Argentine air forces in the Falklands War

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Canberra B-108

This article describes the composition and actions of the Argentine air forces in the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas), which comprised units of the Air Force, Army, Navy and other services.

For a description of 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.[1]

IAI Dagger, Argentine Air Force, 1984

The

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.[1][2]

The option to attack Chile

IAI Daggers contract continued their work during the conflict.[7]

By the best estimates, Argentina had about 240 planes when the war broke out. About half of those were posted in the interior and along the Chilean border.[8] The long distances from their bases prevented them from using their top speed or they risked running out of fuel.[9][n 1] Although the Argentines had more aeroplanes than the British Task force, a good number of them were Pucara turboprops.[10][n 2] Also, the A-4 Skyhawk force were dependent on the two available KC-130 tankers, limiting the number of aeroplanes which could attack simultaneously.[11]

Argentina's fleet of

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.[12]

The small

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 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 personnel trained in bombing warships. Air Force pilots trained during April against the two Argentine Type 42 destroyers, similar to those of the British Fleet, and according to the Naval officers all the sorties were shot down, causing great concern to the High Command until the successful May 1 strikes which proved that aircraft could survive.[12][13]

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 provided 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.[14][n 3] 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."[15]

The British Operational Research Branch Report declassified and released to the public in February 2013 states:

The Argentine air arms conducted a 10 week campaign during which time they carried out air supply of their forces in the Falkland Islands, reconnaissance of UK forces in the South Atlantic, and engaged units of TF317. Though they sustained considerable damage, it is fair to say that their air forces were not beaten and remained as a viable force at the end of hostilities. The 4 air arms (ndlr: FAA, COAN, CAE, PNA ) were, within their own spheres, generally capable and well organised, though limited in AAR and reconnaissance assets. A lack of aircraft spares may also have limited their effectiveness. Of the 3 facets of operations, the Argentine air arms are considered to have been successful in the air supply of their forces, only partially successful in the reconnaissance task, and to have inflicted significant attrition on UK naval forces. No militarily significant success was achieved against UK land forces ashore.[16]

Organisation

The air units involved in the Falklands War were under the following

chain of command
:

  • Brigadier General (Lieutenant General) Basilio Lami Dozo
    • Air Defence Command (Spanish: 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 (Spanish: 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 (Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Sur) – Brigadier Ernesto Crespo. The FAS was the main organisation involved in combat over the conflict zone.
    • South Atlantic Military Theatre (Spanish: 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 manage the crisis.
      • Falklands Military Garrison (Spanish: Guarnicion Militar Malvinas) - Brigade General Mario Menéndez (Army)
        • Air Component (Spanish: Componente Aéreo) - Brigadier Luis Castellano

Deployment

Argentine airbases: Distances to Port Stanley Airport:[17] Trelew: 580 nautical miles (1,070 km), Comodoro Rivadavia: 480 nautical miles (890 km), San Julián: 425 nautical miles (787 km), Rio Gallegos: 435 nautical miles (806 km) and Rio Grande: 380 nautical miles (700 km).
Due to the distance required to fly to the islands, two minutes was the average time Argentine attack aircraft had available in the target area.
Argentine airfields The only paved runway was at Stanley although was unsuitable for fast jets and its main role was to maintain the airbridge to the mainland. Isla de Borbon - Pebble Island, Pto. Argentino - Port Stanley, Isla Gran Malvina - West Falkland & Isla Soledad - East Falkland.

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.

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.

Israel supplied 39 IAI Dagger since 1978
Super Etendard was the platform for the Exocet
missile.
C-130H
"Hercules" aircraft and their rotors had been removed.

Argentine Air Force

Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Argentina

Argentine Navy

The Argentine Navy SP-2H which tracked HMS Sheffield

Spanish: Comando de Aviación Naval Argentina - COAN (Argentine Naval Aviation)

  • 1st Naval Air Attack Squadron - Aermacchi MB.339A 6 (2)
  • 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-34C-1 Turbo Mentor
    4 (4)
  • Naval Air Exploration Squadron -
    Lockheed SP-2H Neptune
    2 (both retired by end of May due to airframe attrition)
  • 1st Naval Air Helicopter Squadron -
  • 2nd Naval Air Helicopter Squadron -
    Sikorsky S-61D-4
    5
  • Naval Air Transport Squadrons -

Argentine Army

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

  • 601 Army Aviation Battalion -
    • Boeing CH-47C Chinook
      2 (1)
    • Agusta A109A
      3 (1)
    • Bell UH-1H Iroquois
      9
    • Aérospatiale Puma SA330L
      5 (5).
    • South Georgia April 3 -
      Aérospatiale Puma SA330L
      1 (1)

Argentine Coast Guard

Spanish: Prefectura Naval Argentina

  • Aviation Service -
    • Aérospatiale Puma SA330L
      1
    • Short Skyvan 3M-200
      5 (2)

Argentine auxiliary aircraft

Armament

Air campaign

Missions

  • Attack Missions:
System Obs
A-4 Skyhawk
 133 sorties by the A-4B and 86 by the A-4C. They flew with unreliable ejection seats due to the US embargo placed from 1977. Naval A-4Q performed 12 sorties. They were highly dependent on the two available KC-130 tankers, limiting the number of aeroplanes that could attack simultaneously.
Canberra 46 bombing sorties against ground targets, operating from Trelew, to avoid more congestion on the closer southern airfields.
Dagger 153 sorties against naval/ground targets by the two squadrons. Their lack of
chaff
dispenser consisting of aluminium strips inside their airbrakes.
Total Sorties: The above figures shown a total of 430 attack sorties from the mainland of which 18 aircraft were intercepted by the Sea Harriers and another 14 were shot down by anti aircraft defences.
  • Other Missions:
System Obs
Mirage III
EA 		Argentine sources indicate that a number were withdrawn from operations over the islands to protect the mainland against Vulcan strikes,[2][n 6][23]

[n 7][24][n 8] however, they made 58 sorties providing decoys for the strike units with particular success on the June 8 attacks against the British landings ships.[25] Their lesser internal fuel capacity, compared to the Daggers, prevented them from being used in their escort role.

Boeing 707 The unarmed airliner made 54 cargo flights and other 61 for reconnaissance and surveillance duties
Sea Harrier attempted to intercept the 707 on May 22 causing it to retreat. Another 707 managed to evade 4 Sea Dart missiles launched against it but the risk of further sorties was too great and from that point on the 707's made no further attempt to find the Task Force.[27] On another occasion they made a casual encounter with a British Nimrod
both unarmed aircraft looked each other over and continued their missions.
Embraer P-95 Bandeirulha Two aircraft were incorporated into the naval aviation on May 21. They flew 39 maritime patrol sorties from Rio Gallegos airbase. They were returned to the Brazilian air force on June 24[28]
IA 58 Pucará
 They performed reconnaissance and ground attack missions from the Falklands airfields and surveillance of the Patagonian coast from bases in Southern Argentina. Most of the island-based Pucarás were destroyed on the ground, due to special forces actions. They shot down a Royal Marines Westland Scout during the battle of Goose Green.
Fenix
Squadron 		126 decoying plus 52 reconnaissance sorties. They were also extensively used as communications relay and pathfinder flights to guide the combat jets with the Learjets' superior navigation systems.
C-130 Hercules
 33 night flights to BAM Puerto Argentino in May/June (Blockade runner). Among the cargo transported in those flight were the 602 Army Commandos Coy, 155 mm CITEFA cannons, an
SP-2H Neptune available. On one of these daylight missions, a Hercules was intercepted and shot down by a Sea Harrier.
29 May, the British tanker British Wye was hit by bombs dropped by a Hercules, north of South Georgia[29]
(Not officially recognized by the FAA)
KC-130 Hercules Refueling sorties for A-4s and Super Étendards, also for battle damaged fighters.
Fokker F-28
Navy 		15 night flights to BAM Puerto Argentino in May/June (Blockade runner)
Army Aviation 796 helicopter flights on the islands
1st Air Brigade Construction Group Air Force In charge of maintaining Port Stanley airbase operable. Throughout the conflict, the airport installations were attacked with 237 bombs, 1,200 shells from the Royal Navy gunline and 16 missiles, however, it was never out of action entirely. Many sources claim that the runway was covered with piles of dirt during the day causing British intelligence to surmise that repairs were still in progress.[2] Craters were in fact heaps of earth placed there to make it look as though the runway was damaged.[30] In fact, the British were well aware that the runway was still in use by C-130[31] and attempted to interdict these flights leading to the loss of a C-130 on June 1.[32]

Successes

Description Notes
Ships Sunk
Atlantic Conveyor plus a Landing Craft Utility ("Foxtrot Four" from Fearless
)
Ships Damaged[33]
RFA Stromness

Casualties and aircraft losses

Human losses
Air Force pilot Alfredo Jorge Alberto Vázquez, who died in action over Bluff Cove (Spanish: Bahía Agradable)
Aircraft losses
Aircraft lost in the air in combat

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.

11 IAI Dagger A 9 by Sea Harrier,[n 9] 1 Sea Wolf HMS Broadsword,[n 10] 1 SAM Rapier[n 11]
10
A-4B Skyhawk
 3
Sea Dart, 1[n 15] AAA HMS Fearless, 1[n 16] 20mm cannon Fire from HMS Antelope and 1[n 17]
 friendly fire
7
A-4C Skyhawk
 2
SeaCat from HMS Yarmouth, 1[n 21] combination SeaCat/Rapier/Blowpipe
3
FMA IA 58 Pucará
 1[n 22] by Sea Harrier, 1 SAM Stinger, 1 small arms fire 2 PARA
3
A-4Q Skyhawk
Navy 		3[n 23] by Sea Harrier.
2 Mirage IIIEA 1[n 24] by Sea Harrier, 1[n 25] friendly fire
2 B.Mk62 Canberra 1[n 26] by Sea Harrier, 1[n 27] Sea Dart
1
C-130E Hercules
 1[n 28] by Sea Harrier
1 Aermacchi MB.339A Navy 1[n 29] by Blowpipe
1
Learjet 35A
 1[n 30] by SAM Sea Dart
4
Puma SA330L
Army 		1 gun fire, 1 by SAM Sea Dart,[n 31][35] 1 FIM-92 Stinger,[36] 1 by Royal Marines gun fire in South Georgia on April 3

Total destroyed in the air: 45 (Sea Harrier 21, Sea Dart 7, Sea Wolf 4, Stinger 2, Sea Cat 1, Rapier 1, Blowpipe 1, Combination/Gunfire 6, Friendly fire 2)

Aircraft lost by other causes
A destroyed "Pucará" at Pebble Island, 1982
Captured Army UH-1 was used by the British forces after the Argentine surrender

Total lost by other causes: 55.

  • Total aircraft losses

75 fixed-wing aircraft and 25 helicopters.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ "the Mach 2 Mirage and Dagger which in low-level attack are extremely subsonic. ..while low-level attacks by the Argentine aircraft..there would not be a lot of fuel to spare, especially if afterburner was used." From Aviation Fact File - Harrier (1984), page 42.
  2. ISBN 978-0-00-218046-7
    .
  3. ISBN 0-7181-2228-3
  4. ^ According to Aeroespacio, Issue 520: "hacia el 15 Abr se producía la recepción de los misiles Matra 550 Magic adquiridos tiempo antes" ("towards April 15th the Matra 550 Magic missiles bought time ago were received")
  5. ISBN 0-571-14116-1
  6. ^ According to Globalsecurity.org (DWF):"As a result of these heavy losses...it was decided to pull the Mirage III's back to the mainland to stand alert for a possible Vulcan attack."
  7. ^ According to Globalsecurity.org (HJA):"Finally, the bombing raids caused the Argentines to fear an air attack on the mainland, causing them to retain some Mirage aircraft and Roland missiles for defense."
  8. ^ As per article "La familia Mirage" in Aeroespacio (Issue 520): "Los M III debían defender el territorio continental argentino de posibles ataques de los bombarderos Vulcan de la RAF, brindar escolta a los cazabombarderos de la FAA, e impedir los ataques de aviones de la Royal Navy y de la RAF sobre las Malvinas." ("The M III would defend the Argentine mainland against possible attacks by Vulcan bombers from the RAF, providing escort of fighter bombers to the FAA, and to prevent attacks by aircraft of the Royal Navy and RAF on the Falklands.")
  9. ^ SN:
    C-403, May21, Sea Harrier ZA190/"009", pilot Capt. Donadille ejected,
    C-404, May21, Sea Harrier ZA190/"009", pilot Maj. Piuma ejected,
    C-407, May21, Sea Harrier ZA175/"004", pilot Lt. Senn ejected,
    C-409, May21, Sea Harrier XZ455/"12", pilot Lt. Luna ejected,
    C-410, May24, Sea Harrier ZA193/"93", pilot Lt. Castillo killed,
    C-419, May24, Sea Harrier XZ457/"14". pilot Maj. Puga ejected,
    C-430, May24, Sea Harrier XZ457/"14". pilot Capt. Diaz ejected,
    C-433, May1, Sea Harrier XZ455/"12". pilot Lt. Ardiles killed,
    C-437, May23, Sea Harrier ZA194. pilot Lt. Volponi killed
  10. ^ SN: C-428, May21, pilot Lt. Bean killed
  11. ^ SN: C-436, May29, pilot Lt. Bernhardt killed
  12. ^ SN: C-204, C-226 and C-228
  13. ^ SN: C-206, C-208 and C-246
  14. ^ SN: C-244
  15. ^ SN: C-215
  16. ^ SN: C-242
  17. ^ SN: C-248
  18. ^ SN: C-309 and C-325
  19. ^ SN: C-301, C-304 and C-310
  20. ^ SN: C-319
  21. ^ SN: C-305
  22. ^ SN: A-511
  23. ^ SN: 3-A-307, 3-A-312 and 3-A-314. One was damaged by 30 mm cannon fire, attempted to land at Port Stanley but the undercarriage was inoperative and the pilot elected to eject.
  24. ^ SN: I-015
  25. ^ SN: I-019
  26. ^ SN: B-110
  27. ^ SN: B-108
  28. ^ SN: TC-63
  29. ^ SN: 4-A-1??
  30. ^ SN: T-2?
  31. ^ SN: AE-505, May 9, when searching for Narwal trawler; killed: 1st Lt. Fiorito, 1st Lt. Buschiazzo, Sarg Dimotta.
  32. ^ SN: 3-H-42
  33. ^ According to www.naval-history.net/F64argaircraftlost.htm a Pucará was lost over the Atlantic on a reconnaissance mission from Comodoro Rivadavia
  34. ^ SN: C-303 and C-313

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Argentine Airpower in the Falklands War: An Operational View". Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b c John Pike. "Offensive Air Operations Of The Falklands War". Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  3. ^ Argentine newspaper Perfil Después de Malvinas, iban a atacar a Chile Archived 2009-11-25 at the Wayback Machine on 22 November 2009, retrieved 22 November 2009:
    "Para colmo, Galtieri dijo en un discurso: „Que saquen el ejemplo de lo que estamos haciendo ahora porque después les toca a ellos“".
  4. ^ Lt. Col. Hezsely, Csaba (May 1988), "Argentine Air Power in the Falklands War" (PDF), Air War College, Research Report: 39, AD-A202 551, archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016 Lt. Col. Hezsely's report notes 16 F-86F deployed at Mendoza
  5. ^ "PDF book: Historia de la Aviacion Naval Argentina". www.trackerenmalvinas.com.ar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  6. ^ "Dagger Technician memories". Archived from the original on 2010-05-18. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  7. ^ "Dagger Technician memories". Archived from the original on 2009-12-14. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  8. ^ Los Angeles times, May 27 1982[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Aviation Fact File - Harrier, page 42.
  10. ^ Sea Combat off the Falklands (1982), page 33.
  11. ^ "Two A-4B Skyhawks warplanes of the Grupo 5 link up...after topping up their tanks from a KC-130H tanker." page 62 in Air War in the Falklands 1982, 2001
  12. ^
    ISBN 987-96007-3-8
  13. ISBN 950-9294-07-1
  14. ^ Hastings, Max: The Battle for the Falklands
  15. ^ clarin newspaper Clarin newspaper Woodward Interview
    La fuerza aérea peleó extremadamente bien y nosotros sentimos una gran admiración por lo que hicieron
  16. ^ Lee Richards. "Examination of Argentine Air Effort - Arcre". Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  17. ^ "Argentine Airpower in the Falklands War: An Operational View". Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  18. ^ "PDF book: Historia de la Aviacion Naval Argentina". www.trackerenmalvinas.com.ar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
  19. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-11-03. Retrieved 2006-10-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. ^ Aeroespacio, Issue 520 (Official FAA magazine) Archived 2011-05-31 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ Battle Atlas of the Falklands War 1982 — British ships lost & damaged.
  22. ^ Signals of War, The Falklands Conflict of 1982 (1990), Lawrence Freedman.
  23. ^ John Pike. "The Falkland Islands Conflict, 1982: Air Defense Of The Fleet". Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  24. ^ "La familia Mirage". Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2008-06-13. La familia Mirage, Aeroespacio, Fuerza Aerea Argentina, ISSN 0001-9127
  25. ^ Official FAA Magazine (in Spanish) Archived 2011-05-31 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "Exploración y reconocimiento en el Atlántico Sur". Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
  27. ^ "Boeing 707". Spyflight.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-11-04. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  28. ^ Avioned Brasileros en el conflicto del Atlantico Sur
  29. ISBN 0-7146-5207-5
    "British Wye, carrying fuel for the Task Force, came under attack by a modified C-130 Hercules...eight bombs were released, one of which struck the tanker without exploding.
  30. ^ The Avro Vulcan and the Black Buck raids Archived 2007-05-28 at the Wayback Machine
  31. ISBN 978-0-7538-2199-2
  32. ISBN 978-0-304-35542-6
  33. ISBN 0-7146-5207-5
  34. ^ Fuerza Aérea Argentina Archived 2010-04-06 at the Wayback Machine
  35. ^ "Día de los Caídos de Aviación en la Guerra de Malvinas" (in Spanish). Ejercito Argentino, sitio oficial. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  36. ^ "Argentine Puma shot down by American "Stinger" missile. — MercoPress". MercoPress. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  37. ^ "Official Army Aviation Site - AE-410 by air attack at Moody Brook, AE-418 by naval gunfire at Stanley". Archived from the original on 2009-05-31. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  38. ^ "Fuerza Aérea Argentina". Archived from the original on 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
  39. ^ "Fuerza Aérea Argentina". Archived from the original on 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2007-05-03.

Bibliography

Online sources

Further reading

Online material

Rangugni, Andres; Brea, Esteban (May 7, 2012). "Treinta años". Gaceta Aeronautica (in Spanish). Retrieved November 30, 2018.

Printed material

External links

Foreign Studies

Official Sites

Other sites

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