Gringo-Gaucho
Encyclopedia
Gringo-Gaucho are a set of maneuvers performed between the Argentine Naval Aviation
and United States Navy
's aircraft carriers. The US Navy refers to them as Southern Seas in their last edition.
continuously operated an aircraft carrier from 1959 to 1990. When ARA Veinticinco de Mayo
was retired, it was decided to keep an embarked air group with the hope of operating a carrier again in the future. In order to qualify the pilots, the traditional friendship with the Brazilian Navy
has meant that Argentine naval aviators have continued to operate from the deck of the Brazilian aircraft carriers Minas Gerais and São Paulo during ARAEX exercises. video The only other choice available was with the United States. As the United States Navy does not maintain regular deployments of aircraft carriers in the South Atlantic it is necessary to wait for one of them to perform a transit within Argentine coastal waters. The opportunities occur when the ships perform a transit around South America
to move between the East and West coasts of the United States since they cannot fit through the Panama Canal
. The exercise is coordinated by US Naval Forces Southern Command
and unlike with the Sao Paulo the Argentine aircraft perform Touch-and-go landings only and do not fully embark on the carriers.
Argentine Naval Aviation
The Argentine Naval Aviation is the naval aviation branch of the Argentine Navy and one of its four operational commands...
and United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
's aircraft carriers. The US Navy refers to them as Southern Seas in their last edition.
History
The Argentine NavyArgentine Navy
The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
continuously operated an aircraft carrier from 1959 to 1990. When ARA Veinticinco de Mayo
ARA Veinticinco de Mayo (V-2)
The ARA Veinticinco de Mayo was an aircraft carrier in the Argentine Navy from 1969 to 1997. The English translation of the name is the Twenty-fifth of May, which is the date of Argentina's May Revolution in 1810....
was retired, it was decided to keep an embarked air group with the hope of operating a carrier again in the future. In order to qualify the pilots, the traditional friendship with the Brazilian Navy
Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...
has meant that Argentine naval aviators have continued to operate from the deck of the Brazilian aircraft carriers Minas Gerais and São Paulo during ARAEX exercises. video The only other choice available was with the United States. As the United States Navy does not maintain regular deployments of aircraft carriers in the South Atlantic it is necessary to wait for one of them to perform a transit within Argentine coastal waters. The opportunities occur when the ships perform a transit around South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
to move between the East and West coasts of the United States since they cannot fit through the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. The exercise is coordinated by US Naval Forces Southern Command
United States Southern Command
The United States Southern Command , located in Miami, Florida, is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning and operations in Central and South America, the Caribbean The United States Southern Command...
and unlike with the Sao Paulo the Argentine aircraft perform Touch-and-go landings only and do not fully embark on the carriers.
Aircraft
- Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard ( 2da Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Caza y Ataque2da Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Caza y AtaqueThe 2da Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Caza y Ataque is the main strike unit of the Argentine Naval Aviation, the air branch of the Argentine Navy.-Seal:...
) - Grumman/IAI S-2T Turbo TrackerS-2 TrackerThe Grumman S-2 Tracker was the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare aircraft to enter service with the US Navy. The Tracker was of conventional design with twin engines, a high wing and tricycle undercarriage. The type was exported to a number of navies around the world...
( Naval Antisubmarine Squadron ) - Alouette IIIAérospatiale Alouette IIIThe Aérospatiale Alouette III is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by Sud Aviation. It was manufactured by Aérospatiale of France, and under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India as Hal Chetak and Industria Aeronautică Română in Romania.The Alouette III is the...
and Eurocopter FennecEurocopter Fennec|-See also:-References:* Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.-External links:* * *...
( 2nd Naval Helicopter Squadron ) as SARSearch and rescueSearch and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
aircraft - Sikorsky/Agusta S-61 Sea KingH-3 Sea KingThe Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King is a twin-engined anti-submarine warfare helicopter. It served with the United States Navy and other forces, and continues to serve in many countries around the world. The Sea King has been built under license in Italy and Japan, and in the United Kingdom as the...
( 1st Naval Helicopter Squadron ) for general support duties
List of operations
- 1990, March: on transit for her Service Life Extension Program (SLEP)
- 1990, October:
- 1991, November: , including port visit to Mar del PlataMar del PlataMar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
- 1993: USS Constellation on the way back to the Pacific OceanPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
after SLEP - 2001: . Cancelled due budget restrictions per Argentine economic crisis
- 2004: video
- 2008:
- 2010: video