Argentine Air Forces in The Falklands War - Organisation

Organisation

The Air units involved in the Falklands War were under the following chain of command:

• Military Junta - Brigadier General (Lieutenant General) Basilio Lami Dozo
  • Air Defence Command (Spanish: Comando Aéreo de Defensa) - Brigadier Jorge Hughes. Was in charge of the radar network, Mirage IIIEA interceptors and anti-aircraft defences on the mainland.
  • Strategic Air Command (Spanish: Comando Aéreo Estratégico) - Brigadier Helmuth Weber. Coordinated air assets through all the country. The CAE also had the main role of long range maritime surveillance with Boeing 707s and C-130 Hercules.
    • Southern Air Force (Spanish: Fuerza Aérea Sur) - Brigadier Ernesto Crespo. The FAS was the main organisation involved in combat over the conflict zone.
  • South Atlantic Military Theatre (Spanish: Teatro Operaciones Atlantico Sur) - Vice Admiral Juan Lombardo. Basically a naval command with the role of coordinating the air, surface and submarine assets in the South Atlantic area. Initially, during the invasion of the Islands on 2 April and before hostilities broke out, the islands were supposedly to be under their command and was considered as the only organisation needed to managed the crisis.
    • Falklands Military Garrison (Spanish: Guarnicion Militar Malvinas) - Brigade General Mario Menendez (Army)
      • Air Component (Spanish: Componente Aéreo) - Brigadier Luis Castellano.