Throughout 2025, news regarding the Argentine Navy’s Super Étendard fighters has been scarce, with no mention of them by naval authorities or in the Management Reports submitted by the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers to the National Congress. This situation appears to foreshadow a decision that has been in the works within the Navy’s leadership, concerning the Super Étendard Modernisé aircraft acquired in 2019 which, to date, despite various efforts and testing, have not even completed a single test flight. According to sources consulted by Zona Militar, the decision would involve the decommissioning of these aircraft, a move that has been shared in camaraderie meetings attended by high-ranking Navy officials to provide an overview of the force’s present and future.
Acquired in 2019 under the administration of then-President Mauricio Macri, the Super Étendard Modernisé aircraft were incorporated with the aim of restoring capabilities that the Naval Aviation Command had effectively lost — in particular, the air-to-air and air-to-surface combat capabilities provided by the Super Étendard/AM-39 Exocet pairing. However, since their arrival, a series of issues have hampered the aircraft’s entry into service, as France indicated that they were not in airworthy condition.
As noted in multiple reports and articles, various issues inherent to a platform with decades of service have disrupted the plans of the Naval Aviation Command. As of today, with the French Navy having officially retired the aircraft years ago, the Argentine Navy remains the sole operator of this attack platform worldwide.
Without going into further detail—already covered over the past months and years—the latest updates regarding the status and future of the Super Étendard (SUE) and Super Étendard Modernisé (SEM) have been provided directly by the Chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Navy, Rear Admiral Carlos María Allievi, in various interviews.
In an interview with Zona Militar last year, the Navy Chief stated: “…the Navy is focused on ensuring that the Super Étendard Modernisé aircraft, which were purchased in 2019 and of which none of the five we acquired have flown yet, can at least perform a test flight. We are focused on that. And I want to stress that this is not a bureaucratic delay, it is purely a technical delay…”
“…It’s basically the parachute, the ejection seat, some structural cracks that are not serious but still need to be assessed to determine whether they have any implications for flight, and the engine…” he explained at the time, adding that “…the engine was started up last week, all parameters were recorded, and those parameters were sent to DIGAMC (Joint Military Airworthiness Directorate), which is the body under the Joint Chiefs of Staff that must approve the aircraft for its test flight…”
Subsequently, in the presentation of Report No. 141 to the Senate of the National Congress, it was stated that various efforts were underway with state agencies and private companies to move forward with the certification of the aircraft’s pyrotechnic components. Among these, CITEDEF was mentioned as responsible for determining the service life of pyrotechnic and propulsion components, along with the shipment of an ejection seat to the company MBA S.A. for evaluation.
Nonetheless, despite these efforts—including various ground tests—the process to certify the SEM aircraft as fit to begin their test flights has yet to be finalized, still awaiting final authorization from the aforementioned DIGAMC.
All these factors appear to be leading to a definitive decision, which would initially affect only the Super Étendard Modernisé aircraft acquired from France. However, it would also cast complete uncertainty over both the original Super Étendard aircraft and the 2nd Naval Fighter and Attack Squadron (EA32), as they too may be decommissioned, with no further details yet disclosed.
On a speculative level, the reality is that the Argentine Navy’s budget situation is increasingly precarious, despite official announcements. The force must prioritize which programs and projects receive its limited resources, based on which have the best prospects for being carried out in the future. These include the integration of the P-3C/N aircraft acquired from Norway, the urgently needed acquisition of Sea King helicopters to support the Summer Antarctic Campaign, and the light AW109 helicopters for offshore patrol vessels—a process that has also seen no recent developments.
All things considered, the Argentine Navy once again finds itself on the verge of a formal loss of capabilities, with no replacement or substitute available to fill the gap left by the retirement and decommissioning of the Super Étendard and Super Étendard Modernisé. The original aircraft have not flown in over ten years.
Images used for illustrative purposes only.
You may also like: With their future in Argentina and Ukraine, the Royal Danish Air Force’s F-16s continue to patrol the Baltic Sea
