Argentina signed an agreement to buy 24 used F-16 fighter jets from Denmark. The Danish side, in turn, is updating its fleet with the latest F-35 aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
The agreement was formalized in a letter of intent signed by Argentine Defense Minister Luis Petri and his Danish counterpart Troels Lund Poulsen in Buenos Aires on March 26. The ceremony was also attended by the US Ambassador to Argentina, Mark Stanley.
Poulsen said that Denmark would give Ukraine 19 F-16 fighter jets as aid, while the government decided to sell 24 Danish F-16s to Argentina. He described the deal as a “possible sale.”
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The Danish Ministry of Defense emphasized that the decision to sell the aircraft to Argentina was made in close cooperation with the US government, which approved the sale of these American fighters.
According to local military sources in Buenos Aires, who spoke to Defense News on condition of anonymity, Argentina will spend $320 million on the acquisition. It is noted that the deal will be financed by loans from banks and the United States, including not only aircraft, but also weapons and other equipment made in the United States. Denmark will also provide simulators and spare parts.
The final contract is expected to be signed in late April in Copenhagen.
The sale and transfer of arms, including the AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missile, will be managed by the U.S. Security and Defense Cooperation Agency as part of the Pentagon’s Foreign Military Sales program.
The Danish Procurement and Logistics Organization will handle the transfer of the F-16s, while the Argentine Army Logistics Directorate will oversee the procurement process in Argentina.
Negotiations on this agreement began during the previous government of Argentina under the leadership of then-President Alberto Fernandez and included consideration of the possibility of purchasing new Sino-Pakistani JF-17 fighters. However, the potential purchase of the JF-17 was rejected due to concerns about a possible negative impact on relations with the US military.
