Argentine Air Force takes delivery of new Pampa III training jet
The Argentine Air Force continues with the difficult task of modernizing and expanding its aircraft fleet after years of less than necessary funding.
On Tuesday, June 4, local manufacturer FAdeA delivered a new Pampa III Block II training jet in addition to another aircraft of the type that has been updated.
The two aircraft received registrations A711 and A712 and were assigned to the X Air Brigade, based in Río Gallegos, in the province of Santa Cruz.
The Pampa IIIs are part of a contract formalized in 2021 and which includes the manufacture of three new aircraft in addition to the modernization of three other Pampa II jets.
FAdeA had already delivered a new Pampa III in May 2023, which is part of the same brigade.
The Pampa is a training jet developed in the 1980s by FMA (currently FAdeA) with support from Dornier and therefore has striking similarities with the Alphajet, although it is smaller and single-engine.
The aircraft has been used in advanced pilot training, but also has ground attack capabilities.
F-16 fighters
With its budget strangled due to years of economic crises in the country, the Argentine Air Force has struggled to incorporate aircraft that are generally second-hand.
Recent acquisitions include Boeing 737 and ERJ 140 jets, King Air (Huron) turboprops, P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft and the C-130 Hercules military freighter.
The most important acquisition, however, are the 24 F-16AM fighters that will be transferred to the Royal Danish Air Force and will return the Air Force to supersonic aircraft.
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