Since its inception in 1916, Naval Aviation has been one of the most relevant and disruptive components of the Argentine Navy. With a long history that positioned it as a pioneer in naval aviation (being the first in South America to operate from aircraft carriers) and with invaluable participation in the Falklands War, years of disinvestment in defense, as with other forces, have caused a decline in the number of available assets, mainly light and medium helicopters.
During the interview given by Rear Admiral Carlos María Allievi to the Zona Militar team, the highest authority of the Argentine Navy highlighted the importance of having new naval aviation assets, given their versatility and importance for the various missions of the force, particularly rotary-wing aircraft. In previous reports, we also highlighted the current status of the Super Etendard and the arrival of the new P-3C/N Orion, recently acquired from Norway.
Asked about the helicopters in the Naval Aviation Command, Allievi pointed out the importance of the Sea King helicopters, especially in the Antarctic Summer Campaign. He noted that “… The greatest need for these helicopters is for the CAV, which has a demand for 250 flight hours that are essential to resupply the Belgrano II base and the Marambio base. Without helicopters, these two bases, at least from the naval side, cannot be resupplied; there is no way to send supplies by boat.”
The last acquisition of Sea King helicopters occurred in November 2022, when two units (registrations 2-H-244 and 2-H-245) arrived in October of that year. Unlike the Sea Kings previously in service with COAN, these aircraft underwent a modernization process by the American company Carson Helicopters, which equipped the helicopters with a new main rotor with composite blades and automatic folding, while their avionics were upgraded to an integrated digital cockpit with MFCD (Multifunction Control Display) and GMPS (Ground Mission Planning System), configured as a “Full-Glass-Cockpit.”
With notable participation in the last CAV 2023/2024, one of them (registration 2-H-244) sustained damage while operating in Antarctic territory, further reducing the already limited availability of these assets. As a result, one of the oldest Sea Kings (2-H-241) and the 2-H-245 participated in the “Gringo-Gaucho” Exercise with the U.S. Navy.
Furthermore, Rear Admiral Allievi emphasized the importance of incorporating light helicopters. He stated, “At this moment, as you know, the light helicopters the Navy has are the Fennec, which are reaching the end of their useful life. They were incorporated in the 1990s, and currently, we are maintaining one or two helicopters in service. This necessitates the acquisition of around eight light helicopters to embark on ocean patrol vessels, to extend the search capacity of the patrol. But they also need to be compatible to embark on the corvettes 140, destroyers 360, Patagonia, or perform VERTREP maneuvers with polar tugs.”
This need has been pointed out on several occasions by Zona Militar, particularly after the offer made by Leonardo for the possible incorporation of AW109 helicopters, capable of being embarked on OPV 87 class “Bouchard” patrol vessels, as well as other Fleet units (MEKO 140 corvettes and MEKO 360 destroyers).
This proposal led to a visit by the then Minister of Defense to Leonardo’s plant in Italy at the end of 2023, following the signing of a letter of intent for eight (8) units, which recently gained relevance with a meeting between Minister of Defense Luis Petri and his Italian counterpart last month. It is worth noting that, in addition to Leonardo’s model, the Turkish TAI T625 Gokbey, the Airbus AS565 MBw Panther, and more recently, the Indian HAL ALH Mk III were considered.
One of the features the new units must have is the ability to perform over-the-horizon targeting, a capability currently held by the Fennec helicopters. In this regard, Rear Admiral Allievi stated, “It is anticipated that at least two of these 8 helicopters will be able to fulfill the OTHT function, Over Trans Horizontal Targeting. This means allowing a destroyer with missile capability beyond the horizon to launch them. An aerial unit flying and transmitting the target beyond (the horizon) will enable me to launch the missile.” Additionally, the future light helicopters of the Navy must have various equipment focused on SAR missions, including a side winch and cabin equipment for medical evacuation tasks for up to two people.
*Images used for illustrative purposes.
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