Last updated 18 years ago........ purely so they can fly "cover" for a Political shindig......
From Janes
After long negotiations, the Argentine and French governments signed a contract for the Argentine Navy to buy five Dassault Super Etendard Modernisé (SEM) aircraft that were retired by French Naval Aviation.
Argentina will buy five retired French Super Etendard Modernisé. (Marine nationale)The EUR12.5 million (USD14.5 million) contract includes a simulator and spare engines, and all deliveries are to be completed by December 2017.
Argentina hopes to recover half its fleet of 10 Super Etendards with the 2nd Attack and Fighter Naval Aviation Squadron to provide air protection during a G20 meeting in Argentina planned for late 2018. The air force’s dwindling A-4AR Fightinghawks are viewed as insufficient for that mission.
Three of the SEMs are to be placed in service immediately to re-train the squadron’s pilots on the type, as their Super Etendards have been grounded. The other two SEMs will be cannibalised to recover and modernise Argentina’s grounded Super Etendards.
Super Étendards underwent a series of upgrades throughout the 1990s to add new capabilities and update existing systems for use in the modern battlefield. Designated
Super Étendard Modernisé (SEM), the first combat missions for the type came during NATO's operations over
Serbia in 1999; it was reported that over 400 combat missions were flown with 73% of the assigned objectives destroyed, the best performance of all the air forces involved in the missions over Serbia.