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

For a description of air forces of the United Kingdom, see Falklands War order of battle: British air forces.

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.

The Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina; FAA), which had never fought against an external enemy since its establishment in 1912, had never considered the possibility of waging a long-range naval air campaign against a major NATO power. It was not trained or equipped for such a mission. The FAA had only two tanker aircraft to serve the entirety of the air force and navy, and its fighter-bomber Mirage IIIs and IAI Daggers were not equipped for 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.

The option to attack ChileArgentine newspaper Perfil Después de Malvinas, iban a atacar a Chile 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“". was a cause of great concern to the Argentina military during the war. The Chilean armed forces had deployed a significant force to Chile's common border with Argentina, and the FAA was forced to reinstate their retired F-86 Sabres to bolster Argentina's air defences. Lt. Col. Hezsely's report notes 16 F-86F deployed at Mendoza In Argentina's favour, Peru immediately offered its support to the Argentine cause, with the Peruvian Air Force even offering to fly combat missions. This was politely declined by the Argentine government. As the war progressed, Peru and Venezuela sent critical aircraft spare parts to Argentina, urgently needed by the FAA and the Brazilian Air Force gave two EMB111 Bandeirantes maritime patrol aircraft to the Argentine Navy. Finally on June 4, ten Peruvian Mirage 5 with AS-30 missiles arrived to Tandil but the war ended before they could be used. Israel Aircraft Industries technicians that were in the country under the 1979 IAI Daggers contract continued their work during the conflict.

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. The long distances from their bases prevented them from using their top speed or they risked running out of fuel.Aviation Fact File - Harrier, page 42."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. Although the Argentines had more aeroplanes than the British Task force, a good number of them were Pucara turboprops.Sea Combat off the Falklands (1982), page 33."The Argentine-built Pucará counter-insurgency aircraft proved its worth in numerous attacks on British land forces, and it was even used to attack shipping. About 75 Pucarás were in service at the start of the conflict." From Sea Combat off the Falklands (1982), page 33; by Antony Preston; Willow Books, . Also, the A-4 Skyhawk force were dependent on the two available KC-130 tankers, limiting the number of aeroplanes which could attack simultaneously."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

Argentina's fleet of A-4 Skyhawk attack jets was in very poor condition. The arms embargo placed by the United States in 1976, due to the "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.Commodore Ruben Oscar Moro La Guerra Inaudita, 2000

The small air arm of the Argentine Navy (Armada Republica Argentina; ARA) was in the middle of the transition from the A-4Q Skyhawk to the new Super Étendard. Only five of the Étendard'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 Étendard'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.HALCONES SOBRE MALVINAS,

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.Hastings, Max: The Battle for the Falklands"The British were awed by the courage of the Argentine pilots, flying suicidally low to attack, then vanishing amid flashes of pursuing Sea Cat, Blowpipe, Rapier, racing across the sky behind them. Alone among the enemy's three services, the air force seemed highly motivated and utterly committed to the battle. 'We should have been able to work out that any nation which produces first-class Formula One racing drivers is also likely to turn out some pretty good pilots.'" - Chapter 12; Hastings, Max: The Battle for the Falklands (1983) Michael Joseph Ltd 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."clarin newspaper Clarin newspaper Woodward Interview La fuerza aérea peleó extremadamente bien y nosotros sentimos una gran admiración por lo que hicieron

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

Organisation

The air units involved in the Falklands War were under the following chain of command: Military junta — Brigadier General (Lieutenant General) Basilio Lami Dozo. Air Defence Command () — Brigadier Jorge Hughes was in charge of the radar network, Mirage IIIEA interceptors and anti-aircraft defences on the mainland. Strategic Air Command () — 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 () — Brigadier Ernesto Crespo. The FAS was the main organisation involved in combat over the conflict zone. South Atlantic Military Theatre () — 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 () — Brigade General Mario Menéndez (Army). Air Component () — Brigadier Luis Castellano.

Deployment

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.

Ezeiza International Airport, Buenos Aires Boeing 707 NAS Almirante Zar, Trelew, Chubut Province B.Mk62 Canberra AFB Comodoro Rivadavia, IX Air Brigade, Chubut Province ( FAS command site ) map KC/C-130 Hercules Fokker F28 Escuadron Fenix Mirage IIIEA FMA IA 58 Pucará CIC Comodoro, air traffic control center Airfield Puerto San Julián, Santa Cruz Province IAI Dagger — La Marinete Squadron A-4C Skyhawk Cardion AN/TPS-44 radar w/ GADA 601 Army Airfield Puerto Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Province A-4P Skyhawk AFB Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz Province Mirage IIIEA A-4P Skyhawk FMA IA 58 Pucará Navy Exploration Squadron after 13 May: S-2E Trackers and 2 leased Brazilian Air Force EMB111 Bandeirantes (2-P-201 & 2-P-202) CIC Gallegos, air traffic control center NAS Almirante Quijada, Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego IAI Dagger — Las Avutardas Salvajes Squadron A-4Q Skyhawk Super Étendard SP-2H Neptune AFB Puerto Argentino, Port Stanley Airport, Falkland Islands FMA IA 58 Pucará Air Force Aermacchi MB.339A Navy T-34 Mentor Navy Helicopters from all services CIC Malvinas, AN/TPS-43 radar and anti-aircraft defences from all services AFB Condor, Goose Green grass airfield, Falkland Islands FMA IA 58 Pucará Air Force Anti-aircraft cannons Air Force NAS Calderon, Pebble Island grass airfield, Falkland Islands FMA IA 58 Pucará Air Force T-34 Mentor Navy Short Skyvan Coast Guard Aircraft carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo, April 2 to May 3 McDonnell Douglas A-4Q Skyhawk Grumman S-2E Tracker Sikorsky S-61D-4

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.

Argentine Air Force

1st Air Brigade: Lockheed C-130H Hercules 7 (1) Lockheed KC-130H Hercules Tanker 2 Boeing 707-320C 3 Fokker F-28-1000C 6 Fokker F-27-400M 12 2nd Air Brigade: English Electric B.62 Canberra 8 (2) Grupo Aérofotográfico — Learjet 35A 2 (1) 3rd Air Brigade: Falkland Islands — FMA IA 58A Pucará 24 (13) Comodoro Rivadavia — FMA IA 58A Pucará 1 (1) 4th Air Brigade: McDonnell Douglas A-4C Skyhawk 16 (9) 5th Air Brigade: McDonnell Douglas A-4B Skyhawk 30 (10) 6th Air Brigade: Israel Aircraft Industries Dagger 27 (11) 7th Air Brigade: Lockheed C-130E Hercules 3 Boeing CH-47C Chinook 2 Bell 212 2 8th Air Brigade: Dassault Mirage IIIEA 16 (2) DHC-6-200 1

Argentine Navy

(Argentine Naval Aviation)

1st Naval Air Attack Squadron: Aermacchi MB.339A 6 (2) 2nd Naval Air Fighter/Attack Squadron: 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: Aérospatiale Alouette AI03 SA361B 10 (1) Lynx Mk.23 2 (1) Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander 1 2nd Naval Air Helicopter Squadron: Sikorsky S-61D-4 5 Naval Air Transport Squadrons: Lockheed L-188PF Electra 3 Fokker F-28-3000C 3