TSAMTO, August 26. The Argentine government has officially requested information on the MiG-35 multi-purpose fighter from Rosoboronexport JSC for technical and commercial analysis.
According to the Argentine website TN.com.ar, the request for information was transmitted in early 2021. This coincided with the shipment of the Sputnik-V vaccine to Argentina, which dramatically increased Russia's" influence " in the country's government. A plan to build nuclear power plants in Argentina is also being promoted.
The version about Argentina's interest in acquiring Russian fighters has been circulating in the media for several months. The document to which the applicant appeals TN.com.ar, for the first time confirms that the Argentine Air Force has officially requested information about Russian fighters.
The Argentine Air Force announced the need to purchase a supersonic fighter without specifying the details. In addition to the interest in the MiG-35, the possibility of acquiring a Chinese JF-17 is also being analyzed. In addition, there is information that the United States may offer a batch of F-16s.40 after the modernization.
The purchase of any of these aircraft will be carried out from the National Defense Fund (FONDEF), an initiative implemented under the administration of Agustin Rossi in the Ministry of Defense and aimed at re – equipping the country's Armed Forces.
Recall that the commander of the Argentine Air Force, Brigadier General Xavier Isaac, met with Russian Ambassador Dmitry Feoktistov on January 19, 2021, with whom he discussed the prospects for bilateral military-technical cooperation.
Although the topics raised during the meeting were not officially announced, it is assumed that the proposals made earlier for the supply of Russian aircraft to Argentina were discussed.
The Russian Federation has long sought to establish relations with Argentina in the field of military-technical cooperation, including the possibility of partial technology transfer, the creation of production centers and maintenance.
As for the aircraft, the original Russian proposal included MiG-29 and Su-30 fighters, as well as Yak-130 combat training aircraft with the possibility of assembling them at the Argentine company Fabrica Argentina de Aviones SA (FAdeA). The Mi-171Sh transport and combat helicopters were also offered.
Back in January 2017, Argentina sent a commercial offer to Russia, providing for the purchase of more than 15 MiG-29 fighters. However, in early October 2019, it became known that Argentina postponed the decision on the purchase of Russian fighter jets, justifying such a step with the upcoming presidential elections.
Deputy Director of the Federal Customs Service Anatoly Punchuk then said in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency that after the presidential elections in the country, negotiations can resume.
