Argentina Signs Letter Of Intent To Purchase Ex-Danish F-16s
The government of Argentina signed a letter of intent for the purchase of 24 Danish F-16s on Tuesday, the first major military procurement made under President Javier Millei.
The letter of intent was signed by Argentinian defense minister Luis Alfonso Petri and his Danish counterpart Troels Lund Poulsen in Buenos Aires.
“I have had an extremely fruitful meeting with my Argentine colleague who has expressed great satisfaction on becoming member of the family of F-16 nations across the globe. The deal has been negotiated in collaboration with the United States,” said Poulsen in a Danish government statement issued after the signing. The statement continued:
“Danish Defence is in the process of replacing its F-16 fleet with new F-35 jets. Denmark is donating 19 F-16 jets to Ukraine, and the government has decided to sell 24 Danish F-16 jets to Argentina. I am therefore very pleased that my Argentine colleague and I today in Buenos Aires have signed a letter of intent on the possible sale.”
The United States’ State Department approved the possible sale of the Danish F-16s to Argentina in October 2023. While Argentina has traditionally purchased military equipment from the United States and other Western nations, the United Kingdom has exercised a de facto veto on Argentina’s purchase of Western military hardware containing UK-made components since the Falklands War, such as any aircraft using Martin-Baker ejection seats.
However, the Danish F-16s use ACES ejection seats manufactured by Collins Aerospace in the United States, allowing the possible sale to go forward without obstruction. A formal contract closing the deal is expected to be signed in April.
While the Millei government has embarked on harsh economic austerity measures since entering power, Millei has pledged to invest in the modernization of the Argentine armed forces. Buenos Aires sought to purchase the F-16s to replace the Mirage IIIs it retired in 2015, with a Chinese proposal offering JF-17s ultimately rejected in late 2023.