Posted on 08/18/2015 11:24:29 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
After decades of decline, the Argentine air force once one of the most powerful air arms in South America has finally given up. In August 2015, the Fuerza Aérea Argentina retired its 16 Mirage supersonic fighters, fewer than 10 of which were actually in flyable condition at the time.
That leaves the FAA with just subsonic jet fighters 25 A-4s and 18 IA-63s. Buenos Aires has made noise about buying new Gripens from the United Kingdom and Sweden via Brazil, JF-17s from China and Kfirs from Israel, but the U.K. vetoed the Gripen idea and the JF-17s proved too expensive to modify to Western standards. No word on whether the Kfir deal will go through. But even if it does, bear in mind the Kfir is just a modified Mirage and isnt exactly new.
Argentine air force Mirage. Photo via Wikipedia
Long story short, the Argentine air force is just about kaput, with little chance of coming back any time soon. Janes reports that the FAA is even reducing its working hours, among other cutbacks:
A recently published daily agenda indicates that the services working hours have been significantly reduced, from 0800 to 1300; rationing of food, energy consumption and office supplies has been directed headquarters staff and property residents; and only the minimum personnel required to staff headquarters, directorates and commands are working.
These orders, issued on 11 August, take effect 18 August. A next step will cut Monday and Tuesday as working days. Moreover, air force officials said any aircraft taken out of service will not undergo maintenance for now.
The Argentine Air Force was built and patterned after the Luftwaffe, with a LOT of former German citizens helping out.
Socialism, making the world open to a New World Order.
Argentina favored the Axis powers during WWII so they were never friends of ours and their tepid sometime support of our policies was never to be counted on.
I met a Brit Harrier pilot at Nellis during a Red Flag in the 80’s.
Talked about how in the Falklands if they had an Argie Mirage on their six, they would slam on the brakes with the thrust vectoring and watch the bandit go sailing by for a nice Sidewinder shot right up the tailpipe. They pulled the same prank on our guys during the Red Flag.
Zero has pointedly referred to the Falklands as "the Malvinas" -- the Argentine term for the islands.
The HMS Sheffield got sunk by an Exocet from a French made Dassault aircraft of the Argentine Navy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Sheffield_%28D80%29
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault-Breguet_Super_%C3%89tendard
Ironic how the former HMS Sheffield helped sink the Bismarck:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Sheffield_%28C24%29
“Long story short, the Argentine air force is just about kaput, with little chance of coming back any time soon.”
I’ll bet Kurt Tank is spinning in his grave like a Junkers Jumo 004 - but only for a few hours compared to the service life of modern turbine engines.
But has Great Britain replenished their stockpiles of Tomahawk Cruise Missiles? They had and insufficient number during the Libyan “Campaign.” So few they had to borrow some from US Navy. With all their cutbacks, I wonder...
If Obi had been President in 1940 he would have shelled the Brits at Dunkirk!
The Libyan campaign was over three years ago. They would be dumb not to. Their new class of frigates are also slated to carry Tomahawks, so its unlikely they wouldn’t have purchased replacements.
Besides, they have a pretty strong military presence in the Falklands, including an airbase. Which means facilities to launch Tornadoes or Typhoons with Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
Well, a year ago Brits had to buy 20 Tomahawks prior to their joining attacks on ISIS (Iraq). Seems like there is a certain amount of “lag time” present.
We supported military governments throughout Latin America in containing communism; did they build their own Skyhawks?
Pinochet was another abandoned by us (like Saddam, Diem, etc.); when the Cold War was over so was our support for them.
The Obamination sent a bust of Churchill back to England when starting his first term. It was due to his Mother’s worship of the non-present Obama Sr. who was Kenyan and hated British colonial rule there:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/president-obamas-biggest-british-gaffes/article/2503321
Absent fathers become worshipped by boys because the mother never tells the flawed, human side of “dad”.
Do you think the rest of South America was cheering for Argentina?
They made quite plain that after the Falklands they were then going after islands that belonged to Chile and then they were thinking of going after places that belongs to still other countries.
Argentina thought the UK would not fight. After they got their butts kicked they were the laughing stock of the rest of the continent. Even Bolivia was laughing at them. And that takes some doing.
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