Paraguayan Navy

The Paraguayan Navy (Spanish: Armada Paraguaya) is the maritime force of the Armed Forces of Paraguay, in charge of the defense of Paraguay's waterways. It has gone to war on two occasions: the War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870) against Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, and the Chaco War (1932–1935) against Bolivia. Although Paraguay is a landlocked country, it maintains a strong naval tradition due to its connections to the Atlantic Ocean through the Paraguay–Paraná rivers. The Paraguayan Navy has twelve bases, with its main base in Puerto Sajonia in Asunción, followed by Bahia Negra, Ciudad del Este, Encarnacion, Salto del Guaira. It also has aviation facilities in Puerto Sajonia. The Navy has 34 surface ships, some of which have reached centenarian age, due in part to limited use and the vessels floating in fresh water. The flagship of the Paraguay Navy is the Humaita, which was commissioned prior to Paraguay's involvement in the Chaco War. The vast majority of the fleet are patrol ships and auxiliary vessels. The rest of the fleet is composed of tugboats, barges, landing craft, transports, and a presidential yacht. The new additions are four Croc-class riverine vessels from Australia, plus 43 locally built riverline patrol vessels constructed from 2006 to 2009. For air support, one Helibras HB350 helicopter is used to provide SAR, MEDEVAC and utility work