Due to a severe lack of funding and capability, the Argentine Air Force suffered humiliation when the US was forced to deploy its own F-16s to escort Air Force One.
Argentina has no ability to protect the aircraft carrying the US president in the event of an emergency.Reports of the incident have started to emerge in local media in Argentina.
Within the last few years, budgetary constraints forced the disbanding of the Argentine governments own Boeing 707 transport squadron and caused maintenance problems for half of the C-130 Hercules fleet.
The problems don’t stop there, their submarine crews despite benefiting from a recent upgrade, need at least 190 days of immersion practice and in 2014 only spent 19 hours submerged. A similar situation is faced by their four destroyers, they don’t have any weaponry.
Argentine ground forces rarely have the resources for training and are vastly under equipped, their kit dates back to the 70’s and is in very short supply. In addition to this, the Argentine Air Force largely consists of a collection of obsolete aircraft mostly dating back to the 1970’s, which are frequently grounded due to poor serviceability. They’re now even getting rid of their only semi-capable fighter aircraft.
According to IHS Janes
“The Argentine Air Force is drastically cutting staff working hours and decommissioning its last fighter aircraft amid continuing budget issues.
A recently published daily agenda indicates that the service’s 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.”
This leaves the Argentine military with just two types of jet aircraft A-4’s and IA-63’s and both are subsonic, decades old and barely serviceable. All Mirages were officially decommissioned in November 2015.
Only 4 of the A-4’s were airworthy with the rest in storage at Villa Reynolds.
Oh Jesus. And we spend how many millions on the falklands?
Presumably it’s to defend against Chilean aggression at this point?
So you think we shouldn’t defend British Citizens and Territory just because the threat has diminished? Great maybe we should stop doing QRA in the UK too because the threat is tiny!
During the Argentinian dictatorship and the Falklands War their armed forces were stronger than today.
Naval air forces inflicted heavy damage to the Royal Navy, although, of course, the UK won in the long term.
Somewhere between 0.1% and 0.2% of the defence budget, by most reckoning.
Which isn’t a lot to look after the one bit of the nation that anyone has shown any real intention of invading in recent memory, even if their forces are a bit down at heel at the moment.
Similar working hours to the RAF.
Though both still more active than the Royal Navy.
Without the RN you have nothing…top bants ?
A very credible source went under cover in the RN and revealed the following footage.
https://youtu.be/-jqFfcbL6bk
We have no RN, we have something like 19 ships and not one aircraft carrier, our flagship is essentially a troop transport for the marines!
Change the record fellas!
Why is the President going there?
To laugh at them? ?
Wot a joke lol they want to buy USA jets
That is pretty much how the RN rolls.
Regrettably, not just The Andrew. France and Canada have been carrying out the RAF’s maritime patrol aircraft role which the UK withdrew from some years ago. 🙁
At the end of the day isn’t that what being in NATO is all about? If there’s a function we currently cannot fulfil then our allies step in.
For example the French needed to utilise RAF C17s & Sentinals to assist in operations in Mali.
Only until delivery of the p8
Slow news day? This story is from March…
Why are orders being issued for August when we are still in July
Planning?
Interesting, but this is Old News…
Not to us.
Obama’s visit to Argentina was a while ago.
Jonathan Gray
Should have asked the RAF from mount pleasant to escort them in would have gone down well ?
Shouldn’t the US airforce escort Airforce 1? Its their own plane that needs escorting? Seems an invalid point to me or am I missing something?
Honestly you woudnt want them to escort you
This why I never worry when the argentines sabre rattle over the Falklands….
Oh dear, how sad, never mind
AF1 is always escorted by US jets this is bullshit…
Thats what i thought to
Stephen Hayward
This is why they’ve been so eagerly perusing our Oil industry in the area of the Falkland, they’ve been an impoverished nation for years.
Utter B.S The counter measures on AF1 stand it alone in the sky, only time I remember it needing escort was a direct result of sept 11 when air traffic couldn’t hail a commercial jet close by.
i’m argentinean and don’t make me any laught. We should be in peace, and not ridicule a whole country who could be potentially friends. This is my opinion.
Argentina could have asked the RAF if they could send a couple of Typhoons from MP to guard Airforce 1.