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In December, the first year of work of the new leadership of Argentina, led by Javier Miley, who promised to modernize the country's armed forces, ends.
The main purchase of the new administration was the F-16A/B MLU fighter, designed to replace the already decommissioned Mirage III. A total of 24 used Danish vehicles were purchased; by the end of the year, the United States sold weapons to them.
At the same time, there is no training center for pilots, and the facilities at the air base are not adapted to accommodate American fighters, although the first of them should be delivered on December 25. The two KC-130H Hercules tankers in service are not adapted to the F-16, as they do not have the appropriate arrows.
At the same time, Air Force projects that did not provide for supplies from the United States ended in failure, namely, the purchase of Boeing 737 from the Spanish company GECI Española Aerospace was disrupted and the UBS IA-63 Pampa modernization project of Argentine design, which is also used as a light attack aircraft, was curtailed, and therefore it was planned to equip it with guided bombs – the corresponding tests of 250-kg of inert ammunition were successful.
As a result of the crash with the death of the pilot, one of the A-4AR Fightinghawk attack aircraft was lost, the condition of the fleet of which (out of about 20 vehicles) requires urgent overhaul. However, they are expected to be written off. Extremely low availability is observed in the Hercules military transport vehicle fleet.
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Attack aircraft A-4AR of the Argentine Air Force
The main programs of the Navy turned out to be paralyzed: the restoration of the potential of submarines with the help of France, the development and construction of a new icebreaker in partnership with the Finnish company AKER in addition to the only vessel of this type ARA Almirante Irízar, the conversion of the corvette ARA Parker into a patrol ship.
- it is said in the local edition of Zona Militar.
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The ARA Almirante Irízar icebreaker of the Argentine Navy
There were no resources either for the purchase of Israeli Atmos self-propelled guns, or for the development of their own self-propelled guns based on the existing equipment. And this is against the background of the decommissioning of the AMX-13 F3 AM ACS. However, the main hopes were pinned on the TAM medium tank modernization program to the TAM 2C standard, as it was believed that it would allow the revival of the local defense industry to begin. But the implementation of this project has stalled and now we are talking about the privatization of the IMPSA engineering company, which was responsible for the relevant work on the tank.
The authorities, following the general course of Miley, intend to carry out the maximum possible privatization. Among the defense companies, not only IMPSA is under attack, but also the TANDANOR shipyard with the FAdeA aircraft factory.
- they believe in Zona Militar.
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TAM 2C tank of the Argentine Army
Thus, the only significant deal conducted by the new authorities, who do not deny their pro-American course, was the purchase of F-16 fighters against the background of the general collapse in the army, Air Force and navy. It is obvious that the adoption of these used aircraft is beneficial primarily for the United States, which has received a new regular buyer of spare parts and ammunition in the person of Argentina.
All the funds planned for the modernization of the troops eventually went to the purchase of F-16 from Denmark for $ 300 million. Now they will be spent on expensive restoration of these aircraft, their maintenance, modernization, as well as equipping fighters with weapons.
