March 17th is Air Force day in Uruguay. The Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya (FAU) holds a large air parade annually to celebrate the day in style. Aircraft and helicopters gather at military airfields around the capital Montevideo for the venue and fly over the cradle of the FAU, Base Aérea Boiso Lanza, the current FAU headquarters. The 2014 edition was visited by one of our editors, who visited Base Aérea Carrasco near Montevideo, where most aircraft gathered for the parade.

Uruguay was one of the latest customers of the original PC-7, which are used for advanced training and counter insurgency operations. The aircraft are dubbed AT-92 locally, after the year of procurement.

Liaision and reconnaissance flights are conducted with a large number of modern Cessna TU206Hs, like this example that came in from Durazno for the parade.

The Beech Baron is used for liaision flights as well. The FAU only had a handful of these, which are normally based at Carrasco and are dubbed UB-58.

By far the largest aircraft in the inventory is the ubiquitous C-130 Hercules. Two C-130B have received a modest upgrade and still soldier in transportation duties.

Like many air forces in Latin America, the Bell Huey helicopter can also be found in Uruguay. Spain provided the air force with a number of former Spanish Army Hueys.

A rare but popular breed is the IA-58 Pucara, an aircraft that gained fame during the Falklands conflict in 1982. This example makes its way to the runway of Carrasco for take-off.

Noisy, but feared, the OA-37 is a well-known aircraft in Latin America, which provides the FAU with a serious attack capability. Combat air patrols are flown with these nimble aircraft as well.

The busy seaway of the Rio de la Plata, requires a serious SAR-capacity. For this aim, the air force operates a dedicated type of helicopter, the AS365 Dauphin.

With Brazil as its big northern neighbour, its no surprise the FAU operates a number of Embraer-built aircraft, like this EMB110 Bandeirante, or C-95.

Heading a line of Embaers returning to their home base after the parade, is the FAU’s single EMB120 Brasilia.

As with people, aircraft noses do come in different shapes and sizes. Having a radar nose fitted on your CASA 212 is optional, as can be concluded from this picture.