To honor 200 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Argentina, this week aircrew members from the Georgia Air National Guard and the Argentine Air Force made history when they jointly flew a C-130 Hercules aircraft to Argentina for use by the Argentine Air Force. It marked the first-ever combined operational airlift mission between the two countries. The two militaries will spend two weeks sharing best practices on C-130 operations.
The Argentine Air Force said it plans to use the aircraft for disaster relief efforts and to support missions to Antarctica.
“This is the latest example of how our military cooperation has been an integral part of our strong friendship across 200 years of relations,” said U.S. Ambassador Marc R. Stanley. “Thanks to the Air National Guards in Georgia and Illinois for bringing a C-130H aircraft to Argentina and to both of our militaries for coming together to share best practices on aircraft operations.”
Argentina requested the C-130H from the United States and will lease it for 11 months. The Argentina Air Force has a fleet of five C-130H aircraft and has operated the C-130 since 1968.
The Georgia National Guard led the training effort while the Illinois National Guard played a vital role in preparing the C-130 for its journey to Argentina.