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Portuguese Military Aviation centenary

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From May 13th 12:00 GMT to May 14th 12:00 GMT

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The 14th of May 2014 marks an important event in the annals of Portuguese Aviation History, it is the centenary (100 years) of the date that Portuguese Military Aviation was created by the formation of the Aviação Militar (Military Aviation). Built on the initial success of the National Aero Club of Portugal. Soon after Portugal’s entry into World War 1, aircraft were sent to France and it’s colonies for defence. as part of the Treaty of Windsor which created a bond between Portugal and England, it is the oldest alliance in the world that is still in force today.

In 1922, in the Brazilian independence centenary, a pioneering flight by Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral was commenced as the first aerial crossing to South America on the 30th of March, arriving in Brazil on the 17th of June. Their successes would inspire the aerial crossings of Sarmento de Baires and João Ribeiro de Barros to Brazil and Macau.

On March the 17th, 1939, Portugal signed a treaty of friendship and non-aggression with Francoist Spain. On July the 29th, 1940, Spain and Portugal signed an additional protocol to the Treaty of Friendship and Non-Aggression also known as the Iberian Pact. This protocol was protested by Hitler therefore Portuguese Military Aviation played an important role in regards to Portuguese neutrality in World War II.

During the period that preceded the major restructuring and the formation of the Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa, FAP) on July the 1st,1952, Portuguese Military Aviation has used various aircraft from England, the USA and Germany. Some of these aircraft were the Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Fury, Hawker Hurricane, Bristol Blenheim, Bristol Beaufighter, De Havilland Vampire and DH Mosquito, Supermarine Spitfire, Vickers Wellington, Avro Lancaster, T-6, P-38, P-39, P-47, B-17G, B24, Ju 52, Ju 86 and many others.

The War Thunder Team