Formation and World Wars COAN's origin can be traced to 22 October 1912 when a navy officer, Lt Melchor Escola, graduated as a pilot. On 11 February 1916 the naval air station school
Fuerte Barragan was created near
La Plata and the anniversary of this is marked as Naval Aviation Day. In September 1917 three naval lieutenants were sent to the US
Naval Air Station Pensacola from which they were subsequently deployed to Europe to participate in World War I. COAN was officially established on 17 October 1919 as the Naval Air Service. Over the following years, the COAN operated a variety of aircraft, mainly advanced trainer types imported from the USA including the
North American AT-6, the
Beechcraft AT-11 and the
Consolidated PBY Catalina.
Sikorsky S-51 helicopters joined the service shortly after the war in 1949.
Early combat operations The COAN received a baptism by fire on 16 June 1955 when naval airplanes took part in the
bombing of Plaza de Mayo. Three aircraft were shot down: one by an
Argentine Air Force Gloster Meteor in air-to-air combat and two others by anti-aircraft guns. A
Grumman J2F was shot down over the town of Saavedra on 18 September that year. Navy pilots would see combat again during 1962–63 internal
military fighting between factions known as
Azules y colorados (blue and reds), culminating in the
1963 Argentine Navy Revolt in which Navy
F9F Panthers and
F4U Corsairs bombed Argentine Army tanks in defense of the Navy base of Punta Indio.
A carrier navy A great change came into effect when the Navy received its first aircraft carrier, , in 1959. At the time, her aircraft inventory included the
F4U Corsair,
SNJ-5Cs Texan and
Grumman S2F-1 (S-2A) Trackers. The Navy also had
F9F Panther and
F9F Cougar jets but the carrier was not suitable for operating them, although they were embarked on the carrier during their delivery voyage from the United States to Argentina. The Cougar was the first jet to break the sound barrier in Argentina. These jets would be involved in the general mobilization during the
1965 border dispute between
Argentina and Chile but no combat occurred. The naval training force received
T-28 Trojans,
T-34 Mentors and
Aermacchi MB-326 jets which would be later reinforced with the more powerful
MB-339. More aircraft entered service during the 1960s, including the
C-47 Dakota (which were extensively used in
Antarctica including the first national landing on the
South Pole made in 1962 by Captain Hermes Quijada who departed from
Ellsworth Station),
Sikorsky S-55 helicopters and shore based aircraft
P-2 Neptunes for
maritime patrol duties. In 1969 the Navy received her second carrier,
ARA Veinticinco de Mayo, from the Netherlands. On her voyage home, the British company
Hawker Siddeley demonstrated its
Harrier GR1 but the Argentines opted for the
A-4Q Skyhawk instead. More helicopters were incorporated into the new carrier, the
Alouette III and the
SH-3 Sea King, and also the more advanced S-2E variant of the Tracker. Cargo planes
Fokker F-28 and
L-188 Electra modified for maritime patrol were also added. The 1970s surface fleet modernization plan included the purchase of
British destroyers with their complement of
Westland Sea Lynx helicopters but their use would be affected by the upcoming events. In 1972 aircraft changed the word
Naval to
Armada painted on them.pictorial
The military junta In 1976, a
military junta took power in Argentina and initiated a state-sponsored campaign of violence known as the
Dirty War. Naval aviators were used to toss political prisoners (the "disappeared") into the
River Plate, in the infamous
Death flights. In 1978, tension with Chile reached the highest point when the Argentine junta initiated
Operation Soberanía. The war was avoided at the last minute by the intervention of pope
John Paul II. By 1982, in order to maintain power by diverting public attention from the nation's poor economic performance and exploiting the long-standing feelings of the Argentines towards the
Falkland Islands () the
Junta ordered an invasion and triggered the ten-week-long
Falklands War ().
Falklands War The naval aviation, suffering an
arms embargo since 1978 by US President
Jimmy Carter for human rights abuses, was in the middle of the process of replacing their
A-4Q Skyhawks with French-built
Dassault-Breguet Super Étendards. The planes used
AM39 Exocet anti-shipping missiles, also purchased from France, to sink the
Royal Navy's and the support ship . The older A-4Qs also had a role, destroying . On the eve of war the Argentine carrier attempted to launch a wave of A-4Q Skyhawk jets against the
Royal Navy Task Force after her S-2 Trackers detected the British fleet. However, what might have been the first battle between aircraft carriers since World War II did not occur, as poor winds prevented the heavily loaded jets from taking off. After the British nuclear-powered submarine sank the cruiser , the carrier returned to port for safety and her Skyhawks began their attacks from mainland Argentina instead. Navy's
T-34s and
MB-339s, along with Air Force's
Pucarás, were the only combat aircraft based on the islands and an
MB-339 was the first aircraft to engage the British landing force during the
Battle of San Carlos. During the war the last two
SP-2H Neptunes were retired due to airframe attrition and replaced with two leased Brazilian
EMB 111 Bandeirantes. Four naval aviators died in the war. Fourteen aircraft were lost, to various causes.
Post war In 1983,
democracy was restored in Argentina and despite stricter military budgets, COAN was able to modernize with the lifting of arms embargoes.
P-3 Orions and modified
Beechcraft Super King Air were incorporated and
Eurocopter Fennecs were bought as the new surface fleet embarked helicopter. New-built Agusta
SH-3 Sea Kings for
Antarctica arrived and
UH-1H helicopters were assigned to the naval aviation to support the
Argentine Marines. The navy also received
Brazilian MB-326 Xavantes to replace their lost MB-339s. The 1980s saw the last deployments of
ARA Veinticinco de Mayo: the
Dassault-Breguet Super Étendards and the
Israeli upgraded
S-2T Turbo Trackers performed qualifications on her until the ship's final retirement.Video Argentina was the only South American country to send warships, including embarked
Alouette IIIs and cargo planes to the 1991
Gulf War under
UN mandate. In 1998, Argentina was granted
Major Non-NATO ally status by United States President
Bill Clinton.
Present day Since 2001, due to the lack of an aircraft carrier, pilot qualification tests took place on the Brazilian Navy carrier and/or touch-and-go landings on
US Navy carriers when they are in transit within Argentine coastal waters for
Gringo-Gaucho manoeuvres. In 2008 the United States transferred four Sea King helicopters to replace the two lost in the fire of the icebreaker . a lack of funds for training and maintenance has left the Navy in poor condition. In particular their aircraft are dependent on a steady supply of foreign-made spares, which has been reduced by currency controls and import restrictions – for example the Fokker F-28 transports are grounded because of spares getting stuck in customs. Argentina hoped to upgrade ten of its eleven remaining Super Étendard to the latest Super Étendard Modernisé (SEM) standard using equipment from aircraft retired by France. This came into doubt due to their retirement from French service and because relations with France cooled after the UK intervened to block the sale of Spanish Mirage F1s to the Argentine Air Force. Five refurbished Super Etendard aircraft were finally delivered to the Navy from France in 2019. However, these aircraft awaited the delivery of key spare parts. In 2021 it was reported that the return of these aircraft to an operational configuration was also encountering problems based on the fact that the ejector seats of the aircraft were the MK6, manufactured by Martin Baker in the UK. In early 2022, it was reported that the spare parts problem remained unresolved and the aircraft remained in storage. As of the end of 2022, a potential solution to the problem of operationalizing the ejection seat system on the aircraft was being explored with the American company Task Aerospace. However, no decision had been taken as to whether the proposed solution would be pursued. In May 2023 it was initially reported that the aircraft would not be brought into service because of the inability to obtain parts for the Mk 6 ejection seat and due to France's inability to provide other spare parts for the aging aircraft. However, the Argentine Navy subsequently issued denials and stated that the process of bringing the aircraft into service had not been abandoned. While in early 2024 it was reported that the Navy was still working to restore at least two of the aircraft to flying condition, the inability to obtain spare parts meant that in mid-2025 it was reported that the project to restore the aircraft to flying condition had been abandoned. Argentina was working on a procurement of four P-3C Orion aircraft from US Navy surplus stocks. Argentina's current fleet of P-3B's are non operational. The package deal was approved in September 2019. The US State Department has cleared the transaction of $78.03m to be carried out as part of a foreign military sale. It includes the delivery of related equipment and services. Argentina was to receive four turboprop engines for the aircraft and an additional four turboprop engines. It was also to receive communications and radar equipment, Infrared/Electro-optic equipment, and aviation life support systems. The US was to provide spares plus repairs, aircraft depot maintenance, and logistical support. Contractors for the deal include Logistic Services International, Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins and Eagle Systems. These newer Orions were to be up to the latest Orion standard, and provide Argentina with a much needed boost in anti-submarine and maritime surveillance missions. However, in the aftermath of the inauguration of Alberto Fernández as president in December 2019, the deal was cancelled with the Navy instead being compelled to refurbish its older P-3B fleet. In 2021, it was reported that the final Grumman Tracker aircraft flew for the last time leaving Argentine fixed-wing naval aviation without an anti-submarine capability, unless and until another option is found. However, other reports suggested that at as of 2022 and 2023 at least one S-2T was still flying in the maritime surveillance role and efforts were underway to recover the flying condition of two of these aircraft given the overall lack of maritime surveillance capabilities. In June 2022 it was reported that Argentina was seeking to potentially revive the project to purchase the P-3C from the United States since none of the former P-3Bs were operational. However, it was also reported that even if the deal went ahead it would still take time to bring the ex-US Navy P-3Cs back into flying condition in the United States. As a result, work on the P-3B upgrade continued even though, in December 2022, it was reported that the refurbishment of the P-3B was proceeding slower than anticipated and while a revised delivery date of the first upgraded P-3B had been projected for September 2023, that schedule might now face delays. In February 2023 it was reported that Argentina was negotiating with Norway to purchase three or four of its surplus P-3Cs. In September 2023, Argentina agreed to buy 3x P-3C ASW/ASuW and 1x P-3N
search and rescue aircraft from Norway, the first were to arrive at
Trelew Almirante Zar Naval Air Base in October 2023. However, by years end the aircraft had not been delivered due to an Argentine failure to make the required payment. In March 2024, it was reported that the initial payments had been made. Delivery of the first aircraft took place in September 2024, with the remaining aircraft to follow in 2025. In 2022, the Navy took additional measures to try to retain a viable helicopter fleet by acquiring two additional
Sea King helicopters in order to increase overall numbers of operational aircraft of this type. Early in 2023, it was reported that the Navy was also interested in the potential acquisition of additional surplus helicopters from Canada, though it remained to be seen whether such a purchase would be realized. On the 2nd of December 2024, after more than 60 years of service, the Argentine Navy retired the last of its S-2T Turbo Tracker anti-submarine warfare aircraft However in July 2025, one S-2T was returned to service; it served briefly before the type was formally retired on 1 December 2025. ==Air bases==