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.

AircraftQty In service Retired Origin Notes de Havilland DH-82 Tiger Moth 30(?) 1952 1954 UKPortugal Received from Aeronáutica Militar and Aviação Naval de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth Junkers Ju 52 12 1952 1972 Germany Received from Aeronáutica Militar 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 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 Douglas C-54 Skymaster 8 1947 1952 USA Some Ex-Aeronáutica Militar SC-54/HC-54 Searchmaster 10 1952 ? USA Ex-Aeronáutica Militar 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 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 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 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 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 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 Cessna T-37C 30 1961 1992 USA 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 Hagedorn and Hellström 1994 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) 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 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 4 operational units being modernized with a glass cockpit and new avionics by OGMA since 2019. 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 ex-RAAF P-3B c. 1968 and 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 FranceGermany Former-Luftwaffe aircraft, offered by Germany for the use of the Beja Air Base — BA11 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 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 2022 Czech Republic Retired from active service in 2022 de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk Lycoming engine 7 1997 UKPortugal 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 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. 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 AgustaWestland EH101 12 2005 UKItaly 6 Search and rescue variant, 4 Combat search and rescue variant and 2 fisheries protection variant. Lockheed P-3C Update II.5/CUP-CG Orion 5 2006 USA Former-Dutch Navy aircraft. Receive electronics upgrade to CUP+ standard. Since 2023, these aircraft are being modernized in Canada by General Dynamics Mission Systems to CUP+ Block II standard. CASA C-295 12 2008 Spain 7 Transport aircraft (PG01) and 5 Maritime patrol aircraft (C-295 MPA, three PG02 and two PG03). ANTEX-M 4 2008 ? Portugal Unmanned Air Vehicle prototype developed by the Portuguese Air Force Academy. At least four built and operated 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 OGMAEurocopter AS350 B332018France3 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. Leonardo AW119 Koala Mk. II 7 2019 UKItaly Assembled at Leonardo's Philadelphia facility. Two additional units received in 2023.UAVision OGASSA OGS42122020PortugalUnmanned Air Vehicle used for Surveillance and Recognition, 4 of them equipped with VTOL capacityKamov Ka-32A11BC620222024Russia6 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. 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. The helicopters were received by Ukraine in 2024.Dassault Falcon 90012023FrancePlane seized by the Portuguese Authorities and reverted to the Portuguese Air Force.Embraer C-390 Millennium3+32023Brasil PortugalFive C-390s ordered in 2019 and one ordered in 2025. Partially assembled by OGMA.Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk5+82023USAThe Portuguese Air Force signed in August 2022 the acquisition of 6 UH-60A helicopters. The Air Force announced in 2024 that has ordered 3 additional UH-60L helicopters. In 2026, Ace Aeronautics was selected to deliver 4 additional UH-60L helicopters.Lockheed P-3C Orion Cup II5+12023USAThe 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.Embraer A29-N Super Tucano5+7 on order2025Brasil PortugalThe Portuguese Air Force ordered 12 A-29N Super Tucano in 2024 for light ground attack and training. These aircraft will be partially assembled by OGMA.Tekever ARX8 on order2026PortugalA total of 8 Tekever ARX Unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicles ordered in 2025.Tecnam P-Mentor7 on order2026ItalyOrdered by the Air Force to replace the 7 DHC-1 Chipmunk aircraft in service.Canadair CL-5152 on order2026CanadaTwo units purchased in 2022 to fight forest fires. To be received in 2026

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.