MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina unveils non-airworthy F-16 for training purposes

The first airworthy F-16s are to be flown straight from Denmark later this year

The so-called 25th F-16 unit of a batch of 24 second-hand US-built fighter jets purchased from Denmark was unveiled this week at the Tail Argentine Air Force Base. This particular F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft is not airworthy and will only serve training purposes at the Ground Instruction Center, it was explained during the ceremony presided over by Defense Minister Luis Petri, who insisted that this acquisition represented “sovereignty” and “peace.”

Having an aircraft permanently on the ground for training will avoid having to use one of the other 24 aircraft that will arrive in the next few years, which will have full operational capacity and can therefore always be in service, it was explained. The two-seater 25th aircraft was acquired at a cost of AR$ 100 million (around US$ 94,000).

Petri highlighted President Javier Milei's Libertarian government's commitment to strengthening the Armed Forces and criticized past administrations for weakening them. Argentina's Air Force has not had any supersonic aircraft since phasing out the remaining French-built Dassault Mirage IIIs a decade ago. The 24 F-16s purchased from Denmark are due in the country sometime this year.

“This thing that I have behind my back, that we are presenting and that is going to be accompanied by 24 more aircraft if it could be defined in one word, that would be 'sovereignty'. But, if we had to choose another word to define this historic moment, that would be 'peace.' We have regained our place among the nations that understand that sovereignty is defended with determination, with political decision, and with the commitment of the Forces”, said Petri. “With the conviction of President Javier Milei we have turned this sad page and we can say that the abandonment and neglect have come to an end,” he added.

Also attending the event at the VI Air Brigade in Tandil were Air Force Chief of Staff Gustavo Javier Valverde and his predecessor Xavier Issac, now Chief of the Joint Armed Forces Command. “We are here for the challenges. I do not doubt that the officers and soldiers will be up to the task. It is what we deserve, what we always dreamed of, and what we aspire to. Today, let's enjoy it; tomorrow, let's roll up our sleeves and keep working,” said Isaac.

The Argentine Air Force picked the F-16s as the best choice to replace the 58 aircraft lost in the 1982 South Atlantic conflict, Valverde pointed out. The new static aircraft was already assembled with the training armament, consisting of a CATM-120B missile and a TER-9/A (triple ejection rack), among other features. In the meantime, it was not ruled out that Argentine pilots slated to fly the F-16s will make training trips to other countries such as Denmark or Portugal where the model is in use.