| Argentine Air Force Fuerza Aérea Argentina |
|
|---|---|
| Active | 1945–Present |
| Country | Argentina |
| Size | 21,460 personnel (including 6,854 civilians); 280 aircraft |
| Anniversaries | August 10 (anniversary) May 1 (Fire baptism) |
| Battle honours | Falklands (Malvinas) [1] |
| Commanders | |
| Chief of Staff | Brigadier-Major Normando Costantino |
| Insignia | |
| Roundel |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Pucará |
| Fighter | A-4AR, IAI Finger, Mirage 5A |
| Interceptor | Mirage IIIEA |
| Trainer | T-34A, Tucano, Pampa |
| Transport | C-130, Fokker F28, Fokker F27, DHC-6 |
The Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina or FAA) is the national aviation branch of the armed forces of Argentina. As of 2007, it had 14,606 airmen and 6,854 civilians on duty.
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The Air Force's history begins with the establishment of the Argentine Army Aviation's Escuela de Aviación Militar (Military Aviation School) on 10 August 1912. Several military officers were amongst the pioneers of Argentine aviation, including Jorge Newbery, a retired Argentine Navy officer. The School began to turn out several military pilots who participated in milestone events in Argentine aviation, such as the crossing of the Andes mountains.
In 1927 the Dirección General de Aeronáutica (General Directorate of Aeronautics) was created to coordinate the country's military aviation. In that same year, the Fábrica Militar de Aviones (Military Aircraft Factory, FMA) was founded in Córdoba, which would become the heart of the country's aviation industry.
By the 1940s there were several air units in the Army and the Navy, and the first step towards an independent force came on 11 February 1944 with the establishment of the Aeronautical Command, which would go on to become the Argentine Air Force on 4 January 1945, an independent force on par with the Army and the Navy.
Immediately after the end of World War II, the Air Force began a process of modernization, incorporating aircraft such as the Gloster Meteor jet fighter, thus becoming the first air force in Latin America equipped with jet-propelled aircraft. In addition, a number of Avro Lincoln and Avro Lancaster bombers were acquired, creating a powerful strategic force in the region. The Air Force, in collaboration with German technicians, also began to develop its own aircraft, such as the Pulqui I and Pulqui II, making Argentina the first country in Latin America and the sixth in the world to develop jet fighter technology on its own.
In 1952, the Air Force began flights to supply the early Antarctic scientific bases, expanding its activities in the Antarctic continent and establishing Marambio Base on 25 September 1969.
During the 1970s, the Air Force reequipped itself with modern aircraft for the period, including the Mirage III interceptors, IAI Dagger multi-role fighters (Israeli derivatives of the Mirage V), A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft and C-130 Hercules cargo planes. Also, a counter-insurgency airplane, the Pucará, was used in substantial numbers.
The Falklands War, termed by the Argentines Guerra de las Malvinas / Guerra del Atlántico Sur, took a great toll on the Air Force, which lost 60 aircraft. Due to the deteriorating economic situation, international opposition and political distrust upon the military, the Air Force was denied the resources needed to replace the war losses. This, coupled with diminishing budgets, led to a period of reduced activity and growing materiel obsolescence.
In the 1990s, the British embargo was officially eliminated and after economic and political failure attempts of getting surplus IAI Kfirs or F-16As, the United States sold 36 refurbished A-4M Skyhawk (known as A-4AR Fightinghawks.) Since their reception, the A-4AR demonstrated being a worthy replacement of the Bravos and Charlies that fought during the war.
The FAA has been greatly involved in United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world. They sent a Boeing 707 to the 1991 Gulf War. Since 1994, the UN Air contingent (UNFLIGHT) in Cyprus under UNFICYP mandate is provided by the FAA[2], achieving 10,000 flight hours (as of 2003) without any accidents [3]. The FAA has also since 2005 deployed Bell 212 helicopters to Haiti under MINUSTAH mandate.
In early 2005, the top seventeen brigadiers of the Air Force, including the Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Carlos Rohde, were sacked by President Néstor Kirchner following a drug traffic scandal through Ezeiza International Airport. Kirchner cited failures in the security systems of Argentine airports (which were overseen by the National Aeronautic Police, a branch of the Air Force) and cover-ups of the scandal, even though it later became known that many government agencies, among them the Interior Ministry, the Customs Administration and the Secretariat of State Intelligence knew about the drug traffic operations.
The primary concerns of the Air Force nowadays are the establishment of a radar network for control of the country's airspace, the replacement of its older combat aircraft (Mirage III, Mirage V) and the incorporation of new technologies. The possibility of purchasing surplus French Air Force Mirage 2000C fighters, like the option chosen by the Brazilian Air Force, has been considered.
Since the last decade, the FAA had established good relations with neighbours Brazilian Air Force and Chilean Air Force. They annually meet, on a rotation basis, in the join exercises Cruzex in Brazil, Ceibo in Argentina and Salitre in Chile.
In 2007, an FAA FMA IA 58 Pucará was converted to carry a modified engine operating on soy-derived bio-jet fuel. The project, financed and directed by the Argentine Government (Secretaría de Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación Productiva de la Nación), made Argentina the second nation in the world to propel an aircraft with biojet fuel. The project intends to make the FAA less reliant on costly fossil fuels.
The Argentine Air Force is one of the three branches of the Argentine military, having equal status with the Army and the Navy. The President of Argentina is Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force as well as of the other branches of the military.
The Air Force is headed by the Chief of the General Staff (Jefe del Estado Mayor General), directly appointed and removed by the President. The Air Force Chief of Staff usually holds the rank of Brigadier General, the highest rank of the Air Force. The Chief of Staff is seconded by a Deputy Chief of the General Staff and three senior officers in charge of the Air Force's three Commands: the Air Operations Command, the Personnel Command and the Materiel Command.
The Air Operations Command (Comando de Operaciones Aéreas) is the branch of the Air Force responsible for aerospace defense, air operations, planning, training, technical and logistical support of the air units. Subordinate to the Air Operations Command are the Air Brigades (Brigadas Aéreas), the Air Force's major operative units. A total of eight Air Brigades are currently operational. Brigades are headquartered at Military Air Bases (Base Aérea Militar, commonly abbreviated "BAM").
Each Air Brigade is made up of three Groups, each of which bear the same numeral as its mother Brigade. These groups include:
The Personnel Command (Comando de Personal) is responsible for the training, education, assignment and welfare of Air Force personnel. Under the control of the Personnel Command are the Military Aviation School (which educates the future officers of the Air Force), the Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) School and other educational and training units.
The Materiel Command (Comando de Material) deals with planning and executing the Air Force's logistics regarding flying and ground materiel. Materiel Command includes "Quilmes" and "Río Cuarto " Materiel Areas (repairing and maintenance units) and "El Palomar" Logistical Area.
Officers
Officers wear their rank insignia in their sleeves, in the pattern depicted below. There are also shoulderboards with the same insignia (albeit in gray) for the ranks between Ensign and Commodore. General officers wear different shoulderboards.
| Equivalent NATO Rank Code | Rank in Spanish | Rank in English | Commonwealth equivalent | US Air Force equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF8 / OF-9 | Brigadier General | Brigadier General | Air Marshal or Air Chief Marshal | Lieutenant General or General |
| OF-7 | Brigadier Mayor | Brigadier-Major | Air Vice-Marshal | Major General |
| OF-6 | Brigadier | Brigadier | Air Commodore | Brigadier General |
| OF-5 | Comodoro | Commodore | Group Captain | Colonel |
| OF-4 | Vicecomodoro | Vice-Commodore | Wing Commander | Lieutenant Colonel |
| OF-3 | Mayor | Major | Squadron Leader | Major |
| OF-2 | Capitán | Captain | Flight Lieutenant | Captain |
| OF-1 | Primer Teniente | First Lieutenant | Flying Officer | First Lieutenant |
| OF-1 | Teniente | Lieutenant | Pilot Officer | Second Lieutenant |
| OF-D | Alférez | Ensign | Acting Pilot Officer |
Enlisted personnel and Non-Commissioned Officers
| Insignia | Rank in Spanish | Rank in English |
|---|---|---|
 |
Suboficial Mayor | Senior Sub-Officer or Sub-Officer-Major |
 |
Suboficial Principal | Principal Sub-Officer |
 |
Suboficial Ayudante | Staff Sub-Officer or Adjutant Sub-Officer |
 |
Suboficial Auxiliar | Auxiliary Sub-Officer |
 |
Cabo Principal | Principal Corporal |
 |
Cabo Primero | Corporal First Class |
 |
Cabo | Corporal |
 |
Voluntario Primero | Volunteer First Class |
 |
Voluntario Segundo | Volunteer Second Class |
The FAA operates 250 aircraft of various types, including 77 primary combat aircraft.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | Quantity[4] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter Aircraft | ||||||
| Dassault Mirage III |  France |
Fighter/Trainer | Mirage IIIEA/Mirage IIIDA | 9 | ||
| McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk |  United States |
Attack and fighter Attack, fighter and trainer |
A-4AR/OA-4AR | 20 | ||
| IAI Finger (Mirage 5 subtype) |  Israel |
Attack and fighter/Trainer | Finger/Dagger B | 6 | ||
| Dassault Mirage V | France |
Attack and fighter | Mirage 5A | 6 | ||
| Ground Attack | ||||||
| FMA IA 58 Pucará |  Argentina |
Attack | IA-58A | 36 | ||
| Trainer | ||||||
| Beechcraft T-34 Mentor | United States |
Trainer | FMA T-34A | 31 | ||
| Sukhoi Su-29 |  Russia |
Aerobatics | Su-29 | 7 | ||
| Embraer Tucano |  Brazil |
Trainer | 27 | |||
| FMA IA 63 Pampa | Argentina |
Trainer/attack | 18 | |||
| Helicopters | ||||||
| Aérospatiale SA 315 Lama | France |
Andes rescue helicopter | SA 315B | 3 | ||
| Bell 212 Twin Huey | United States |
Utility helicopter (UN, CSAR and Antarctic operations) | 7 | |||
| MD/RACA MD 500 Defender | United States |
Utility helicopter | 500D | 10 | ||
| Hughes 369 | United States |
Scout helicopter | 1 | |||
| Transports | ||||||
| Cessna 182 Skylane | United States |
Utility | A182 | 18 | ||
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter |  Canada |
Utility | DHC-6-200 | 8 | ||
| Fokker F27 Friendship |  Netherlands |
Transport | F27-400M
F27-600 |
4
2 |
||
| Fokker F28 Fellowship | Netherlands |
Transport | F28-1000
F28-1000C F28-4000 |
1
4 1 |
||
| Learjet 35 | United States |
Special missions | 35A | 4 | ||
| Learjet 60 | United States |
VIP transport | 1 | |||
| Lockheed C-130 Hercules | United States |
Transport/Aerial refueling | C-130B
C-130H KC-130H L-100-30 |
2
5 2 1 |
||
| Rockwell Aero Commander 500 | United States |
Transport | 500U | 5 | ||
| Rockwell Sabreliner | United States |
VIP transport | Sabreliner 75A | 1 | ||
| Saab-340 |  Sweden |
Transport | Saab-340B | 4 | ||
Commanders of the Army Military Aviation (1912-1919)
Commanders of the Army Aeronautical Service (1919-1927)
Commanders of the General Directorate of Aeronautics (1927-1941)
Commanders of the First Air Division (1936)
Commanders of the Army Air Forces (1936-1939)
Commanders of the Army Aviation Command (1938-1944)
Commanders-in-Chief of the Aeronautica (1944)
Commanders of the Argentine Air Force (1945-1947)
Commanders-in-Chief of the Argentine Air Force (1947-1973)
General Commanders of the Argentine Air Force (1973-1976)
Commanders-in-Chief of the Argentine Air Force (1976-1983)
Chiefs of the General Staff of the Argentine Air Force (1983-present)
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