20th century On 20 May 1929, the aviation divisions of the
Peruvian Army and
Navy were merged into the (Peruvian Aviation Corps, abbreviated CAP). During the
Colombia-Peru War of 1933, its
Vought O2U Corsair and
Curtiss Hawk II biplanes fought in the
Amazon region. The CAP lost three aircraft to the
Colombian Air Force. The corps was renamed (Peruvian Aeronautical Corps, also abbreviated CAP) on 12 March 1936.
Ecuadorian–Peruvian War In 1941, the CAP participated in the
Ecuadorian–Peruvian War. At that time, the CAP were equipped with
Caproni Ca.114 and
North American NA.50 fighters,
Douglas DB-8A-3P attack aircraft, and
Caproni Ca.135 and
Caproni Ca.310 bombers, among others. The Peruvian Air Force had also established a
paratroop unit during the war and used it to great effect by seizing the strategic Ecuadorian port city of
Puerto Bolívar, on 27 July 1941, marking the first time in the Americas that
airborne troops were used in combat. Lieutenant
José Quiñones Gonzales was a Peruvian pilot during the war. On 23 July 1941, his plane, a North American NA-50 fighter, was hit while performing a low-level attack on an Ecuadorian border post on the banks of the Zarumilla River. According to traditional Peruvian accounts, Quiñones, upon being hit by ground fire, crashed his damaged aircraft deliberately into the Ecuadorian anti-aircraft position, destroying it. He was promoted posthumously to captain, and is today considered a National Hero of Peru. In 1942, an
aerial photography service was annexed to the air force.
Cold War During the 1950s presidency of General
Manuel A. Odría, the Peruvian Air Force was reorganized and on 18 July 1950, had its name changed to the (Air Force of Peru, or FAP). Peru was an ally of the United States during this period, and was predominantly equipped with aircraft built in the US and Great Britain. By the end of General Odria's presidency, the FAP ushered in the
Jet Age with the introduction of
English Electric Canberra bombers and
Hawker Hunter,
Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star and
North American F-86 Sabre fighters. However, on 3 October 1968, a military junta led by pro-Soviet Peruvian Army General
Juan Velasco Alvarado organized a swift and bloodless coup d'état against president
Fernando Belaúnde Terry. Velasco aligned Peru more closely with the
Soviet Bloc and relations with the United States deteriorated. The US declared an arms embargo in 1969, making it difficult to obtain spare parts for Peru's American weaponry. In the 1970s and 1980s, Peru turned to the Soviet Union for its military hardware. During this time, the FAP acquired several Soviet-made aircraft, including
Sukhoi Su-22 fighters,
Antonov An-26 and
An-32 transport aircraft, as well as
Mil Mi-8,
Mi-17,
Mi-25 and
Mi-26 helicopters. Soviet advisors were also dispatched to Peru. Velasco was overthrown by other military officers in 1975 and Belaúnde returned to power as a civilian president in 1980. Also in 1980, the Peruvian Air Force responded to a
UFO incident over the Arequipa region. The FAP purchased the French-made
Mirage 5P and 5DP and the
Mirage 2000 in 1984. Relations improved with the United States and the FAP obtained American aircraft like the
Cessna A-37B Dragonfly attack aircraft, as well as
Lockheed C-130 and
L-100-20 Hercules transport aircraft.
Stagnation in 1983 The stagnation of the
Peruvian economy during the late 1980s and early 1990s forced cost reductions and the downsizing of the fleet size. Budget cuts in training meant Peruvian pilots had a low number of annual flying hours (AFH) per pilot if compared to the 1970s. The number of annual flying hours is of course very important in estimating the individual skill and experience of the pilots of an air force: more annual flying hours suggest better trained pilots and general readiness. There are also a number of possible explanations for FAP's low AFH: concern over the aging of equipment, scarcity of spare parts – especially for the older aircraft – difficulties with worn airframes and the scarcity of fuel are all contributing factors. It is very likely however that some 'elite' pilots and regiments such as those based in Talara AFB and La Joya AFB received considerably more flying hours. Especially since those regiments until today are equipped with modern aircraft and tasked with homeland defence.
Cenepa War The Peruvian Air Force participated in the 1995
Cenepa War against
Ecuador's Air Force in the
Amazon Basin. It provided aerial support to the Peruvian army, carrying out bombings with Mi-25 helicopters, Canberra bombers, A-37 and Su-22 aircraft. Due to a lack of reliable roads, troops were transported by Mi-17 helicopters, as well as L-100 Hercules, An-28 and An-32 aircraft. During the course of the war, at least two helicopters were shot down.
Fujimori government In 1997 and 1998, the FAP's outlook started to change for the better. In order to achieve president
Alberto Fujimori's militarily bold plans, FAP required a much-needed general overhaul and new purchases. In 1997, the FAP acquired 21
MiG-29 fighters and 18
Su-25 attack fighters from Belarus. In 1998, an additional three MiG-29 fighters were bought from Russia, which, along with the 12
Mirage 2000 fighters purchased from France's Dassault Aviation in 1984, made a total of 54 fighters in Peru's inventory. These purchases were expensive and a number of observers questioned their usefulness against more pressing security concerns at the time such as the Marxist guerillas, the
Sendero Luminoso group (translated as Shining Path). On the other hand, the FAP still remembered the 1995 Cenepa War with Ecuador, and stationed its MiG-29s close to the border at Chiclayo AFB and Talara AFB.
21st century Peru's Mirage 2000C/B and MiG-29S fighters form the backbone of its current multirole fighter fleet, alongside specialized Su-25 close air support jets. Its Mirage 2000Ps sit at La Joya AFB near the border with Bolivia and Chile; the 3 Andean countries have a minor 3-way maritime borders dispute, and residual tensions with historical foe Chile have been a long-running issue in Peru. RAC MiG began the upgrade of FAP's MiG fleet to the MiG-29SMT external link standard in 2008. In 2009, Dassault began working with Peru on a comprehensive inspection of the Mirage fleet, coupled with some electronics modernization. Since 2013, Peru is in talks with European suppliers as part of a long-term plan of replacing FAP's aging air force aircraft with second-hand
Su-35s,
Rafales or
Eurofighters. Hitherto, FAP was exploring the possibility of buying as many as sixty Eurofighter Typhoon EF-2000 from
Spain and sixty Sukhoi Su-35 from
Russia. Cost was a major issue for Peruvian President
Ollanta Humala, who was looking at competitively priced fighter jets that would fit the national budget. In 2014, Peru began to update the operations and mechanical equipment of its
Cessna A-37 aircraft, replacing analog controls with new digital hardware. Peru has been evaluating multiple helicopters to modernize or replace previous utility helicopters and search and rescue operations with the Italian-made
AW139. The purchase would consist of 12 helicopters for a total of $193 million. Following the unveiling of the
KAI KF-21 Boramae in April 2021,
The National Interest reported that Peru may be a potential customer for the
4.5 generation fighter. In June 2025, the Swedish Rikstag agreed to negotiate with the Peruvian Air Force for the sale of twelve Gripens of the E/F variants. These may replace the Mirage 2000's and MiG-29's. In July 2025, it was confirmed that Peru will buy 24 Saab Gripens.. Debt of S/ 7.58 billion: Towards the end of 2025 (and consolidated in January 2026), the Government officially approved (via decree and Debt Law) an external debt operation of approximately 2 billion dollars (S/ 7.58 billion) specifically allocated for the investment project for the "recovery of the operational capacity of air defense, this step was the indispensable legal requirement prior to the signing of any final contract with Saab, Dassault or Lockheed Martin. While there were strong reports in June/July 2025 (such as the one from La República) pointing to the Gripen E/F as the favorite because it fit the initial budget of 3.5 billion dollars, specialized sources indicated that the competition remained technically open until the end of the year. Dassault Rafale F4: It remained the preferred technical competitor for sectors of the FAP due to its interoperability with the current Mirage 2000 fleet, although its operating cost is higher. F-16 Block 70: Lockheed Martin continued to offer modernization and logistics packages, keeping the US proposal current in the Department of Defense evaluations through the end of fiscal year 2025. == Organization ==