Portuguese Air Force Academy - History

History

For many years after its creation in 1952 as an independent branch of the Armed Forces of Portugal, Portuguese Air Force officers attended the Army' Military Academy. However, military professionalization, as well as the specific nature of the qualifications required for an Air Force career officer, led to the creation of the separate Air Force Academy (AFA), in 1978.

The AFA became the third military higher education institution, alongside the Naval School and the Military Academy.

Now the AFA has its own facilities next to Air Base 1 (Sintra Air Base) in Granja do Marquês. It started its activity though, on 1 February 1978, in temporary facilities and only students that were then attending the third year of the Military Aeronautics degree course were taken in. As its own facilities were built it became possible to expand the educational range of the Academy to cover other areas of interest. Thus, in response to the real needs of the Air Force, in the school year of 1991/92 other degrees were created: aeronautical engineering, airfield engineering; electrical engineering, computer engineering and aeronautical administration. In order to get these degrees, students have to attend other higher education institutions for the final years of each course.

The polytechnical courses were created in the same year. Meant for the servicemen who also wish to enter the commissioned ranks, they are aimed at the technical personnel. These degrees were taught at the Higher School of Military and Aeronautical Technology (ESTMA, Escola Superior de Tecnologias Militares e Aeronáuticas), until 2008, when this school was merged in the AFA.