The Super Étendard Modernisé attack aircraft have arrived in Argentina

The Super Étendard Modernisé attack aircraft have arrived in Argentina

By Dario Leone
May 15 2019
Share this article

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.

The Super Étendard Modernisé attack aircraft have arrived in Argentina

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.

The Super Étendard Modernisé attack aircraft have arrived in Argentina

Photo credit: Argentina Navy


Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.



    Share this article
    Back to top
    My Agile Privacy
    This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. We and our selected ad partners can store and/or access information on your device, such as cookies, unique identifiers, browsing data. You can always choose the specific purposes related to profiling by accessing the advertising preferences panel, and you can always withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on "Manage consent" at the bottom of the page.

    List of some possible advertising permissions:

    You can consult: our list of advertising partners, the Cookie Policy and the Privacy Policy.
    Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices