MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

U.S. donates state-of-the-art radars to Argentina

Argentina's air force on Thursday received one of two state-of-the-art radars donated by the United States to help step up the nation's border security, the Defense Ministry reported.

The TPS-43 radar is equipped to monitor air space within a radius of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles) and provide detailed information about any object being tracked, including distance, altitude and speed.

Another high-tech radar is scheduled to arrive here within the next two weeks. Authorities made no public announcement as to where the radars will be placed.

Nonetheless, government officials said the radars, which the United States previously kept in Bosnia, will be used "to monitor hot spots" in Argentina's northern border.

The "hot spots" reference is to the north-western provinces bordering Bolivia and the so-called "triple border" in the northeast, where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet.

The Argentine air force, which for two years has been working to modernize its radar systems, said most irregular flights - presumably involving arms or drug trafficking - take place in the north.

The United States has urged authorities in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay to step up security at the triple border, an area with a large Muslim presence suspected of having ties to terrorist groups.

The donation of the radars was secured during Defense Minister Jose Pampuro's December visit to Washington, where he met with Gen. James Hill, head of the U.S. Southern Command.

Pampuro said Thursday that controlling Argentina's air space "is vital for national security" and praised the U.S. donation. He refused to answer questions about where the radars would be installed.

The two U.S. radars, estimated to cost some $1.5 million each, can be installed on trucks, making them easy to move about,