MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Low flying fighter jets over Ushuaia in mid afternoon
The jets surprised Ushuaia residents since they circled twice the city at a relatively low altitude and then left for the Beagle Channel before disappearing. Monday mid-afternoon Argentine air force fighter planes overflew Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego province capital and the Beagle Channel, as part of training exercises in Patagonia and which are expected to continue for the next two days. The Fighting Hawk McDonald Douglas A-4R jets are based in Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz province.
The jets surprised Ushuaia residents since they circled twice the city at a relatively low altitude and then left for the Beagle Channel, before disappearing for the rest of the day.
The Argentine Air Force later tweeted that the fighter jets are involved in training exercises in Southern Patagonia, close to San Julian, Chalten, Rio Turbio and the Rio Grande, operating from the military base of Rio Gallegos.
Actually, Ushuaia residents admitted they had been hearing jets on Sunday night and made them remember when the city had an airbase with the Mirage fighter bombers brigade stationed.
Local experts identified the aircraft as the OA/A-4AR, which apparently arrived in Rio Gallegos together with a Boeing 737 and a C-130 Hercules transporting personnel and equipment necessary for the exercises.
The Argentine Air Force said that the A-4AR and OA-4AR jets belong to the Fighters Group 5, and flight and shooting practices were to extend from June 24 to the end of the month.
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Read all commentsFortHay
Jun 30th, 2021 - 03:36 pm +2Sincerely, with respect, those “useless islands near the cape” were a serious border issue between Chile and the kleptomaniac Argentines.
In 1978 I was studying in an British secondary school here in Chile, worried about my country being invaded by Argentina, which we came within hours of actual war until the Holy Vatican interceded.
My country was very concerned that Argentina again would attack us and my original dreams of studying English literature abroad were complicated as my family was deeply indebted to afford the costs. When I graduated — our navy offered me a full scholarship to enter the academy as they needed to increase their English fluent officer class.
During the Falklands war — we as cadets studied the conflict in real time and knew that our country was in a not so secret cooperation in exchange for UK investments, technical support, war material and logistics support.
It was no secret that MI5 agents were in my country to relay intel between Britain and Chilean radar sites at Patagonia, disguised as tourists and living in cover houses in Chile. This intel was critical for the Royal Navy to anticipate all Argentinian attacks from mainland.
British SAS units, pilots, and aircraft lost in Argentina, fleed to Chilean territory where they were smuggled back to Britain, disguised as Chilean troops. There are several pictures of the time, showing RAF aircraft painted with Chilean insignias, as well as “soldiers” with evident British traits wearing thick beards and sneakers, mixed with regular troops.
Argentina was a serious threat to my country during that period with a highly trained air strike force and their navy was immensely powerful with an aircraft carrier group complement to their navy.
I love Argentina and am fortunate to have friends there — but they cannot be trusted.
¡Saludos desde Valle Nevado!
It's NOT McDonald Douglas, it is McDonnell Douglas (unless the hamburger chain are now building aeroplanes).
Jun 30th, 2021 - 10:18 am 0RedBaron: Funny stuff. Perhaps they meant The Donald Fighting Trump racist interceptors. Back in the day, when I lived in Cerro Sombrero, shortly after Chile and Argentina came close to war over some useless islands near the cape, I was witness to Chilean mirage fighters screaming over the tundra at supersonic speeds and fence level toward the border and then, just before reaching the barbed wire, going vertical in a spectacular display of high tech machismo. To add color to the whole scene, guanacos occasionally jumped the fenced off minefields and got themselves blown up.
Jun 30th, 2021 - 11:47 am 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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