Argentina wants to improve the capacity of its Air Force with one of the most important investments in recent decades. After signing a letter of intent in March, the country’s Defense Minister, Luis Petri, Twitter.com/luispetri/status/1780194086877602247″>advertisement On April 16, the purchase of 24 combat aircraft F-16 Fighting Falcon to Denmark.
The operation, which according to the Government costs around 300 million dollars, also includes important complementary elements such as weapons, spare parts and a simulator for pilot training. The fighters are expected to arrive in batches to Argentine territory, starting with a first shipment this year.
Brazil, the protagonist of the region
This movement by Argentina materializes in a context where Denmark seeks to renew its fleet with the modern F-35 Lightning II. The F-16s, which began flying ago more than 40 yearsthey still continue to be highly respected aircraft internationally and can be key to the defense of the Latin American country.
Over the decades they have stood out for an interesting set of characteristics. The F-16s are highly maneuverable supersonic fighters that can detect targets in adverse weather conditions. In addition, they have been designed to carry and launch a wide range of munitions, including AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.
As Argentina prepares to play a more prominent role at the defense level in the region, many are wondering which is the Latin American country with increased air power. According to the Global Air Powers Ranking (2024) prepared by the WDMMA, Brazil holds first place with an inventory of 527 aircraft.
Certainly, not all of the assets of Latin America’s largest country are fighters. 37.4% of the fleet is destined for air combat, 23.9% for transportation and 17.6% for training. Among the highlights we find the Northrop F-5 designed by the American giant Northrop Grumman Corporation.
The Brazilian Air Force operates around 40 of these aircraft originally launched in the 1960s. We are facing a type of agile, reliable and highly maneuverable supersonic combat aircraft that has a great presence in the world. In fact, it has been manufactured under license by countries such as Spain, Taiwan and Switzerland.
Brazil also has several AMX A-1 attack aircraft developed jointly with Italy. These are subsonic units that can fly at low or high altitude, even at night. They boast, in addition to a low radar signature, two standard projectile guns and the ability to launch a wide range of bombs.
But the country’s military forces are incorporating a new and advanced aircraft. Approximately a year ago, the Government announced the start-up of the first production line of the F-39 Gripen outside Sweden. Currently, Brazil has seven units manufactured in Europe, but there are at least twenty on the way.
Returning to the WDMMA ranking, behind Brazil we find Chile. According to United Press International, Chile operated a total of 44 F-16s in 2020. Almost a dozen corresponded to the Block 50 edition purchased in the early 2000s while the rest were somewhat older models previously purchased from the Netherlands.
Chile, like Brazil, also has several Northrop F-5s, many of which were acquired in the mid-1970s and upgraded to a more modern variant in the nineties. The next place goes to Argentina, which boasts a dozen A-4AR Fightinghawk fighters.
It is a subsonic tactical aircraft. The country’s Armed Forces, it should be noted, do not have supersonic capabilities since the retirement of the legendary Mirage III fighters almost ten years ago. Among the air assets with light attack and training capabilities we find the IA-63 Pampa III manufactured in national territory by FAdeA.
Images | Ministry of Defense of Argentina | Brazilian Air Force | FAdeA | Tomaz Silva/Brazil Agency
In WorldOfSoftware | What happened to those 400 planes from Western companies that were in Russian territory when the war in Ukraine began and Moscow has refused to return them?