BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Denmark will sell 24 used F-16 fighter jets to Argentina as the Nordic country builds up its air force, the Danish defense ministry said on Tuesday.
The contract, which followed a declaration of intent unveiled in March, was formally signed during Argentine Defence Minister Luis Alfonso Petri’s visit to the Danish Skrydstrup air base.
According to Danish media, Denmark is upgrading its fleet to the more modern F-35 and has about 40 F-16s, of which about 30 are in service.
The country has also promised to supply an unspecified number of this type of aircraft to Ukraine and has begun training Ukrainian pilots.
“I am very pleased that the Danish F-16s, which have served us well over the years and have been thoroughly maintained and technologically updated, will now benefit Argentina’s air force,” Argentine Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement.
The Argentine Defence Ministry said in a statement that the Danish F-16s will be modernized and equipped with the best technology and will form the backbone of Argentina’s air defense system.
The aircraft will replace the Mirage aircraft, which were in service for more than 40 years before being retired in 2017.
Denmark’s defence ministry previously valued the contract, which also includes engines, spare parts, simulators and training equipment, at around 2.1 billion kroner ($300 million).
The spokesman for the Argentine presidency, Manuel Adorni, spoke of “around $300 million.”
A delivery date has not been announced, but it is expected within the next few years, and the contract has been approved by the US, which manufactures the F-16.
Javier Milli, the president of Argentina since December, considers Washington a natural ally.
In recent years, media reports have pointed to proposals from China and India to reorganize Argentina’s air force, which gave up its last French Mirage in 2017 after 40 years of service.
