F-16 fighter jets will fly to Argentina with American weapons

Manufactured by Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon will soon be a South American warbird as the US State Department approved the foreign military sale to the Government of Argentina for the multi-role combat aircraft this week. Buenos Aires had requested twenty-four F-16 Block 10/15 aircraft to be delivered via a third-party transfer.

Last year, the US approved Argentina’s purchase of the two dozen Denmark’s F-16in a deal valued at $320 million.

Support offer

The newly announced $941 million contract Argentina will receive thirty-six AIM-120 C-8 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs), 102 MK-82 500-pound general-purpose bombs, 50 GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs and other assorted munitions, as well as communication and navigation equipment, spare parts, ground support systems and technical support for Block 10/15 Combat Falcons.

Lockheed Martin will be the prime contractor on the deal and will oversee the modernization of the fighters.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by enhancing the security of a major non-NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in South America,” the Cooperation Agency for Defense Security. (DSCA) explained.

“The proposed sale will enhance Argentina’s ability to meet current and future threats by providing additional capability to conduct air defense, counter-air offensive and close air support operations. Argentina will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces,” DSCA added. . “The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not change the basic military balance in the region.”

Blocking Russia and China with F-16s

Although the DSCA did not specify as much, the decision to approve the transfer of the Danish F-16 Fighting Falcons was seen as blocking Buenos Aires from concluding any agreement with Beijing or Moscow.

While Argentine Defense Minister Luis Afonso Petri described the F-16s in April as “the best aircraft ever to fly in the skies of the South American region and the world,” Argentina also expressed , interest in the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-24. (NATO reporting name Fencer) and China-Pakistan JF-17 Thunder jet fighters.

Beijing partnered with Islamabad on the Thunder, which was marketed to the developing world as a low-cost fighter jet.

If China had managed to sell its planes to Argentina – along with other weapons, including armored vehicles – Beijing would almost certainly they won entry in the defense and security infrastructure of the country. Even worse for Washington, it may not have been just Argentina that could have adopted the JF-17 and other Chinese hardware.

Rick Fisher, senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for International Assessment and Strategy, told Voice of America at the beginning of this year that “other Latin American countries would have been encouraged to follow in his footsteps”.

Instead, the F-16 will fly to Argentina.

Experience and expertise of the author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a writer from Michigan. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites with more than 3,200 articles published over a twenty-year career in journalism. He writes regularly on military hardware, firearms history, cyber security, politics and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: (email protected).

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