While the national government promotes the purchase of military equipment discarded by foreign powers, the heart of Argentina's scientific development—FAdeA, VENG, and CONAE—faces systematic dismantling. Without its own maintenance capacity for the F-16s and with strategic projects like the Tronador II paralyzed, Argentina is ceding key ground in the control of its space and resources.

The deployment of the so-called "chainsaw" across the nation-state has found a strategic target in the aerospace sector. Under the guise of austerity, but with an underlying geopolitical subordination, three pillars of sovereign development—the Argentine Aircraft Factory (FAdeA) , VENG SA ( New Generation Space Vehicle ), and the National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE) —are undergoing a process of defunding and loss of human capital that jeopardizes the future of national defense and knowledge.

FAdeA: between voluntary retirements and the exclusion of the F-16s

The situation at the historic Córdoba plant is critical . With a workforce reduced to 670 employees after the dismissal of 200 workers in 2024, the company faces a new voluntary retirement program. Despite announcements of reactivation for the maintenance of the C-130 Hercules aircraft and the modernization of the Pampa III, production remains stagnant.

The recent acquisition of F-16 fighter jets, far from representing a technological leap for local industry, has exposed the supplier's distrust of national capabilities. FAdeA lacks the certifications and permits to service these aircraft , leaving maintenance exclusively for US technical teams.

Union representatives warn that the same logic as the 1990s is being repeated: "We buy 40-year-old aircraft, obsolete for modern patrolling, while neglecting the development of the Pampa and the Pucará." This unrestricted alignment with US foreign policy relegates the state-owned factory to a peripheral role as a parts supplier for third parties, such as Embraer, losing its essence as an autonomous defense facility.

The brakes on the "Tronador II" and the loss of spatial verticality

In the space sector, the outlook is equally bleak. VENG SA , the technical arm of CONAE , has suffered a 60% budget cut, with a projected 80% reduction by 2026. This financial strangulation has triggered a gradual "brain drain" : between layoffs and resignations due to frozen salaries, the number of scientists and technicians has decreased by 30%.

The most severe impact is on Project Tronador II . For the third time in Argentine history—after the "Night of the Long Batons" and the cancellation of "Cóndor II" in the 90s under NATO pressure—the possibility of possessing its own launch vehicle is thwarted.

"To the extent that you are not sovereign in the production of knowledge, you remain dependent on other powers," warn ATE delegates at the Córdoba Space Center.

Without a domestic launcher, Argentina loses the ability to independently decide which satellites to put into orbit and when. Dependence on foreign companies, such as SpaceX , to launch even advanced projects like Sabia-Mar , places strategic information about Argentine territory and sea at the mercy of foreign interests.

A territory without its own eyes

Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world . Sovereignty over its natural resources, control of its Exclusive Economic Zone, and border surveillance require an aerospace infrastructure that does not depend on the "goodwill" of third parties.

The defunding of CONAE —which operates the southernmost ground stations in the world with reach as far as Antarctica—and the paralysis of projects at VENG (despite being a surplus company) suggest that the objective is not fiscal savings, but the elimination of technological competition in the Southern Hemisphere.

History shows that, in conflict situations, access to satellite information and weapons repair capabilities are the first resources that powerful nations cut off from dependent countries. By dismantling its aircraft and missiles, Argentina is not only losing highly skilled jobs; it is surrendering the keys to its own surveillance and defense.

Fountain:

The Megaphone