As part of its initiatives to address regional needs, Airbus Helicopters continues to collaborate with various Latin American countries to provide solutions for each sector, including both Armed Forces and Security Forces. In the case of Argentina, the company remains committed to proposing the AS365 N3 Dauphin for the Argentine Navy’s shipborne helicopter project.
In a recent interview with Zona Militar, Pierre-Marie Gout, General Manager of Airbus Helicopters Southern Cone, mentioned that the company continues to monitor the Argentine Navy’s requirement to equip its ocean patrol vessels with shipborne helicopters. For this project, “…Airbus has proposed a second-hand offer that can provide Argentina, in a context of austerity, with a much more economical solution and a much shorter delivery time to meet the shipborne helicopter requirements…,” detailed Gout.
“…The Navy is a long-time client and we have been attentive to its needs. The offer includes the Dauphin AS365 N3. It would be navalized to fulfill its mission and come with a logistical support package to ensure its introduction, knowing that there is already training and resources in Argentina and the region to support this fleet…” expressed the General Manager of Airbus Helicopters Southern Cone to Zona Militar. Currently, the Argentine Navy operates AS-555-SN Fennec helicopters within the First Naval Helicopter Squadron, aircraft for which a short-term replacement is being sought given the Force’s needs.
Regarding this project, the Chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Navy, Rear Admiral Carlos María Allievi, stated to Zona Militar that the availability of light helicopters is a critical factor for the Naval Aviation. “…At the moment, you know that the Navy’s light helicopters are the Fennecs, which are nearing the end of their service life. They were incorporated in the 1990s, and currently, we are maintaining one or two helicopters in service. This demands the need to acquire around eight light helicopters to be deployed on ocean patrol vessels, to expand the patrol’s search capacity. But they must also be compatible for deployment on the corvettes 140, destroyers 360, Patagonia, or to perform VERTREP maneuvers with the polar aviso ships…”.
The Argentine Navy’s requirement is for at least eight helicopters, of which at least two units should be configured to perform OTHT, Over Trans Horizontal Targeting. That is, they should allow a destroyer with missile capabilities beyond the horizon to launch them.
It is worth noting that the Argentine government recently made a budgetary adjustment through Decree 594/2024, which included authorizations to finance the purchase of light naval helicopters for the Argentine Navy. The amount, with a minimum repayment term of three years, totals USD 98,000,000. It should also be highlighted that the government signed a letter of intent with Leonardo in 2023 for the acquisition of AW109M helicopters, a non-binding document that has not yet been implemented.
AS365 N3 Dauphin
During the interview with Zona Militar, Pierre-Marie Gout stated that the Dauphin is the reference model for this niche of naval helicopters, as it is used by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Argentine Naval Prefecture, and countries such as Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico for shipborne missions.
“…What I want to highlight as an offering, compared to other options, is: the speed at which such a program can be launched, as it is a helicopter already available and on the market; its cost will be lower than new alternatives; and third, the experience. What we are presenting is something that works, proven, and will benefit from regional and local synergy, knowing that the Argentine Naval Prefecture uses it for similar missions…” expressed Gout to Zona Militar.
“…There is an evaluation process in which we have offered to support the introduction of this model with expertise, doctrine, knowing that large fleets such as the French Marine Nationale and the U.S. Coast Guard have extensive experience and hours in such missions and could obviously provide some of their knowledge for the introduction of the Dauphin into the Argentine Navy…,” concluded the General Manager of Airbus Helicopters Southern Cone.
Cover Image: Airbus Helicopters
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