After more than six decades of service in exploration, maritime patrol, and anti-submarine warfare tasks, the Argentine Navy officially carried out the retirement of its Grumman S-2T Turbo Tracker aircraft. The farewell ceremony took place at Comandante Espora Naval Air Base (Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina), where aircraft 2-AS-23 performed its final operational flight. The news, confirmed by Zona Militar last month, marks the closing of an era that began in 1962 with the arrival of the first Trackers to the country.
During the afternoon of December 2, 2-AS-23 took off for the last time over the skies of Bahía Blanca and, after its landing, executed its characteristic wing folding in the presence of the highest authorities of the Navy. The ceremony was presided over by the Chief of the Navy General Staff, Admiral Carlos María Allievi; Vice Admiral Marcelo Ricardo Flamini; Rear Admiral Gustavo Fabián Lioi Pombo; and Rear Admiral Román Enrique Olivero. Also present were Veterans of the Malvinas War, military and civilian personnel of Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, family members, and former members of the Anti-Submarine Naval Squadron, who emotionally bid farewell to one of the most emblematic symbols of modern naval aviation.
The event included a historical review of the different generations of Tracker that served in the country. The first six S-2A units arrived on May 31, 1962 aboard the aircraft carrier ARA Independencia, marking the beginning of the Anti-Submarine Naval Squadron. In 1978, six S-2E aircraft were added, expanding the Navy’s operational capability in a complex geopolitical context, particularly in the south of the country. These aircraft, due to their unique anti-submarine search and detection capability, were deployed during the operations in the Beagle Channel in December 1978 and, later in 1982, in the South Atlantic Conflict.
During the Malvinas conflict in 1982, the Trackers played a fundamental role. Initially embarked on the aircraft carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo, they participated in exploration and anti-submarine patrol operations over the South Atlantic, and after the carrier’s withdrawal they continued operating from Río Grande and Río Gallegos. Their mission was to detect the presence of British submarines and support the operations of the Fleet, once again demonstrating their value in real combat conditions.
The ceremony officer, Lieutenant Junior Grade Soledad Ledesma, highlighted that “In the year 1993, an important generational technological leap would come for 2-AS-23 as it became the first of its class to be sent to Israel for its modification under the ‘TATA’ project (turbine conversion of the Argentine Tracker aircraft). Since then, the Turbo Tracker continued training crews, participating in joint and combined exercises, operating in support of Fleet units, conducting anti-submarine and surface exploration operations, maritime space control flights over the 200-mile zone, and SAR standby over national jurisdictional waters.”
Prior to its decommissioning, 2-AS-23 carried out an emotional farewell tour that included its visit to the Military Aviation School in Córdoba. The visit was recorded by numerous aviation photographers, highlighting the interest still aroused by the twin-engine anti-submarine aircraft, the last of its type in service in South America. Days earlier, it had also participated in the open-house event at Punta Indio Naval Air Base, where hundreds of visitors were able to see it up close for the last time.
In his speech, the Commander of the Anti-Submarine Naval Squadron, Corvette Captain Norberto Baumgartner, highlighted the importance of 2-AS-23 as a living testimony of Argentine naval aviation history and the presence of a Malvinas War Veteran, Retired Captain Juan José Membrana, as part of the last crew. In this regard, he expressed: “To you, dear Grumman Tracker, in all your versions: this AS-23 represents our affection and respect for your nobility. Thank you for taking care of us and bringing us home.”
Then, the wing folding of 2-AS-23 symbolized the definitive closure of an epic chapter of Naval Aviation. The S-2T Turbo Tracker leaves behind a legacy of service and commitment to the vigilance and control of the Argentine sea. Its history, forged between the roar of the turbines, the wind of the South Atlantic, and the sacrifice of its crews, will remain engraved in the memory of those who saw in it more than an aircraft: a guardian of the sea and an emblem of the Argentine Navy.
*Image credits: Gaceta Marinera – Argentine Navy.
*Translated by Constanza Matteo
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