The 302 Squadron "''Falcões''" / "''Águias Reais''" () is an attack and air defense squadron of the

Portuguese Air Force The Portuguese Air Force () is the air force, aerial warfare force of Portugal. Locally it is referred to by the acronym FAP but internationally is often referred to by the acronym PRTAF. It is the youngest of the three branches of the Portuguese ...

(PoAF) disbanded in 1996.

Roles and missions

The Attack Squadron 302 "''Falcões''" had as its primary mission the tactical air support for maritime operations (TASMO), and has its secondary missions

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

and

air interdiction Air interdiction (AI), also known as deep air support (DAS), is the use of preventive tactical bombing and strafing by combat aircraft against enemy targets that are not an immediate threat, to delay, disrupt or hinder later enemy engagement o ...

(AI). During the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, the 302 Sqn. had the mission to ensure the defense of the

North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

to ensure and support

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

's ability to rearm and resupply

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

during times of war.

History

Activated in July 1981 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Vitor Rodrigues da Silva, the 302 Squadron "''Falcões''" adopted and continued the tradition of the then-disbanded 201 Squadron and of the former PoAF "''Falcões''" squadrons. On December 24, 1981, the 302 Sqn. started to operate the first delivered A-7P Corsair II. With the reactivation of 201 Squadron "''Falcões''" in 1993, the nickname of the 302 Sqn. was changed to "''Águias Reais''" (Royal Eagles). In 1996 the squadron was disbanded and its human and aircraft resources were integrated with its sister squadron, 304 Squadron "''Magníficos''", until that squadron's retirement in 1999.

Aircraft

LTV A-7P Corsair II The Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) operated 50 LTV A-7 Corsair II aircraft in the anti-ship, air interdiction and air defense roles between 1981 and 1999. The Portuguese government acquired the Corsair II to replace the PoAF's North American F-86 Sa ...

(1981–1996) * TA-7C Corsair II (1982–1984)
Nicknamed ''pomba branca'' (White dove) due to the United States Navy's painting Aircraft leased by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

to Portugal for the operational conversion of A-7 pilots before the delivery of the first TA-7P Corsair II bought in a second order that same year.

Commanders

* Lt. Colonel PILAV Vitor Rodrigues da Silva (July, 1981 – January, 1983) *

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

PILAV Cândido Duarte Reis (January, 1983 – October, 1984) * Major PILAV José Jordão (October, 1984 – September, 1985) * Major PILAV Armando Teixeira Marques (September, 1985 – May, 1986) * Major PILAV João Brandão Ferreira (May, 1986 – September, 1988) * Major PILAV Carlos Guerra (September, 1988 – July, 1989) * Lt. Colonel PILAV Joaquim Augusto Soares (July, 1989 – December, 1989) * Major PILAV Francisco Martins Batista (March, 1990 – November, 1992) * Major PILAV Joaquim Soares de Almeida (November, 1992 – June, 1994) * Major PILAV Carlos Barata dos Santos (June, 1994 – March, 1996) * Major PILAV Eurico Craveiro (March, 1996) * Major PILAV Rui Elvas (interim) (March, 1996 – May, 1996)

External links

List of commanders of 302 Squadron
{{in lang, pt

2009-10-22), website about the service of the A-7 Corsair II in the PoAF Portuguese Air Force aircraft squadrons

Roles and missions

History

Aircraft

Commanders

See also

External links