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Argentina to buy 2 KC-135 Stratotankers
The incorporation of the American-made Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker tanker aircraft into the Fuerza Aerea Argentina (FAA, Argentine Air Force) was confirmed by the service as part of its effort to modernize its fleet promoted by the Government of Javier Milei.
Details about the ongoing acquisition were disclosed by the head of the General Staff of the force, Gustavo Javier Valverde, during the ceremony for a new anniversary of the baptism of fire.
The KC-135s are part of a strategy to strengthen transport aviation and expand operational capacities of the Argentine Air Force, he told to Zona Militar.
According to Valverde the goal is being achieved “with the incorporation of a new system. The in-flight refueling part, that with the F-16s, two KC-135s will come to design the aircraft and give it greater range… reinforce transport aviation in the Boeing part and in the Embraer 140 part.”
According to his words, to consolidate a more efficient structure for transporting personnel and cargo the service is not only buying the KC-135 but also the Embraer ERJ-140 aircraft.
After the requirement to buy two units was formally finalized by the FAA, the buy of the Stratotankers is now in process.
Given that the KC-135 mission is in-flight refueling to extend combat aircraft’s range and improve their operational performance, it’s clear that the Stratotanker acquisition is directly linked to the recent addition of the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets.
Restoring Argentine Air Force strategic capabilities
Valverde previously said that the FAA “began the application process (LOR – Letter of Request) for up to 2 KC-135R aircraft in Ramp to Ramp (hot transfer) mode. This process is under way, waiting for the aircraft to be available and the studies to be completed.”
The KC-135 buy is significant for the Argentine Air Force since the plane is both a tanker and a cargo aircraft. In fact, a cargo deck above the refueling system can hold a mixed load of passengers and cargo. Depending on fuel storage configuration, the KC-135 can carry up to 83,000 pounds of cargo.
Moreover, strategic capabilities lost when the Boeing 707s were retired from service will be restored thanks to the Stratotanker. As of now, the FAA transport component fields a Boeing 737 and the fleet of Lockheed C-130 Hercules, which operate intensively.
The KC-135 Stratotanker provides the core aerial refueling capability for the US Air Force (USAF) and has excelled in this role for nearly 70 years.
Nearly all Stratotanker internal fuel can be pumped through the flying boom, the KC-135’s primary fuel transfer method. One crewmember, known as the boom operator, is stationed in the rear of the plane and controls the boom during in-flight air refueling.
A special shuttlecock-shaped drogue attached to and trailing behind the flying boom may be used to refuel aircraft fitted with probes. Some aircraft have been configured with the multipoint refueling system, which consists of special pods mounted on the wingtips. These KC-135s are capable of refueling two receiver aircraft at the same time.
Argentine Air Force F-16s
As already reported, Argentina finalised a deal to procure former Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets in April 2024.
The Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the milestone, saying the defence ministers of the two countries concluded the contract for the transfer of 24 former RDAF F-16AM/BM jets to FAA during a signing ceremony at Skrydstrup Air Base in Denmark.
As well as finalising the procurement, the event saw one of the F-16s shown for the first time in full FAA markings.
Before finalising the deal, in March 2024 in Buenos Aires, Danish Minister of Defence, Troels Lund Poulsen, met his Argentine counterpart, Minister of Defence Luis Alfonso Petri, and signed a letter of intent on the possible sale of Danish F-16 fighter jets.
The decision to sell the Danish jets to Argentina has been carried out in close collaboration with the American government, who has approved the sale of the US produced aircrafts.
The FAA received its first operational F-16 fighter jets in November. Four two-seat F-16BM trainers and two single-seat F-16AM fighter aircraft were part of the first batch of six aircraft.
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force
