picture 176699

The Argentine Navy acquired its first Lockheed Neptunes in 1958, in the form of second-hand P2V-5s acquired from the surplus stocks of the Royal Air Force. All underwent an overhaul and upgrade in The Netherlands and were then assigned to Naval Aviation Reconnaissance Squadron Nr.1. The aircraft shown here, 2-P-103, flew a clandestine reconnaissance mission at low altitude over the Falklands, on 12 June 1961. On 2 April 1963, two P2Vs flew an air strike on the positions of the Infantry Regiment Nr.3 in La Tablada, before their crews took refuge in Uruguay. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)