[clarification needed] The Salvadoran Air Force first saw action in the 1969 Football War against Honduras equipped with F4U Corsairs and P-51 Mustangs.

On 6 May 2013, in celebration of the 189th anniversary of the Armed Forces of El Salvador, the Salvadoran Government announced the planned purchase of 10 A-37 aircraft from Chile.

The civil war ended in mutual exhaustion in 1990 and the Air Force was geared for internal security.

[4] In 2025 Air Force personnel were deployed to Haiti as part of the Multinational Security Support mission to combat the organised gangs there.

Some notable aircraft, previous operated by the Air Force were the Dassault Ouragan, CM.170 Magister, Cessna O-2 Skymaster, Douglas AC-47, SOCATA R235 Guerrier, and the Hughes 300C.