The Curtiss Commando Page
The Curtiss Commando Page

Forca Aerea Brasileira

Operator Identification

  January 1941 to present

  Brazil


TYPE: Air force

IATA/ICAO CODES: -- / ---

HEADQUARTERS: Brasilia, Brazil

FORMER NAME: Aviacao Militar & Aviacao Naval (merged)

OTHER NAMES: Brazilian Air Force, FAB

Forca aerea brasileira

Operator History

The FAB (Forca Aerea Brasileira) was created on 20 January 1941, after the Brazilian Army and Navy aviation arms were united. The FAB fought in World War II, both at home during the Battle of the Atlantic, and in Europe through the Brazilian Expeditionary Force, using mostly American aircraft. During the Cold War, Brazil remained an ally of the USA and NATO, thence still using Western equipment.

Commando Operations

October 1948 to April 1968

The FAB operated two Commandos, which were originally imported in Brazil in November 1947 by businessman Vinicius Valadares Vasconcelos to start a new airline. The project was unsuccessful and both aircraft were purchased by the FAB on 15 October 1948 as Vasconcelos was looking for cash and unable to sell them on the Brazilian market. The Commandos were assigned to the 2nd Transport Group (2° Grupo de Transporte, 2° GT) based at Campo do Afonsos in Rio de Janeiro. They were used to carry passengers and cargo on national mail routes (Correio Aereo Nacional, CAN), both domestically and internationally. One of the two Commandos crashed on 14 October 1949 in Bolivia, while the second one continued until being transferred to the Parque de Aeronautica dos Afonsos (PAAF) in 1956. There, it was used for military transport duties until being declared surplus on 17 April 1968.

Commandos Operated

Last edited: 24/03/2021