Latin American Military - Honduras - Fuerza Naval de Honduras (FNH)

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Revised: January 25, 2010
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Jean Charles Barroux - jbarroux@LAMilitary.org

The first use of naval power by the Honduran was a 12 meters utility boat which was used by the Army to patrol coastal waters. In 1972 the Fuerza Naval de Honduras (FNH) was officially created as a separate service.

The Fuerza Naval de Honduras (FNH) has a total of 950 personnel of whom 95 are officials. Part of the personnel are 380 dedicated naval infantry troops. This is less than the 1,200, including 600 naval infantry, in strength in 1993 because of the lower regional tensions now that the situation in Nicaragua has stabilized itself. This is still nearly twice the manpower of the Navy in 1983. Nearly half of the personnel are draftees that serve for 24 months.

The Fuerza Naval de Honduras (FNH) operates currently 3 patrol crafts, 8 patrol boats, 30 riverine patrol boats, 4 landing crafts and 2 aircraft.

The First Naval Infantry Battalion (Infantería de Marina) has some 380 personnel and is based at Puerto Cortés.

The Fuerza Naval de Honduras (FNH) is headquartered at three bases: Amapala on Isla del Tigre in the Golfo de Fonseca on the Pacific coast, Puerto Cortés on the western Caribbean coast, and Puerto Castilla on the central Caribbean coast. The main base on the Caribbean coast is Puerto Cortés.

Even thought this navy does not have a single fire control radar, no ASW capabilities and not a single missile, it is more powerfull than any other navy in the region, mainly thanks to the use of 20 mm G.E. M197 SeaVulcan or 20 mm 90 cal. Hispano-Suiza HS-404 guns slaved to an optronic fire control system Kollmorgen HSV-20NCS in most of the patrol crafts and boats.

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