Aeródromo de Manobra Nº 71 (AM71), located near Chitima and Estima in the Tete Province, was a purpose-built tactical airbase designed to counter a specific strategic threat: FRELIMO’s campaign to sabotage the construction of the massive Cahora Bassa Dam. As FRELIMO pushed southward into the Tete operational sector in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Portuguese military rushed to fortify the entire valley. AM71 was carved out of the bush to provide immediate, localized air cover for the dam project and the vital logistics roads leading to it.
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- The Guard of Cahora Bassa: The primary mission of AM71 was to host permanent detachments of Alouette III helicopters and light observation aircraft. These units flew continuous daily patrols over the Zambezi River valley, looking for insurgent supply columns and mining teams trying to plant explosives along the construction supply routes.
- Convoy Escort Hub: The roads surrounding Tete were notorious for devastating ambush and landmine operations. AM71 served as the launchpad for airborne spotters who flew ahead of military and engineering supply convoys, scanning for turned dirt, suspicious foliage, or hidden enemy trenches.
- The Tete Defense Network: Working in tandem with static artillery battalions based at nearby Chitima, the air units at AM71 could rapidly deploy Grupos Especiais (Special Groups) to any section of the perimeter within minutes of an alarm.
Following the end of hostilities, the heavily fortified airfield lost its immediate military purpose but remained critical regional infrastructure. Today, the landing strip continues to serve the local area as Estima Airport (Chitima).