MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mirage Dagger plaza to remember “fire baptism”

Argentina's Air Force “fire baptism” next May first will be commemorated with the exhibition in Santa Cruz province of the first Mirage Dagger to enter combat in the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict against Great Britain.

The ceremony in Puerto San Julián which also includes the unveiling of a monument to Malvinas veterans will be headed by Argentina's Defence minister Nilda Garré, Commander in Chief of the Air Force Brigadier Eduardo Schiaffino, Santa Cruz governor Carlos Sancho and other federal and provincial officials.

Puerto San Julián, 370 kilometres north of Rio Gallegos played a crucial role in 1982 since most Argentine aircrafts took off from this base to bomb the advancing British forces in Falklands.

The Mirage Dagger which was the first to take off from Argentina to fight in the Falklands will become a national monument in a square specially built to remember the event.

"The aircraft will be located in the exact coordinates at the moment it took off for the Argentine Malvinas; it will a memory symbol of those historic moments for our motherland", said Commodore Miguel Bruzo currently head of the Comodoro Rivadavia air base and a Malvinas veteran.

"The Mirage was flown to Patagonia in pieces by a Hercules and assembled by our personnel", revealed Commodore Bruzo.

"In between three small concrete plazas which represent the archipelago, the Mirage emerges into the sky from a concrete base eight metres long by 2.5 wide".

Commodores Bruzo recalled that weighing 3.750 kilos plus two additional fuel tanks of 600 litres each, the Mirage could only remain over the Islands for a few minutes.