| Second naval fighters strike squadron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Country |  Argentina |
| Branch | Argentine Naval Aviation |
| Role | Embarked fighters |
| Garrison/HQ | Comandante Espora, Bahía Blanca |
| Battle honours | Falklands (Malvinas) |
| Website | argentina.gob.ar/aviacionnaval |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Jorge Colombo |
The 2da Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Caza y Ataque (EA32) (Second Naval Fighter/Strike squadron) is the main strike unit of the Argentine Naval Aviation, the air branch of the Argentine Navy.
The insignia is nicknamed La Lora (female parrot) and was created in 1956 and inspired by US Navy fighter squadron VF-884/VF-144 Bitter Birds's Jayhawk, a mythological hawk from the Kansas state, but painted green instead of blue. [1]
In 1944 the two naval aviation Reconnaissance units were converted to Attack Squadrons, receiving their Vought V-65F & V-142A; in 1945 the 2nd was converted into a Bomber Squadron. The 2nd squadron was re-established in 1949 as a Combat Squadron flying AT-6 Texan, and finally received its current name in August 1956 on receiving Vought F4U-5 Corsairs for use on the ARA Independencia aircraft carrier.
United States President Jimmy Carter imposed an arms embargo, including spare parts and personnel training, on the military government of Argentina in 1977 in response to human rights abuses; [2] Argentina turned mainly to France for military supplies. [3] In 1980 the Naval Aviation, unable to source spare parts for their US A-4Q Skyhawks, ordered 14 Super Etendards from France. Argentine pilots used French flight trainers between November 1980 and August 1981 in France including operations from the aircraft carrier Clemenceau [4] but, although all A-4Q veterans, they had received only 45 hours [5] of flight time in the new aircraft when in April 1982 the Falklands War (Spanish : Guerra de Malvinas) began.
Five Super Étendards, or Sue (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsu.e] ) as they are called, and five Exocet missiles had already been shipped to Argentina in November 1981, when an arms embargo by the European Economic Community—of which France was a member—imposed in response to the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina [6] halted deliveries. More problematically, the French technicians working at Bahía Blanca on the integration of the Exocet into the Super Etendard received orders to leave the country. Nevertheless, the Squadron managed to complete the work. [7] Additionally, Britain took actions that prevented Argentina from acquiring more Exocets. [8]
The carrier ARA 25 de Mayo had not yet having been modified to allow the aircraft to operate on board, so they were deployed south to the naval air base at Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego. One aircraft—SUE serial number 3-A-201—was dismantled to be cannibalized for spare parts. while the others used aerial refuelling from KC-130 Hercules tankers of the Argentine Air Force to perform the following missions (showing aircraft used):
Once the conflict was over, the rest of the Super Etendards shipment was delivered and the squadron performed qualifications on aircraft carrier ARA 25 de Mayo Video . After the retirement of their last carrier, Argentina cooperated with the Brazilian Navy, allowing the naval air wing to continue to operate from the deck of Brazilian carrier NAe São Paulo during ARAEX exercises video , and to carry out touch-and-go landings on US Navy carriers when they are in transit within Argentine coastal waters during Gringo-Gaucho manoeuvres video Super Etendard 3-A-203 was lost in a fatal crash on 29 May 1996 while attempting to land on Punta Indio airstrip. [9]
In March 2010, during USS Carl Vinson's tour around South America, the squadron performed Gringo-Gaucho / Southern Seas 2010 manoeuvres with the US aircraft carrier. [10] [11]
As of 2010, the Squadron was still using Super Étendards, [12] and French cooperation to upgrade the aircraft was announced. [13] [14] Five refurbished Super Etendard aircraft were delivered to the Navy in 2019. However, as of 2022 these aircraft await the delivery of key spare parts and may not be in operational service for a further years. [15]
HMS Invincible was the Royal Navy's lead ship of her class of three light aircraft carriers. She was launched on 3 May 1977 as the seventh ship to carry the name. She was originally designated as an anti-submarine warfare carrier, but was used as an aircraft carrier during the Falklands War, when she was deployed with HMS Hermes. She took over as flagship of the British fleet when Hermes was sold to India. Invincible was also deployed in the Yugoslav Wars and the Iraq War. In 2005, she was decommissioned, and was eventually sold for scrap in February 2011.
This is a list of the naval forces from the United Kingdom that took part in the Falklands War, often referred to as "the Task Force" in the context of the war. For a list of naval forces from Argentina, see Argentine naval forces in the Falklands War.
The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
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.
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the U.S. Navy's pre-1962 designation system.
HMS Ardent was a Royal Navy Type 21 frigate. Built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland. She was completed with Exocet launchers in 'B' position. Ardent took part in the Falklands War, where she was sunk by Argentine aircraft in the Falkland Sound on 21 May 1982.
The Argentine Navy is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force.
The Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard is a French carrier-borne strike fighter aircraft designed by Dassault-Breguet for service with the French Navy.
Atlantic Conveyor was a British merchant navy ship, registered in Liverpool, that was requisitioned during the Falklands War.
ARA Santísima Trinidad is a Type 42 destroyer of the Argentine Navy, the only one of her class built outside Britain. She participated in the 1982 Falklands War. In January 2013 the ship capsized and sank at her moorings in the Argentine naval base of Puerto Belgrano due to lack of maintenance, being refloated in December 2015. The navy's plan to turn her into a museum ship was not realised and, in 2020, the Argentine president stated that the ship should be scrapped, though this was later blocked by federal courts.
This article describes the composition and actions of the Argentine naval forces in the Falklands War. For a list of naval forces from the United Kingdom, see British naval forces in the Falklands War.
ARA Veinticinco de Mayo (V-2) was an aircraft carrier in the Argentine Navy from 1969 to 1997. The English translation of the name is Twenty-fifth of May, which is the date of Argentina's May Revolution in 1810.
These are some of the key weapons of the Falklands War used by both sides.
Brazilian Naval Aviation is the air arm of the Brazilian Navy operating from ships and from shore installations.
Operation Mikado was the code name of a military plan by the United Kingdom to use Special Air Service troops to attack the home base of Argentina's five Super Etendard strike fighters at Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego, during the 1982 Falklands War. Brigadier Peter de la Billière was in charge of planning the operation.
The Argentine Naval Aviation is the naval aviation branch of the Argentine Navy and one of its four operational commands. Argentina, along with Brazil is one of two South American countries to have operated two aircraft carriers
The Battle of San Carlos was a battle between aircraft and ships that lasted from 21 to 25 May 1982 during the British landings on the shores of San Carlos Water in the 1982 Falklands War. Low-flying land-based Argentine jet aircraft made repeated attacks on ships of the British Task Force.
Gringo-Gaucho are a contingent set of maneuvers performed between the Argentine Naval Aviation and United States Navy's aircraft carriers. The US Navy refers to them as Southern Seas in their last edition. Gringo and Gaucho are linguistic and folkloric designations of long standing, respectively.
Captain Roberto Curilovic is a former Argentinian Navy pilot. His attack on 25 May 1982 in the Falklands War sank the transport ship Atlantic Conveyor with an Exocet AM.39 anti-ship missile.
Frigate Captain Augusto Bedacarratz is an Argentina naval aviator who led the mission on 4 May 1982 that sank HMS Sheffield during the Falklands War using the Exocet AM.39 anti-ship missile. It was the first sinking of a Royal Navy ship in four decades.
A remarkable world-wide operation then ensured to prevent further Exocets being bought by Argentina. I authorised our agents to pose as bona fide purchasers of equipment on the international market, ensuring that we outbid the Argentineans. Other agents identified Exocet missiles in various markets and covertly rendered them inoperable, based on information from the French.
