Shortly after beginning a story that has seen it flying for nearly four decades, the Agusta A-109A Hirundo joined the ranks of the Argentine Army to form the nucleus of a dedicated attack and scout helicopter force within the service’s aviation branch. In the following quarter of a century, the type was to serve under the Argentine flag in developing and attack and scout helicopter employment doctrine, experiment with a number of local and foreign weapons integration projects and eventually see action against British ground forces in the 1982 Malvinas War. Read on and get to know this sleek Italian helicopter’s background while in Argentine military service.

Argentina’s Air Force has spent decades planning to replace its dwindling inventory of Delta-fighters. The most recent solo flight ceremony was a good opportunity to check official sources as to the present status of this “never ending story” kind of project.

Following a protracted rebuilding process and a 15,000 km ferry flight, Air Force DHC-6 Twin Otter “Tango 85” returned to its home base in Comodoro Rivadavia (Chubut) on 23 April. Read on to learn more about Argentina’s first successful DHC-6-350 conversion in Canada.