TUMACO, Colombia -- The Colombian Air Force has activated a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) squadron that will function as part of the Combat Air Command No. 7 group. The squadron, known as Fuerza de Tarea Hércules, was inaugurated during a ceremony chaired by Colombian Command of the Air Operations Command Maj. Gen. Rodrigo Alejandro Valencia Guevara, at the Marco Fidel Suárez Military Aviation School on May 11, 2018.
Based in the area of Tumaco in the southwest region of Colombia, the squadron will be responsible for patrolling the department of Nariño. Along with drones, the squadron will include ground stations that will enable the Air Force to provide surveillance throughout Nariño. In particular, the squadron will monitor illegal mining, natural disasters, drug trafficking, and other criminal activity that threaten civilian populations in the region.
The squadron will be equipped with ScanEagle and NightEagle RPAs. In early 2013, the Colombian Air Force received six Insitu ScanEagle UAVs, which were donated from the United States government. According to sources, the Air Force has also received an unspecified number of NightEagle UAVs equipped with thermal sensors for night operations.