Argentina’s quest for new fighter aircraft has seen an important strategic shift. According to local newspaper La Nacion, Joe Biden’s administration sent two notifications to the US Congress asking for authorization to sell up to 38 second-hand Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets to Argentine Air Force. The proposal could also include four P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.
The F-16 that can be included in the proposal are aircraft that belong to the Royal Danish Air Force and are currently in storage. There are up to six fighters in the Block 10 and 32 Block 15 versions, valued at US$ 338,695,634.
As for the patrol planes, they are four P-3C valued at US$ 108,448,910 and stored by the Norwegian Air Force, one of which is equipped for anti-submarine warfare.
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The operations, as the documents obtained by the publication indicate, are acquisition movements evaluated by the Argentine Air Force and Navy.
The notifications note that Washington is prepared “to authorize this transfer taking into account political, military, economic, human rights and arms control considerations” and that the sale of the equipment to Buenos Aires “is consistent with the objectives of assistance to the security of U.S”.
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State Department notices under the Biden administration were sent to the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the paper reported.
Chinese influence in South America
The approval of the negotiation by the two houses of Congress is an initial step towards authorizing the sale of aircraft manufactured in the USA, even if they currently belong to other nations.
In addition to the proposal for Danish F-16 fighters brokered by the US, the government of Alberto Fernández also has offers from India (with the HAL Tejas) and from China and Pakistan (which offer the PAC/Chengdu JF-17 Thunder) on the table.
More than a simple sale of military aircraft, the negotiations have geopolitical contours in which each side seeks to attract Argentina into its sphere of influence.
The United States has been concerned about the Chinese advance in South America and the possible sale of the F-16 would block part of this movement. However, weighing against the proposal is the fact that Lockheed Martin fighters are outdated while the JF-17 is an aircraft with current technology.
