The Argentine Army Aviation (Spanish: Comando de Aviación de Ejército, AvEj) is the army aviation branch of the Argentine Army. Their members have the same rank insignia and titles as the rest of the Army. The Army Aviation Command is based at the Campo de Mayo Military Airfield.[2][3]
Alongside with its primary role of supporting Army operations, the Army Aviation is highly involved in humanitarian aid missions, emergency relief, medical evacuations and forest firefighting.[4]
History
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2014)
Military aviation in Argentina can be traced back to the Paraguayan War when, on 8 July 1867, Staff Sergeant Roberto A. Chodasiewicz used an observation balloon during the battle of Humaitá.[5] Since then, the army has been the main driving force behind the national aeronautical development. The use of enthusiastic students who relied on the selfless support of civil institutions and air clubs, saw the creation of the Military Aviation School at El Palomar in 1912.[6]
The establishment of the Army Aviation Service (in Spanish, Servicio de Aviación del Ejército) saw a great expansion of Argentine air power in the 1912–1945 period, and supported the development of civil aviation in Argentina.[7] The creation of the first aviation units and the foundation of the Fábrica Militar de Aviones in the 1920s were the beginning of a process that lead to the creation of the Argentine Air Force in 1945, to which the Army transferred its aircraft and related installations.[8]
Re-establishment
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In 1956, Army Aviation was re-established within the Army and began a major expansion, incorporating new types of aircraft and opening new bases around the country. In 1965, using a Cessna U-17 they performed their first expedition to the South Pole.[9]
During the 1970s the service consolidated itself as an important branch of the Army receiving aircraft such as the Aeritalia G.222 transport which caused friction with the Air Force. The expansion plans continued in the early 1980s with the incorporation of the Agusta A109 utility and the Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.[10]
In 1982, the Military Junta invaded the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) triggering a ten-week-long war against the United Kingdom. The Argentine Army Aviation deployed 2 CH-47 Chinooks, 3 Agusta A109, 6 SA330 Pumas and 9 UH-1Hs to the islands, where they performed 796 general support flights under harsh operating conditions. Their helicopters were also extensively used in Patagonia and the Army also took over the provincial police's MBB Bo 105s during the conflict.[12]
Six Army aviation members died in the war.[13] Two army helicopters were shot down, six destroyed on the ground, and ten were captured. Some of these captured were used by British Army and other used as targets for RAF ground attack training.[14]
Bell UH-1H Huey during the Exhibition of the Argentine Army in May 2008
Army aircraft with tactical camouflage have adopted high-visibility yellow markings Ejército (Spanish for “Army”)[22][23] in order to encourage the national press to stop referring to them as belonging to the air force.[24]
In the 2014 celebration of the Argentine Army Aviation day, the following actions to improve capabilities were confirmed:[25]
purchase of 1 Cessna Citation and 4 Grand Caravan aircraft
purchase of 2 CASA C-212 aircraft
replacement of Mohawk by Diamond 42 aircraft
purchase of second hand Italian AB206 helicopters (agreement reached but never signed until new government took power in 2016)
upgrade of remaining UH-1 helicopters to Huey II standard (due to budget restrictions purchase of new helicopters was abandoned).
refurbishing of Super Puma helicopters.
Currently,[when?] Argentina has expressed interest in buying surplus US equipment and authorization granted by US government. This may involve transport or scout helicopters.
The Army Aviation Command was renamed[when?] as “Army Aviation Directorate” (Dirección de Aviación de Ejército). Eight years later recovered its previous name, while going to depend of the Army Enlistment and Training Command.[1][26]
The Argentine Army gets its pilots from two main sources. One is the officers who graduate from the Military College and then volunteer for the Army Aviator Course. This course lasts one year and takes place at either the Air Force Academy, in Córdoba (for fixed wing aircraft), or the Army Aviation School (for helicopters), in Campo de Mayo, outside Buenos Aires. Since 2009, these two schools are the only training centers for pilots from the three armed services. The other source is civilian pilots who, after a ten-month course at the Military Academy, join the Army Aviation as 2nd lieutenants.
While College-graduated officers are called “Army Aviators” and those coming from civilian life are “Army Pilots”, there are no specific technical differences between them. However, “Army Pilots” can only reach the rank of colonel. Also, “Army Aviators” retain their original branch (i.e. Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Engineers, Signals or Ordnance) and can be posted to their branch's units in case of need. “Army Pilots”, instead, can only serve in Army Aviation units or related positions, as they have no other capability.[29]
^Libro Blanco de la Defensa 2015. Buenos Aires. 2015. Despliegue detallado de las Fuerzas Armadas. ISBN978-987-3689-25-3.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Quijano, Rosario; Mereyro, Mariel (2019). "En marcha: segundo paso del proceso de reconversión del Ejército Argentino". Soldados (in Spanish) (253): 7. ISSN0329-4358.
Bellomo, Sergio (March 2000). "Les N.A.16-4P de l'Aviation de l'Armée Argentine" [The N.A.16-4Ps of Argentine Army Aviation]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (84): 38–41. ISSN1243-8650.
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