Conflict side

Argentina Weapons and Military Equipment

Argentina is a state actor whose defense profile centers on the Argentine Army, Navy, and Air Force under the Ministry of Defense and Joint Chiefs framework. Its connected catalog record is anchored in the 1982 Falklands War, where Argentine air, naval aviation, army, marine, and support forces used a mixed inventory of U.S., French, Italian, and domestic systems across the South Atlantic.

18 weapon systems
Overview

Argentina's canonical side profile covers the Argentine state and its regular defense establishment, not a temporary coalition or a single service branch. The Ministry of Defense describes its role as assisting the President and Chief of Cabinet in national defense and relations with the Armed Forces, while official recruitment and veterans pages identify the Army, Navy, and Air Force as the three central military services represented in the defense structure.

The catalog record is currently concentrated on the 1982 Falklands War. That conflict places Argentina's force profile in a specific historical setting: a military government ordered the occupation of the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas and South Georgia, then fought a short air, sea, and land campaign against a British task force before Argentine forces surrendered in the islands on June 14, 1982.

Argentina's visible equipment profile in this catalog is narrower than the country's full order of battle. The Falklands-linked records emphasize combat aircraft, anti-ship missiles, light artillery, and infantry support weapons because those systems have direct conflict-use records tied to the Argentine side in existing weapon entries.

The 1982 campaign exposed the long-distance operating problem facing Argentine forces. Air Force A-4 Skyhawks and Mirage / Dagger aircraft launched anti-ship and strike missions from mainland bases, Naval Aviation operated A-4Q Skyhawks, Super Etendards, and MB-339s, and ground forces on the islands relied on lighter artillery and infantry weapons suited to austere deployment and defensive positions.

Anti-ship strike is the strongest high-signal catalog theme. Official Argentine naval history describes Super Etendard aircraft using AM39 Exocet missiles in the May 4 attack on HMS Sheffield, and the catalog also includes the improvised MM38 Exocet shore-launcher episode that damaged HMS Glamorgan late in the campaign.

Argentina also has a domestic aerospace and defense-industrial background, but the side profile treats that as context rather than proof of self-sufficiency. FAdeA describes itself as an Argentine aerospace company with design, manufacturing, maintenance, modernization, and support capability, while current modernization sourcing is clearest for the 2024 agreement to acquire 24 Danish F-16 aircraft with U.S. approval.

Falklands Warnaval aviationair-to-sea strikelight artillerydefense modernization
Featured Weapons
AM39 Exocet, Air-launched anti-ship missile, Munitions

AM39 Exocet

Highlights the Argentine Naval Aviation anti-ship missile attacks that made Exocet one of the defining weapons of the Falklands War record.

Munitions / Air-launched anti-ship missile
A-4 Skyhawk, Carrier-based light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

A-4 Skyhawk

Represents Argentine Air Force and Naval Aviation low-level attack missions against British naval targets in 1982.

Aircraft & UAVs / Carrier-based light attack aircraft
Dassault Mirage III/5, Single-engine delta-wing multirole fighter family, Aircraft & UAVs

Dassault Mirage III/5

Captures the French-origin fighter and Dagger/Mirage strike-interceptor layer documented in Argentine Falklands War operations.

Aircraft & UAVs / Single-engine delta-wing multirole fighter family
Aermacchi MB-339, Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Aermacchi MB-339

Represents Argentine Naval Aviation's light-attack aircraft operating from the island airfields during the campaign.

Aircraft & UAVs / Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft
OTO Melara Mod 56, 105 mm towed pack howitzer, Artillery

OTO Melara Mod 56

Shows the light artillery layer used by Argentine ground forces and later represented through captured Falklands examples.

Artillery / 105 mm towed pack howitzer
Defense Institutions and Command Context

Argentina's Ministry of Defense is the civilian department responsible for national defense matters and relations with the Armed Forces within the institutional framework of the state. The official defense portal identifies the Army, Navy, and Air Force as the core Armed Forces entry points, while a separate veterans page for Malvinas lists veteran offices for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie, and Naval Prefecture, reflecting the wider set of armed and security organizations connected to the 1982 conflict.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces advises the Minister of Defense on military strategy and carries out strategic military planning. Argentina's 2024 National Defense System decree describes the Armed Forces as the essential component of the national defense system and says they must operate jointly, with doctrine, planning, training, and execution organized around that joint requirement.

Falklands War Side Boundary

The Falklands War side mapping is straightforward: the conflict-local side labeled Argentina represents Argentine state forces during the 1982 campaign. Imperial War Museums summarizes the conflict as a short undeclared war between Argentina and Britain from April 2 to June 14, 1982, fought over sovereignty of the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands.

The National Army Museum frames the British deployment as a response to the Argentine military's surprise capture of the islands, and Imperial War Museums notes that Argentine forces occupied the Falkland Islands on April 2 and South Georgia on April 3. Those sources support treating the catalog side as a state actor in a conventional interstate conflict rather than a non-state or ambiguous local faction.

Air and Naval Aviation Strike Profile

Argentina's connected Falklands entries are strongest in air and naval aviation. The Argentine Air Force historical timeline records A-4B and A-4C attacks against British ships, including attacks associated with HMS Ardent, HMS Antelope, HMS Broadsword, and HMS Coventry, while also recording Mirage / Dagger missions and losses over San Carlos and surrounding waters.

Argentine Naval Aviation adds the anti-ship missile layer. The Navy's Super Etendard page states that five AM39 Exocet missiles were used during the conflict and describes the May 4, 1982 low-altitude attack in which one missile reached HMS Sheffield. Navy museum material also identifies an MB-339 used by the First Naval Attack Squadron from 1981 to 1984 and says a similar aircraft carried out the first naval air attack against the British fleet in San Carlos Strait on May 21, 1982.

Ground Forces, Light Weapons, and Island Defense

The ground-force side of the connected catalog is lighter and more defensive. Existing weapon records link Argentina to OTO Melara Mod 56 pack howitzers and M67 recoilless rifles in the Falklands War, systems that fit the terrain, logistics, and field-position character of the island campaign.

The profile does not add new weapon-use claims beyond those records. It instead preserves the side-level pattern: Argentine ground forces in the 1982 catalog appear through deployable light artillery and direct-fire support weapons, while the more numerous public-facing catalog links currently remain aircraft and anti-ship missiles.

Industry and Modernization Caveats

Argentina's domestic defense-industrial context is most visible in aerospace. FAdeA describes Fábrica Argentina de Aviones "Brig. San Martín" as an aeronautical company with experience in design, manufacturing, maintenance, modernization, and support of aerospace products and services, serving both defense and civil markets.

Current equipment modernization should be separated from the Falklands-era conflict record. Denmark's Ministry of Defence announced in March 2024 that Denmark and Argentina had signed a letter of intent for the sale of 24 Danish F-16 fighter jets to Argentina, negotiated with U.S. approval. That supports a modern procurement direction, not retroactive conflict use for the F-16 or any other non-linked weapon.

Equipment and Conflict Milestones
  1. Argentine occupation begins

    Argentine forces occupied the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas, triggering the short 1982 war with Britain.

  2. Super Etendard and AM39 Exocet attack HMS Sheffield

    Argentine Navy accounts describe Super Etendard aircraft using AM39 Exocet missiles in the attack that hit HMS Sheffield.

  3. Air attacks intensify around San Carlos

    Argentine Air Force and Naval Aviation sources record A-4, Mirage / Dagger, Pucara, and MB-339 activity as British forces established positions around San Carlos.

  4. HMS Coventry sunk after A-4 attack

    The Argentine Air Force timeline records A-4B attacks that damaged HMS Broadsword and sank HMS Coventry.

  5. Argentine forces surrender in the Falklands

    Imperial War Museums records the Argentine surrender in the Falkland Islands on June 14, 1982, ending the campaign.

  6. F-16 sale framework announced

    Denmark announced a letter of intent to sell 24 Danish F-16 fighter jets to Argentina, with the sale coordinated with U.S. approval.

Sources

Argentina's side profile is strongest for official defense institutions, Falklands War chronology, Argentine Air Force and Navy campaign narratives, and the 2024 F-16 procurement framework. Some Argentine official Falklands accounts contain national-service framing or disputed operational claims, so the side profile avoids treating contested attack results as uncontested unless independently supported by the catalog weapon record.

  • Ministerio de DefensaPublisher: Argentina.gob.ar | Note: Supports the Ministry of Defense role and current official defense-institution context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • Ingresá a las Fuerzas ArmadasPublisher: Argentina.gob.ar | Note: Supports the official Army, Navy, and Air Force service entry points. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • Estado Mayor Conjunto de las Fuerzas ArmadasPublisher: Argentina.gob.ar | Note: Supports the Joint Chiefs strategic-advisory and military-planning role. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • Sistema de Defensa Nacional - Decreto 1112/2024Publisher: Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina | Note: Supports current national-defense-system framing and the requirement for joint Armed Forces operation. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • Fuerzas Armadas/Seguridad en MalvinasPublisher: Argentina.gob.ar | Note: Supports the range of Argentine military and security institutions represented in Malvinas veteran offices. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • A Short History of The Falklands ConflictPublisher: Imperial War Museums | Note: Supports the Falklands War dates, belligerents, occupation sequence, surrender date, and sovereignty-dispute framing. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • The British Army and the Falklands WarPublisher: National Army Museum | Note: Supports the British response to the Argentine military's capture of the islands and the land-campaign context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • Hitos de Malvinas - Línea de tiempoPublisher: Fuerza Aérea Argentina | Note: Supports Argentine Air Force Falklands timeline claims, including A-4 attacks, Mirage/Dagger activity, and ship-attack chronology. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • Mayo - Dirección de Estudios HistóricosPublisher: Fuerza Aérea Argentina | Note: Supports detailed May 1982 Air Force Falklands mission context for A-4, Mirage/Dagger, Pucara, and C-130 activity. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • Super EtendardPublisher: Armada Argentina | Note: Supports Argentine Naval Aviation Super Etendard and AM39 Exocet use during the Falklands War. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • Museo de la Aviación NavalPublisher: Armada Argentina | Note: Supports Argentine Naval Aviation MB-339 and A-4Q Falklands War context through museum aircraft descriptions. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • FAdeA InstitutionalPublisher: FAdeA | Note: Supports Argentine aerospace industry and maintenance, modernization, manufacturing, and support capabilities. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
  • Denmark and Argentina agree on sale of 24 Danish F-16 fighter jetsPublisher: Danish Ministry of Defence | Note: Supports the 2024 Argentina-Denmark F-16 sale framework and U.S. approval context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03
Aircraft & UAVs

Category

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

4/4
Aermacchi MB-339, Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs1982 Falklands War, 2015 Various ConflictsAermacchi MB-339Advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraftBuilt: Aermacchi / ItalyThe Aermacchi MB-339 is an Italian advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Aermacchi as a successor to the MB-326. Built entirely in Italy, it also served as the MB.339 PAN display aircraft for the Frecce Tricolori and saw combat use with Argentine Naval Aviation in the 1982 Falklands War and the Eritrean Air Force during the 1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War.
Dassault Mirage III/5, Single-engine delta-wing multirole fighter family, Aircraft & UAVs1966 South African Border War, 1967 Six-Day War +7 moreDassault Mirage III/5Single-engine delta-wing multirole fighter familyBuilt: Dassault Aviation / FranceThe Dassault Mirage III/5 is a French single-engine, delta-wing fighter family that evolved from the Mirage III interceptor into the Mirage 5 strike derivative. Exported widely and adapted by multiple air arms, it saw combat from the 1967 Six-Day War and 1969 War of Attrition through the Falklands, Paquisha, 1966 South African Border War, and Pakistan's 2019 air crisis.
SA 330 Puma, Twin-engine medium-lift utility helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs1982 Falklands War, 1990 Gulf War +3 moreSA 330 PumaTwin-engine medium-lift utility helicopterBuilt: Aerospatiale / Westland Helicopters / IAR / France / United Kingdom / RomaniaThe SA 330 Puma is a French-designed twin-engine medium-lift helicopter family built for troop transport, casualty evacuation, logistics, search-and-rescue, and utility missions. Cataloged conflict rows cover Argentine Puma use in the Falklands War, RAF support-helicopter use in the Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq, plus Portugal's late-2024 transfer of stored Puma helicopters to Ukrainian forces, while the record separates the original SA 330 family from the later Super Puma/Cougar successor page.
Artillery

Category

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

2/2
OTO Melara Mod 56, 105 mm towed pack howitzer, Artillery2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency +3 moreOTO Melara Mod 56105 mm towed pack howitzerBuilt: OTO Melara / ItalyThe OTO Melara Mod 56 is an Italian 105 mm pack howitzer built for light, mountain, and airborne artillery. It breaks down into packable loads, fires standard 105 mm ammunition, and became widely exported under designations including the British/Commonwealth L5; documented conflict use ranges from Vietnam, Borneo, and the Falklands to Spanish-supplied guns in Ukraine and captured or improvised Boko Haram systems in Nigeria.
120mm MO-120-AM50, 120 mm smoothbore heavy mortar, Artillery2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 1982 Falklands War120mm MO-120-AM50120 mm smoothbore heavy mortarBuilt: Brandt / FranceThe 120mm MO-120-AM50 is a French Brandt smoothbore heavy mortar developed after World War II and fielded from the 1950s as a towed, baseplate-fired, or carriage-fired infantry support weapon. It predates the later MO-120 RT rifled mortar family and appears in the catalog through two direct evidence lanes: an Imperial War Museums object record for an Argentine Army Brandt 120 mm mortar captured during the Falklands War, and SIPRI transfer data recording Denmark's 2024 delivery of MW-50 120mm mortars to Ukraine.
Infantry Weapons

Category

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

5/5
FN FAL, 7.62 mm battle rifle, Infantry Weapons2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, 2017 Battle of Marawi +3 moreFN FAL7.62 mm battle rifleBuilt: FN Herstal / Various manufacturers / Belgium; licensed production in multiple countriesThe FN FAL is a Belgian 7.62 x 51 mm NATO battle rifle designed at Fabrique Nationale after World War II and adopted or license-produced across many Cold War armies. The cataloged record spans state service, licensed Commonwealth and Argentine derivatives, and later illicit or captured rifles documented in conflicts from the Falklands to Marawi, Boko Haram operations, Haiti, and the Islamic State fight.
105 mm M1974 FMK-1 recoilless rifle, 105 mm recoilless rifle, Infantry Weapons1982 Falklands War105 mm M1974 FMK-1 recoilless rifle105 mm recoilless rifleBuilt: Fabricaciones Militares / ArgentinaThe 105 mm M1974 FMK-1 is the later standard in Argentina's Czekalski recoilless-rifle family, a heavy smoothbore infantry-support weapon with optical sights, an FAP/FN FAL spotting rifle, and a two-wheel adjustable carriage. Falklands War evidence directly documents the closely related Modelo 1968 Czekalski in Argentine service, while the M1974 designation is best supported as the improved FMK-1 ammunition and export-era standard.
Beretta BM59 rifle, Battle rifle, Infantry Weapons1982 Falklands War, 2022 Haitian Gang ConflictBeretta BM59 rifleBattle rifleBuilt: Beretta / PT Pindad / Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria / Italy / Indonesia / NigeriaThe Beretta BM59 is an Italian selective-fire battle rifle that converted the M1 Garand architecture into a 7.62x51mm NATO, detachable-magazine service rifle. Beretta built the core Italian family, while licensed or locally produced patterns appeared in Indonesia and Nigeria. Direct conflict-use sourcing ties BM59-family rifles to Argentine small arms in the 1982 Falklands War and to criminal-gang firearms in Haiti's current gang conflict.
M67 90 mm recoilless rifle, Crew-served 90 mm recoilless rifle, Infantry Weapons1955 Vietnam War, 1982 Falklands War +2 moreM67 90 mm recoilless rifleCrew-served 90 mm recoilless rifleBuilt: U.S. government production / Kia Motors / United States; South KoreaThe M67 is a U.S.-origin 90 mm recoilless rifle built as a crew-served direct-fire weapon for infantry anti-armor, bunker, and antipersonnel missions. Its record spans Australian and U.S. service in Vietnam, U.S. reissue in Afghanistan, Argentine fielding in the Falklands War, South Korean KM67 production, and later 90-RR reporting in the 2017 Battle of Marawi.
Munitions

Category

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

4/4
Anti-ship cruise missile, Anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions1982 Falklands War, 1980 Iran-Iraq War +4 moreAnti-ship cruise missileAnti-ship cruise missileBuilt: Various manufacturers / Multiple countriesAnti-ship cruise missiles are guided standoff weapons built to attack warships and high-value surface vessels from aircraft, ships, submarines, and coastal launchers. The class is documented from Falklands War Exocet attacks and Tanker War maritime strikes to Ukrainian Neptune use in the Black Sea, Iraqi Silkworm launches in the 1990 Gulf War, Hezbollah's 2006 C-802 strike, and Houthi launches during the 2023 Red Sea Crisis.
Exocet MM38 anti-ship cruise missile, Ship- and ground-launched anti-ship cruise missile, Munitions1982 Falklands WarExocet MM38 anti-ship cruise missileShip- and ground-launched anti-ship cruise missileBuilt: Nord Aviation / Aerospatiale / FranceThe Exocet MM38 is the original French surface-launched Exocet anti-ship cruise missile, developed by Nord Aviation and fielded from ships before later coastal adaptations. MBDA identifies MM38 as a fire-and-forget, sea-skimming design, while Falklands War sources document Argentine technicians adapting ship-launched MM38 missiles into an improvised shore battery that struck HMS Glamorgan on June 12, 1982.
Naval Systems

Category

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

3/3
D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso, Aviso / light corvette, Naval Systems2008 Somali Piracy / Operation Atalanta, 2020 Operation Irini +1 moreD'Estienne d'Orves-class avisoAviso / light corvetteBuilt: Arsenal de Lorient / FranceThe D'Estienne d'Orves-class aviso, also known as the Type A69, is a French-built light corvette and offshore-patrol family developed for coastal anti-submarine warfare, escort, and overseas-presence missions. Arsenal de Lorient built the French class around an 80-meter diesel hull with Exocet missiles, a 100 mm CADAM gun, torpedoes, and a 375 mm anti-submarine rocket launcher; later French service shifted surviving ships into high-seas patrol duties after heavy anti-submarine and anti-ship weapons were removed.
D'Estienne d'Orves-class / A69 type aviso, Aviso / light corvette class, Naval Systems2008 Somali Piracy / Operation Atalanta, 2020 Operation Irini +1 moreD'Estienne d'Orves-class / A69 type avisoAviso / light corvette classBuilt: Arsenal de Lorient / FranceThe D'Estienne d'Orves-class / A69 type aviso is a French-built light corvette and patrol-vessel family developed for coastal anti-submarine warfare, escort, and overseas-presence missions. Arsenal de Lorient built the original French ships around an 80-meter diesel hull with Exocet missiles, a 100 mm CADAM gun, torpedoes, and a 375 mm anti-submarine rocket launcher; later service included French counter-piracy and embargo patrols plus Argentine Drummond-class combat use in the Falklands War.
Type 209 submarine, Diesel-electric attack submarine family, Naval Systems1982 Falklands WarType 209 submarineDiesel-electric attack submarine familyBuilt: Howaldtswerke / thyssenkrupp Marine Systems / GermanyThe Type 209 is Germany's long-running export diesel-electric attack-submarine family, developed through the HDW lineage and continued in modern TKMS material as the HDW Class 209NG. Public sources tie the family to coastal sea denial, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, mine-laying, intelligence collection, special-operations support, and documented combat use by Argentina's ARA San Luis during the 1982 Falklands War.