Results from our field, bibliography and web research indicate that 47 individual exercises, simulations or training operations, accumulating at least 240 days on the field, were recorded in calendar year 2004. Substantiating our statement that this was a rather “international” military training year, 55% of the field time was ostensibly spent on combined exercises; with 30% going to internal drills and 15% invested in joint practices. Bearing in mind that our figures are (as usual) our own rough estimates, Navy owns the largest share of training time by having participated in 47% of the total days identified above, Air Force intervening in 42%, Army in 25% and the paramilitary services and the British garrison in Malvinas in a meagre 2%. Unlike other years, when bureaucracy or budget cuts got in the way, only one (unconfirmed) cancellation was recorded throughout the year and all scheduled combined operations were completed as planned.
Compared with other annual seasons, 2004 stands out as a prominently air combat exercise year. Three out of four Air Force combat brigades deployed South (IV Br Aé to Comandante Espora, V Br Aé and VI Br Aé to Southern Patagonia), three out of four also participated in international meetings (III Br Aé in Plata II, VI Br Aé in Salitre I and V Br Aé in Cruzex) and all visited Villa Reynolds for exercise Fénix. Their naval fighter counterparts were also actively involved in anti-shipping practices in three different sea stages (etapas de mar) and updated their carrier landing qualifications on board USS Ronald Reagan (Gringo Gaucho V). Navy was also involved in half a dozen combined maritime operations (two UNITAS XLVI phases, Panamax, Viekaren, Millennium II and Fraterno XXIII) while Army organised 13 internal, joint or combined exercises practicing specific capabilities (peace enforcement; jungle, special operations, rapid deployment and paratrooper forces; as well as armoured, mechanized and integrated forces). Five community aid exercises dealing with disaster relief (including Solidaridad), search and rescue, medical evacuation and forest fire fighting operations and a sampler of British naval cooperation complete the picture of a rich training year.
The data base
The following list contains a revisited edition of our 2004 Argentine Exercises Index (“Project ARGEX”), first published in Aeromilitaria Argentina circa 2005. Should you find that the table below is incomplete or incorrect in any of its entries, don’t hesitate to contact us so as to improve our information quality for a future updated version (you may contact us by entering your comments below or via our Facebook.
| Date | Name | Description | Participating air units, aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Naval manoeuvres near Puerto Belgrano (Buenos Aires). | ARA and Chilean Navy (units/aircraft unconfirmed). | |
| 02 Feb | Forest fire fighting simulation in Bariloche (Río Negro). | FAA: VII Br Aé (Huey). | |
| 02-06 Mar | Cyprus-destined peace forces operational training in Santa Rosa (La Pampa). | EA (units/aircraft unconfirmed). | |
| 22-26 Mar | Plan Anual de Capacitación Operacional | Assorted combat training by XII Jungle Brigade in Candelaria, San José, Profundidad and Concepción de la Sierra (Misiones). | EA (units/aircraft unconfirmed). |
| 23-26 Mar | I Etapa de Mar | Humanitarian aid and personnel rescue near Bahía Blanca (Buenos Aires). | ARA: EA32 (Super Etendard), EA2H (Sea King). FAA: VI Br Aé (Finger). |
| 31 Mar-06 Apr | V Br Aé deployment to Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz) or Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego). | FAA: I Br Aé (Hercules), V Br Aé (Fighting Hawk). | |
| 12 Apr | Night helicopter flight training in Port Stanley (Malvinas). | Royal AF or Royal Navy (unconfirmed helicopter type). | |
| 01 May | Blank firing exercise with attack aircraft support in Port Stanley Harbour (Malvinas). | Royal AF: 1435 Flt (Tornado). | |
| May | V Br Aé deployment to Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz). | FAA: V Br Aé (Fighting Hawk). | |
| 18-21 May | Plata II | Air traffic and air defence training between Posadas (Misiones). | FAA: I Br Aé (Hercules), II Br Aé (Friendship), III Br Aé (Pucará), IV Br Aé (Paris), VII Br Aé (Aerocommander, Huey). Brazilian AF (Tucano, Xavante, Caravan, Huey). |
| 18 May | Search and rescue in Comodoro Rivadavia (Chubut) | FAA: IX Br Aé (Friendship). | |
| May? | Air & ground manoeuvres in Sarmiento, Río Mayo, Esquel and Pampa de los Guanacos (Chubut). | FAA: IX Br Aé (undetermined aircraft). EA (undetermined units/aircraft). | |
| May | VI Br Aé deployment to Río Gallegos (Santa Cruz). | FAA: VI Br Aé (Mirage, Finger). | |
| Jun | Sea search and rescue in between Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego) y Port Stanley (Malvinas). Cancelled. | ARA and Royal Navy (unconfirmed units/aircraft). | |
| 17 Jun | Gringo Gaucho V | Carrier qualification and naval cooperation training on board aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan transiting through Argentine territorial waters. | ARA: EA32 (Super Etendard), EA2S (Turbo Tracker), EA1H (Alouette). US Navy (Super Hornet, Hawkeye, Greyhound). |
| 25 Jun-15 Jul | UNITAS XLVI (Pacific Phase/Fase Pacífico) | Naval manoeuvres in peace enforcement operations between El Callao and Salaverryla (Perú). | ARA: EA1H (Alouette), EA6V (Orion). Bolivian, Colombian (undetermined helicopter), Chilean, Ecuadorian (Beech 200), Mexican, Panamanian, Paraguayan, Peruvian (Beech 200), Uruguayan and Venezuelan (Bell 212) navies. Dominican and United States AF (Hercules). US Navy (Seahawk, undetermined transport helicopters, Orion, Super Hornet, Hawkeye, Greyhound). |
| Jul | Final training for peace enforcement troops destined for Haiti, in Campo de Mayo (Buenos Aires). | FAA (unconfirmed unit/helicopter). | |
| 03-06 Jul | Naval manoeuvres in Valparaíso (Chile). | ARA: EA1H (Alouette). Chilean Navy (undetermined aircraft). | |
| Jul | II Etapa de Mar | Naval manoeuvres between Mar del Plata and Bahía Blanca (Buenos Aires). | ARA: EA1H (Alouette, Fennec), EA2S (Tracker), EA41 (Xavante) and EA32 (Super Etendard). |
| 22-29 Jul | Fuerzas Comando | Multinational special operations competition in Ilopango (El Salvador). | Argentine, Bolivian, Chilean, Colombian, Costa Rican, Dominican, Ecuadorean, Guatemalan, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Panamanian, Paraguayan, Peruvian, Salvadorian and Uruguay armies (undetermined units/aircraft). |
| Aug | Jaguar | Rapid deployment forces evaluation in Pichanal, Tartagal and San Antonio de los Cobres (Salta) and Abra Pampa (Jujuy). | EA: Esc Av A G 603 (G.222), Esc Av A Icia 601 (Mohawk), B Helic Asal 601 (Huey). FAA: I Br Aé (Hercules). Southern Winds airlines (B-737). |
| 06-20 Aug | Panamax | Sea control and maritime traffic protection in the Panama Canal Zone. | ARA: EA6E (Orion). Chilean (Orion), Colombian (Fennec, Aviocar), Peruvian (Beech 200) and Venezuelan (Bell 212) navies. Dominican AF (Aviocar). US Navy (undetermined transport helicopters and surveillance aircraft). |
| 13 Aug | Integrated naval and air power demonstration in and out of Choiseul Sound (Malvinas). | Royal AF: 1312 Flt (Hercules), 1435 Flt (Tornado). Royal Navy: 815 Sqdn (Sea Lynx). | |
| 26 Aug-01 Sep | Fénix | Dissimilar air combat training in Villa Reynolds (San Luis). | FAA: III Br Aé (Pucará), IV Br Aé (Pampa, Paris), V Br Aé (Fighting Hawk), VI Br Aé (Mirage, Finger). |
| 30 Aug-06 Sep | Viekaren VI | Naval manoeuvres in the Beagle Channel (Tierra del Fuego) area. | ARA: EA6V (B200). Chilean Navy (undetermined aircraft). |
| Sep | II Período de Campaña | Naval Military Academy manoeuvres in Baterías (Buenos Aires). | ARA: EA3H (Huey). |
| Sep | III Etapa de Mar | Naval manoeuvres in El Rincón (Buenos Aires). | ARA: EA1H (Alouette), EA2H (Sea King), EA32 (Super Etendard). |
| 23 Sep | Air-to-ground shooting training in Baterías (Buenos Aires). | ARA: EA1H (Alouette, Fennec). | |
| 25 Sep-10 Oct | Salitre I | Dissimilar air training combat in peace enforcement operations between Iquique and Antofagasta (Chile). | FAA: I Br Aé (B-707, Hercules), II Br Aé (Friendship), VI Br Aé (Finger, Mirage). Brazilian (Tigre II, KC-137), Chilean (Tigre III, Mirage Pantera, Mirage Elkan, Dragonfly, Huey, Aviocar, Dakota, etc.) and United States AF (F-16, C-5, KC-135). |
| Oct | Solidaridad | Disaster relief training between Río Turbio and 28 de Noviembre (Santa Cruz). | FAA and Chilean AF (Hercules and undetermined helicopters). |
| 01-09 Oct | Escudo Pampeano | X Br Mec manoeuvres in Baterías (Buenos Aires). | EA: units not known (Huey). |
| 10-16 Oct | Brazo Armado | V Army Corps Command manoeuvres in Baterías (Buenos Aires). | EA: B Helic Asal 601, Esc Av Expl Atq 602 (Huey), Esc Av A Icia 601 (Mohawk). ARA: EA32 (Super Etendard), EA3H (Huey), EA41 (Xavante). |
| 23 Oct | Evacuación Aeromédica | Medical evacuation training in Campo de Mayo (Buenos Aires). | EA: Esc Av A G 603 (G.222), Esc Av Expl Atq 602 (Huey). |
| 25-29 Oct | Lazo Fuerte II | Armoured troops integrated training in Santa María (Brasil). | EA and Brazilian Army (unconfirmed units/aircraft). |
| 26-27 Oct | Training sets exercises between Campo de Mayo and San Antonio de Areco (Buenos Aires). | EA: Agr Av Ej 601 (aircraft representing all its units, but undetermined). | |
| 29 Oct-11 Nov | Combate de La Tablada | Two-parties training in jungle environments in Candelaria, L. N. Alem, Apóstoles, Concepción de la Sierra and San Javier (Misiones). | EA: Sec Av Ej Mte 12 (Huey). FAA: III Br Aé (Pucará). |
| Nov | Millennium II | Maritime search and rescue procedures co-ordination training in international South Atlantic Ocean waters. | ARA and Royal Navy (unconfirmed units/aircraft). |
| 01-06 Nov | UNITAS XLVI (Atlantic Phase/Fase Atlántica) | Naval manoeuvres in peace enforcement operations in Uruguayan territorial waters. | ARA: EAH1 (Alouette, Fennec). Brazilian, Spanish (undetermined helicopters) and Uruguayan navies. US Navy. |
| 01-08 Nov | Navegación Final | ESAN final navigation training between Punta Indio and Espora (Buenos Aires), Trelew (Chubut), Rio Grande and Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego). | ARA: ESAN (Turbo Mentor), EA6V (Super King Air) and APTF (Super King Air). |
| 05 Nov | Medical evacuation in El Palomar (Buenos Aires). | FAA: I Br Aé (undetermined aircraft). | |
| 08-20 Nov | Cruzex | Dissimilar air training combat in peace enforcement operations between the states of Ceará, Río Grande do Norte, Paraíba and Pernambuco (Brazil). | FAA: V Br Aé (Fighting Hawk), I Br Aé (Hercules). Armée de l’Air Française (Mirage 2000, C-135FR, E-3F, DC-8, Transall). Brazilian (AMX, Mirage, Tiger II, EMB-135, Bandeirante, Hercules, Learjet 35A, Tucano, Super Puma, Esquilo, Boeing 707, Xavante) and Venezuelan (Mirage, F-16) air forces. |
| 16-18 Nov | Survival at sea training course final tests in Comandante Espora (Buenos Aires). | ARA: EA1H (Alouette), EA2H (Sea King). | |
| 17-24 Nov | Air-to-air shooting training at Comandante Espora (Buenos Aires). | ARA: (units/aircraft unconfirmed). FAA: IV Br Aé (Pampa, Paris). | |
| 11 Nov-05 Dec | Advanced paratrooper training course in Baterías (Buenos Aires). | ARA: EA3H (Huey). | |
| 24 Nov-Dec | Fraterno XXIII | Naval manoeuvres between Itajaí and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). | ARA and Brazilian Navy (units/aircraft unconfirmed). |
| Nov | Maritime search and rescue simulation in Buenos Aires’ Northern Dock (Buenos Aires). | PNA: EAR (Dauphin). | |
| Dec | Ceibo | Undetermined exercise in Uruguay. | EA and Uruguayan Army (unconfirmed units/aircraft). |
Bibliography:
- GEBEL G., MOSQUERA J., CLARIÁ H., MARINO A., CETTOLO V., POSADAS G.: : “Grumman OV-1D Mohawk en la Aviación de Ejército” (Avialatina, Argentina, May 2008).
- Magazine: “Combat Aircraft” Vol.6 No.5 (Key Publishing, March 2005).
- Magazine: “Fuerza Aérea” (Chilean Air Force, Chile, 2004).
- Tabloid: “Tiempo Militar” (Argentina) #160 through #162 (February/April 2004), #164 through #167 (June/September 2004) and #170 (December 2004).
Internet sources:
Armée de l’Air (official), Aviation News, Clarín, Dirección de Prensa de la Cancillería de la República Argentina, ECV 56 Cóndor, El Mercurio, El Territorio, Fuerza Aérea Argentina (official), Fuerza Aérea de Chile (official), Fuerzas Navales, Gaceta Marinera, La Nación, Mercopress, Misiones on line, Nueva Mayoría, Penguin News, Región Norte Grande Argentina, Scramble, United States Navy (official), Wikipedia y Zona Militar.
Acknowledgements: Guillermo Acerbi, Arturo Ay, Santiago Aversa, Esteban Brea, Claudio Caputti, Vladimiro Cettolo, Horacio Clariá (h), Gustavo Cutic, Jackson Flores Jr., Carlos García, Julio A. Gutiérrez, Gustavo Lepez, Livio Mostini, Martín Otero, Pablo L. Potenze, Pedro Torrani and Jorge Souto.
