Security & Strategic Review - July 2005

ARGENTINA | Intercepting illegal flights. The Argentine airforce reports that since June last year it has intercepted 120 illegal entries by aircraft into Argentine airspace. It says that the evasive manoeuvres by the aircraft clearly indicate that they were not piloted by farmers who had simply failed to file flight plans. Most of the incursions originated in Paraguay; in one case a plane loaded with contraband cigarettes was found to have been piloted by an active-duty Paraguayan airforce colonel. Another, entering from Bolivia, was found to be carrying 311 kilos of cocaine. As Argentina, unlike Brazil and Colombia, does not have a 'shootdown' law, the intercepting aircraft are limited in what they can do to force the illegal flights to land. More often than not, actual captures are achieved by notifying law-enforcement agencies on the ground where the offending aircraft have touched down. In many cases the aircraft turn back to their point of origin, which at least aborts the smuggling operation: captures have also been recorded as a result of informing the Paraguayan authorities where the aircraft are heading. The airforce is clearly angling for the introduction of a shootdown law, and is using as interceptors aircraft capable of offensive action.