Army Light Aviation Unit (Portugal)

This arm received a high degree of autonomy in 1937, including its own separate chain of command, although continuing to be administratively connected to the Army.

[1][2] At the same time that the process of the separation of the Portuguese Air Force was being carried away, the Army felt the need to continue to maintain its own light aviation service to support the artillery arm in the observation and direction of fire over targets located beyond the horizon.

This need led the Army minister General Abranches Pinto to boost the process of activation of what was intended to be the future Artillery Observation Light Aviation.

Meanwhile, the concept of Army light aviation evolved and plans were being made to equip it in the future also with helicopters and to give it other missions besides those related with the artillery.

[4] In the 1980s, based on the experience gained in Africa and the increasingly importance of the helicopter in NATO military operations, a work group was created by the Army's Cavalry Arm Directorate to study and plan the creation of a light aviation unit.

On June 30, 1993, the Ministry of National Defense approved the addition of the Army Light Aviation Group (Portuguese: Grupo de Aviação Ligeira do Exército, GALE) to the list of units to be created, and on August 31 the financing of the program.

[2] During its existence, the UALE was responsible to serve as the administrative parent unit of the Communications Company of the Rapid Reaction Brigade' and to operate and maintain the Tancos airfield.

[12][13] In June 2012, the Portuguese government officially announced that it would cancel the order of all ten NHI NH90 due to budget cuts,[14] thus compromising the future of the UALE.