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 isn’t 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. Jane’s reports that the FAA is even reducing its working hours, among other cutbacks:
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.
We can thank socialism.
Well it would work if they simply had the right people in charge!
Send Bernie.
Send the GOP.
Argentina buying goodies for war from England
Dayum
I’m teary eyed
Good old A-4 Skyhawks. My Marine Reserve unit flew those, way back in the day, (’78-80 ).
Well, at least the Brits in the Falklands will breathe easier.
Send Jeb Bush and Karl Rove.
Please, please, please send them.
Let’s hope so - but I suspect they won’t breathe easier until Bambi is off the throne.
The guy who created and nutured ISIS is quite capable of funding the Argentinan airforce.
They really don’t need an air force anyway. Unless as target practice for the British should they come nosing around some islands.
Not so sure. Foreign wars are often used as a distraction by failing dictators. The UK is not the military power it was in 1982, either.
There is no doubt that Obambi prefers Argentina over the UK. During the Falklands War the U.S. did every thing it could to assist the British short of direct intervention, including material, diplomatic and intelligence support. Next time it could go the other way.
Argentina’s our future if we don’t stop our re-population effort. They were a FIRST WORLD country nearly 100 years ago, but the greed-lovers down there could not help themselves, and corrupted the country into the sewer.
I don’t know how our intervention on England’s side squared with the Monroe Doctrine.
IIRC, the Monroe Doctrine only talks of the U.S. opposing further European colonization in its sphere of influence and not about existing, recognized colonies such as the Falklands.
The Monroe Doctrine addressed European interference with countries in the Western Hemisphere, it did not address existing European colonies. The UK was not attempting to invade Argentina and the people of the Falklands did not want any part of Argentina’s screwed up polity.
At the time the outcome of the Cold War was not at all clear, and the UK was our single most valuable ally.
The U.K. military has shrunk in size, but increased significantly in technology. The Argentine military has shrunk in technology and size.
A single Astute class sub can rain Tomahawks on Argentine targets while sinking (what’s left of) the Argentine navy at leisure.
I think if we weren’t going to support Argentina at the time (the military government being an ally against communism), we should have stayed out of it altogether. We damaged relations with Latin America for decades with our actions.
See # 19
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