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History The Argentine Air Force´s history begins with the establishment of the Escuela de Aviación Militar (''Military Aviation School'') on August 10 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 February 11 1944 with the establishment of the Aeronautical Command, which would go on to become the Argentine Air Force on January 4 th, 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. Also 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 Technician s, 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 Flight s to supply the early Antarctic scientific bases, expanding its activities in the Antarctic continent and establishing Marambio Base on September 25 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 1982 Falklands/Malvinas War 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 Kfir s or F-16As , the United States sold 36 refurbished A-4M Skyhawk known as A-4AR Fightinghawk s. Since their reception, the A-4AR demonstrated being a worthy replacement of the ''Bravos'' and ''Charlies'' that fought during the war. On 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 Airport s (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 Air Force´s current Chief of Staff is Brigadier Eduardo Schiaffino. 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. Organization The Argentine Air Force is one of the three branches of the Argentine military, in an equal footing 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, All Groups bear the same numeral as its mother Brigade:
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 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. Aircraft 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 Alférez and Comodoro. Brigadiers wear different shoulderboards. Enlisted men and Non-Commissioned Officers Order of battle
# 1st Air Transport Squadron ( C-130 Hercules ) # 2nd Air Transport Squadron ( Fokker F-28 ) # 5th Air Transport Squadron ( Boeing 707 )
# 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron ( Learjet 35 A) # 4th Air Transport Squadron ( Fokker F-27 )
# 2nd Attack Squadron ( IA-58A Pucara ) # 3rd Attack Squadron ( IA-58A Pucara )
# 1st Training Squadron (MS-760 Paris) # 2nd Fighter Squadron ( IA-63 Pampa ) # 3rd Search and Rescue Squadron (SA-315B Lama) # 4th ´Cruz del Sur´ Acrobatics Squadron ( Su-29 ) # Fighter School
# 1st Fighter-Bomber Squadron ( A-4AR Fightinghawk ) # 2nd Fighter-Bomber Squadron ( A-4AR Fightinghawk )
# 1st Fighter-Bomber Squadron ( Mirage V ) # 2nd Air Interceptor Squadron ( Mirage IIIEA/DA )
# 1st Search and Rescue Squadron ( Bell 212 ) # 2nd Tactical Squadron (Hughes 500D) # 3rd Squadron ( UH-1H ) # 4th Squadron ( UH-1H , Hughes 500D)
# 6th Air Transport Squadron ( Fokker F-27 ) # 7th Air Transport Squadron ( DHC-6 Twin Otter)
# Glider Flight # Services Squadron # Mentor Squadron (T-34 Mentor) # Tucano Squadron ( Embraer EMB-312 Tucano) Chiefs of the Argentine Air Force Commanders of the Army Military Aviation (1912-1919)
Commanders of the Army Aeronautical Service (1919-1927)
Commanders of the General Directorate of Aeronautics (1927-1941)
Commanders of the First Air Division (1936)
Commanders of the Army Air Forces (1936-1939)
Commanders of the Army Aviation Command (1938-1944)
Commanders-in-Chief of the Aeronautica (1944)
Commanders of the Argentine Air Force (1945-1947)
Commanders-in-Chief of the Argentine Air Force (1947-1973)
General Commanders of the Argentine Air Force (1973-1976)
Commanders-in-Chief of the Argentine Air Force (1976-1983)
Chiefs of the General Staff of the Argentine Air Force (1983-present)
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