Air wing of Public Force of Costa Rica
| This article's
factual accuracy
may be compromised due to out-of-date information
.
Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(
October 2012
)
|
Law enforcement agency
There is officially no Air Force of Costa Rica; the only
air wing
in existence is attached to the
Public Force of Costa Rica
. Currently this unit, officially called
Air Vigilance Service
(
Spanish
:
Servicio de Vigilancia Aerea
(SVA)), also called the Air Service (
Servicio Aereo
), does not operate any armed military aircraft. Its main air bases located in three different points,
San Jose
(Base 2) being the main operations center.
Mission and Functions
[
edit
]
The SVA's mission is to:
"Provide air support in security actions carried out by police forces, in humanitarian missions, transfers of government officials; Provide security and surveillance in the country's airports to protect domestic and foreign citizens."
Some of the most common functions of the SVA are transporting civilians in critical medical emergencies to the hospitals in the capital as well as helping in the war on drugs. Plenty of drug trafficking operations are carried in joint agreement with the U.S., mainly occurring in the coastal areas and at sea.
According to a new bill yet to be passed by the Legislative Assembly, the new designation for this police air wing would be Policia de Vigilancia Aerea (Air Vigilance Police).
History
[
edit
]
Costa Rica is one of the oldest democracies in the region and formally abolished its army on December 1, 1949, just after the end of a revolution that reformed the country's political structures. The internal security of the country was administered by the Civil Guard that, over the years, has transformed into what it is now, the
Public Forces of Costa Rica
, under the command of the Ministry of Public Security. It is composed of several departments: Public Force, Anti-Drug Police, National Coast Guard Service, National Police School, Reserve of the Public Force and the Air Surveillance Service, itself a successor of the Costa Rican Air Force.
In 1958, the air wing was created with a Cessna 180 for the transportation of government officials and in 1962 it acquired three Cessna 185s. Later in 1970, it acquired a helicopter for use by the President. In 1994, it was renamed the Air Vigilance Service (Spanish: Servicio de Vigilancia Aerea, SVA), with 15 aircraft.
Air Surveillance Service equipment
[
edit
]
As a result of the many operations against drug trafficking, a number of aircraft have been added to the asset list by means of confiscation. The U.S. has also donated aircraft, equipment and logistic support. The prefix for most aircraft is MSP followed by a serial number.
Aircraft
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007,
Aviation Week & Space Technology
, January 15, 2007.
- ^
Isby, David C. (October 2018). "Costa Rican ISR King Air".
Air International
. Vol. 95, no. 4. p. 16.
ISSN
0306-5634
.
- ^
"Por primera vez pais cuenta con barcos, helicopteros, aviones, radares y academia policial para lucha antidrogas"
.
La Nacion, Grupo Nacion
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
2019-05-20
.
- ^
"Moderno helicoptero policial fue presentado por Seguridad Publica"
. La Nacion. Archived from
the original
on 2012-12-22
. Retrieved
2012-12-19
.
- ^
"Vigilancia desde el aire se reforzara con cuatro helicopteros regalados"
.
La Nacion, Grupo Nacion
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
2019-05-20
.
External links
[
edit
]