MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's Defense Minister interested in India-built weaponry

Defense negotiations between Argentina and India were resumed under Taiana

Argentina's Defense Minister Jorge Taiana held a meeting with his Indian colleague Rajnath Singh to discuss the purchase of weapons for the South American country, including fighter jet planes.

During the Argentine official's trip to the Asian nation, both defense ministers also announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding and a training agreement providing for joint activities for officers and cadets of the Armed Forces of the two countries. “We have a concrete opportunity in the field of defense and we will be able to make a quality leap in the cooperation between both countries,” Taiana said.

“We are going to see the Tejas fighter planes at the HAL [Hindustan Aeronautics Limited] factory, they are part of the bilateral dialogues, but there will be no definitions in this trip,” government sources quoted by La Nación in Buenos Aires said. Other options under consideration include Chinese JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft and F-16 aircraft offered by the United States and Denmark.

Taiana will visit HAL's facilities on Thursday and is also considering a possible letter of intent with the aforementioned company for the purchase of some 20 helicopters for the Army, although it is not a priority.

Taiana also met with authorities of the Brahmos missile company, which produces a supersonic cruise missile. He was briefed about the manufacture of the missile and its variants and about the firm's production capabilities, research, and improvements.

In 2019, after a delegation from India arrived in Buenos Aires, the Argentina-India Defense Commission was established, but no actual progress has been achieved since. The negotiations with India were reactivated under Taiana.

In February this year, the Argentine Air Force signed a contract with HAL for the maintenance of the engines of its Lama helicopters. Last month, the Córdoba-based Aircraft Factory (Fadea) and HAL signed an agreement for joint development in the aerospace sector, while Taiana held a meeting with HAL authorities, in which India's Ambassador to Buenos Aires also took part.