Although since 1990 the Argentine Navy has no longer operated the ARA Veinticinco de Mayo (V-2) aircraft carrier, however, the Argentine Navy still continues to use the legendary single seat fighter jet made in France, the Super Etendard. In fact, in 2018/2019, Argentina again bought five units of the Super Etendard used by the French Navy which had been retired.
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But there is the latest news from Lionel Messi's Country, namely the Minister of Defense of Argentina Jorge Taiana officially announced the retirement of the last Super Étendard fighter jet, both the original series purchased in 1979, and the used series obtained from France in 2018.
The basis for the decision to retire the Super Etendard was due to difficulties in the supply of spare parts. Argentina had a total of 14 Super Etendards, three of which were lost and the Argentine Navy operates only the remaining 11. However, the eleven Super Etendards have not flown in recent years.
Including the five new units sent in 2019 from France, in fact they have never flown with the coat of arms of the Argentine Navy. The five Super Etendards that arrived in Argentina without major components, starting with the Martin Baker Mk 4A ejection seat, were subject to a British veto, because Martin Baker is a British company.
In fact, the Super Etendard sent from France is the last unit that is still serviceable, and has undergone a series of avionics system upgrades. The delivery of the five Super Etendard units is said to have been six months behind schedule.
The ejection seat problem can then be overcome by adopting an ejection chair made by Task Aerospace. The company manufactures without British components. But that doesn't solve the problem of parts other than France. According to Jorge Taiana, parts and components can no longer be supplied as they are no longer being produced.
The Super Etendard made a deep impression on the Argetina military, especially during the Malvinas (Falkland) War. The Super Etendard with the AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missile managed to sink two British Navy warships.
On the morning of 4 May 1982, two Argentine Super Etendards attacked the Type 42 guided-missile destroyer HMS Sheffield [D80]. The two Argentine aircraft fired AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles. They failed to destroy it, but they did. However, the damage was severe, as six days later, on May 10, the ship sank while being towed. 20 British sailors died in the attack.
The situation repeated ten days after the sinking of HMS Sheffield. On 21 May 1982, HMS Ardent [F184] was attacked by at least three Super Etendards. They fired on the ship with AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles. 22 British sailors died then.
The French Navy itself retired the Super Etendard in 2016, and replaced it with Rafale fighter jets for carrier operations. Since it was officially launched in June 1978 until the last production in 1983, 85 units of the Super Etendard have been produced. 71 units were used by France and 14 units were exported to Argentina in the early 1980s.
Uniquely, Iraq once leased five of these fighter jets from France, and they were used in the Iran – Iraq War in 1983 – 1985, all of which were returned to France in 1985.
The Super Etendard was only made in a single seat version. Super Etendard dimensions – 14.31 meters long, 9.6 meters wingspan and 3.86 meters high. The maximum weight at takeoff of the Super Etendard is 12 tons and it can reach 1,205 km per hour. As well as being able to carry a variety of bombs, rockets and missiles, the Super Etendard's organic weapons are 2 DEFA 552 internal cannons of 30 mm caliber.
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