The first of four P-3 Orion turboprops from the Argentine Navy landed in the country on September 2, the service revealed.
The maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft with the registration 6-P-57 arrived at the Almirante Zar Naval Air Base in the city of Trelew in the early evening, after a transfer flight from the United States.
The four aircraft belonged to Norway, which replaced them with the Boeing P-8A Poseidon jet.
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The two countries signed an acquisition agreement in October 2023, but the process of preparing the aircraft ended up taking longer than expected due to payment issues.
The P-3C Orions are being overhauled in the United States before being sent to Argentina. This includes making operational equipment such as the Raytheon AN/APS-137 radar, the AN/AAR-47 infrared sensor and the AN/ASQ-81 Magnetic Anomaly Detector, among others.
The Argentine Navy already has the P-3 Orion in its fleet, but in the older B variant that would not be operational.
In addition to three P-3Cs, Norway sold a P-3N, which can be used in search and rescue (SAR).
Danish F-16 fighters
The delay in receiving the first P-3 due to financial issues suggests that the agreement for 24 F-16 fighters supplied by Denmark may face complications.
The Argentine Air Force has been without a supersonic fighter for nine years, using subsonic A-4 attack jets for air defense.
The incorporation of the F-16s is more complex because it is a new type and requires infrastructure to keep them in service, in addition to all the necessary training for pilots and ground personnel.
