[3][10][11] During Sacadura Cabral's stay in France, he was also appointed by the Navy Ministry to establish contact with the French aviation industry to study the existing hydroplane models to equip a future Portuguese naval air service.

[10] Meanwhile, Navy personnel started receiving flight training and aircraft maintenance instruction at the school and abroad, in France.

flying boats, received in March 1917 and stored at EAM, arrived at Bom Sucesso by December 1917, marking the beginning of the Navy's independent flight operations.

For the centennial, on 28 September 2017, citizens and tourists near the Torre de Belém in Lisbon were treated to a short afternoon air show of planes and helicopter over the Tagus River plus an anniversary ceremony on the riverbank including a military band.

In 1919 aircraft of the Portuguese Naval Aviation operating from São Jacinto were used against the pro-monarch movement Monarchy of the North, during the political instability in Portugal that resulted from the assassination of President Sidónio Pais.

Four CAMS 37A[17] of the Naval Aviation were then sent on 11 April to Horta, Azores, by ship to perform reconnaissance, ground attack, and psychological warfare missions against the local revolting forces.

These aircraft flew 100 hours and were hit by small arms fire and fireworks converted into rudimentary anti-aircraft rockets.

Nevertheless, as part of the modernization program two 1st class avisos of the Afonso de Albuquerque type were built with the capacity to carry a floatplane, Hawker Osprey III.

During its service, the Grumman Goose established regular transport between continental Portugal to the Azores and performed search and rescue missions.

[20] In February 1941, a Short Sunderland was interned after being forced to land on the Portuguese coast, during a flight from the United Kingdom to Gibraltar, due to high winds.

[24] The last major acquisition of combat aircraft by the Naval Aviation was in 1950, when several Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bombers were bought from the United States through the Mutual Defense Assistance Act.

By 1958, with the anti-submarine and maritime patrol squadrons completely integrated into the Air Force, the Naval Aviation was finally disbanded and its last remaining technicians and officers returned to the Navy.

[18] During and after the war Alouette III helicopters operated on the flight decks of the João Coutinho-class and Baptista de Andrade-class corvettes and the support ship São Gabriel.

In 1987, upon the modernization of the João Belo-class frigates, it was considered equipping them with a flight deck and a telescopic hangar to enable them to carry an organic anti-submarine helicopter.

Finally in the middle of the 1980s, with the continuation of the Cold War and the need to modernize the naval fleet, a decision was made to purchase new frigates with the capacity to operate helicopters.

[2] At the end of the decade of 1980, the Navy started evaluating both the Kaman SH-2 Seasprite and Westland Lynx as the frigate's on-board helicopters.

[30][31] Having returned to Portugal in October 1989, the officers that underwent training in the United Kingdom integrated a new work group for the acquisition of the naval helicopters (Portuguese: Grupo de Trabalho para a Aquisição dos Helicópteros, GTAH).

[2] Since the reactivation of the Naval Aviation it was decided to use the available Air Force's logistics and training infrastructure to reduce costs and improve the overall unit performance.