Commodore Pablo Marcos Rafael Carballo (born 11 December 1947) is a retired member of the Argentine Air Force - the Fuerza Aérea Argentina (FAA) - who fought in the 1982 Falklands War where he participated in actions that led to the sinking of three Royal Navy ships. He was awarded the highest national military decoration: the Argentine Nation to the Heroic Valour in Combat Cross, the Argentine Congressional Medal, and the Highest Distinction of the Argentine Air Force.

Career

Ensign Carballo graduated as a pilot in the 37th class of Escuela de Aviación Militar (Military Flying School) of the FAA at Córdoba in 1971. In 1972, he graduated as a fighter pilot in the 4th Air Brigade at El Plumerillo, Mendoza flying Morane-Saulnier MS-760 Paris and North American F-86 Sabres. He was then assigned as a cadet instructor of the Cordoba Flying School. In 1979, he was assigned to the 5th Air Brigade, Villa Reynolds, San Luis Province to fly A-4B Skyhawks where he was promoted from section leader to brigade chief of operations. He then served on 6th Air Brigade at Tandil flying Fingers and Mirage III becoming the squadron chief.

Falklands (Malvinas) War

In 1982 Captain Carballo was section leader at 5th Air Brigade flying A-4B Skyhawks. The unit deployed to the southern airfield Puerto Santa Cruz ap and airbase Rio Gallegos in Santa Cruz Province when hostilities broke out. He took part in the following missions: ( showing: approximate local time | Aircraft | Call signal )

Aircraft

The A-4P Skyhawk (called A-4B by the Argentines) were bought from the US Navy inventory in 1966 and at the time of the war were painted green/brown topsides with light blue undersides heavily faded colours. Yellows identity markings were also added during the conflict. These aircraft provided outstanding performance and availability even in the harsh operating conditions of the South Atlantic with most of them returning from missions with some form of battle damage and were patched up and pressed back into service within matter of hours. Because of this, pilots used to change airframes between sorties. In spite of using two 295-gallon drop tanks they needed aerial refueling twice during missions. The ordnance used during the conflict were one British-made 1000 lb Mk 17 bomb or four Spanish-made 500 lb retarding tail Expal-Explosivos Alaveses (named BRP). American 500 lb retarding tail Mark 82 bombs ("Snake Eye") were also available but used infrequently. The aircraft were also armed with two 20 mm cannons but without any air-to-air missile, Radar warning receiver or chaff for self-defence.

Later career

Carballo later became Chief of the Weapons Test Center at Cordoba and passed a Master on Strategy at the USAF Air War College, before becoming Director of INAC, the Argentine civil aviation school He retired from the Air Force on April 2, 2001, as a Comodoro (USAF equivalent: Colonel and RAF equivalent: Group Captain ) As of 2006, he was professor of the Flying School at Cordoba.

Publications