Argentine Air Force F-16 Programme: Palomar Construction Group to Restore Runway and Helipad Maintenance

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The programme to bring F-16 fighters into the Argentine Air Force will not only restore a capability that is vital for the country; it is also being rolled out alongside a set of initiatives intended to help the service rebuild and catch up across several areas. One of those efforts is to restore the runway and helipad maintenance capability of the Construction Group, part of the Palomar Logistics Area.

F-16 and the Argentine Air Force: why runway and helipad upkeep is now a priority

A recently published evaluation report revealed several points of interest about this project, which comes in parallel with the arrival of the Danish F-16s. The driver behind the initiative is that the Palomar Logistics Area Construction Group “...faces serious operational difficulties due to its inability to carry out proper maintenance of runways at Argentine Air Force bases...”. This is far from a minor issue, as the unit is responsible for building, repairing and maintaining 25 runways and 15 helipads nationwide.

The current state of the assets is yet another sign of a long-standing lack of investment and limited attention from decision-makers, with the report detailing how poor the equipment condition has become. “...Motor graders, low-loader trailers, lorries, vibratory rollers, bulldozers and tampers have an average age of 30 years, entailing high maintenance costs and low productive capacity due to their technical obsolescence...”.

“...The Palomar Logistics Area is operating at only 50% of its capacity...which reflects the scale of the difficulties the Construction Group faces in keeping runways in suitable condition within the regulated timelines (full renewal every 5 years)...”, the evaluation report goes on to note.

With both equipment and budget shortfalls, the Argentine Air Force is unable to keep its runways in good condition, which brings serious knock-on effects. “...Deteriorated runways create restrictions on air operations, limiting flying activity and affecting aircraft take-off and landing capability. This problem impacts not only transport and resupply missions, but also aircraft availability, since air bases cannot guarantee safe, operational infrastructure for aircraft and helicopters...”, the report concludes.

Restore capabilities or outsource

Given the challenge of rebuilding the Construction Group’s capability, two solutions were put forward and then assessed to determine the way ahead:

1. Acquisition of road and airfield maintenance equipment. This option calls for purchasing equipment to give the Construction Group the ability to maintain runways and helipads independently. “...The main advantage of this option is operational independence. In an armed conflict context, having this capability is essential to guarantee continuity of air operations...”.

2. Outsource the maintenance service. This approach would externalise runway and helipad maintenance by contracting a specialist provider. “...This option could be faster to implement in the short term, but it has the drawback of losing autonomy in the management of critical infrastructure...”.

Ultimately, option 1 would be selected, as it enables operational autonomy, rapid response in critical situations, long-term savings, and economies of scale through the use of the Argentine Air Force’s existing human resources.

Equipment requirements for the Construction Group

Regarding the matériel for the Argentine Air Force Construction Group, the following requirements were set:

Road and airfield machinery: Caterpillar D7R bulldozer, joint-cutting machine, 25tn low-loader trailer for transport, line-marking machine, motor grader with front dozer scarifier, petrol-powered vibration motor, 3.8 HP compaction rammer, front loader, self-propelled vibratory roller, pneumatic pavement breaker, portable air compressor, petrol-powered pressure washer 252 bar, vibrating screed.

Power equipment: Portable generator set 5500w and 56000 three-phase generator set.

Vehicles: Lorry (Daily 70-170 type), lorry (Stralis type), pickup (Amarok TDI 4×2 type), minibus/van (Sprinter 416 CDI type), 4-axle trailer length 10.8mcon tipper tailgate.

The technical report states that the Total Investment Value would be $36.000.000.000

Illustrative cover image. Credits: U.S. Air National Guard – Airman 1st Class Alexis Goodman