It will take a while before the Super Étendard Modernisé aircraft will be up in Argentine skies, as the country first needs to invest a total amount of USD 5 million in a modernization programme.
The five green-colored and plastic-wrapped former French Navy Super Étendard Modernisé (SEM) attack aircraft, which were purchased by the Argentine government, arrived in Bahia Blanca (Argentina).
As reported by Scramble Facebook News Magazine, the five SEMs, together pricetagged USD 15 million (USD 3 million each), are destined for the Comando de Aviación Naval’s EA32 (2 Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Caza y Ataque of the 3 Escuadra Aeronaval). All five were scheduled to be offloaded on May 9, 2019, but this turned out to be impossible due to a strike in the harbour at the multipurpose dock of the company Patagonia Norte, in Ingeniero White.
The Super Étendard Modernisé attack aircraft have been presented in an official ceremony on May 13, 2019. The Argentine Minister of Defense as well as senior leaders of the Argentine Navy attended the ceremony.
It will take a while before these aircraft will be up in Argentine skies, as the country first needs to invest a total amount of USD 5 million in a modernization programme.
As we have already explained the Super Étendards were decommissioned by the French Navy in 2016.
French President announced on Jan. 26, 2018 that the defense ministers of Argentina and France signed a contract for the sale of five Super Étendard attack aircraft to Argentina.
Argentina was in talks with France since May 2017 to buy refurbished Super Étendards.
The Argentine ministry of defense was quoted as saying that the “transaction provides excellent value, and under very favorable conditions. […] Our pilots must be able to train in modern aircraft.”
The Argentine military re-equipment program involves also four new patrol ships which are currently under construction at the Tandanor yards with support from France, Italy and China.
Photo credit: Argentina Navy
