The 2012 Argentine Exercises Index

Navy UH-3H Sea King 0881/3-H-240 in operation Unidef in October (photo: Emilio Bilesio).

Navy ASH-3H Sea King 0796/2-H-238 disembarking marines in operation Unidef in October (photo: Emilio Bilesio).

Air Force Mi-171E Baikal and Army UH-1H Huey participating in operation Unidef in October (photo: Emilio Bilesio).

Navy ASH-3H Sea King 0796/2-H-238 in operation Unidef in October (photo: Emilio Bilesio).

Air Force Mi-171E Baikal and Army armoured vehicles in operation Unidef in October (photo: Emilio Bilesio).

Research in a variety of paper-bound, on-line media and other references indicates that 49 individual exercises, simulations or training operations took place in calendar year 2012, accumulating at least 226 days on the field. From statistics based on our data, it appears as though 2012 was a markedly “domestic” training year since 70% of total time was spent on internal training. Combined and joint training, at 21% and 9%, respectively, recorded their lowest participation ratios in the four calendar years listed in Gaceta Aeronáutica thus far. Very much bearing in mind that our figures are (as usual) our own rough estimates, Army led the ranking by participating in 58% of total training time, followed by Navy with 38%, Air Force with 26% and Coast Guard with 2%. Foreign forces were also noted participating in 21% of total training time, both in-country or abroad. Even though budgetary restrictions made a noticeable impact on exercise planning, only one meaningful cancellation was recorded (exercise Ibsamar III, where Navy participation was curtailed by a major engine failure to frigate ARA Espora).

Three Air Force IA-58 Pucará bombers at exercise Ícaro / Fénix in April (photo: Tomás Charrás).

Chilean Air Force Bell 412 landing at El Plumerillo’s IV Air Brigade for operation Solidarity (Solidaridad), a disaster relief exercise (photo: Chilean Air Force).

UH-1H Huey II AE-464 at the rescue hoist training course held in Campo de Mayo in October (photo: Ricardo Alen).

US advisor Bob Watson carefully supervises rescue hoist training in Campo de Mayo (photo: Sergio T. Lovatto).

(photo: via Gustavo San Román).

Navy Super Etendard 0759/3-A-209 returning home after a 2nd Sea Stage (II Etapa de Mar) misión (photo: Adolfo Jorge Soto).

Trends were varied for 2012 training exercises. On the pure air combat segment, Air Force was only able to deploy one air brigade to Patagonian air bases and decided to merge dissimilar air combat training exercises Ícaro and Fénix into a single event lasting close to two weeks. Another strengthening and welcome fad was that of Argentine-Chilean combined operations: In addition to customary naval cooperation exercises dating back to the 1980s, Chile’s Air Force visited Mendoza for disaster relief training and their Army counterparts visited Baterías to further integration into Joint Combined Peace Force “Southern Cross”. The most exotic exercise, however, took place in South African waters and saw Argentine Navy frigate “Espora” interacting with their South African, Brazilian and Uruguayan counterparts in operation Atlasur IX. On the home front, noteworthy joint exercises included Army intelligence cooperating with Air Force Pampa trainers on a precision strike simulation, Navy riverine assets and Army special forces training in Mazaruca Island, large-scale, tri-service exercise Unidef in Baterías and (also multi-service) disaster relief simulation Respuesta inmediata in Misiones.

Navy ASH-3H Sea King 0796/2-H-238 embarking troop’s while on the 3rd Sea Stage (III Etapa de Mar) in September (photo: Gaceta Marinera).

Coast Guard AS-355SN Ecureuil PA-80 in exercise Immediate Response (Respuesta Inmediata) in November (photo: Sixto Fariña).

Navy AS-555SN Fennec 0865/3-H-133 on the Navy destroyer Admiral Brown flight deck while on the 3rd Sea Stage (III Etapa de Mar) in September (photo: Gaceta Marinera).

Navy ASH-3H Sea King 0796/2-H-238 approaching an Argentine Navy MEKO vessel while on the 3rd Sea Stage (III Etapa de Mar) in September (photo: Gaceta Marinera).

Coast Guard AS-355SN Ecureuil PA-80 in exercise Immediate Response (Respuesta Inmediata) in November (photo: Sixto Fariña).

Coast Guard AS-355SN Ecureuil PA-80 in exercise Immediate Response (Respuesta Inmediata) in November (photo: Sixto Fariña).

The data base

The following list contains the first edition of our 2012 Argentine Exercises Index (“Project ARGEX”). 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 in a updated version (you may contact us by entering your comments below or via our Facebook page.

Bibliography: “Soldados” magazine (Argentine Army, Argentina, May 2012).

Internet sources: Aeroespacio, Defence Web, EDEFA Defensa, Ejército Argentino (official), Escuela de Suboficiales de la Fuerza Aérea (official), UNFICYP (Facebook official), Fuerza Aérea Argentina (official and Facebook official), Fuerza Aérea de Chile (official), Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya (official), Gaceta Marinera, La Verdad de Junín, Marinha do Brasil (official), Military Photos Net, Ministerio de Defensa (Argentina, official), Noticias en Vuelo, Prefectura Naval Argentina (official) and South African Navy (official).

Acknowledgements: This story was co-authored by Diego Ventura, who wrote the Spanish language version. R. Alen, E. Bilesio, T. Charrás, S. Fariña, G. Lepez, G. San Román and A. Soto also contributed to this report, either directly, through their comments on social networks or with photographs to illustrate it.