The information was revealed by Argentine and Indian defense sources, (India keeps close track of China and its ally Pakistan strategic and military steps), and follows on the very dynamic activities of the Argentine ambassador in Beijing, Vaca Narvaja who not only was decisive in structuring the recent MoU between the two countries, signed during the visit of president Alberto Fernandez to Beijing but also has been in contact with the Chinese military establishment and the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation, CATIC. That is to say, Argentina is going through a very difficult economic situation, we know that, and at the same time Argentina has a need to recover, modernize and update material for the Armed Forces that for many years were practically without purchases nor equipment. The French in the 1990s upgraded the carrier-capable jets to the Super Etendard Modernize standard before retiring them in 2016. [2], The Air Force's history began with the establishment of the Army Aviation Service's Escuela de Aviacin Militar ('Military Aviation School') on 10 August 1912. The Argentine government has allocated $664 million US in funding for the purchase of 12 modern fighters in its draft budget for fiscal year (FY) 2022. The FAA is headed by the Chief of the General Staff (Jefe del Estado Mayor General), directly appointed by the President. The entire air force fleet lacks modern avionics and systems, and still uses analog equipment, Santiago Rivas wrote in a 2015 edition ofCombat Aircraftmagazine. The flying branch had wanted to upgrade the fighters to serve until 2022, but a lack of sparesrendered them unflyable. Some sources suggested that the cancellation was due to the financial pressures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,[44] while others reported that British intervention played a part by preventing the export of an aircraft incorporating various British components. Five ex-French navy Super Etendard fighters in May 2019 arrived at the port of Bahia Blanca in Argentina. Argentinas Defense Minister at the time, Agustin Rossi, confirmed in that same year that the JF-17 would be on the shopping list. at Shephard Media. "Argentina tiene que destinar sus recursos a cosas ms importantes que a la compra de aviones militares. [16][17], In the 1960s, new aircraft were incorporated, including the F-86F Sabre jet fighter and the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk mainly used for ground-attack. The acquisition of Spanish Mirage F1Ms, IAI Kfir Block 60s[32] and Saab Gripen E/Fs were considered, but as of February 2015, all of those deals appear to have stalled; the Mirage F1 deal was scrapped by the Spanish government in March 2014, after pressure from the UK to not assist in FAA modernization over tensions between the countries over the Falkland Islands. Argentina buys RBS 70 ground air defense with 5 sec reloading time Britain will 'buy' Argentina either MiG-35 or JF-17 or F-16 Combat aircraft in Argentine aviation are few, outdated, and do not meet modern requirements. It seemed like the air force might be on the rebound. Calibration aircraft delivered in 1981-2. list of active aircraft of the Argentine Air Force, "Catlogo Ilustrado de Aeronaves de la Fuerza Area Argentina", World Air Forces - Historical Listings - Argentina, "Argentina to receive first Texan IIs in October, buy Bell 412s", "ANALYSIS: 2019 World Air Forces Directory pg. During the junta dictatorship, both the naval air component and the Air Force recieved new aircraft, such as the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, Dassault Super tendard and the Dassault Mirage III. Argentina's Defense Minister at the time, Agustin Rossi, confirmed in that same year that the JF-17 would be on the shopping list. Countries such as the Philippines also use the aircraft, owning six A-29 Super Tucano units, with a contract worth 4.97 billion pesos for the six Super Tucano aircraft issued in 2017.Other notable countries to have received the E-29 Super Tucano aircraft include Portugal, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Ghana, and Mali.. Argentina was now said to be exploring the potential acquisition of aircraft from Russia, China, India [46] or Pakistan. How can Sweden develop a future air combat capability, freeing it from GCAP ties for now? Nevertheless, the statement did not say which aircraft Argentina is evaluating. Critically, only the A-4s have an aerial refueling capability and there are just two tankers. Personal Data collected: NonePlace of processing: Ireland Privacy PolicyOpt Out. As regards aircraft, Argentina has an aspiration of fourth generation fighters and has an aspiration to recover its submarine capacity, as it has the aspiration to acquire armored vehicles; those are three great objectives that persist, they are maintained, and obviously to achieve them, the technical capabilities of what is being sought must be taken into account, and at the same time, the possibilities of financing must be taken into account. [54], Argentina has confirmed the purchase of 6 Bell 407 for the Armed Forces and plans for the modernization of its inventory of Hughes 500Ds pending the arrival of new Beechcraft TC-12B Hurons. 30 anc, and the assault glider I.Ae. The Fuerza Area Argentina (FAA) or Argentinas air force has been searching for a new supersonic fighter aircraft since when the Dassault Mirage III interceptor fleet was retired in 2015. Sabino Vaca Narvaja, Argentina's ambassador to China, held a meeting with Argentine Defence Minister Jorge Taiana in Buenos Aires recently to discuss plans . Even with these planes, the Argentine air force and navy still would be woefully under-equipped. Argentina is considering buying Chinese JF-17 fighters after a similar deal was halted last year, renewing Beijing's hopes of expanding the reach of its military equipment in South America, where it is competing for influence with the US. The Super Etendards in question originally entered service with the French navy in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Personal data that are processed:Tracker; Usage Data. [citation needed]. Lincoln bomber B-003/B-022 was converted to transport. Russia is also pitching its MiG-35 to Argentina over the past few years. The Argentine navy previously operated 14 Super Etendards, acquiring five of them in time for service during the 1982 Falklands War. In any event, the United States refused to grant an export license for the Kfirs American-made engines. [citation needed], By 193839, Argentina's air power consisted of roughly 3,200 personnel (including about 200 officers) and maintained approximately 230 aircraft. In addition, several Avro Lincoln and Avro Lancaster bombers were also acquired. Argentina had previously agreed with China to purchase a range of military systems in 2015. estimated to be a total of eight air brigades operational. Argentine officials as early as 2016 had asked to evaluate the twin-seat, supersonic FA-50,Janesreported. [47] However, even sales of Chinese aircraft reportedly encountered potential problems since the ejector seats of the aircraft were the MK6, manufactured by Martin-Baker in the UK. Argentine Air Force. The funding requests $664 million for the purchase of 12 JF-17s from Pakistan. To make this website work, we log user data. According to Zona Militar, Buenos Aires decision on choosing a new fighter jet has been postponed to 2023. [CDATA[// >