Forbidden Planes

Forbidden Planes outlines the history of Brazilian naval aviation from its beginnings in 1916 to the present, with a focus on the 1952–1965 period. During this time, the Aviação Naval Brasileira (ANB) – which had been disbanded in 1941 to form the Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB) – was reactivated in 1952. The subsequent acquisition of the aircraft carrier Minas Gerais sparked a dispute over the right to conduct carrier-based operations.

The navy secretly acquired aircraft for carrier operations and training, refusing to allow the FAB to operate its planes from the carrier. The ensuing conflict included shots fired at an FAB reconnaissance plane and the strafing of a naval helicopter. Ultimately, a 1965 presidential decree ruled that only the FAB could operate fixed-wing aircraft, restricting the ANB to helicopter operations. In 1998, the decree was overturned, and the navy regained the right to operate fixed-wing aircraft, albeit under certain restrictions.