This list of current and former aircraft of the Portuguese Armed Forces also includes aircraft of the National Republican Guard.
The Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) was founded in 1952 as the result of the amalgamation of the Aeronáutica Militar and Aviação Naval. With the merger many aircraft were transferred from these earlier aviation services to the Air Force, having been in service before 1952.
After Military Aeronautics became an independent branch, the Portuguese Army activated a small aviation component in its Artillery Arm. This aviation component was disbanded in 1955, with its aircraft and role being transferred to the Air Force. The Army even signed two contracts for the purchase of helicopters, the first in the late 90s for the purchase of Eurocopter EC635 helicopters, which was canceled in 2002 due the lack of a certification to fire HOT 2 anti-tank missiles. In 2012 the acquisition of 10 NH-90 helicopters was canceled after the economic crisis that hit the country that year. The Portuguese Army would only operate air assets in the 21st century, where it currently employs a wide range of UAVs.
The Navy's Aviação Naval (Naval Aviation) was created in 1917. In 1993, the Naval Aviation was reborn with the creation of the Esquadrilha de Helicópteros da Marinha (Navy's Helicopter Squadron), which operates the helicopters that serve on board the Navy's ships.
The Army's Aeronáutica Militar (Military Aeronautics) was the first military aviation service created in Portugal and much of the Portuguese aviation origins date back to it.