Some of the most common functions of the SVA are transporting civilians in critical medical emergencies to the hospitals in the capital as well as helping in the war on drugs.

Plenty of drug trafficking operations are carried in joint agreement with the U.S., mainly occurring in the coastal areas and at sea.

Costa Rica is one of the oldest democracies in the region and formally abolished its army on December 1, 1949, just after the end of a revolution that reformed the country's political structures.

In 1994, it was renamed the Air Vigilance Service (Spanish: Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea, SVA), with 15 aircraft.

As a result of the many operations against drug trafficking, a number of aircraft have been added to the asset list by means of confiscation.