Santa Maria Air Force Base

For the civilian use of this facility and airport information, see Santa Maria Airport (Rio Grande do Sul).

Santa Maria Air Force Base
Base Aérea de Santa Maria
Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil
Entry of Santa Maria Air Force in 2013
SBSM is located in Rio Grande do Sul
SBSM
SBSM
Location in Brazil
SBSM is located in Brazil
SBSM
SBSM
SBSM (Brazil)
Coordinates29°42′39″S 053°41′32″W / 29.71083°S 53.69222°W / -29.71083; -53.69222
TypeAir Force Base
CodeALA4
Site information
OwnerBrazilian Air Force
Controlled by Brazilian Air Force
Open to
the public		No
Websitewww.fab.mil.br/organizacoes/mostra/449
Site history
Built1945 (1945)
In use1970-present (1970-present)
Garrison information
Current
commander		Cel. Av. Wilson Paulo Corrêa Marques
Occupants
  • 1st Squadron of the 10th Aviation Group
  • 3rd Squadron of the 10th Aviation Group
  • 5th Squadron of the 8th Aviation Group
  • 1st Squadron of the 12th Aviation Group
  • 4th Squadron of the 1st Communications and Control Group
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: RIA, ICAO: SBSM, LID: RS0003
Elevation88 metres (289 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
11/29 2,694 metres (8,839 ft) Concrete
02/20 1,505 metres (4,938 ft) Asphalt
Sources: DECEA[1]

Santa Maria Air Force Base – ALA4 (IATA: RIA, ICAO: SBSM) is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in Santa Maria, Brazil.

It shares some facilities with Santa Maria Airport.

History

In 1944 the then President of Brazil Getúlio Vargas allocated an area of 4 million square meters near Santa Maria with the purpose of building an aerodrome. The works were conducted on an urgent basis, with the collaboration of the United States Army and it was finally opened in April 1945.

Santa Maria Air Force Base was created on 18 December 1970 and was commissioned on 15 October 1971 and since then it has an active presence in the region.

Between 1971 and 2015, civil and military facilities were shared. However, in 2015 an agreement between the Brazilian Air Force and the Municipality of Santa Maria, transferred part of the facilities to the latter. The civil portion of the aerodrome is administered by the Municipality and the military portion by the Brazilian Air Force.[2]

Units

The following units are based at Santa Maria Air Force Base:

  • 1st Squadron of the 10th Aviation Group (1º/10ºGAv) Poker, using the AMX A-1M.[3]
  • 3rd Squadron of the 10th Aviation Group (3º/10ºGAv) Centauro, using the AMX A-1M.[4]
  • 5th Squadron of the 8th Aviation Group (5º/8ºGAv) Pantera, using the H-60L Black Hawk.[5]
  • 1st Squadron of the 12th Aviation Group (1º/12ºGAv) Hórus, using the Elbit RQ-450 Hermes, Elbit RQ-900 Hermes, and Elbit RQ-1150 Heron.[6]
  • 4th Squadron of the 1st Communications and Control Group (4º/1ºGCC) Mangrulho, using radars and equipment for air defense.[7]

Accidents and incidents

Access

The base is located 11 km east of downtown Santa Maria.

This gallery displays aircraft that are or have been based at Santa Maria. The gallery is not comprehensive.

Present aircraft

  • AMX A-1M
    AMX A-1M
  • Sikorsky H-60L Black Hawk
    Sikorsky H-60L Black Hawk
  • Elbit RQ-450 Hermes
    Elbit RQ-450 Hermes

Retired aircraft

  • Cessna L-19A Bird Dog
    Cessna L-19A Bird Dog
  • North American T-6G Texan
    North American T-6G Texan
  • Neiva L-42 Regente
    Neiva L-42 Regente
  • Bell H-1H Iroquois
    Bell H-1H Iroquois
  • Embraer AT-26 Xavante
    Embraer AT-26 Xavante
  • Neiva T-25A Universal
    Neiva T-25A Universal
  • Embraer U-7 Seneca
    Embraer U-7 Seneca

See also

References

  1. ^ "Santa Maria (SBSM)". DECEA (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Obras de revitalização do aeródromo de Santa Maria (RS) são concluídas". Força Aérea Brasileira (in Portuguese). 7 November 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  3. ^ "1º/10ºGAv – Esquadrão Poker". Spotter (in Portuguese). Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  4. ^ "3º/10ºGAv – Esquadrão Centauro". Spotter (in Portuguese). Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  5. ^ "5º/8ºGAv – Esquadrão Pantera". Spotter (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  6. ^ "1º/12º GAv – Esquadrão Hórus". Spotter (in Portuguese). Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Esquadrões de comunicações e controle de todo o país mobilizam pessoal e equipamentos". Força Aérea Brasileira (in Portuguese). 9 November 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Accident description FAB-2457". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 12 May 2011.