The South American air forces performs several joint aerial combat training exercises. Among the more important are CRUZEX (pt|Exercício Cruzeiro do Sul) which is hosted by the Brazilian Air Force, salitre (en|Saltpeter) hosted by the Chilean Air Force and ceibo (en|[[Erythrina crista-galli]] flower) hosted by the Argentine Air Force. The goal is to train together in order to respond to a crisis or integrate into United Nations peacekeeping operations as a unified team; the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force have also participated in some of these exercises in recent years.
The exercises include combat search and rescue, aerial refueling and combined air operations center training opportunities focused on interoperability.[1]
All helicopters are normally provided by the host nation and all the participants include different types of support aircraft.
| Operation | Date | Air bases | Participants | Observers | Notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruzex I | |||||||
| Cruzex II | |||||||
| Salitre I | 2004 26 Sep/10 Oct | Cerro Moreno Iquique | Mirage 50 Pantera, Mirage 5 Elkan, F-5 Tiger III, A-37B Dragonfly, EB-707 Cóndor, KB-707 Águila, LR-35 Learjet, C-212 Aviocar  Mirage III, Mirage 5 Mara, B-707, L-300 Hercules  F-5 Tiger II, KC-137  F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, KC-135 Stratotanker | 57 aircraft | [2] | ||
| Ceibo 2005 | 2005 Nov | El Plumerillo Villa Reynolds | Mirage III, Mirage 5 Mara, A-4AR Fighting Hawk A-1 Falcao Mirage 50 Pantera A-37B Dragonfly | 45 aircraft | [3] | ||
| Cruzex III | |||||||
| Cruzex IV | |||||||
| Salitre II | 2009 19-30/Oct | Cerro Moreno Iquique | F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcon, F-5 Tiger III, EB-707 Cóndor, KB-707 Águila, Beech 99A Petrel, C-212 Aviocar A-4AR Fighting Hawk, KC-130 Hercules A-1 Falcao, KC-130 Hercules F-15C Eagle, KC-135 Stratotaker, HC-130 Hercules, C-130 Hercules  Mirage 2000, E-3F Sentry, KC-135 Stratotanker |   | [4] | ||
| Cooperación I | 2010 4-15/Oct | Chile | C-130 Hercules, DHC-6 Twin Otter, C-212 Aviocar, CJ-1, UH-60 Black Hawk, Bell 412, UH-1H Iroquois UH-60 Black Hawk  C-130 Hercules  C-130 Hercules  L-100 Hercules, Bell 212 C-130 Hercules |    | Natural disasters relief training official video | [5] | |
| Cruzex V | |||||||
| Cruzex VI | |||||||
| Cooperación III | 2014 23 Apr/1 May | Perú | L-100 Hercules, Mi-8 Hip, Bell 212 C-130 Hercules C-295 Amazonas, UH-60 Black Hawk CC-130J Super Hercules, CH-149 Cormorant C-130 Hercules C-295, Beech 350 King Air C-130 Hercules, UH-1H Iroquois C-130 Hercules |  | Natural disasters relief training | [6] | |
| Salitre III | 2014 6-17/Oct | Cerro Moreno Iquique | F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, F-16AM/BM Fighting Falcon, F-5 Tiger III A-4AR Fighting Hawk F-5EM/FM Tiger II, KC-130 Hercules F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, KC-135 Stratotaker A-37B Dragonfly | 51 aircraft | |||
| Cruzex 2018 | |||||||
| Cruzex 2024 | |||||||