 | This articlehas an unclearcitation style. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style ofcitation andfootnoting.(April 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Pablo Marcos Rafael Carballo | |
|---|---|
 Cpt Pablo Carballo depicted in 1983 | |
| Born | (1947-12-11)December 11, 1947 (age 77) Buenos Aires,Argentina |
| Allegiance | Argentina |
| Service | Argentine Air Force |
| Years of service | 1971–2001 |
| Rank | Commodore |
| Battles / wars | Falklands War |
| Awards | Argentine Nation to the Heroic Valour in Combat Cross, the Argentine Congressional Medal, and the Highest Distinction of the Argentine Air Force. |
| Other work | Professor,Escuela de Aviación Militar,Córdoba (currently) |
CommodorePablo Marcos Rafael Carballo (born 11 December 1947) is a retired member of the Argentine Air Force - theFuerza Aérea Argentina (FAA) - who fought in the 1982Falklands War where he participated in actions that led to the sinking of threeRoyal Navy ships. He was awarded the highest national military decoration: theArgentine Nation to the Heroic Valour in Combat Cross, the Argentine Congressional Medal, and the Highest Distinction of the Argentine Air Force.
Ensign Carballo graduated as a pilot in the 37th class ofEscuela de Aviación Militar (Military Flying School) of the FAA atCórdoba in 1971. In 1972, he graduated as a fighter pilot in the 4th Air Brigade (Spanish:IV Brigada Aérea ) atEl Plumerillo,Mendoza flyingMorane-Saulnier MS-760 Paris andNorth 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 (Spanish:V Brigada Aérea ), Villa Reynolds,San Luis Province to flyA-4B Skyhawks where he was promoted from section leader to brigade chief of operations. He then served on 6th Air Brigade (Spanish:VI Brigada Aérea ) atTandil flyingFingers andMirage III becoming the squadron chief.
In 1982 Captain Carballo was section leader at 5th Air Brigade flyingA-4B Skyhawks. The unit deployed to the southern airfieldPuerto Santa Cruzap and airbaseRio Gallegos inSanta Cruz Province when hostilities broke out.
He took part in the following missions: (showing: approximate local time | Aircraft | Call signal )
TheA-4P Skyhawk (called A-4B by the Argentines) were bought from theUS 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-gallondrop tanks they neededaerial 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 tailExpal-Explosivos Alaveses (named BRP). American 500 lb retarding tailMark 82 bombs ("Snake Eye") were also available but used infrequently. The aircraft were also armed with two20 mm cannons but without anyair-to-air missile,Radar warning receiver orchaff for self-defence.
Carballo later became Chief of the Weapons Test Center (Spanish:Centro de Ensayos de Armamentos y Sistemas Operativos ) at Cordoba and passed a Master on Strategy at the USAFAir War College, before becoming Director of INAC (Spanish:Instituto Nacional de Aviación Civil), the Argentine civil aviation school
He retired from the Air Force on April 2, 2001, as aComodoro (USAF equivalent:Colonel andRAF equivalent:Group Captain )
As of 2006, he was professor of the Flying School at Cordoba.
