Argentine Air Force F-16 programme backs Palomar Logistics Area Construction Group runway upgrades

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F-16 incorporation and the runway maintenance gap

The plan to bring F-16 fighter jets into service with the Argentine Air Force is intended not only to restore a key national capability, but also to drive a set of parallel efforts designed to recover and update several operational functions. One of the initiatives focuses on rebuilding the runway- and helipad-maintenance capacity of the Grupo Construcciones (Construction Group) within the Palomar Logistics Area.

Evaluation findings tied to the Danish F-16s

A recently released evaluation report set out additional details on this workstream, explicitly linking it to the arrival of the Danish F-16s. The document explains that the push for action comes from the fact that the Construction Group at the Palomar Logistics Area faces serious operational difficulties due to its inability to properly maintain the runways at Argentine Air Force bases.

The concern is significant because the unit is tasked with constructing, repairing and sustaining 25 runways and 15 helipads nationwide.

The same report attributes the situation to long-running underinvestment, noting that much of the plant and equipment is in poor shape: Graders, heavy transport trailers, trucks, vibrating rollers, bulldozers, and tampers have an average age of 30 years, resulting in high maintenance costs and low productivity due to technical obsolescence.

It further adds: The Palomar Logistics Area is operating at only 50% of its capacity and argues that this underlines the scale of the problem when trying to keep runways compliant with mandated schedules, including Comprehensive Renewal every five years.

With shortages of materials and funding, the Argentine Air Force has been unable to keep its runways in the required condition, which the assessment links to operational consequences. As the report concludes: Deteriorated runways impose restrictions on flight operations, limiting aircraft activity and affecting takeoff and landing capabilities. This problem impacts not only transport and supply missions but also aircraft availability, as the air bases cannot guarantee safe and operational infrastructure for aircraft and helicopters.

Restoring capabilities or outsourcing

To address the need to re-establish the Construction Groups capacity, two potential courses of action were put forward and evaluated:

1. Acquisition of road maintenance equipment.
   This approach would purchase the roadworks machinery required so the Construction Group can maintain runways and helipads using its own resources. The main advantage of this option is operational independence. In a context of armed conflict, having this capacity is essential to ensure the continuity of air operations

2. Outsourcing maintenance services.
   This option would involve hiring a third-party specialist to carry out runway and helipad maintenance. This option could be implemented more quickly in the short term but carries the disadvantage of losing autonomy in managing critical infrastructure

In the end, the first alternative was selected, on the grounds that it supports operational autonomy, enables faster action during critical situations, reduces costs over time, and delivers economies of scale by making better use of Air Force personnel.

Equipment and funding for the Palomar Logistics Area Construction Group

Material requirements for the Construction Group

The Argentine Air Force set out the following equipment needs for the Construction Group:

Road machinery: Caterpillar D7R bulldozer, joint cutter, 25-ton transport trailer, line-marking machine, motor grader with front dozer and scarifier, gasoline-powered vibrating engine, 3.8 HP compactor, front-end loader, self-propelled vibrating roller, pneumatic pavement hammer, portable air compressor, 252-bar pressure washer, vibrating screed.

Power supply equipment: 5,500W portable generator and 56,000W three-phase generator.

Vehicles: Truck (Daily 70-170 type), truck (Stralis type), pickup (Amarok TDI 4 type), van (Sprinter 416 CDI type), and a 4-axle 10.8m trailer with a tilting gate.

According to the technical report, the Total Investment Value is $36,000,000,000.

Cover image for illustrative purposes. Credits: U.S. Air National Guard  Airman 1st Class Alexis Goodman.

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