Argentine air forces in the Falklands War

This article describes the composition and actions of the Argentine air forces in the Falklands War (Guerra de las Malvinas). For an overview of the air forces of the United Kingdom, see British air services in the Falklands War.

Background
Despite initiating the war, Argentina had not prepared a plan for the subsequent defence of the islands. The military dictatorship that governed the country at the time regarded the seizure of the Falklands as a political act to obtain a diplomatic bargaining position, and not as an act of war. Consequently they were taken by surprise when the British responded with a large-scale mobilization, and a task force to retake the islands.

The Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina; FAA) had never considered the possibility of waging a long-range naval air campaign against a major NATO power. It was not trained or equipped for such a mission. The FAA had only two tanker aircraft to serve the whole air force and navy, and its fighter-bomber Mirage IIIs and IAI Daggers were not equipped for aerial refuelling. The FAA's training, tactics and equipment were focused on a possible war against Chile, resulting from disputes such as the Beagle conflict.

The option to attack Chile was a cause of great concern to the Argentina military during the war. The Chilean armed forces had deployed a significant force to Chile's common border with Argentina, and the FAA was forced to reinstate their retired F-86 Sabres to bolster Argentina's air defences. In Argentina's favour, Peru immediately offered its support to the Argentine cause, with the Peruvian Air Force even offering to fly combat missions. This was politely declined by the Argentine government. As the war progressed, Peru and Venezuela sent critical aircraft spare parts to Argentina, urgently needed by the FAA and the Brazilian Air Force leased two EMB111 Bandeirantes maritime patrol aircraft to the Argentine Navy. Finally on June 4, ten Peruvian Mirage 5 with AS-30 missiles arrived to Tandil but the war ended before they could be used. Israel Aircraft Industries technicians that were in the country under the 1979 IAI Daggers contract continued their work during the conflict.

By the best estimates, Argentina totaled about 240 planes when the war broke out. About half of those were posted in the interior and along the Chilean border

On paper, the twenty sub-sonic British Sea Harriers could easily have been wiped out by the more than hundred Argentine combat planes, including many supersonic jets. The reality was different. The long distances from their bases prevented them from using their top speed or they risked running out of fuel. Although, the Argentines had more aeroplanes than the British Task force, a good number of them were Pucara turboprops. Also, the A-4 Skyhawk force were dependent on the two available KC-130 tankers, limiting the amount of aeroplanes that could attack simultaneously.

Argentina's fleet of A-4 Skyhawk attack jets was in very poor condition. The arms embargo placed by the United States in 1976, due to the "Dirty War", had made most airframes unusable. The involvement of Israel in helping to return the A-4 to full operational status has been alleged, but has never been confirmed.

The small air arm of the Argentine Navy (Armada Republica Argentina; ARA) was in the middle of the transition from the A-4Q Skyhawk to the new Super Etendard. Only five of the Etendard's anti-ship Exocet missiles had been delivered at the time of the conflict, at which point an arms embargo prevented the delivery of further shipments. Additionally, the required programming for the missiles to interact with the Etendard's computers had not been completed by French engineers when the conflict broke out. France, being an ally of the United Kingdom, recalled all technicians, which left a number of Argentine scientists and electronic engineers to figure out a way to make the missiles take input from the plane's computers. Navy pilots, particularly those of the 3rd Naval Fighters Squadron flying A-4Qs were the only trained in the specific art of bombing warships. Air Force pilots trained during April against the two Argentine Type 42 destroyers, similar to those of the British Fleet, and according the Naval officers all the sorties were shot down causing great concern to the High Command until the successful May 1 strikes which they proved that aircraft could survive.

Finally, Argentine military aviation had never been involved in an international conflict, indeed the last time the Argentine military had been involved in an international conflict was the War of the Triple Alliance more than a century before.

In spite of these disadvantages, Argentine air units bore the brunt of the battle during the six-week war, and inflicted serious damage and losses to the naval forces of the United Kingdom. Low-flying jets attacking British ships would provide the world with some of the most sobering and dramatic images of the war. By the end of the conflict, the British forces had come to admire the FAA's spirited conduct in the face of an effective air defence network during the hostilities, but as always, air power alone cannot win a war. Admiral Sandy Woodward, the British Task Force commander said: "[t]he Argentine Air Force fought extremely well and we felt a great admiration for what they did."

Organisation
The Air units involved in the Falklands War were under the following chain of command:


 *  Military Junta - Brigadier General (Lieutenant General) Basilio Lami Dozo
 * Air Defence Command (Comando Aéreo de Defensa) - Brigadier Jorge Hughes. Was in charge of the radar network, Mirage IIIEA interceptors and anti-aircraft defences on the mainland.
 * Strategic Air Command (Comando Aéreo Estratégico) - Brigadier Helmuth Weber. Coordinated air assets through all the country. The CAE also had the main role of long range maritime surveillance with Boeing 707s and C-130 Hercules.
 * Southern Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Sur) - Brigadier Ernesto Crespo. The FAS was the main organisation involved in combat over the conflict zone.
 * South Atlantic Military Theatre (Teatro Operaciones Atlantico Sur) - Vice Admiral Juan Lombardo. Basically a naval command with the role of coordinating the air, surface and submarine assets in the South Atlantic area. Initially, during the invasion of the Islands on 2 April and before hostilities broke out, the islands were supposedly to be under their command and was considered as the only organisation needed to managed the crisis.
 * Falklands Military Garrison (Guarnicion Militar Malvinas) - Brigade General Mario Menendez (Army)
 * Air Component (Componente Aéreo) - Brigadier Luis Castellano.

Deployment




Air units moved from home bases to southern facilities. Amid fears about British/Chilean air strikes and/or SAS raids, Argentine aircraft were dispersed in the surrounding areas of their southern airfields, e.g., several parts of the national route #3 were used for this purpose.


 * Ezeiza International Airport, Buenos Aires
 * Boeing 707
 * NAS Almirante Zar, Trelew, Chubut Province
 * B.Mk62 Canberra
 * AFB Comodoro Rivadavia, IX Air Brigade, Chubut Province ( FAS command site ) map
 * KC/C-130 Hercules
 * Fokker F28
 * Escuadron Fenix
 * Mirage IIIEA
 * FMA IA 58 Pucará
 * CIC Comodoro, air traffic control center
 * Airfield Puerto San Julián, Santa Cruz Province
 * IAI Dagger - La Marinete Squadron
 * A-4C Skyhawk
 * Cardion AN/TPS-44 radar w/ GADA 601 Army
 * Airfield Puerto Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Province
 * A-4P Skyhawk
 * AFB Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz Province
 * Mirage IIIEA
 * A-4P Skyhawk
 * FMA IA 58 Pucará
 * Navy Exploration Squadron after 13 may: S-2E Trackers and 2 leased Brazilian Air Force EMB111 Bandeirantes (2-P-201 & 2-P-202)
 * CIC Gallegos, air traffic control center
 * NAS Almirante Quijada, Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego
 * IAI Dagger - Las Avutardas Salvajes Squadron
 * A-4Q Skyhawk
 * Super Étendard
 * SP-2H Neptune
 * AFB Puerto Argentino, Port Stanley Airport, Falklands Islands
 * FMA IA 58 Pucará Air Force
 * Aermacchi MB.339A Navy
 * T-34 Mentor Navy
 * Helicopters from all services
 * CIC Malvinas, AN/TPS-43 radar and anti-aircraft defences from all services
 * AFB Condor, Goose Green grass airfield, Falklands Islands
 * FMA IA 58 Pucará Air Force
 * Anti-aircraft cannons Air Force
 * NAS Calderon, Pebble Island grass airfield, Falklands Islands
 * FMA IA 58 Pucará Air Force
 * T-34 Mentor Navy
 * Short Skyvan Coast Guard
 * Aircraft carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo, April 2 to May 3
 * McDonnell Douglas A-4Q Skyhawk
 * Grumman S-2E Tracker
 * Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King

Units
The numbers in bold are the number of aircraft engaged in combat without counting those in reserve, the numbers in brackets are the number of aircraft lost during the war.





Argentine Air Force
Fuerza Aérea Argentina


 * 1st Air Brigade -
 * Lockheed C-130H Hercules, 7 (1)
 * Lockheed KC-130H Hercules Tanker 2
 * Boeing 707 3
 * Fokker F-28 6
 * Fokker F-27 12
 * 2nd Air Brigade - English Electric B.Mk62 Canberra 8 (2)
 * Grupo Aérofotográfico - Learjet 35A-L 2 (1)
 * 3rd Air Brigade -
 * Falkland Islands - FMA IA 58 Pucará 24 (13)
 * Comodoro Rivadavia - FMA IA 58 Pucará ? (1)
 * 4th Air Brigade - McDonnell Douglas A-4C Skyhawk 15 (9)
 * 5th Air Brigade - McDonnell Douglas A-4P Skyhawk &lt;35 (10)
 * 6th Air Brigade - Israel Aircraft Industries Dagger 30 (11)
 * 7th Air Brigade -
 * Boeing CH-47C Chinook 2
 * Bell 212 2
 * 8th Air Brigade - Dassault Mirage IIIEA 17 (2)

Argentine Navy
Comando de Aviación Naval Argentina - COAN (Argentine Naval Aviation)


 * 1st Naval Air Attack Squadron - Aermacchi MB.339A 6 (2)
 * 2nd Naval Air Fighter/Attack Squadron - Dassault Super Étendard 4 (sn. 3-A-201 was cannibalized for spare parts)
 * 3rd Naval Air Fighter/Attack Squadron - McDonnell Douglas A-4Q Skyhawk 8 (3)
 * Naval Air Antisubmarine Squadron - Grumman S-2E Tracker 6
 * Naval Air Training Squadron - Beechcraft T-34 Mentor 4 (4)
 * Naval Air Exploration Squadron - Lockheed SP-2H Neptune 2 (both retired by end of May due airframe attrition)
 * 1st Naval Air Helicopter Squadron -
 * Aérospatiale Alouette AI03 10 (1)
 * Sea Lynx 2 (1)
 * 2nd Naval Air Helicopter Squadron - Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King 5
 * Naval Air Transport Squadrons -
 * Lockheed L-188 Electra 3
 * Fokker F-28 3

Argentine Army
Comando de Aviación del Ejército Argentino ( Argentine Army Aviation )


 * 601 Army Aviation Battalion -
 * Boeing CH-47C Chinook 2 (1)
 * Agusta A109 3 (1)
 * Bell UH-1H Iroquois 9
 * Aérospatiale Puma SA330L 5 (5).


 * South Georgia April 3 - Aérospatiale Puma SA330L 1 (1)

Argentine Coast Guard
Prefectura Naval Argentina


 * Aviation Service -
 * Aérospatiale Puma SA330L 1
 * Short Skyvan 2 (2)

Argentine traffic planes

 * Escuadrón Fénix — 30 civilian business planes:
 * Gates Learjet, Cessna Citation, Hawker Siddeley HS-125, Commander 690 and Mitsubishi MU-2.


 * Aerolíneas Argentinas and Austral airlines:
 * Boeing 737 and BAC 1-11  (airlift to Patagonia and Port Stanley).

Armament

 * Machineguns and cannons:
 * 7.62 mm FM M2-20: Pucaras
 * 20 mm Colt Mk.12 Cannon: A-4s
 * 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.804 Cannon: Pucaras
 * 30 mm DEFA cannon: IAI Daggers and Mirage IIIEA
 * Unguided rockets:
 * 70 mm: MB339s
 * 105 mm: Pucaras
 * Missiles:
 * Air-to-Air:
 * AIM-9B Sidewinder short-range IR: only Navy A-4Q Skyhawks up to May 1
 * Rafael Shafrir 2 short-range IR: only IAI Daggers on May 1
 * Matra R550 Magic short-range IR: received April 15 for Mirage IIIEA
 * Matra R530 short-range semi-active radar: Mirage IIIEA
 * Air-to-Surface:
 * Aérospatiale AM.39 Exocet Anti-Ship Missile: 5 units on Super Etendards
 * AS 30 air-surface missiles. Supplied by the Peruvian Air Force and arriving at the Tandil AFB (home base of the FAA Dagger) at the end of May, the war ended before they could be used.
 * Unguided retarded Gravity bomb: Thirteen bombs hit British ships without detonating as they were dropped from very low altitude and there was insufficient time in the air for them to arm themselves. The problem was solved by June with new fuses (Kappa) bought in Spain.
 * US built Mark 82 (500 lb / 227 kg) : A-4s and IAI Daggers
 * British built "1000 lb" (450 kg) : A-4s, IAI Daggers and Canberras
 * Napalm: Pucaras

Air Campaign

 * Battle of San Carlos (1982)
 * Bluff Cove Air Attacks


 * Attack Missions:


 * Other Missions:

Casualties and aircraft losses

 * Human losses:
 * 6 Army aviation
 * 4 Naval aviation
 * 55 Argentine Air Force members
 * 29 pilots
 * 12 air crew (6 on C-130H shot down June 1, 4 on Learjet LJ-35A shot down June 7 and 2 Canberra navigators)
 * 14 Ground crew


 * Aircraft Lost in the Air: no suffix: Air Force

Argentine strike aircraft did not carry air-to-air missiles, with the exception of 8th Air Brigade Mirage IIIEA fighters and 6th Air Brigade Daggers on May 1. All retained a secondary armament of either 20 mm or 30 mm cannon.


 * Destroyed on the ground
 * 9 FMA IA 58 Pucará
 * 1 Agusta A109 Army
 * 1 Boeing Ch-47C Chinook Army
 * 2 Aérospatiale Puma SA330L Army
 * 4 Beechcraft T-34 Mentor Navy
 * 2 Skyvan 3-M Coast Guard
 * 2 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Army


 * Captured after the war
 * 11 FMA IA 58 Pucará
 * 2 Agusta A109 Army
 * 7 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Army
 * 1 Boeing CH-47C Chinook Army
 * 1 Aérospatiale Puma SA330L Coast Guard
 * 3 Aermacchi MB.339A Navy
 * 2 Bell 212


 * Lost with ARA General Belgrano
 * 1 Aérospatiale Alouette AI03 Navy


 * Flying accident in the war zone
 * 1 Westland Lynx HAS.Mk.23 Navy — 2 May, hit ARA Santísima Trinidad
 * 2 FMA IA 58 Pucará — 28 May, hit ground, recovered in 1986, 24 May.
 * 1 Aermacchi MB.339A Navy — 3 May, bad weather crash
 * 2 McDonnell Douglas A-4C Skyhawk — 9 May, South Jason Island

75 fixed-wing aircraft and 25 helicopters.
 * Total

Literature

 * Chant, C.: Air War in the Falklands 1982, 2001, Osprey Publishing, ISBN 1-84176-293-8
 * Gunston, B.: Aviation Fact File (Modern Fighting Aircraft) - Harrier, 1984, Salamander Books Ltd., ISBN 0-86101-128-7

Foreign Studies

 * Argentine Airpower in the Falklands War - Analysis and Conclusions
 * Argentina's Tactical Aircraft Employment in the Falklands Islands War - Air Command and Staff College, Air University, USAF

Official Sites

 * Argentine Air Force (FAA) official site about the Malvinas/Falkland Air War
 * Argentine Coast Guard (PNA) official site about the Malvinas/Falkland War
 * YouTube video Argentine Air Force on the Falklands War