Azores Air Zone Command

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Comando da Zona Aérea dos Açores
(Azores Air Zone Command)


caption=
dates= 1956
country= flag|Portugal
branch= Air Force
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command_structure=Operational Command (COFA)
garrison=Air Base No. 4
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patron=
motto="Nós outros, cuja fama tanto voa" ("We, whose fame flies high")
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battles=
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commander1=
commander1_label=Major General Rui Mora de Oliveira
commander2=
commander2_label=
commander3=
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notable_commanders=
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Azores Air Zone Command ( _pt. Comando da Zona Aérea dos Açores, ZAA) is a Portuguese Air Force air zone command.

History

The Azores Air Zone (ZAA) was created in 1956 with Air Base No. 4 under its dependency and the following missions:
* Plan, supervise and control the readiness of the assigned air power resources and the air activity in its are of responsibility;
* Establish the relationships with the foreign forces stationed at the units under its dependence, in accordance with the international agreements but keeping the status inherent to the unit commander.

From 1977 to 1995, the ZAA Command's designation was changed to Azores Air Command ( _pt. Comando Aéreo dos Açores, CAA), during which period of time, the commander of the CAA executed simultaneously the functions of commander of Air Base No. 4.

On July 1995, the two functions are made independent once again, and on October of that year the CAA is disbanded and the Azores Air Zone Command was reactivated.

Commanders

* Brigadier PILAV Francisco Chagas (1957 — 1960)
* Colonel PILAV Mário E. Noronha (1960 — 1961)
* Brigadier PILAV Manuel Norton Brandão (1961 — 1963)
* Brigadier PILAV Guilherme Dias Costa (1963 — 1966)
* Brigadier PILAV Rui Tavares Monteiro (1969 — 1971)
* Brigadier PILAV António Costa Maia (1971 — 1973)
* Colonel PILAV Jorge Brochado de Miranda (1973 — 1974)
* Brigadier PILAV Manuel Barbeitos de Sousa (1974)
* Brigadier PILAV Mário Wilton Pereira (1974 — 1975)
* Brigadier PILAV Francisco José Rosa (1975 — 1977)
* Brigadier PILAV Tomás George Conceição Silva (1977 — 1978) — First CAA commander.
* Brigadier PILAV Moura de Carvalho (1978 — 1981)
* Brigadier PILAV Manuel Ramos Lopes (1981 — 1985)
* General PILAV Mário B. Camarada Cortesão (1985 — 1989)
* Brigadier PILAV Manuel Alvarenga de Sousa Santos (1989 — 1990)
* Brigadier PILAV Fernandes Vasques Osório (1990 — October, 1993)
* Brigadier PILAV Fernando Carvalho Seabra (October, 1993 — October, 1995) — Last CAA commander and first commander of the reactivated ZAA.
* Brigadier/Major General PILAV Jorge Lindner Costa (October, 1995 — October, 2000)
* Major General PILAV Fernando Caetano Mendes (February, 2000 — June, 2002)
* Major General PILAV Jorge Antunes de Andrade (June, 2002 — March, 2004)
* Major General PILAV António Mimoso e Carvalho (March, 2004 — March, 2006)
* Major General PILAV Alfredo Pereira da Cruz (March, 2006 — January, 2007)
* Major General PILAV José Ramos Tareco (January, 2007 — October, 2007)
* Major General PILAV Vítor Fernando Valério Fragoso (October, 2007 — ?)
* Colonel PILAV Sílvio Pimenta Sampaio (interim) (? — May, 2008)
* Major General PILAV Rui Mora de Oliveira (May, 2008 — present)

External links

* [http://www.emfa.pt/www/unidadedetalhe.php?lang=ing&cod=11001 Azores Air Zone Command (ZAA)] at the Portuguese Air Force official website.
* [http://callsignafp.blogspot.com/2006/08/comandantes-da-zona-area-dos-aores.html List of commanders of the Azores Air Zone Command] pt icon