The Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk is a major upgrade of the

McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it pro ...

A-4M Skyhawk attack aircraft developed for the

Argentine Air Force "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falkl ...

which entered service in 1998. The program was named ''Fightinghawk'' in recognition of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which was the source of its new avionics.

Design and development

Background

The Falklands War in 1982 took a heavy toll on the

, which lost over 60 aircraft. The supply of modern combat aircraft had been restricted since the United States had imposed an arms embargo in 1978 for human rights abuses; there were further restrictions when the United Kingdom also imposed an arms embargo in 1982. The only combat aircraft that the Air Force could obtain were 10 Mirage 5Ps transferred from the

Peruvian Air Force The Peruvian Air Force ( es, link=no, Fuerza Aérea del Perú, FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguardin ...

, 19

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...

veteran Mirage IIICJs from

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, and 2 Mirage IIIB trainers from the French Air Force. In 1989, Carlos Menem was elected President of Argentina and quickly established a pro-United States foreign policy which led to the country gaining

Major non-NATO ally Major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a designation given by the United States government to close allies that have strategic working relationships with the US Armed Forces but are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). While the ...

status. Although the economic situation improved, the funds to purchase new combat aircraft like the Mirage 2000 remained unavailable. In 1994, the United States made a counteroffer to modernize 36 former

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

A-4M Skyhawks in a US$282 million deal that would be carried out by Lockheed Martin and included the privatization of the

Fabrica Militar de Aviones Fabrica means a device in Latin, and derivative words mean "factory" in French (''fabrique''), Italian (''fabbrica''), Portuguese (''fábrica''), Romanian (''fabrica'') and Spanish (''fábrica'') among other Romance languages. It may also refer to ...

(Military Aircraft Factory - FMA), which was renamed Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina SA (LMAASA) afterward. In 2010, LMAASA reverted to the Argentine government as Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FADEA).

Production

Argentine Air Force technicians chose 32 A-4M (built between 1970/1976) and 4 TA-4F airframes from the

Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309th AMARG),Offici ...

at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

to upgrade. The upgrade plans included: * Complete overhaul of the airframe, wiring looms and the Pratt & Whitney J52P-408A engine * Installation of Douglas Escapac 1-G3

ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rock ...

s * HGU-55/P

helmets A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protec ...

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...

Normal Air- Garrett's OBOGS (On Board Oxygen Generation System) * Westinghouse/

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense technology company. With 90,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military techn ...

AN/APG-66V2 (ARG-1) radar *

HOTAS HOTAS, an acronym of hands on throttle-and-stick, is the concept of placing buttons and switches on the throttle lever and flight control stick in an aircraft's cockpit. By adopting such an arrangement, pilots are capable of performing all vit ...

controls and a 'glass' cockpit (2 CRT color screens) * Sextant Avionique/Thales Avionics SHUD * Litton/Northrop Grumman LN-100G

inertial navigation system An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors ( gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and the velocity (dir ...

MIL-STD-1553B MIL-STD-1553 is a military standard published by the United States Department of Defense that defines the mechanical, electrical, and functional characteristics of a serial data bus. It was originally designed as an avionic data bus for use with ...

data bus * Two General Dynamics Information Systems AN/AYK-14 mission computers * Northrop Grumman AN/ALR-93 (V)1

Radar warning receiver Radar warning receiver (RWR) systems detect the radio emissions of radar systems. Their primary purpose is to issue a warning when a radar signal that might be a threat is detected, like a fighter aircraft's fire control radar. The warning can t ...

* AN/ALQ-126B

jammer Jammer may refer to: Signal blocking devices * Radar jammer, a device used in radar jamming and deception * Radio jammer, a device used in radio jamming * Radio-controlled Improvised Explosive Device jammer, a counter-IED device * Mobile phon ...

* AN/ALQ-162

* ALR-47 chaff/flare dispenser * AN/APX-72

IFF In logic and related fields such as mathematics and philosophy, "if and only if" (shortened as "iff") is a biconditional logical connective between statements, where either both statements are true or both are false. The connective is bicon ...

The A-4Ms were equipped with the TV and laser spot tracker Hughes AN/ASB-19 Angle Rate Bombing System, but this was removed after the conversion into A-4ARs, as the radar could provide the same data. The contract stipulated that 8 airframes would be refurbished at the Lockheed-Martin Plant in

Palmdale Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. The city lies in the Antelope Valley region of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south. On Aug ...

, California and the rest (27) in Córdoba, Argentina at LMAASA. At least ten TA-4J and A-4M airframes for use as spare parts, eight additional engines, and a new A-4AR

simulator A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the s ...

were also delivered.

Operational history

The Fightinghawks, having received Air Force serials C-901 to C-936, saw their first group arrive in Argentina on 18 December 1997 and the first "Argentine" A-4AR was rolled out on 3 August 1998 at Cordoba. The last one, number 936, was delivered to the Air Force in March 2000. Two aircraft (a one-seat and a two-seat) remained some time in the United States for weapons homologation. All of the A-4ARs were delivered to the 5th Air Brigade (''V Brigada Aérea'') at Villa Reynolds,

San Luis Province San Luis () is a province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country (on the 32° South parallel). Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and San Juan. History The cit ...

, where they replaced two squadrons of Falklands/Malvinas veteran A-4P (locally known as A-4B) and A-4C. They were soon deployed in rotation around the country from

Rio Gallegos Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

in the south to Resistencia in the north where they were used to intercept smugglers and drug trafficking airplanes. In September 1998, just months after their arrival and again in April 2001, United States Air Force F-16s visited Villa Reynolds for the ''Southern Falcon'' joint exercise, known as ''Aguila'' (Spanish for Eagle) in Argentina. In 2004, the A-4ARs went abroad for the joint exercise ''Cruzex'', along with Brazilian F-5s and Mirages, Venezuelan F-16s and French Mirage 2000s. In November 2005 they were deployed to

Tandil Tandil is the main city of the homonymous partido (department), located in Argentina, in the southeast of Buenos Aires Province, just north-northwest of Tandilia hills. The city was founded in 1823 and its name originates from the ''Piedra Moved ...

airbase to enforce a

no-fly zone A no-fly zone, also known as a no-flight zone (NFZ), or air exclusion zone (AEZ), is a territory or area established by a military power over which certain aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in an enemy power's te ...

for the Mar del Plata Summit of the Americas and later met Chilean Mirage Elkans, Brazilian AMXs and

Uruguayan Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

A-37 at Mendoza for the joint exercise ''Ceibo''. In July 2006 they were deployed to Cordoba province for the

Mercosur The Southern Common Market, commonly known by Spanish abbreviation Mercosur, and Portuguese Mercosul, is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full members are Arge ...

's 30th Presidents Summit, while in August and September they went north again to Brazil for the ''Cruzex III'' joint exercise with Brazil, Chile, France, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. In June 2008 they were deployed to

Tucumán province Tucumán () is the most densely populated, and the second-smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the province has the capital of San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neigh ...

for the Mercosur's Presidents Summit. In August 2009 they were deployed to

Bariloche San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche (), is a city in the province of Río Negro, Argentina, situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake. It is located within the Nahuel Huapi National Park ...

for the UNASUR Presidents summit. Later that month they participated at

Reconquista, Santa Fe Reconquista is a city in the north of the , from the provincial capital. It is the head town of the General Obligado Department, and it has 99,288 inhabitants according to the . The city lies on a branch of the Paraná River opposite the city ...

of the ''Pre-Salitre'' official video
/sup> an exercise of preparation for the ''Salitre II'' oficial video
/sup> of next October in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

with Chile, Brazil, France and the United States. On 1 May 2010 they participated in the Air Fest 2010 show at

Morón Airport and Air Base Morón Airport ( es, Aeropuerto de Morón) is southwest of the center of Morón, a western suburb of Buenos Aires in the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina. The airport is located within a densely populated metropolitan area. The runway len ...

.video
/sup> On 25 May 2010 three A-4AR flew over the 9 de Julio Avenue at Buenos Aires as part of the Argentina Bicentennial shows. In August 2010, the aircraft enforced a no-fly zone at San Juan for the Mercosur's Presidents Summit. On September they joined the rest of the air force aircraft at

for the ''ICARO III'' integration manoeuvers. On November they deployed to Tandil airbase for the XX

Ibero-American Summit The Ibero-American Summit, formally the Ibero-American Conference of Heads of State and Governments ( es, Cumbres Iberoamericanas de Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno, pt, Cimeiras (or Cúpulas) Ibero-Americanas de Chefes de Estado e de Governo), is ...

held at Mar del Plata. In January 2016, Argentine Minister of Defence Julio Martinez confirmed that all Air Force Lockheed Martin A-4AR Skyhawk (Fightinghawk) fighters were grounded. Originally this was due to the expiry of the explosive cartridges in their ejection seats, but later it became apparent that there were additional problems. Only 4-5 were found airworthy with the rest in storage at Villa Reynolds. In May 2017, they participated in the celebrations of the 2017 anniversary of the

May Revolution The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...

. By 2020, as few as six of the aircraft were still reported as operational.

Variants

;A-4AR : 32 converted from A-4Ms ;OA-4AR : 4 converted from TA-4Fs

Operators

Argentina Air Force Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk Lofting-2

; *

- 36 received (32 A-4AR, 4 OA-4AR); as few as 6 reported operational in 2020; operational availability reported in 2022 at perhaps 15-20% of 23 aircraft

Accidents

four of the type have been lost in 20 years of service: * 6 July 2005: A-4AR registration C-906 near Justo Daract,

, pilot Lt Horacio Martín Flores (29 years old) died. * 24 August 2005: A-4AR registration C-936 near Río Cuarto, Cordoba, pilot ejected safely. * 14 February 2013: OA-4AR registration C-902 crashed on landing at Angel Aragonés airport near Santiago del Estero, both pilots ejected safely. * 5 August 2020: A-4AR registration C-925 near Villa Reynolds, San Luís, pilot Cpt Gonzalo Fabián Britos Venturini ejected but was found dead.

Specifications (A-4AR Fightinghawk)

References

External links

*
Argentine Air Force
*

''El programa A-4AR avanza'' *

''Halcones al Sur, llegan los A-4AR'' *
La Nacion newspaper 1997
''Nuevos aviones para la Fuerza Aérea'' *
La Nacion newspaper 1998
''Ejercicio militar con los EE.UU'' *
La Nacion newspaper 1998
''Aviones argentinos interceptarán aeronaves norteamericanas'' *
La Nacion newspaper 2005
''Habilitan un puente aéreo con EE.UU.'' *

{{Lockheed aircraft A-004AR 1990s Argentine attack aircraft Single-engined jet aircraft Low-wing aircraft A-4AR Aircraft first flown in 1997