In a ceremony held on the morning of February 27, the Argentine Air Force formally incorporated a SAAB 340B and a Beechcraft TC-12 Huron to its fleet of transport aircraft.
At the I Air Brigade of El Palomar, headquarters of I Transport Group, Argentina’s Minister of Defense Jorge Taiana and authorities of the force, among which was the Argentine Air Force Chief of Staff Xavier Isaac, held the official reception of the two aircraft.
«The Saab is essential because it is a very reliable and resistant aircraft, and there is insufficient aeronautical infrastructure in the country», said the minister, who highlighted the role of the National Defense Fund (FONDEF) in the acquisition of the equipment.
He added that the aircraft will cover the Buenos Aires (Aeroparque)–Reconquista (Santa Fé) route, operating for Air Force-owned LADE (Líneas Aéreas del Estado) airline.
Characteristics of the aircraft incorporated by the Argentine Air Force
In August 2022, after declaring a previous tender void, the Argentine Air Force awarded C&L Aerospace the purchase contract for a SAAB 340B.
The purchase is based on the need to incorporate «a medium-range SAAB 340B transport aircraft into the operational air transport and supply system to increase the tactical and strategic mobility of the IX Air Brigade‘s Capability Area 2 (AC-2)».
In the case of the TC-12 Huron, it is part of a 10-aircraft order closed in 2020, with a tentative delivery date of 2024. Fortunately, the incorporation process was quick, and the first TC-12 was received in 2021.
TC-12B Huron is the designation of the military variant of the Beechcraft Super King Air A200C that the US Navy used for training, in a single squadron based at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas.
