Argentine Air Force

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The Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina or FAA) is the national aviation branch of the armed forces of Argentina.

Service Emblem of the Argentine Air Force

1 History
2 Organization
3 Ranks
4 Order of battle
5 Chiefs of the Argentine Air Force
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] History

The Argentine Air Force's history begins with the establishment of the Escuela de Aviación Militar (Military Aviation School) on 10 August 1912. Several military officers were amongst the pioneers of Argentine aviation, including Jorge Newbery, a retired Argentine Navy officer. The School began to turn out several military pilots who participated in milestone events in Argentine aviation, such as the crossing of the Andes mountains.

In 1927 the Dirección General de Aeronáutica (General Directorate of Aeronautics) was created to coordinate the country's military aviation. In that same year, the Fábrica Militar de Aviones (Military Aircraft Factory, FAM) was founded in Córdoba, which would become the heart of the country's aviation industry.

By the 1940s there were several air units in the Army and the Navy, and the first step towards an independent force came on 11 February 1944 with the establishment of the Aeronautical Command, which would go on to become the Argentine Air Force on 4 January 1945, an independent force on par with the Army and the Navy.

Immediately after the end of World War II, the Air Force began a process of modernization, incorporating aircraft such as the Gloster Meteor jet fighter, thus becoming the first air force in Latin America equipped with jet-propelled aircraft. In addition, a number of Avro Lincoln and Avro Lancaster bombers were acquired, creating a powerful strategic force in the region. The Air Force, in collaboration with German technicians, also began to develop its own aircraft, such as the Pulqui I and Pulqui II, making Argentina the 1st country in Latin America and the 6th in the world to develop jet fighter technology on its own.

In 1952, the Air Force began flights to supply the early Antarctic scientific bases, expanding its activities in the Antarctic continent and establishing Marambio Base on 25 September 1969.

During the 1970s, the Air Force reequipped itself with modern aircraft for the period, including the Mirage III interceptors, IAI Dagger multi-role fighters (Israeli derivatives of the Mirage V), A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft and C-130 Hercules cargo planes. Also, a counter-insurgency airplane, the Pucará, was used in substantinal numbers.

The Falklands/Malvinas War of 1982 took a great toll on the Air Force, which lost more than 80 aircraft. Due to the deteriorating economic situation, international opposition and political distrust upon the military, the Air Force was denied the resources needed to replace the war losses. This, coupled with diminishing budgets, led to a period of reduced activity and growing materiel obsolescence.

In the 1990s, the British embargo was officially eliminated and after economic and political failure attempts of getting surplus IAI Kfirs or F-16As, the United States sold 36 refurbished A-4M Skyhawk (known as A-4AR Fightinghawks.) Since their reception, the A-4AR demonstrated being a worthy replacement of the Bravos and Charlies that fought during the war.

In early 2005, the top seventeen brigadiers of the Air Force, including the Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Carlos Rohde, were sacked by President Néstor Kirchner following a drug traffic scandal through Ezeiza International Airport. Kirchner cited failures in the security systems of Argentine airports (which were overseen by the National Aeronautic Police, a branch of the Air Force) and cover-ups of the scandal, even though it later became known that many government agencies, among them the Interior Ministry, the Customs Administration and the Secretariat of State Intelligence knew about the drug traffic operations.

The primary concerns of the Air Force nowadays are the establishment of a radar network for control of the country's airspace, the replacement of its older combat aircraft (Mirage III, Mirage V) and the incorporation of new technologies. The possibility of purchasing surplus French Air Force Mirage 2000C fighters, like the option chosen by the Brazilian Air Force, has been considered.

Since the last decade, the FAA had established good relations with neighbours Brazilian Air Force and Chilean Air Force. They annually meet, on a rotation basis, in the join exercises Cruzex in Brazil, Ceibo in Argentina and Salitre in Chile.

The Air Force's current Chief of Staff is Brigadier-Major Normando Costantino.

[edit] Organization

Air force roundel

The Argentine Air Force is one of the three branches of the Argentine military, having equal status with the Army and the Navy. The President of Argentina is Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force as well as of the other branches of the military.

The Air Force is headed by the Chief of the General Staff (Jefe del Estado Mayor General), directly appointed and removed by the President. The Air Force Chief of Staff usually holds the rank of Brigadier General, the highest rank of the Air Force. The Chief of Staff is seconded by a Deputy Chief of the General Staff and four senior officers in charge of the Air Force's four Commands: the Air Operations Command, the Air Regions Command, the Personnel Command and the Materiel Command.

The Air Operations Command (Comando de Operaciones Aéreas) is the branch of the Air Force responsible for aerospace defense, air operations, planning, training, technical and logistical support of the air units. Subordinate to the Air Operations Command are the Air Brigades (Brigadas Aéreas), the Air Force's major operative units. A total of eight Air Brigades are currently operational. Brigades are headquartered at Military Air Bases (Base Aérea Militar, commonly abbreviated "BAM").

Each Air Brigade is made up of three Groups, each of which bear the same numeral as its mother Brigade. These groups include:

One Air Group (Grupo Aéreo), which operates the aircraft assigned to the Brigade. The Air Group is divided into a variable number of Air Squadrons. Air Groups may be named according to their primary mission, for example an air group specialized in fighter operations receives the designation of Fighter Group (Grupo de Caza). Currently the Air Force includes three Fighter Groups (4th, 5th and 6th), one Attack Group (3rd), one Transport Group (1st) and three plain Air Groups (2nd, 7th and 9th). The 7th Air Group operates all the helicopters of the Air Force, while the 2nd includes a small reconnaissance unit as well as light transport aircraft. 9th Air Group is a light transport unit.
One Technical Group (Grupo Técnico), in charge of the maintenance and repair of the Brigade's aircraft.
One Base Group (Grupo Base), responsible for the air base itself, weather forecasting, flight control, runway maintenance, etc. Base Groups also include Base Flights (Escuadrillas de Base), generally made up of two or three liaison aircraft.

The Personnel Command (Comando de Personal) is responsible for the training, education, assignment and welfare of Air Force personnel. Under the control of the Personnel Command are the Military Aviation School (which educates the future officers of the Air Force), the Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) School and other educational and training units.

The Materiel Command (Comando de Material) deals with planning and executing the Air Force's logistics regarding flying and ground materiel. Materiel Command includes "Quilmes" and "Río Cuarto " Materiel Areas (repairing and maintenance units) and "El Palomar" Logistical Area.

Air Regions Command (Comando de Regiones Aéreas) is responsible for the control of air traffic, weather forecasting, aircraft and pilot registration (civilian), accident investigation (both civilian and military) and air communications. It is worth noting that Air Regions Command serves as the national authority regarding air transportation.

[edit] Ranks

Officers

Officers wear their rank insignia in their sleeves, in the pattern depicted below. There are also shoulderboards with the same insignia (albeit in gray) for the ranks between Ensign and Commodore. General officers wear different shoulderboards.

Equivalent NATO Rank Code	Rank in Spanish	Rank in English	Commonwealth equivalent	US Air Force equivalent
OF8 / OF-9	Brigadier General	Brigadier General	Air Marshal or Air Chief Marshal	Lieutenant General or General
OF-7	Brigadier Mayor	Brigadier-Major	Air Vice-Marshal	Major General
OF-6	Brigadier	Brigadier	Air Commodore	Brigadier General
OF-5	Comodoro	Commodore	Group Captain	Colonel
OF-4	Vicecomodoro	Vice-Commodore	Wing Commander	Lieutenant Colonel
OF-3	Mayor	Major	Squadron Leader	Major
OF-2	Capitán	Captain	Flight Lieutenant	Captain
OF-1	Primer Teniente	First Lieutenant	Flying Officer	First Lieutenant
OF-1	Teniente	Lieutenant	Pilot Officer	Second Lieutenant
OF-D	Alférez	Ensign	Officer cadet	Officer cadet

Enlisted personnel and Non-Commissioned Officers

Insignia	Rank in Spanish	Rank in English
	Suboficial Mayor	Senior Sub-Officer or Sub-Officer-Major
	Suboficial Principal	Principal Sub-Officer
	Suboficial Ayudante	Staff Sub-Officer or Adjutant Sub-Officer
	Suboficial Auxiliar	Auxiliary Sub-Officer
	Cabo Principal	Principal Corporal
	Cabo Primero	Corporal First Class
	Cabo	Corporal
	Voluntario Primero	Volunteer First Class
	Voluntario Segundo	Volunteer Second Class