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Fuerzas Aereas Nacionales

The Fuerzas Aereas Nacionales is under the command of the Ministry of War and part of the Army under General de Brigada Don Vicente Manchuca and responsible for aerial support of the Army and also controls civil aviation.

Aerea Regimenta Paraguay, Major de Aero Pablo Stagni, two Grupo currently equipped with:

Grupo 1, Base Aérea de Ñu-Guazú: Squadron 1/1 twelve FMA I.Ae.23 Jaguar ground attack bombers, Squadron 2/1 twelve IMPA SI-21B Vanquish III bombers, Squadron 3/1 twelve IMPA SI-21B Vanquish III bombers and Squadron 4/1 twelve FMA I-01-IIB Buchon

Grupo 2, Campo Grande Airport Asuncion: Squadron 2/1 six FMA I.Ae 3T trainers, Squadron 2/2 twelve ENAER Coati trainers and Squadron 2/3 one FMA I.Ae 5 airliner and two Douglas DC-5 (the airliners are operated under the Linea Aerea de Transporte Nacional banner as an Air Force run airline with a once weekly service Asuncion-Arroyas-San Raphael-San Estanisalo-Irakyu and for military VIP flights).


Biographies
General de Brigada Don Vicente Manchuca; born July 5th 1893, entered the Officers Cadet school in 1911, and worked through the ranks holding mainly active military commands and promoted General de Brigada in April 1931 and given command of Northern Command. Although not loyal to the Diaz regime he was given the position of Chief of Operations at Army Command in Ascuncion just as the civil war began. During the South American War he was given command of the forces defending Ascuncion but he defected to the rebel side soon after. He was one of the few staff officers employed by the Argentine occupation force and after a brief spell during 1938 as Commander of the newly-formed First Division he was appointed by the Ministry of War to command the Fuerzas Aereas Nacionales.

Major de Aero Pablo Stagni; born April 6th 1905, joined the Paraguayan Army in 1924, went through officers training course 1927-29 and received the rank of Lieutenant. He learnt to fly in 1931 privately and transferred to the Paraguayan Air Force in 1933. He briefly fought during the civil war but defected to Argentina and flew as a Lieutenant de Aero (Flying Officer) with the Argentine Aerea Regimenta Paraguay flying I-100 fighters and scoring three ‘kills’. He became the Ground Executive Officer of the Regimenta after the war and in late 1937 was promoted to Major de Aero (Squadron Leader) and commanded a squadron of T-17 bombers until his transfer to the Fuerzas Aereas Nacionales as the CO of the reformed Aerea Regimenta Paraguay.