Close to 25 aircraft and 250 service men and women from different Air Force and Army units were involved in the first large-scale joint exercise of year 2010. For little more than a week, combat search and rescue operations took place in and around Mendoza/El Plumerillo airport.
Freshly nationalized, Argentine aircraft and maintenance firm FAdeA (Fábrica Argentina de Aviones) has started making it into the news following its international debut in FIDAE, Chile’s air, space a security fair, held in Santiago in March 2010.
Northern Chile’s crystal clear skies, low population density and limited air traffic provide an ideal background for dissimilar air combat training. Late in 2009, the South American nation was host to the second edition of a a large-scale, multi-national exercise gathering combat aircraft and crews from four American and one European air forces. Masked as a peace-restoring exercise, Salitre II was a golden opportunity to see American Eagles, Chilean Fighting Falcons and Tigers, Argentine Fighting Hawks, Brazilian Falcons and French Mirages practice the fine art and science of modern air combat. Gaceta Aeronáutica was there to illustrate and report.
Even though the year is drawing to a close, news in the Argentine military front continue unabated. In spite of lack of political support and budgetary constraints, several of the armed services continue to produce event and equipment news.
Little over a month after the show closed its doors, we deliver the first recapitulation of our correspondents to the XV Feria Internacional del Aire y el Espacio (15th Air & Space Fair, or FIDAE 2008), held for the second time at “Arturo Merino Benítez” International Airport in Santiago de Chile. Read on to access our conclusions about the main aircraft exhibits, browse some of the most representative photos taken at the show and inspect our register of aircraft logged during the fair.
