Argentina air force

The Argentine Air Force ( FAA ) is the air branch of the Argentine Armed Forces , being one of the executing arms of the National Defense System together with the Army and the Navy whose main mission is to repel external military aggressions. It is subordinate to the President of the Argentine Nation , who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Its consolidation as an independent arm of the Argentine Army dates from January 4, 1945, when the Secretariat of Aeronautics was created by means of a presidential decree; for this reason, it is the youngest of the military forces.

History

Military history of Argentina and History of the Argentine Air Force .

1912-1944

Although it was officially created in 1944, the Argentine Air Force traces its history back to the creation of the Military Aviation School on August 10, 1912, by means of a decree of the President of the Nation Roque Sáenz Peña , establishing itself on the lands of El Palomar, an institute that actually belonged to the Argentine Army .

Among the pioneers of Argentine aviation were Aarón de Anchorena and Jorge Newbery , who on December 25, 1907 crossed the Río de la Plata in the “Pampero” hot air balloon , which had been brought from France by Aarón de Anchorena. This produced enthusiasm and led to the creation of the Aero Club Argentino in 1913, the country’s first airline entity. Another forerunner of the Argentine Air Force was conscript soldier Pablo Teodoro Fels , who aboard his Blériot XI monoplane (identical to Jorge Newbery’s) crossed the Río de la Plata at dawn on December 1, 1912, heading for the city. from Montevideo, where he arrived two hours later, breaking the world record for flight over water. For this feat, Pablo Teodoro Fels was congratulated and honored by the Argentine Army ; but he was also penalized for having contravened military regulations. After serving his arrest, he was promoted to Corporal

1945–1947: creation

On February 11, 1944, the Chief Aeronautical Command was created, which reported directly to the Ministry of War and had the purpose of directing the country’s aeronautical affairs, with the exception of the Navy , and the promotion of civil air activity.The next step was the creation of the Secretariat of Aeronautics on January 4, 1945, being this day in which the Argentine Aeronautics was established as such.Its official name was changed in the 1960s to the “Argentine Air Force”.

At the end of World War II, the Argentine Aeronautics began a modernization process, for which it incorporated war planes such as the Gloster Meteor, being the first air force in Latin America equipped with jet propulsion aircraft. Some Avro Lincoln and Avro Lancaster bomber aircraft were also acquired, thus creating a powerful force within the region.

In 1947 ,Gloster Meteor MK.IV fighter aircraft , of British origin, were acquired. The United Kingdom paid in this way a part of its debt to Argentina for the provision of raw materials during the Second World War . In this way, Aeronáutica Argentina became the first air force in Latin America to have combat aircraft with jet engines . Also, the National Government promoted the aeronautical industry, through which the development of its own combat aircraft began, with the collaboration of German technicians and obtaining as results theI.Ae. Pulqui I and the I.Ae. Pulqui II . This made Argentina the first Latin American country and the fifth country in the world to develop its own jet fighter technology.

Women in the Air Force

The entry of women into the Argentine Armed Forces began in 1980, in the Navy and the Air Force, while the Army would allow it in 1981. In the specific case of the Air Force, in 1980 the entry of women non-commissioned officers was enabled for the Command Corps and in 1981 the entry of female officers was enabled, but only in the Professional Corps. It was not until 2001 that women officers were allowed to join the Command Corps, that is, combat units, and from then on they were enabled to form part of all the specialties of the force.

In 2010, the Air Force already registered a total of 2,562 women, equivalent to 17% of the total, counting the training institutes, resulting in a considerably higher percentage than the other two forces, although this percentage was reduced to 0.76% of the officers of the Commando Corps, the lowest of the three forces.By that year, women participated in NCO classification boards, but did not participate in officer boards.Likewise, a large part of the functions of women in the Air Force were influenced by gender stereotypes , with the Health Support area having the highest female presence with 61%, followed by Nursing with 56%.

In 2006, the Minister of Defense Nilda Garré created the Observatory on the Integration of Women in the Armed Forces and in 2007 created the Council for Gender Policies, a unique institution in the world due to the fact that military women were incorporated into it.Gender Offices were also created in the military units, the regulations that prohibited the entry and permanence in the Military College of female students who became pregnant, as well as male soldiers who recognized their paternity and the obligation to request authorization, were repealed. to the superior to marry.