Haitian Aviation Corps

Aviation Corps of the Armed Forces of Haiti
Aviation Corps of the Armed Forces of Haiti
Corps d'Aviation des Forces Armées d'Haiti (French); Kò Avyasyon Fòs Lame d'Ayiti (Haitian Creole)
	Sleeve Patch of the Aviation Corps
Founded	1942–1995; 2017–present
Country	Haiti
Type	Air force
Role	Aerial warfare
Part of	Armed Forces of Haiti
Primary Garrison	Military Aviation Base; Clercine, Port-au-Prince,Haiti
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces	Lt.Gen. Derby Guerrier (acting)
Commander of the Aviation Corps	Lt.Col. Brière Mars
Notable; commanders	Colonel Serge Bourdeau

The Aviation Corps of the Armed Forces of Haiti (French: Corps d'Aviation des Forces Armées d’Haïti) is the air force component of the Armed Forces of Haiti. The air corps was disbanded along with the rest of the armed forces after Operation Uphold Democracy, the US invasion of 1994.

Since the remobilization of the Armed Forces in 2017, the ranks are slowly being filled, and it has reclaimed its main garrison at the Military Aviation base in Clercine (near Toussaint Louverture International Airport)

History & pre-1995 force

The formerly named Haitian Air Corps was founded in 1942 with aircraft supplied by the US.^[1] The main task for this new air force was transport and communication.^[1] The Haitian Air Corps was headquartered at Bowen Field which was a former US marine corps airfield.^[1] Môle-Saint-Nicolas Airport was a secondary airfield. During World War 2 the Haitian Air Corps was engaged in the Caribbean anti submarine warfare campaign against the German Navy.^[2] In 1950 the Haitian Air Corps received its first combat aircraft: six F-51D Mustangs which were active during the Duvalier period. In October 1970 the Mustangs were replaced by T-28 Trojans from France. The T-28s were then replaced by O-2As in 1975. In the 1980s the Haitian Air Corps received its first jet aircraft: the SIAI-Machetti S-211 and these were accompanied by SF-260s to replace the O-2s which were sold for parts. In 1990 the SIAI-Machetti S-211s were sold, 2 were sold to United States private companies and the other two were sold to the Singapore Air Force.^[3] During operation Uphold Democracy the Haitian Air Corps played almost no role in Haitian defence, the Haitian inventory at the time included: Two O-57 Grasshopper scout planes, Three BT-13 Valiant trainer planes, One C-78 Bobcat transport plane, and one C-46 Commando transport plane.^[4] Almost all of the inventory at the time of the invasion dated back to World War Two and was in very poor condition at the time, the air corps was disband along with the rest of the armed forces in 1994.

Lynn Garrison with Haitian Corps d'Aviation Marchetti and crew, September 1990

Past Inventory

A Haitian Air Corps SF.260

At the time of the disbandment of the Haitian Air Corps this was the inventory:

Aircraft	Origin	Type	In service	Notes
Liaison
Taylorcraft O-57 Grasshopper	United States	Liaison	2^[4]
Transport
Cessna C-78 Bobcat	United States	Light Transport	1^[4]
Curtiss C-46 Commando	United States	Heavy Transport	1^[4]
Trainers
Vultee BT-13 Valiant	United States	Trainer	3^[4]	In service since 1940s

Many of Haiti's air force aircraft were donated second hand from the United States and France:

North American Aviation F-51D Mustang fighters – 6 delivered 1950 and the last retired 1973/74, sold to Dominican Republic for parts
North American Aviation T-28 Trojan fighter trainer – 12 ex-French Air Force delivered 1973
Cessna O-2A Skymaster – 8 observation aircraft delivered 1975 and sold to Dominican Republic for parts
Sikorsky S-55 utility helicopters
Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando transport
de Havilland Mosquito light bomber – 8 ex-Royal Air Force delivered 1946
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver/de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter utility transport
Hughes Helicopters 269C utility/trainer helicopter – 3
Hughes Helicopters 369CC utility/trainer helicopter – 2
Sikorsky S-58T (CH-34 ChoctawC)
Aermacchi SF.260TP Warrior trainer
Cessna 150 – 3/
Cessna 172 Skyhawk trainer – 1
Lockheed C-60 Lodestar
Boeing S-307 Stratoliner
Cessna 310
Douglas C-47 Dakota
Beech 58 Baron
Cessna 402 Utililiner
IAI 201 Arava
Piper PA-34 Seneca
Cessna 303
Beech 65 Queen Air
Fairchild PT-19 trainer
North American Aviation North American T-6G Texan trainer
Vultee Aircraft Vultee BT-13A Valiant trainer
Beech Bonanza F33 trainer
SIAI-Machetti S-211 jet trainer, retired and put up for sale on 23 April 1990, 2 sold to United States Private companies and 2 to Republic of Singapore Air Force

Mission

Organization

Command Structure

Base

The main Garrison of the Aviation Corps is the Military Aviation base (Aviation Militaire) in Clercine, Port-au-Prince (next door to Toussaint Louverture International Airport). It previously housed a Chilean Air Force battalion of the MINUSTAH.

Personnel

Officers

Rank group	Senior officers			Junior officers
Haitian Aviation Corps v t e
	Colonel	Lieutenant-colonel	Major	Capitaine	Lieutenant	Sous-lieutenant
	Kolonèl	Lyetnan kolonèl	Majò	Kapitèn	Lyetnan	Soulyetnan

Enlisted

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Haitian Aviation Corps v t e
Haitian Aviation Corps v t e

Uniform

Work and Combat Uniform

Service Uniform

Aviation Corps troops in Battle of Vertières day parade (18 November 2023)

Dress Uniform

Equipment

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Haiti Air Force". Aeroflight.
^ Hagedorn, Dan (2006). Latin American Air Wars and Aircraft 1912-1969. Hikori Publications. p. 119. ISBN 9781902109442.
^ "Haiti - Forces Armées d'Haïiti [FAd'H]". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e jwh1975 (2015-06-09). "Uphold Democracy 1994: WWII weapons encountered". wwiiafterwwii. Retrieved 2021-03-23.

[:0-1] "Haiti Air Force". Aeroflight.

[2] Hagedorn, Dan (2006). Latin American Air Wars and Aircraft 1912-1969. Hikori Publications. p. 119. ISBN 9781902109442.

[3] "Haiti - Forces Armées d'Haïiti [FAd'H]". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2021-03-23.

[:1-4] wh1975 (2015-06-09). "Uphold Democracy 1994: WWII weapons encountered". wwiiafterwwii. Retrieved 2021-03-23.

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