Sabres in 1962

In 1961 the Argentine Air Force ordered its units to form display teams, and early in 1962 the Cruz del Sur (Southern Cross) was formed with six North American F-86F Sabres of the IV Air Brigade at Mendoza. According to English Wikipedia it was disbanded in December 1962, with aerobatic use of the Sabres continuing sporadically until 1985; the Spanish article treats 1962–1985 as a continuous first period.

The Sukhoi team

The team was reborn in 1997 on seven Sukhoi Su-29AR single-seat aerobatic aircraft at El Plumerillo, Mendoza, in a light blue and white livery. It was a piston-engined aerobatic team rather than a jet one. Maintenance and spare-parts problems led to the team being stood down in 2006, although two aircraft kept flying displays until 2010.

A revival that never flew

In 2013 the Air Force announced a relaunch at Morón with six locally built FMA IA-63 Pampa II jets in a new scheme. Budget limits meant only one, E-820, was allocated; it carried the team’s colours and the number 1 for a time before being repainted in standard low-visibility grey, and the team never returned to display flying.