The Air Force's history began with the establishment of the
Army Aviation Service's
Escuela de Aviación Militar ('Military Aviation School') on 10 August 1912.
Interwar period Throughout the years following
World War I, the predecessor to the Argentine Air Force received various aircraft from France and Italy. In 1922, the was temporarily disbanded, resulting in the formation of ('Aviation Group One') as an operational unit. During 1925, the was reopened, and the ('Observation Group Three') created, with becoming known as shortly after. In 1927, the General Aeronautics Authority () was created to coordinate the country's military aviation. In that same year, the
Fábrica Militar de Aviones (lit. 'Military Aircraft Factory', FMA), which would play a crucial role in the country's aviation industry, was founded in
Córdoba.
World War II and immediate post-war The first step towards establishing the Air Force as a separate branch of the Armed Forces was taken during 11 February 1944 to establish the Aeronautical Command-in-Chief (
Comando en Jefe de Aeronáutica) directly under the mandate of the Department of War. This later became the Argentine Air Force by decree on 4 January 1945, which also created the
Secretary of Aeronautics (
Secretaría de Aeronáutica). At the end of
World War II, the Air Force began a process of
modernization. This 'golden age' (roughly 1945–1955) was ushered in by the availability of foreign currency in Argentina, an abundance of now-unemployed aerospace engineers from Germany, Italy, and France, and the British provision of latest-generation engines alongside other aircraft parts. In his first term, President
Juan Perón brought teams of European engineers to the FMA, then known as the
Instituto Aerotécnico ('Aerotechnical Institute'), or I.Ae., to promote aircraft technological development. The count totaled to around 750 workers, including two teams of German designers (led by
Kurt Tank) and the French engineer
Émile Dewoitine. These manufactures gave Argentina the positions of the first country in Latin America and the sixth in the world to develop jet fighter technology on its own. Other Argentina-developed aircraft included the prototypes the
I.Ae. 23 trainer, the bi-motor fighter
I.Ae. 30 Ñancú, and the assault glider
I.Ae. 25 Mañque; and the production twin-engine
I.Ae. 35 Huanquero transport, the
I. Ae 22 DL advanced trainer, and the
I.Ae 24 Calquín twin-engine attack-bomber; as well as rockets, and planes for civilian use (like the
FMA 20 El Boyero).
Cold War period The Revolución Libertadora (1955) The Argentine Air Force came into active operation for the first time on June 16, 1955, during the
bombing of the Plaza de Mayo in
Buenos Aires. Government loyalist Gloster Meteors fought rebel planes that attempted a failed assassination of the President as part of a coup d'état. The plan failed, and the rebels bombed the city and the
House of Government. In
the following September coup, the Air Force supported Perón's government by initiating combat operations and transporting troops and arms with a meager five aircraft defecting to the other side. After the
Revolución Libertadora succeeded and the coup took place, previously mentioned manufacturing operations ceased and most foreign workers left the country, including engineer
Kurt Tank who went to work in
India. Despite claims that the Argentine Air Force "baptism by fire" took place during the Malvinas War (1982), this was actually the first time it entered combat.
Antarctic support In 1952, the Argentine Air Force began supplying the country's
Antarctic scientific bases using ski-equipped
Douglas C-47 aircraft. This mission had previously been entrusted to the Antarctic Task Forces (Fuerzas de Tareas Antárticas, FATA), established by President
Juan Domingo Perón. In 1970, the Air Force incorporated the
C-130 Hercules into Antarctic operations. Notably, the presidential aircraft—a
Fokker F-28 Fellowship—is reported to have been the first jet to land in Antarctica, in 1973. Since the 1970s,
DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft have also been deployed for Antarctic missions. In October 1973, the Air Force launched Operation Transantar, which included the first trans-Antarctic and three-continent flight in history. A C-130 Hercules flew a route connecting
Río Gallegos,
Base Marambio,
Christchurch (New Zealand), and
Canberra (Australia).
Modernization (1960s–1970s) In the 1960s, new aircraft were incorporated, including the
F-86F Sabre jet fighter and the
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk mainly used for ground-attack. During the 1970s, the Air Force re-equipped itself with
Mirage III interceptors,
IAI Dagger multi-role fighters, and
C-130 Hercules cargo planes. A
counter-insurgency airplane, the
Pucará, was also manufactured and used in substantial numbers. The Air Force also had an important role in the 1976 coup which lead to a
military dictatorship that lasted until 1983.
Falklands War (1982) The
Falklands War was the first war fought by the Argentine Air Force against an external enemy. Some operational aircraft were obsolete. However, the airforce came close to winning the war for Argentina. During the war, the Air Force division of the Military Junta was called the
Fuerza Aérea Sur (FAS, 'Southern Air Force'), and led by Ernesto Crespo. Air engagements began on May 1, 1982 with the UK's
Royal Air Force initiating
Operation Black Buck, in which the
Avro Vulcan bomber XM607 attacked military air bases on the islands. The Task Force then sent
Sea Harriers to attack positions at Stanley and Goose Green, where the first Argentine casualties occurred. On June 8, the Air Force carried out an
operation in Bluff Cove. The British were using the landing ships RFA
Sir Galahad and RFA
Sir Tristram to position the 5th Infantry Brigade for an assault on Port Stanley. As these ships were unloading and therefore vulnerable, they were attacked by nine A-4 Skyhawks in two waves, while five Daggers attacked the escorting frigate . On June 13, the A-4 Skyhawks of the Argentine Air Force renewed their attacks in two formations of four aircraft each and launched an attack against enemy troops and helicopters. On June 14, 1982, the Argentine command surrendered, returning control of the Falklands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands to the United Kingdom. The Argentine Air Force suffered 55 dead and 47 wounded, with 505 combat departures and 62 aircraft losses, as listed below: • 19 A-4 Skyhawk • 2 Mirage III • 11 Dagger • 2 Canberra • 24 IA-58 Pucará • 1 C-130H Hercules • 1 Learjet 35 • 2 Bell 212
Post-war (1983–2003) preserved at
Mar del Plata Airport Argentina started the development of brand new aircraft, including the
FMA IA-63 Pampa, the combat fighter
FMA SAIA 90, and the subsequent transformation of the
Condor missile into a medium-range ballistic missile. Of these, only the Pampa was successfully developed. During 1994, President Carlos Menem discontinued mandatory military service and began allowing women to serve.
Support to UN peacekeeping missions The Argentine Air Force has been involved in
United Nations peacekeeping missions, sending a contingent to
Cyprus in 1994 and deploying
Bell 212 helicopters to
Haiti during 2005.
Early 21st century In early 2005, seventeen
brigadiers, including the Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Carlos Rohde, were fired by President
Néstor Kirchner following a scandal involving drug trafficking through
Ezeiza International Airport. Kirchner cited failures in the security systems of the Argentine airports, which were overseen by the National Aeronautic Police, then a branch of the Air Force (predecessor of the today independent
Airport Security Police), and cover-ups of the scandal.
2010s , budgetary constraints continued, leading to the disbanding of the
Boeing 707 transport squadron and maintenance problems for half of the
C-130 Hercules fleet. In August 2010, a contract was signed for two
Mi-17E helicopters, plus an option on a further three, to support
Antarctic bases. The FAA has been seeking to replace its ageing force with more capable and more serviceable modern aircraft. The acquisition of Spanish Mirage
F1Ms, IAI
Kfir Block 60s
and Saab
Gripen E/Fs were considered, but as of February 2015, all of those deals appear to have stalled; the Mirage F1 deal was scrapped by the Spanish government in March 2014, after pressure from the UK to not assist in FAA modernization over tensions between the countries over the Falkland Islands. The UK has also managed to veto the sale of Gripen E/Fs, as 30% of the Gripen's parts are manufactured there. The deal with Israel has reportedly stalled for technical and political reasons.
China has allegedly offered
JF-17/FC-1's and
Chengdu J-10's to Argentina. The two countries have formed a working group to look into the transfer of 14 aircraft.
Russia had also offered to lease 12
Su-24 strike aircraft to the FAA, but
Jane's reported that the Su-24 would not be very useful to the FAA and that "it would appear that any proposed transfer of such aircraft is likely the result of Russia playing political games with the UK over the continuing crisis in Ukraine." All Mirages were officially decommissioned on 30 November 2015. The A-4s were grounded , for lack of spares; in any case only 4–5 were airworthy with the rest in storage at
Villa Reynolds. When
Barack Obama visited in March 2016,
Air Force One was accompanied by US Air Force F-16s because Argentina could only offer Pucarás and Pampas for air defense. As of July 2019, the Argentine Air Force and government selected the
KAI FA-50 as its interim fighter. With this act being the first step in modernizing the fighter force and replacing the Mirage 3, Dagger, and Mirage 5 fighters that have also been retired; it was also anticipated that obtaining FA-50 would help mitigate the retirement of the
Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk fleet, as they were ageing and becoming difficult to maintain. As of 2020, it is reported that as few as six of the Fightinghawk aircraft remain operational. While no specific numbers of aircraft to purchase were given, the media reported that up to 10 FA-50s were considered. Despite elections coming in October 2019, the deal had been expected to go through. An Argentine delegation first visited the Republic of Korea Air Force in September 2016. At that time an FAA pilot was able to test fly the TA-50 Golden Eagle operational trainer variant of the FA-50. However, the deal appeared to have been canceled in early 2020, leaving the Air Force without a fighter replacement. Some sources suggested that the cancellation was due to the financial pressures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, while others reported that British intervention played a part by preventing the export of an aircraft incorporating various British components. In October 2020,
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) confirmed that since major components of the aircraft were supplied by the U.K., the aircraft could not be exported to Argentina. Britain similarly blocked the potential sale of Brazilian license-built
Saab Gripen aircraft to Argentina, given that some avionics were of British origin. Argentina was now said to be exploring the potential acquisition of aircraft from Russia, China, India or
Pakistan. However, even sales of Chinese aircraft reportedly encountered potential problems since the ejector seats of the aircraft were the MK6, manufactured by
Martin-Baker in the UK.
2020s Early in 2021, Russia made several proposals related to the acquisition of aircraft by Argentina including the apparent offer of
MiG-35 fighters. These built on earlier offers of the
MiG-29 as well as on measures being undertaken to extend the life of
Mi-171E helicopters acquired by Argentina in 2010 to support operations in
Antarctica. To improve transport capabilities, two
Fokker F-28 aircraft which had been decommissioned in 2019, have been refurbished and put into service, the last one (TC-53) in early August 2021. In mid 2021, one analysis found that the numbers of operational aircraft with offensive combat capability were practically at a level of zero. In addition to only around six A-4
Fightinghawk aircraft being operational, the availability of C-130 transport aircraft was only assessed as being at six of originally 14 aircraft. However, 23 IA-63
Pampa, 12 T-6C+
Texan II and 12 EMB-312
Tucano trainer aircraft were reported operational as of 2021. In September 2021, the Government officially included funding of $664 million in a draft budget for Congress involving the purchase of new combat aircraft. In 2022, talks with China over the potential purchase of
JF-17 Thunders, and possibly
Chengdu J-10s, and with India for
HAL Tejas fighter jets came to the fore. However in December 2022, Argentine President
Alberto Fernández appeared to reject the notion of buying new fighter aircraft for air force, stating: “There are other priorities before buying weapons, definitely”. Referring to the strategic and political situation in South America he further commented that: “There are no war problems, peace is the common denominator between us.” It was simultaneously confirmed that the fighter aircraft replacement program had been stopped. In early 2023, Argentina confirmed the purchase of six
Bell 407 for the
Armed Forces and plans for the modernization of its inventory of
Hughes 500Ds pending the arrival of new
Beechcraft TC-12B Hurons. In June 2023, Argentina received an additional leased C-130 from the US, bringing the total number of operational C-130 to five aircraft. At the same time, the Biden administration asked Congress to approve the potential sale of former
Royal Danish Air Force F-16s, as well as former
Royal Norwegian Air Force P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, to Argentina. While the US was reportedly supporting the sale in order to avoid the possibility that Argentina would turn to China for its fighter aircraft, it was anticipated that the United Kingdom would urge Denmark not to make the sale. It was also unclear whether the combined acquisition cost (of $447 million USD) would be considered affordable by Argentina. On 11 October 2023, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Security Mira Resnick confirmed to
Jorge Argüello, Argentinean ambassador to the US, that the State Department has approved the transfer of 38 F-16s from Denmark. In March 2024, it was reported that the number of aircraft had been reduced to 24 but that discussions on concluding the deal would be initiated. On March 26, 2024, the Danish Defence Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, signed a letter of intent with his Argentine counterpart to transfer the aircraft. The first six aircraft were transferred starting in December 2025 and the remaining aircraft are to follow in three annual batches of six up to 2028. ==Organization==