Most of the airbases in
Venezuela were built in the 1960s as part of a massive expansion program. The main fighter types in those years were the
Canberra B(I).88,
Venom FB.54,
Vampire FB.52,
F-86K Sabre Dog and the
F-86F Sabre. Bomber squadrons typically operated
B-25J Mitchell aircraft. The 1970s and 1980s saw a considerable increase in capacity, with rising oil prices enabling the FAV to re-equip most of its units. The
Mirage IIIEV and
Mirage 5V,
Mirage 50EV,
VF-5A and D,
T-2D,
OV-10A and E, and
T-27 were introduced. Venezuela was one of the first export customers for the
F-16A/B Fighting Falcon and was the first in Latin America to receive the aircraft, which arrived in 1983 for the newly formed Grupo Aéreo de Caza 16 at
El Libertador Airbase. In both
February and
November Venezuelan coup attempts of 1992, elements of the Venezuelan Air Force were key participants in the rebellion. FAV units at El Libertador Air Base under the command of Brigadier General Visconti seized control of the airbase and then launched an attack on the capital. OV-10s, T-27s, and Mirage III fighters under Visconti's command bombarded targets in the capital and loyalist air bases, destroying five
VF-5 fighters on the ground. Two loyalist pilots escaped with F-16 fighters and shot down two OV-10s and a Tucano, claiming air superiority for the government. Two more rebel OV-10s were lost to ground fire. As the tables turned on the coup attempt, General Visconti and his allies fled in two
C-130s, two Mirages, an
OV-10, and several
SA 330 helicopters. == Modernization ==