Armed Forces of Honduras


The Armed Forces of Honduras, consists of the Honduran Army, Honduran Navy and Honduran Air Force.

History

Pre-1979

During the twentieth century, Honduran military leaders frequently became presidents, either through elections or by coups d'état. General Tiburcio Carías Andino was elected in 1932, he later on called a constituent assembly that allowed him to be reelected, and his rule became more authoritarian until an election in 1948.
During the following decades, the military of Honduras carried out several coups d'état, starting in October 1955. General Oswaldo López Arellano carried out the next coup in October 1963 and a second in December 1972, followed by coups in 1975 by Juan Alberto Melgar Castro and in 1978 by Policarpo Paz García.

1980s

Events during the 1980s in El Salvador and Nicaragua led Honduras – with US assistance – to expand its armed forces considerably, laying particular emphasis on its air force, which came to include a squadron of US-provided F-5s.
The military unit Battalion 316 carried out political assassinations and the torture of suspected political opponents of the government during this same period. Battalion members received training and support from the United States Central Intelligence Agency, in Honduras, at U.S. military bases and in Chile during the presidency of the dictator Augusto Pinochet. Amnesty International estimated that at least 184 people "disappeared" from 1980 to 1992 in Honduras, most likely due to actions of the Honduran military.

1990s

The resolution of the civil wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua, and across-the-board budget cuts made in all ministries, has brought reduced funding for the Honduran armed forces. The abolition of the draft has created staffing gaps in the now all-volunteer armed forces. The military is now far below its authorized strength, and further reductions are expected. In January 1999, the Constitution was amended to abolish the position of military commander-in-chief of the armed forces, thus codifying civilian authority over the military.

2000s

Since 2002, soldiers have been involved in crime prevention and law enforcement, patrolling the streets of the major cities alongside the national police.

2009

On 28 June 2009, in the context of a constitutional crisis, the military, acting on orders of the Supreme Court of Justice, arrested the president, Manuel Zelaya after which they forcibly removed elected President Zelaya from Honduras. See the article 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis regarding claims regarding legitimacy and illegitimacy of the event, and events preceding and following the removal of Zelaya from Honduras.
The military's chief lawyer, Colonel Herberth Bayardo Inestroza Membreño, made public statements regarding the removal of Zelaya. On June 30, he showed a detention order, apparently signed June 26 by a Supreme Court judge, which ordered the armed forces to detain the president. Colonel Inestroza later stated that deporting Zelaya did not comply with the court order: "In the moment that we took him out of the country, in the way that he was taken out, there is a crime. Because of the circumstances of the moment this crime occurred, there is going to be a justification and cause for acquittal that will protect us." He said the decision was taken by the military leadership "in order to avoid bloodshed".

Human rights violations during 2009

Following the 2009 ouster of the president, the Honduran military together with other government security forces were allegedly responsible for thousands of allegedly arbitrary detentions and for several forced disappearances and extrajudicial executions of opponents to the de facto government, including members of the Democratic Unification Party. However, evidence about these actions has yet to be provided and there has been some questioning in local media about the actual perpetrators, suggesting that they could actually be related to disputes within the leftists organizations themselves.

Army

Land Bases
The FAH operates from four air bases located at:
With the exception of Soto Cano Air Base, all other air bases operate as dual civil and military aviation facilities.
Additionally, three air stations are located at:
Also a radar station operates at:
The navy is a small force dealing with coastal and riverine security.
The navy has 31 patrol boats and landing craft.
ClassOriginTypeVersionsIn serviceFleet
Sa'ar 62-class offshore patrol vessel Ocean Patrol Vessel1Delivered by Israel Shipyard and arrived in country December 2019
Guaymuras class Patrol boat3FNH 101 Guaymuras
FNH 102 Honduras W/O
FNH 103 Hibueras W/O
Yojoa Coastal buoy tender1FNH 252 Yojoa – ex-US Coast Guard Walnut W/O Broke in half during Hurricane Mitch
Punta Caxinas Coastal transport1FNH-1491
Choluteca Class Coastal patrol craft5FNH 651 Nacaome
FNH 652 Goascoran
FNH 653 Patuca
FNH 654 Ulua
FNH 655 Choluteca
Piraña classNapco Riverine ops boat8
Boston Whaler Guardián ClassRiverine ops boat10
Tegucigalpa Class Patrol boat3FNH-1071 Tegucigalpa
FNH-1072 Copán
FNH-1073 Unknown name
Chamelecán Class Patrol boat1FNH-8501
WARUNTA Class Landing craft3FNH-7301 Warunta
FNH-7302 Rio Coco
FNH-7303 Unknown name
LCU1
Small River Patrol Boat15
Golfo de Tribuga-class landing craftShort Range Logistic Support ShipBAL-C1FNH 1611 Gracias a Dios
Damen Stan Patrol Boat Coastal Patrol Vessel42072FNH 1401 Lempira – FNH 1402 Morazan
Damen Stan Interceptor 1102 Interceptor Boat11026
Eduardoño Patrullero 320 Interceptor Boat25FNH 3201 – 3225
Boston Whaler Interceptors Interceptor Boat10Unknown identification
Multi Mission Interceptor MMI35 Interceptor Boat2

The Honduran navy has 4 naval bases:
Additionally, the Honduran navy has the following unit and schools:
According to a statement in July 2009 by a legal counsel of the Honduras military, Colonel Herberth Bayardo Inestroza, part of the elite Honduran military generals were opposed to President Manuel Zelaya, whom the military had removed from Honduras via a military Coup d'état, because of his left-wing politics. Inestroza stated, "It would be difficult for us , with our training, to have a relationship with a leftist government. That's impossible."
The current head of the armed forces is Carlos Antonio Cuéllar, graduate of the General Francisco Morazan Military Academy and the School of the Americas. In January 2011, the General Rene Arnoldo Osorio Canales former head of the Presidential Honor Guard, was appointed Commander.
As of 2012 the Honduran Military has the highest military expenditures of all Central America.

Equipment

Hand guns

ImageNameOriginTypeNumberNotes
M151Light Utility Vehicleunknown
Jeep J8Light Utility Vehicleunknown-
M356x6 Cargo Truckunknown
Ford F-Series TruckF-250 4x4 Truckunknown
Ashok Leyland Stallion4x4 Truck110Ordered in January 2009. Part of an order for 139 miscellaneous utility and transport vehicles.
Ashok Leyland Topchi4x4 Truck28Ordered in January 2009. Part of an order for 139 miscellaneous utility and transport vehicles.
L-series4x4 TruckVariousSome to be replaced for Ashok Leyland Stallion.
Mercedes Benz Unimog4x4 TruckVariousTo be replaced for Ashok Leyland Stallion.

ImageNameOriginTypeNumberNotes
M102Towed 105mm Howitzer24
M101Towed 105mm Howitzer20
M198Towed 155mm Howitzer12
M-66160mm Mortar30
M-65120mm Mortar30
Brandt120mm Mortar60
M55A220mm Anti-Aircraft Gun8034 in service.
M167 VADS20mm Anti-Aircraft Gun30
TCM-2020mm Anti-Aircraft Gun24