planned towards 2018-2020.
7 October 2011,
South KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
is to donate a recently retired Po Hang-class
corvetteA corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
to
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
as part of a drive to boost arms exports to the South American region. Kun San (757) was decommissioned by the
Republic of Korea NavyThe Republic of Korea Navy or the ROK Navy is the branch of the South Korean armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and amphibious landing operations. The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which is a quasi-autonomous organization...
(RoKN) on 29 September, having been active for some 27 years since entering service in 1984.
Aircraft
The Navy Aviation Command operates approximately 30 fixed and rotary wing aircraft for naval surveillance and patrol, Search and Rescue (SAR) and logistical support of naval facilities and operations.
| Colombian Navy - Aircraft |
| Aircraft |
Origin |
Type |
Versions |
In service |
Notes |
| Fixed Wing |
Aero CommanderThe Aero Commander 500 is the first in a series of light-twin piston-engined aircraft originally built by the Aero Design and Engineering Company in the late 1940s. In 1950 it became the Aero Commander company, and a division of Rockwell International from 1965. The initial production version was...
|
|
utility transport |
Model 690 |
5 |
|
| CASA C-212 Aviocar |
|
transport |
C-212-100 |
1 |
|
CASA CN-235The CASA/IPTN CN-235 is a medium-range twin-engined transport plane that was jointly developed by CASA of Spain and IPTN of Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. Its primary military roles include maritime patrol, surveillance, and air transport...
|
|
transport/ Maritime patrol |
-200/-300 |
3 (2/1) |
|
| Cessna 206 Stationair |
|
utility |
|
3 |
|
| Gavilan 358 |
|
utility transport |
|
2 |
|
| Piper PA-28 Cherokee |
|
utility |
|
3 |
|
Piper PA-34 SenecaThe Piper PA-34 Seneca is an American twin-engined light aircraft, produced by Piper Aircraft since 1971 and still in production in 2011.The Seneca is primarily used for personal and business flying.-Development:...
|
|
utility |
|
4 |
|
| Cessna 208 |
|
utility |
|
|
|
| Rotary Wing |
| Bell 212 Twin Huey |
|
transport helicopter |
|
1 |
|
Bell 412The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212 model, the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.-Design and development:...
|
|
transport helicopter |
|
5 |
|
| MBB Bo 105 |
|
ASW/utility helicopter |
Bo 105CB |
2 |
|
Eurocopter AS 555 Fennec|-See also:-References:* Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.-External links:* * *...
|
|
utility helicopter |
AS 555 |
2 |
|
See also
- Colombian Marine Infantry
- Military Forces of Colombia
- Military ranks of the Colombian Armed Forces
- Army :The Colombian Army is the largest of the three service branches of the Military Forces of Colombia, tasked with defending sovereignity and law and order across the national territory....
External links
Colombian Navy Official site.
Ministerio de Defensa Nacional, Colombia Colombian Defense Ministry - Official site.
Colombia: Seguridad & Defensa Unofficial site - Extensive information about Colombian military forces.
UNFFMM página no oficial de las Fuerzas Militares de Colombia Unofficial fan site for the Military Forces of Colombia.