With the arrival, in early December, of the first six F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters to Argentina, the Argentine Air Force reached the most significant milestone in the incorporation of a new weapons system for the institution. However, as has already been noted, a combat aircraft by itself does not represent a silver bullet for restoring the Nation’s military capabilities. Rather, it is its integration and employment alongside other air, land, and naval platforms, as well as within new operational domains, that will make the difference.
Previously, we mentioned the need to form a kind of triad of systems, with the F-16 fighters as the spearhead, but also including airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and an aerial refueling platform. It is on this latter point that attention is now focused, bearing in mind that the Argentine Air Force seeks to materialize, within a suitable timeframe, the incorporation of KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft in order to extend the operational range of its F-16s, as well as their endurance within an area of operations.
Nevertheless, while its primary role is to support combat aircraft, it should also be noted that the acquisition of an aircraft of this class would allow the Air Force to recover complementary strategic airlift capabilities. As seen in practice, the institution has lacked such capabilities since the retirement, approximately twenty years ago, of the Boeing 707, relying instead on other aircraft that are less suitable for this role.
As of today, as reported by Zona Militar, the Argentine Air Force and the Ministry of Defense, within the framework provided by the incorporation of the F-16s under the Peace Condor Program, are also advancing in parallel with the acquisition of complementary support platforms. More specifically, this refers to the aforementioned KC-135s, particularly in their “Romeo” variant, which remain in active service with the United States Air Force (USAF).
This was reflected in statements made by the current Chief of the Air Force, Brigadier General Gustavo Javier Valverde, in a recent interview with Zona Militar, in which he stated that the institution “… has initiated the request process (LOR – Letter of Request) for up to two KC-135R aircraft under a Ramp to Ramp (hot transfer) modality. This process has begun and is awaiting aircraft availability and the completion of the relevant studies…”.
As previously noted, at present the Air Force’s primary aerial refueling aircraft are the KC-130H Hercules, whose refueling system is not compatible with the aircraft acquired from the Kingdom of Denmark. At the same time, the current status of the K/C-130H Hercules fleet is far from ideal in terms of availability, given that several aircraft have entered FAdeA facilities to undergo scheduled PDM inspections, as well as maintenance and repair work.
The reality shows that the Argentine Air Force’s Hercules fleet is overstretched, as it currently lacks medium transport and strategic airlift aircraft that could ease the workload borne by this fleet. Although aircraft have been incorporated in recent years, such as the Boeing 737 T-99 “Islas Malvinas,” the Embraer ERJ-140, and light TC-Beechcraft 12B Huron aircraft, these do not have the capacity to replace certain tasks that inevitably continue to fall upon the “Chanchas” (Hercules).
In the case of strategic airlift aviation, the situation is no less significant, as became evident during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, when the need for such a platform was clearly demonstrated, or more recently, during the support and logistics flights conducted to Denmark in support of the F-16 acquisition.
While the acquisition of the aforementioned T-99 “Islas Malvinas” sought to partially fill the gap left by the retirement of the Boeing 707 without replacement, the aircraft does not have the capabilities or the range required to fully assume this role. Moreover, the Argentine Air Force has not managed to advance the incorporation of additional units, such as extended-range variants, with past tenders even being canceled that aimed at acquiring an additional aircraft, including options to be employed as a cargo aircraft.
With this reality in mind, and although the incorporation of the KC-135R is intended to complement and expand the capabilities of the F-16AM/BM fighters, it should not be overlooked that these aircraft would also fulfill a complementary role if their acquisition is finalized, effectively serving as a suitable replacement for the Boeing 707s retired decades ago.
Thanks to their complementary capabilities, both in terms of cargo transport for logistics flights — bearing in mind that the arrival of 18 additional F-16 fighters, along with their respective batches of spare parts, equipment, and tools, is still pending — as well as the transport of military personnel assigned to Peacekeeping Missions in various parts of the world. Additionally, as became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, this class of aircraft constitutes a key tool in support of foreign policy, enabling the repatriation of nationals from other regions of the world affected by internal conflicts or wars, an issue that is increasingly present in today’s turbulent international environment.
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