Dealing with Old Reliable Firms

No need to make your own weapons today: the world is filled with arms merchants who are happy to oblige any customers. Argentina is a classic example of a country with a modest arms industry of its own but a large and potent, if somewhat obsolescent, arsenal of weapons purchased almost exclusively from Western nations. Ironically, virtually all of Argentina's main weapons have been supplied by Britain or Britain's NATO allies. No major orders have gone to the Soviet Union.

From the U.S. The core of the Argentine air force and navy consists of old, but updated and well-maintained American-made planes and ships. The air force has 68 versatile A-4P Skyhawk attack aircraft. In addition, Argentina has 14 A-4Q navy Skyhawks; seven C-130 transports; two KC-130 tankers; and some 20 Hughes and Bell helicopters. The navy's only cruiser, the General Belgrano, was commissioned in 1939 and bought from the U.S. in 1951 for $7.8 million. Six Argentine destroyers are U.S.-built World War II vintage vessels fitted with French-built surface-to-surface missiles. The navy also has two Guppy-class submarines and two torpedo boats. The army is equipped with 60 M-4 Sherman tanks and 250 M-l 13 armored personnel carriers.

From Britain. The flagship of the navy is the 1945 aircraft carrier, the Veinticinco de Mayo, sold first to the Dutch, who later resold it to the Argentines. The navy also includes two guided missile destroyers (one built in Argentina under British supervision) and six coastal minesweepers. The army is equipped with Tigercat surface-to-air missiles; the air force flies nine Canberra medium bombers.

From France. The armed forces have 21 Mirage IIIs, still among the world's best fighters, five Super Etendard aircraft (a carrier-based equivalent of the Mirage), 120 AMX-13 light tanks, 16 Roland surface-to-air missiles, 32 MS-760A Paris II ground-support fighter bomber planes and three corvettes.

From West Germany. Argentina acquired two patrol boats, two conventional Type 209 (Salta) submarines and 125 TAM medium tanks.

From Israel. The weaponry includes 26 Daggers (modified Mirages) and four patrol boats.

On its own, Argentina makes small arms, but most of these are through licensing arrangements with the Belgians. Example: the 7.62 rifle, a standard NATO

weapon. The Argentines produce their own 30-ton tanks and armored personnel carriers using a common chassis, but the design was copied from the West Germans, who make the main gun, the fire-control equipment and the engine and transmission.

The confrontation with Britain has at least temporarily stopped Argentina from shopping the world's best markets for more weaponry. At the urging of Britain, West Germany is holding up the sale of four frigates, six corvettes and six submarines, and France has halted shipment of Crotale surface-to-air and Exocet surface-to-surface missiles. Britain itself has withheld sale of Sea Dart missiles, the same kind that were on the fleet last week heading to-Carrier Veinticinco de Mayo ward the Falkland Islands.

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