Last Monday, the Ministry of Defense and the Argentine Air Force held a ceremony to present the first F-16BM Fighting Falcon acquired from Denmark. Officially designated as “number 25,” this aircraft is the first of the program intended for pilot, crew, mechanic, and technician training with the new weapons system. To mark this milestone, the U.S. company Lockheed Martin welcomed Argentina as a new operator of the fighter aircraft, joining a significant number of countries, through its social media platforms.
As of today, in its various versions, the F-16 remains the backbone of many air forces worldwide. The aircraft, which first flew in 1974, continues to be produced in its most modern Block 70-72 variant by Lockheed Martin, which took over from the original manufacturer, General Dynamics.
With the acquisition of 24 F-16A/B MLU aircraft from Denmark—a country that is also transferring its fighters to Ukraine while advancing in the incorporation of new fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II jets—Argentina joins a significant group of international operators.
At the regional level, the Argentine Air Force becomes the third South American operator of the U.S.-origin fighter aircraft. The first, in the early 1980s, was the Venezuelan Air Force (now Bolivarian Military Aviation), which acquired the aircraft to protect its oil facilities from potential attacks by Cuban combat aviation.
Later, the Chilean Air Force became the second operator of the F-16 when it decided to purchase ten F-16C/D Block 50 aircraft, later complemented by another batch of second-hand F-16AM/BM MLU units acquired from the Netherlands.
Returning to Argentina, which will become the third regional operator of the F-16, this first unit, a twin-seat F-16BM Block 10, is expected to be used for training the first pilots and crews at the new Training Center being built at the VI Air Brigade in Tandil, Buenos Aires Province.
Finally, the first batch of F-16A/B MLU aircraft—comprising six units (four F-16B and two F-16A)—is expected to arrive in the country by the end of 2025, with subsequent deliveries of six units at a time until the full incorporation of all 24 aircraft is completed.
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