The arrival of the Argentine Air Force F-16 fighters on Friday, December 5, continues to reveal new details and highlights regarding their ferry flight, which began in late November in Denmark. In particular, thanks to a video released by the institution, it became known that during the final portion of their flight to Área Material Río Cuarto, while flying through Brazilian airspace, the Argentine fighter aircraft were escorted by a formation of F-39E Gripen fighters from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), creating a unique image and a message of military cooperation between the two South American giants.
The ferry flight from Denmark marked a 13,000-kilometer journey, supported by various Air Forces and countries that provided facilities and capabilities to ensure the successful arrival of the Argentine aircraft.
While most of the attention focused on the KC-135R tankers deployed by the United States Air Force (USAF), essential for the Atlantic crossing, other countries such as Spain and Brazil provided facilities used as stopovers for the Argentine F-16s. These included Zaragoza and Gando Air Bases in Spanish territory, and Natal Air Base in northeastern Brazil.
In this latter case, the Brazilian base hosted the formation composed of six F-16AM/BM fighters, along with three KC-135R tankers and the Boeing 737 T-99 and KC-130H TC-69 transport aircraft; the latter two used for personnel transport, logistical support, and search and rescue (SAR) tasks.
For this reason, the final phase of the ferry flight to Área Material Río Cuarto involved flying through Brazilian airspace without additional stopovers, and conducting another aerial refueling between the F-16s and the U.S. KC-135s.
It was during this phase of the ferry flight that, thanks to the released footage, it was revealed that part of the journey was supported and escorted by the Brazilian Air Force’s new and modern F-39E Gripen fighters, offering an early glimpse of the new era now unfolding for South American fighter aviation.
It is not unreasonable to imagine that, in the context of future combined exercises—such as upcoming editions of the Multinational Exercise CRUZEX—this scene could be repeated between Argentine and Brazilian fighter aircraft.
Finally, in light of the support provided by various air forces and the camaraderie between both nations, we can only say: parabéns.
Argentina Air Force video:
Cover photo used for illustration purposes.
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