The Lockheed Martin product F-16 Fighting Falcon will soon be a South American warbird, as the U.S. State Department this week approved the Foreign Military Sale to the Argentine government for the multirole fighter jet. Buenos Aires had requested twenty-four F-16 Block 10/15 aircraft which would be delivered via a third-party transfer.

Last year, the United States approved Argentina’s acquisition of the two dozen companies Danish F-16in a deal valued at $320 million.

Support offer

The new announced $941 million contract will see Argentina 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 various other munitions . , as well as communications and navigation equipment, spare parts, ground support systems and technical support for the Block 10/15 Fighting 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,” he said. said the Defense and Security Cooperation Agency. (DSCA).

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

Blocking Russia and China with F-16s

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

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

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

If China had succeeded in selling its jets to Argentina – along with other weapons, including armored vehicles – Beijing would almost certainly do so. managed to enter in the country’s defense and security infrastructure. Worse still for Washington, Argentina might not have been the only one to adopt the JF-17 and other Chinese equipment.

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

Instead, the F-16 will fly to Argentina.

Experience and expertise of the author: Peter Suciu

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

Image credit: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.