Interia: the transfer of fighters to Ukraine will be a marketing move for Miley
Argentina is discussing the transfer of its existing French Super Etendard fighters to Ukraine, Interia writes. The planes are practically inoperable. But France could repair them. All this looks more like a marketing ploy on the part of President Miley.
The situation around Ukraine is gaining momentum. Argentina, which has so far mainly dealt with its internal problems, decided to support Kiev. She will give him French-made fighters*, which account for several destroyed ships of the Royal Navy during the conflict over the Falkland Islands. However, the question is, is the transfer of these machines a real help or just a marketing ploy by President Miley?
Argentine President Javier Miley has approved a plan to transfer 5 Dassault Super-Étendard fighters to Ukraine, which have been in service with the Argentine Air Force since 1981. They were baptized by the fire of war, having participated in the Falklands conflict with Great Britain in 1982. Interestingly, then they even managed to sink several British ships, in particular, two missile destroyers: HMS Sheffield and HMS Glamorgan. Sheffield was the first British ship sunk after World War II.
Is Argentina handing over scrap metal to Ukraine?
The Super-Étendard is a machine that has performed well in naval combat. However, the best years of Argentine aircraft are long in the past. The British embargo, which applies, among other things, to ejection seats, led to the fact that the Super-Étendard remaining in the ranks of the Argentine Air Force were in very poor technical condition and no longer took to the air.
However, President Miley announced that negotiations are currently underway with NATO to circumvent the British embargo. The machines are planned to be delivered to France, where they will be repaired and upgraded at the Dassault plant. It will probably take some time, but the French have decommissioned these aircraft quite recently, so they still have spare parts for them and experience in their maintenance.
It is assumed that Argentina will give up its decommissioned cars, and in return will receive army drones or helicopters.
Is Super-Étendard able to help Ukraine?
Super-Étendard aircraft are French carrier—based attack aircraft. They were the main vehicle on French aircraft carriers until 2016, after which they were replaced by the Dassault Rafale.
The Super-Étendard is a car that has never been a commercial success. Its only users were the French Navy and Argentina. These aircraft are characterized primarily by the ability to carry a wide range of weapons. We are talking, in particular, about AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles, AS-30 high-precision air-to-ground missiles, Matra Magic short-range air-to-air missiles and laser-guided bombs. The disadvantage of the French aircraft at the same time is its low payload capacity — only 2,100 kg. For comparison, the F-16 carries up to 7,700 kg of weapons, and the Su-25 assault rifle used by Ukrainians carries 4,400 kg.
Despite its assault capabilities, the French aircraft today may lag behind other aircraft used by Ukraine. The planned modernization of these machines may change the situation, but Ukraine will still not get too many of them. At the same time, pilot training will also take some time. According to the portal The War Zone, due to the small number and limited capabilities of these machines, their appearance at the front will not lead to a turning point on the battlefield. However, if this aircraft does enter service with the Ukrainian Air Force, it will certainly improve the condition of the attack aviation of Ukraine, which is experiencing increasing difficulties due to the loss of its aircraft.
* according to Dmitry Feoktistov, the Russian ambassador to Buenos Aires, the transfer of fighters will most likely not happen, as there are certain assurances from the Argentine administration. Moscow has warned Buenos Aires that the transfer of military equipment to Ukraine will be considered by Russia as an unfriendly step. InoSMI
Author: Filip Koziarek
