Overview
- The provincial government says a Royal Air Force A400M flying between Montevideo and the Falklands shut off its transponder mid-route, which left the flight untrackable on civil radar and raised a possible unauthorized entry into Argentine airspace.
- Tierra del Fuego sent a formal note to Uruguay’s ambassador and asked Argentina’s civil aviation authority ANAC for radar traces to verify the aircraft’s path and permissions.
- Uruguay’s Air Force said the flight was humanitarian, carried two patients, and operated under decree 419/021 that allows such military flights for medical assistance.
- Argentina’s national Foreign Ministry had not issued a detailed public response at the time of the latest reports, drawing criticism from former officials and fueling calls for clarity.
- Transponders broadcast an aircraft’s identity and position to controllers, so switching one off on a non-combat flight heightens safety concerns and may prompt tighter scrutiny of future UK military logistics through regional airports.