The Argentine Air Force announced on May 14 the definitive retirement of its A-4AR Fightinghawk fleet, with Air Force chief Brigadier General Gustavo Javier Valverde personally communicating the decision to personnel of the V Air Brigade at Villa Reynolds Air Base.
According to the official statement, the decision followed a strategic review centered on operational efficiency, economic sustainability and the reallocation of resources toward the recently introduced F-16AM Fighting Falcon fleet acquired from Denmark.
Valverde said the maintenance and logistics costs associated with the A-4AR had become increasingly difficult to sustain, while the F-16 program now requires personnel and infrastructure resources currently assigned to the Fightinghawk fleet.
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The retirement closes nearly 60 years of A-4 Skyhawk operations in Argentina, dating back to the arrival of the first A-4B aircraft in 1966.
Argentina acquired the A-4AR fleet in the 1990s after the United States rejected an earlier request for F-16 fighters. Washington instead approved the transfer of former US Marine Corps A-4M and OA-4M aircraft, which were modernized by Lockheed Martin with updated avionics and a derivative of the APG-66 radar used by early F-16s.
The upgraded Fightinghawks became Argentina’s most capable combat aircraft and later assumed air defense duties after the retirement of the Mirage III and Mirage 5 family in 2015.
Although designed as subsonic attack aircraft, the A-4AR effectively served as Argentina’s only fighter capability for nearly a decade amid repeated delays in securing a modern supersonic replacement.
In practice, the fleet also helped maintain pilot training and operational experience until the country finalized the acquisition of second-hand F-16AM/BM fighters from Denmark in 2024. The first aircraft began arriving in late 2025.
Argentine media reports indicated the A-4AR fleet had seen very limited activity in recent years following accidents in 2020 and 2024, with some aircraft reportedly grounded for extended periods.
With Argentina’s retirement of the type, the Brazilian Navy remains the last military operator of the A-4 Skyhawk family in South America.
