On Thursday, March 6, 2025, the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center (AFLCMC) of the USAF Logistics Command, based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, signed a 265,960,280 USD contract with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Corp. (a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense. The contract covers operational support and software upgrades for the F-16AM/BM Block 10/15 multirole aircraft, which are entering service with the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina, FAA).
Photo: Ministry of Defense of Argentina via Facebook
The contract will be executed under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, managed through the F-16 System Program Office, with Lockheed Martin as the sole contractor. The agreement includes a software upgrade to the operational flight program and the transfer of F-16 aircraft from Denmark to Argentina. The work will be carried out in Fort Worth, Texas, as well as at unspecified locations in Denmark and Argentina. The project is expected to be completed by March 31, 2032. Upon signing the contract, an initial 53,192,056 USD in funding was released.
It is worth noting that on October 30, 2024, the U.S. Department of State approved the potential sale of an arms and operational support package for Argentina’s F-16s, valued at up to 941 million USD.
F-16 in Argentina
Meanwhile, not long ago, on February 25, a ceremony was held at the Argentine air base in Tandil, Buenos Aires Province, to present the first F-16BM Block 10 aircraft (a non-flying unit designated for ground training) from a batch of 25 ex-Danish F-16AM/BM MLU Block 10/15 fighters.
For the first time, on July 31, 2023, the Argentine newspaper La Nación reported, citing government sources in Buenos Aires, that U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration had offered Argentina the sale of 38 used F-16AM/BM MLU Block 10/15 multirole aircraft from Denmark and four P-3C Orion maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from Norway.
On October 11, 2023, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Mira K. Resnick sent a letter to Argentina’s Ambassador to the U.S., Jorge Argüello, granting approval for Denmark to resell 24 F-16 aircraft to Argentina.
On March 26, 2024, Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen and Argentine Minister of Defense Luis Alfonso Petri signed a letter of intent in Buenos Aires, paving the way for an intergovernmental agreement, which was subsequently signed on April 16, along with the simultaneous delivery of the first three aircraft. Additionally, the Danish government pledged to transfer 19 other F-16s as military aid to Ukraine, while their successors are F-35A Lightning II.
The Argentine Air Force has been struggling with equipment shortages since the retirement of all Dassault Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighter jets at the end of 2015. The new combat aircraft are also intended to complement the fleet of 24 Douglas/Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawks (including three OA-4AR trainers), which have been in service since December 1997 (originally, 36 A-4AR and 4 OA-4AR aircraft were ordered). The fleet operates under the 5th Air Brigade (V Brigada Aérea), stationed at Villa Reynolds Air Base in San Luis Province, but maintenance costs are becoming increasingly expensive.
In previous years, the purchase of brand-new FA-50 Fighting Eagle or FC-1/JF-17 Thunder Block III was considered, but for various reasons, it did not materialize. Other options previously considered included acquiring used IAI Kfir, Dassault Mirage F1, Saab JAS 39C/D Gripen, Sukhoi Su-24M, or Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1, as well as new Leonardo M-346FT, RSK MiG-35, or Aero L-159 ALCA.
Meanwhile, despite some challenges, the Argentine Naval Aviation Command (Comando de Aviación Naval Argentina, COAN) acquired five used Dassault Super Étendard Modernisé carrier-based fighter-attack aircraft from France. However, according to media reports, these aircraft may also be transferred to Ukraine.