As part of the logistical support scheme for the forces stationed in the Malvinas Islands, a British Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft, registration ZM413, made a stopover at a military base of the Chilean Air Force (FACh). The aircraft, arriving from the Mount Pleasant (Monte Agradable) base, was reported at facilities used by Aviation Group No. 10 in Santiago, Chile, according to information disseminated by flight tracking systems and specialized media.
With the capacity to transport heavy cargo, personnel, and equipment over long distances, the A400M Atlas constitutes one of the most advanced platforms for tactical-strategic transport for the RAF. For years, this aircraft has been used for the support of Mount Pleasant, the main military installation of British forces in the Malvinas archipelago. These characteristics allow the United Kingdom to reduce its dependence on maritime replenishment and maintain an active logistical chain between the South Atlantic and the South American continent, reinforcing its operational autonomy both toward the Malvinas and toward the Antarctic axis, where the British Antarctic Survey maintains permanent scientific campaigns.
The choice of a Chilean military base as a stopover point is not accidental. Unlike a simple technical stop at a civilian airport, the use of infrastructure associated with a regional air force grants the RAF a broader operational and logistical margin. In this context, Chile has consolidated itself as a recurring transit node for British aircraft, particularly on the Punta Arenas–Chabunco axis, from which the United Kingdom has deployed flights to Antarctica in support of scientific missions. Each of these operations reinforces the idea of a stable support network linking the Malvinas with the Southern Cone.
The stopover of the A400M ZM413 revives the debate over the use of continental American infrastructure by the United Kingdom to sustain its military presence in a territory whose sovereignty remains in dispute with the Argentine Republic. These types of operations are the result of logistical planning involving regular flights. In December 2025, another A400M Atlas (registration ZM407) landed in Santiago, Chile, after taking off from Brasilia, confirming the frequent use of civilian and military airports for the support of the British detachment in the South Atlantic.
During the past year, the A400M ZM418 and ZM421 were also recorded on similar routes that combined stopovers in Santiago, Montevideo, and Brasilia before returning to Mount Pleasant. In March 2025, a joint operation with a Voyager KC3 tanker allowed the deployment of an A400M toward the Union Glacier in Antarctica, marking one of the southernmost flights carried out by the RAF in recent years.
In particular, these movements revive concerns regarding the militarization of the archipelago and the use of regional territory by the United Kingdom. Although Chile and other countries of the Southern Cone maintain formal positions of support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and for UN resolutions urging the resumption of sovereignty negotiations, British logistical cooperation in the region introduces a sensitive diplomatic nuance, derived from the use of facilities that allow logistics to be maintained at a lower cost, considering the extensive distance between the United Kingdom and the Malvinas Islands.
*Images used for illustrative purposes.
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