A delegation consisting of representatives of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, Denmark and the USA has arrived in Argentina, its purpose was to determine the technical requirements and needs for the Argentine Air Force to be able to rearm the country with the F-16 fighters. For the next 10 days, this delegation will conduct an assessment and review Argentina's logistical, material and infrastructural capabilities at the base of the 6th Aviation Brigade that is located in Tandilla, near Buenos Aires.
The head of the Argentine Air Force, Brigadier General Xavier Julián Isaac, told reporters that they are currently at the Rio Gallegos Air Base, as InfoDefensa reports.
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It is noted that Argentina plans to purchase used Danish F-16 fighters. The first talks on this topic between Argentina and Denmark began at the end of 2022. The Argentinians themselves are quite satisfied with the option of Danish F-16s in terms of the technical condition of these aircraft, but the two parties have not yet agreed on the possible cost of selling these aircraft.
It is known that Argentina wants to form a squadron of at least 18 fighters. The system of logistical support in the Argentine Air Force is significantly different from that in Denmark. Therefore, the issue of buying one "air tanker" for Argentina is a separate issue during the negotiations.
Argentina has been trying to buy new fighters since 2015, when was forced to finally write off its Mirage III and aircraft of derivative modifications (at that time, the Argentines had eight Mirage III, four Mirage 5 and four Nesher, the last two are derived from the Mirage III).
From the very beginning, Buenos Aires planned the purchase of the generation 4++ fighters, so immediately rejected the option of buying used Israeli Kfir aircraft or Italian M-346 combat training aircraft. Instead, the Argentines tried to agree on the purchase of South Korean FA-50 or Swedish JAS 39 Gripen.
But another factor played its role: after the Falklands War in 1982, Great Britain, as the victorious state, tried to block the supply of any weapons to Argentina, where British components are used.
Or trying to put pressure on all loyal countries so that they do not sell weapons and equipment to Argentina, who seek to revive the fighting capacity of their army and take revenge for the loss again. Therefore, in the end, South Korea and Sweden did not dare to sell their fighters to Argentina.
Against this background, russia tried to sell the MiG-35 fighters to Argentina, but due to own greed, Moscow wasn’t able to agree on the purchase. So the option arose that the Chinese could sell their JF-17 jets. But here the White House decided to intervene, which did not want to allow the delivery of fighter jets from China, so instead it allowed the purchase of the F-16.
According to The Military Balance 2022, Argentina currently has only 12 A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft from combat aviation, which are asking for the retirement. In turn, in early 2022, Denmark had 44 F-16 fighters, which will remain in service until 2027, in parallel with the acquisition of new F-35s.
In early January 2023, there were reports in the Western media that Denmark or the Netherlands could be suppliers of F-16s for Ukraine. And now it is not entirely clear whether only Argentina will purchase Danish F-16s or whether Ukraine will also be the recipient of these aircraft.
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