Argentina to Buy 24 Used F-16 Aircraft from Denmark

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen met his Argentine counterpart, Luis Alfonso Petri, in Buenos Aires on Tuesday to finalize a letter of intent on the potential sale of 24 Danish F-16 fighter jets to Argentina.

"I have had a good and extremely fruitful meeting with my Argentinian defense minister colleague, who is happy that Argentina can become part of the wider community of F-16 nations worldwide. The sale of F-16 aircraft to Argentina has taken place in cooperation with the USA," stated Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

The decision to sell F-16 jets to Argentina has been carefully coordinated with the U.S. government, which has granted permission for the sale of these U.S.-produced fighter jets, Denmark’s MoD said in an official release.

The potential F-16 jet purchase puts to rest hopes of China and India to sell the JF-17 and LCA Tejas aircraft respectively to Argentina.

"Danish defense is in the process of a generational change, where our F-16 aircraft are gradually being phased out in favor of new F-35 combat aircraft. Denmark donates 19 F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, and the government has decided to sell 24 Danish F-16 combat aircraft to Argentina. Therefore, I am very pleased that today we have signed a joint declaration of intent to complete the sale. We will hold a new meeting in the near future with a view to signing a sales contract between Denmark and Argentina," Minister Poulsen added.

The Danish Parliament's Foreign Policy Committee, the Defense Committee, and the defense conciliation circle are all informed about the potential sale of Danish combat aircraft.

A final contract will be signed in Denmark.