Base Aérea de Belém – Força Aérea Brasileira

Author: Ian French
Photography: Ian French & Força Aérea Brasileira

Base Aérea de Belém (BABE) was established in 1944 and is a shared facility with Val-de-Cans/Júlio Cezar Ribeiro International Airport.

Belém, along with other airports along the north east coast of Brazil, provided key logistical support for the thousands of aircraft built in Canada and the United States which were delivered to North Africa and Europe during World War II. Twin runways were built at Belém measuring 1,500 x 45 meters as well as state of the art facilities at that time.

In 2010, the civil airport was named after Júlio Cezar Ribeiro de Souza (1837–1887), a researcher of balloons.

1 Esquadrão/8 Grupo de Aviação “Falcao” was formed at Belém in 1980 and operated the UH-1 until 2014, the UH-50 from 1987, the CH-55 from 1987 to 1997 and the H-36 from 2010. In 1998 this unit moved to Natal and joined Ala 10.

Belém also houses a unit of the Aviação Naval Brasileira: 1° Primeiro Esquadrão de Helicópteros de Emprego Geral do Norte “Hipogrifo” (HU-41).

HU-41 was established in 2019 reporting to the 4th Naval District. Its primary mission is river patrol and it operated three UH-15 Super Cougar but these are being replaced by H-36 Caracal.

Today, the following Força Aérea Brasileira squadrons are based at Belém and constitute Ala 9 (which reports to the Northern Air Command (I COMAR)):
– 3 Esquadrão /7 Grupo de Aviação
– 1 Esquadrão de Transporte Aéreo

3° Esquadrão 7° Grupo de Aviação (3/7° GAv)
“Netuno”

3/7 GAv was formed in 1990 at Belém to operate the Embraer EMB-111A Bandeirulha (P-95A). These were later modified to P-95B standard which featured a strengthened structure and upgraded avionics and then later to P-95BM which featured further structural strengthening and a glass cockpit.

1 Esquadrão de Transporte Aéreo (1 ETA)
“Tracajá”

The unit was formed in 1969 at Base Aérea de Belém, Pará, as part of I Zona Aérea and from 1973 of I Comando Aéreo Regional (I COMAR). In 2016 a major restructuring of the Força Aérea Brasileira took place with various commands merging and each base becoming the Headquarters for a wing. Belém is the home of Ala 9.

1 ETA has operated the Consolidated CA-10 Catalina from 1969 to 1982, Douglas C-47 Dakota from 1969 to 1983, the C-95 from 1983, the C-95A in 1984, the C-95B from 1984, the Embraer EMB120 (C-97) from 2007, the Cessna 208A (C-98) from 1998, and the C-98A from 2009.

Aviation Press would like to thank the Força Aérea Brasileira for their assistance with the article.

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