TSAMTO, September 23. The Argentine government announced in the country's parliament that it plans to allocate about $ 684 million for the purchase of new fighter jets and the creation of appropriate infrastructure.
According to Defense News, this information was contained in the responses to the requests of the Defense Committee of the Chamber of Deputies sent by Prime Minister Juan Mansura and Defense Minister Jorge Tayana.
The budget approved at the end of last year for 2022 provides for the allocation of $ 664 million for the purchase of combat aircraft, as well as an additional $ 20 million. to create the infrastructure necessary for their support and operation.
In the responses sent to the Parliament, the new aircraft is called a multi-purpose fighter equipped with an active phased array radar (AFAR), an in-flight refueling system compatible with the Argentine Air Force tanker aircraft, and an electronic countermeasures complex.
Aircraft with an open architecture should ensure the integration of weapons and other systems of any origin, but there should be no British-made or developed components in the equipment. The UK has been preventing Argentina from purchasing new combat aircraft for a long time, prohibiting the re-export of systems developed by British manufacturers.
The responses named aircraft types that have already been evaluated as potential contenders, including the Chinese-Pakistani JF-17, the American F-16, the Indian LCA Tejas and the Russian MiG-35.
According to a number of anonymous sources of the publication, the choice of the MiG-35 is unlikely "for political and logistical" reasons, and the Indian Tejas contains an in-flight refueling system developed by the British, radar components and ejection seats of the British company Martin-Baker, the replacement of which is difficult and expensive.
The command of the Argentine Air Force would prefer the F-16, but the US government imposes strict conditions and restrictions on the sale of aircraft. So, for a month, no response has been received to Argentina's request for the possibility of integrating long-range Derby air-to-air guided missiles and other Israeli weapons and systems on board. Argentina believes that such behavior is dictated by pressure from the UK.
All this pushes the Argentine authorities towards the purchase of the Chinese fighter JF-17 / FC-1, in the design of which there are no British components. In addition, Israel Aerospace Industries is resuming a campaign to promote the purchase of refurbished and upgraded Kfir aircraft.
Independent Argentine military analyst Colonel (retired) Guillermo Lafferriere is skeptical about Argentina's intentions to purchase a new combat aircraft. In his opinion, representatives of the Air Force can conduct long negotiations, travel abroad to familiarize themselves with proposals, they can even sign letters of intent, but not contracts. The colonel explains this by the fact that the forces in power have been called war criminals for decades and have not funded the modernization of the armed forces.
