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Dominican Republic The Air Force
The air force traced its origins to 1928, when the
government, inspired by the use of air power in World War
I,
authorized the creation of an aviation school. The
nation's first
military aviation element was established in 1932 as an
arm of
the National Army. As the Military Aviation Corps, the air
force
became an independent service in 1948. It underwent
several name
changes during the 1950s, being known as the Dominican
National
Aviation during 1952-55 and 1957-62 and as the Dominican
Air
Force during 1955-57. In 1962 it again became known as the
Dominican Air Force, the name still in use as of 1989.
After World War II, Trujillo greatly expanded the air
force,
in part to form a counterweight to the army. By the
mid-1950s,
the air force had some 240 aircraft and approximately
3,500
personnel. After Trujillo's assassination, however, funds
were
not allocated for the replacement of aging aircraft, and
the air
force's air inventory dwindled rapidly.
Air force headquarters was located at San Isidro Air
Base.
Most aircraft were based at San Isidro as well. Other
military
air bases were located at Azua, Barahona, La Romana, La
Vega,
Monte Cristi, Puerto Plata, and San Cristóbal. The air
force
administered the general military medical center located
in San
Isidro. The air force also ran the nation's civil
aeronautics
directorate, and air force officers oversaw the operation
of the
nation's airports.
The air force, numbering some 3,800 personnel in 1989,
was
organized into four commands, all headquartered at San
Isidro.
The Air Command was responsible for the direction of all
flight
operations. It was made up of one counterinsurgency
squadron
equipped with eight Cessna A-37B Dragonflies, one
transport
squadron equipped with six C-47 Douglas Dakotas and seven
other
assorted aircraft, one helicopter squadron (consisting of
thirteen aircraft) used for sea and air rescue and for
transport,
and one training squadron equipped with ten Beech T-34B
Mentors
and seven Beech T-41D Mescaleros (see
table 10, Appendix
A).
The Base Defense Command provided security for all
bases and
aircraft. It included an airborne commando squadron and an
antiaircraft battalion, which was equipped with ten Bofors
40mm
antiaircraft guns. The Maintenance Command was responsible
for
maintenance and repair. The Combat Support Command
controlled all
base services.
Air force cadets were trained at the Naval Academy at
Las
Calderas. All other ranks received their training at the
Military
Aviation School at Haina.
Data as of December 1989
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