Argentina is considering buying Indian Tejas and Sino-Pakistani JF-16 Thunder fighters

By: Maksim Panasovskiy | 30.08.2022, 16:19

Argentina is ready to renew its Air Force fleet with new fighters and is considering the purchase of two models of aircraft.

Here's What We Know

The first option for the Argentine Air Force is Indian Tejas aircraft. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Argentina for a two-day visit at the invitation of colleague Santiago Cafiero.

The ministers discussed cooperation between India and Argentina in various fields including defence, nuclear energy and space sector. The two sides agreed to strengthen relations in the defense sector, and the purchase of Tejas aircraft could be one of the components. However, this is not all smooth sailing.

Argentina cannot just buy Indian fighters. To complete the deal, India must get permission from Britain to supply the planes, because Tejas use British components. The United Kingdom imposed an arms embargo on Argentina after the Falklands War, which began and ended in 1982.

For this reason, Argentina could not buy French Dassault Super Etendard aircraft with British MK6 ejection seats. By the way, identical seats are used in India's Tejas fighters.

The second option for Argentina are JF-17 Thunder fighters jointly produced by China and Pakistan. Juan Martin Paleo, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Argentine Armed Forces, visited the Pakistani factory where the JF-17 Block III is being produced on August 26.

Apparently, Argentina will opt for the JF-17 Thunder. These are the fighters mentioned in the government's national budget proposal. The cost of the deal to buy 12 fighter jets could be $664 million.

Source: Ministry of Defense of India, @SA_Defensa

Images: The National Interest, South Asia Voices, The Defense Post

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