Argentina aims to send super étendard jets with Exocet missiles to Ukraine
Argentina wants to supply Ukraine with Super Étendard fighter-attack aircraft. Although these are decommissioned machines, they have an essential capability for Ukraine: they are integrated with AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles. Their effectiveness was proven years ago in the Falklands War.
According to the Argentine Infobae service, Argentina's authorities have started efforts—in agreement with the United States and France—to transfer five Super Étendard aircraft to Ukraine.
The initiative is complicated and requires international cooperation due to the British embargo, which was introduced during the Falklands War in 1982.
Argentina retired the planes last year. To make them usable again, the pyrotechnic charges responsible for operating the ejection seats must be replenished, among other things.
They are integrated with French precision weaponry and AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles.
Super Étendard, the pillar of French naval aviation
The Dassault Super Étendard is a French carrier-based aircraft developed as a fighter-attack machine (emphasizing the latter function). It was designed in the 1960s to replace the Dassault Étendard aircraft, which had served in French naval aviation since the 1950s.
The Super Étendard aircraft began service in the late 1970s. They were eventually modernized to carry nuclear weapons, precision air-to-ground weapons (AS-30), and anti-ship missiles. France decommissioned them in 2016.
Dassault Super Étendard – Technical specifications
The Super Étendard is 14 meters long and has a wingspan of 9 meters. Its maximum takeoff weight is 12,000 kilograms, of which 2,100 kilograms is allocated for armament on six hardpoints. The aircraft is also armed with two fixed 30-mm DEFA cannons.
The Super Étendard can travel up to 1,800 kilometres and can be extended with additional fuel tanks or in-flight refuelling. Its maximum speed slightly exceeds 1,200 kilometres per hour, and its service ceiling is 13,700 meters.
Combat success of the Super Étendards
The Super Étendard aircraft achieved significant success. During the Falklands War, despite British superiority, Argentina's air force equipped with these aircraft inflicted serious losses on the British.
Super Étendards managed to attack the British missile destroyer HMS Sheffield with AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles. Although only one of the two launched missiles hit the ship, and its warhead likely did not detonate, the impact energy and the remaining rocket fuel were significant enough to damage HMS Sheffield severely.
Dozens of British sailors were killed or injured, and despite rescue efforts, the destroyer sank due to the ensuing fire. Similarly, Argentine Super Étendards sank the British transport ship Atlantic Conveyor.
