Argentine Navy Moves Forward with Super Étendard SEM Reactivation, Potential Transfer to Ukraine

The Chief of the Argentine Navy, in a recent interview, confirmed the Navy's strong commitment to conduct a test flight to evaluate the operability of the Super Étendard Modernisé (SEM) aircraft. These planes, acquired from France in 2019 for €12.5 million, have remained grounded since their arrival due to issues with the ejection seats.

To address this problem, the Navy sent two ejection seats to the Defense Scientific and Technical Research Institute (Citedef) for a gunpowder analysis, which confirmed that they were in usable condition. The seats are currently at the facilities of MBA S.A., undergoing a major inspection to assess the operational status of their mechanical components.

The Navy's primary goal is to perform this initial test flight. However, Vice Admiral Alievi pointed out that there are still four technical issues to resolve: the parachute, the ejection seat, potential structural cracks, and the engine.

Argentina is currently the only country seeking to keep the SEMs operational, which complicates maintenance and the acquisition of spare parts due to their high cost and a British embargo.

On the other hand, the reactivation of the SEM fleet could be linked to Argentine President Javier Milei's proposal to provide Ukraine with five Super Étendard fighter jets, as reported by Infobae. Argentina never deployed these jets, which were purchased from France in 2017, due to a British embargo that prevented the sale of necessary military spare parts to the country.
The potential deal would see Argentina exchanging the Super Étendards for other military assets from France, such as drones or helicopters. Additionally, France would take responsibility for replacing the cartridges in the ejection seats, thereby preventing Argentina from being directly implicated in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This arrangement is designed to ensure that the final political responsibility rests with France, allowing Argentina to support Ukraine in an indirect manner.