Punta Indio Naval Air Base

Punta Indio Naval Air Base (Base Aeronaval Punta Indio, ) is a military airport operated by the Argentine Naval Aviation located near Punta Indio, Buenos Aires province, Argentina.

History


Punta Indio Naval Air Base (Argentine Navy identifier: BAPI), the cradle of Argentine Naval Aviation, was established in 1928 on land that was donated by Martín Tornquist, who founded the nearby city of Verónica located about 5 kilometers away. The base was strategically located to control access by ship to the River Plate (Spanish: Río de la Plata), initially via manned balloons.

On 16 June 1955, Punta Indio was the base from where the naval aircraft that bombarded the Casa Rosada attempting to kill president Juan Domingo Perón.

During the National Reorganization Process, a Clandestine Detention Centre was active at Punta Indio.

In 2008 the First Naval Air Squadron was deactivated due to lack of budget.

En el 2011 the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Naval Aviation School was celebrated.

Units
Punta Indio Naval Air Base is the location of the First Naval Air Force (Spanish: Fuerza Aeronaval N° 1), composed of the following units:
 * Punta Indio Naval Air Base group
 * Punta Indio Naval Air Workshop (Spanish: Taller Aeronaval Punta Indio)
 * First Naval Air Wing (Spanish: Escuadra Aeronaval N° 1), composed of:
 * Argentine Naval Aviation School (Spanish: Escuela de Aviación Naval)
 * First Naval Air Attack Squadron (Spanish: Primera Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Ataque), currently on reserve
 * Naval Air Maritime Patrol Squadron (Spanish: Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Vigilancia Marítima.