As Argentina the Super Etendard aircraft enters its 23rd year of service, the Argentine Naval Aviation Command (COAN) has begun studies to evaluate ways to upgrade or replace it.
At the end of 2004, Rear Admiral Iglesias, then commander of Argentina’s naval aviation, submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Defense to modernize existing aircraft. The project was also discussed in Congress in May 2005 to evaluate the modernization of the Super Etendard. The final consensus was that modernization of the "Super Ensign" would be beneficial to safeguarding Argentina's maritime and continental shelf sovereignty.
The project remained a priority for COAN over the next few years. So much so that it is always mentioned at every event, ceremony or annual wrap-up. However, at that time, the Super Etendard aircraft was still in relatively good condition, so it seemed that COAN was not in a hurry to advance the project. In 2009, Argentine Navy Admiral Godoy expressed his intention to modernize the "Super Etendard", and Nilda Garré was the Minister of Defense at the time. She submitted a letter of intent to France, She conveyed Argentina’s interest in the French military’s “Super Ensign.”
Since 1980, the French Navy's "Super Etendard" has undergone a continuous modernization process ( radar , navigation and attack systems, ergonomics of all components of the cockpit). Different standards have been adopted for previous upgrades. The initial "Super Flag" was Standard 1, and the first phase of the upgrade was called Standard 2.
The key to Standard 2 (SEM 2) is the replacement of the previous Agave radar with the Anémone radar. The Anémone radar has a 250% increase in detection range of maritime targets and is optimized for AM39 anti-ship missiles and medium-range air-to-surface (ASMP) strategic air-to-surface nuclear missiles. The new radar has improved performance in all modes and increased resistance to electronic jamming. The cockpit of the
aircraft was replaced with the new HUD, the new UAT90 onboard computer replaced the UAT40, and the inertial navigator reached a higher standard (UNI40M).
In 1997, Intelligent Air-to-Ground Weapons reached Standard 3 (SEM 3). Equipped with the new Thomson CSF ATLIS (laser illumination pod), the system allows the use of laser illumination to guide AS30L missiles and 500-pound Paveway II laser-guided bombs during daylight hours. However, the "Super Etendard" cannot carry ATLIS and LGB bombs at the same time, and can only use the "A-shoot-B-hit" mode to attack.
However, Standard 4 (SEM 4) has removed this restriction. The French Naval Air Squadron deployed the "Super Etendard" SEM 3 for the first time in January 1999, just in time to catch up with the air raids on Yugoslavia . This is the first time that the Super Etendard has participated in actual combat since 1993, and it is also the first time that it has fired laser-guided munitions in actual combat. Super Etendard flew 412 offensive missions, dropped 266 LGB Paveway IIs and launched two AS30L missiles.
It must be pointed out that the "Super Etendard" has strategic importance because it is capable of launching ASMP medium-range air-to-surface missiles, which is an important part of France's air-based nuclear strike force.
Standard 4 (SEM 4) continued to be implemented after 2000, with a focus on improving self-defense systems. A total of 47 Super Etendards were upgraded to Standard 4.
’s last major upgrade was in 2006. The French Navy upgraded 34 "Super Etendards" to Standard 5 (SEM 5), which can perform night precision attack missions. The cockpit lighting can be adapted to the night vision device , equipped with 15 Thales Damocles targeting pods. Although the ATLIS pod is quite old, it is still in use due to its excellent daytime targeting capabilities. SEM 5 also includes encrypted radio communications capabilities and the low-cost EADS Fightacs portable touch-screen tactical information system.
Operation Joint Protective Operations in Libya in 2011 marked Super Etendard SEM 5's last large-scale combat. The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has just returned from deployment in the Indian Ocean. Because Libya is connected to Mediterranean and the flight distance to the war zone is short, the Super Etendard can carry more weapons than in Afghanistan, with each aircraft carrying up to four GBU49 GPS/LGB bombs. (continued)
