Five Super Étendards, or "Sue" () as they are called, and five Exocet missiles had already been shipped to Argentina in November 1981, when an arms embargo by the European Economic Community—of which France was a member—imposed in response to the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina halted deliveries. More problematically, the French technicians working at Bahía Blanca on the integration of the Exocet into the Super Etendard received orders to leave the country. Nevertheless, the Squadron managed to complete the work. Additionally, Britain took actions that prevented Argentina from acquiring more Exocets.