Article - Tolemaida Air Base - Colombian Army Aviation – April 2018

Tolemaida AB - Colombian Army Aviation

Tolemaida Air Base - Colombian Army Aviation

Home to the Colombian Army's helicopter fleet and the Colombian Army's National Training Center (CENAE), Tolemaida Air base is situated 130 km South West Bogota.

With Tolemaida Air Base being the largest of the Army Aviation's airfields and also housing the Aviation Training school, it is not surprising that the 25th Aviation Brigade's - 25 Brigada de Aviacion del Ejercito, entire rotary fleet operates from here, with the fixed wing assets (Batallon de Aviacion no1) being based at Bogota, The Brigade is made up of Battallon de Aviacion squadron's known as BAAV's

Brigade 25 operates the following unit's;

BAAV-1 fixed wing aircraft "Aviones"

BAAV-2 UH-60 "Asalto Aereo"

BAAV-3 Mil Mi-17 "Carga y Transporte"

BAAV-4 UH-1N "Reconocimiento y Escolta"

BAVV-5 UH-1H "Movimiento Aereo"

The Aviacion del Ejercito has currently operating in excess of 135 helicopters and fixed wing types around locations all across Colombia. Heavy maintenance for the Army's Aviation fleet is also carried out here on Tolemaida, all type's are worked on and this falls under the control of the Brigada de Aviacion 32.

Although not based at Tolemaida Air Base, the Aviacion del Ejercito also has another Aviation Brigade - Brigada 33 de Aviacion del Ejercito, known as the Batallon de Movilidad y Maniobra de Aviacion (BMMA)

Brigade 33 operates these aircraft at the following locations;

BMMA-1 Mil Mi-17/UH-1, Buenavista

BMMA-2 Mil Mi-17/UH-1, Bucaramanga

BMMA-3 Mil Mi-17/UH-1/UH-60/fixed wing, Popayan

BMMA-4 Mil Mi-17/UH-1/UH-60/fixed wing, San José del Guaviare

BMMA-5 Mil Mi-17/UH-1, Neiva

BMMA-6 Mil Mi-17/UH-1/UH-60/fixed wing, Larandia

BMMA-7 Mil Mi-17/UH-1/UH-60/fixed wing, Medellin

BMMA-8 Mil Mi-17/UH-1, Saravena

Out of the 135 helicopters and fixed wing operating with the Aviacion del Ejercito, in excess of 50 are assigned to the Brigada 33 de Aviacion del Ejercito, BMMA unit's.

For the access and photography allowed around Tolemaida Army Aviation airfield, during early April 2018, Aviation Reporting would like to express it's gratitude to Major General Ricardo Gomez Nieto and Paolo Di Biagio of JP4 magazine for organising the tour.

Author Mark Forest

Photography by Mark Zuidmulder & Steven Fenton