Colombia Picked Rafale Jets with Financing from France

A lucrative French offer to finance $2.8 billion over six years to acquire 13 Dassault Rafale jets may have prompted Colombia to prefer the Dassault Rafale jet over competitors such as Saab Gripen, F-16 and Eurofighter Typhoon

In addition, $678 million will be paid upfront to procure some 3-4 aircraft initially to make up a total order of 16 Rafale fighters, several Colombian experts posted on social media.

Defense Minister Iván Velásquez was quoted as saying by Colombian publication The City Paper that the Rafale is “the best option, given price, efficiency and operability.”

In the past, Dassault Aviation, supported by the French government clinched its first export deal by offering a liberal financial package by a consortium of French banks to enable Egypt to place an order for 36 Rafale jets.

Ironically, the Rafale purchase was greenlit by Colombia’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro who recently initiated a full restoration of diplomatic ties with the Russia-aligned leftist Venezuela whose armed forces are largely equipped with Russian arms.

Following this declaration, Columbia has claimed to have received offers to replace the Kfir with U.S made F-16s, Sweden’s Saab Gripens and British Aerospace Eurofighter Typhoons.

The initial bid raised during the second term of President Juan Manuel Santos to replace the countries fleet of Kfirs was shelved to preserve the peace between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas. The Kfirs arrived in Colombia in 1989 and 23 jets are currently operational at FAC’s Palanquero air base, near Puerto Salgar, Cundinamarca.