Thanks to an interview conducted with the heads of the “Peace Condor” Program, Zona Militar gained a comprehensive overview of the current status of the incorporation process of the 24 F-16AM/BM MLU fighters acquired from Denmark. Among the various aspects and developments highlighted—such as infrastructure investment and enhancement, pilot and personnel training—one point stood out in particular: the weapon systems and equipment that the fighter jets will be equipped with, which were identified as “the area representing the greatest technological leap” of the program.
While significant progress is being made in infrastructure works and investments at the VI Air Brigade in Tandil and the Río Cuarto Materiel Area—the latter being the initial base from which the first six F-16s arriving at the end of the year will operate—other aspects of the program are also being praised for their scope and technological advancement.
Regarding the armament and equipment that the future Argentine Air Force F-16AM/BM aircraft will incorporate and deploy, the F-16 Program Chiefs stated: “…This program includes all the updates developed to date. The aircraft will be fitted with the latest available software and hardware modernization.”
This is no minor detail, especially in light of the recent notification from the U.S. Department of Defense. Last March, the department awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to provide upgrade and support services for the Argentine F-16s.
According to the official announcement, the American company received a contract “…valued at up to $265,960,280 to support the F-16 system program under Foreign Military Sales…”, which includes “…the update of the operational flight program and the transfer of F-16 aircraft from Denmark to Argentina,” adding that the work “…will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas; Denmark; and Argentina, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2032.”
The Teeth of Argentina’s Future F-16AM/BMs
Although many operational details remain classified under military secrecy, several aspects are already publicly known. One of the most notable is the first batch of weaponry the fighters will receive—something that, as noted by the Peace Condor Program Chiefs, represents a decades-long technological leap for the Argentine Air Force, which until now had not operated air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry of this class and capability.
As reported by the U.S. Department of State and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), a weapons, upgrade, and equipment package valued at $941 million was authorized for Argentina in October of last year.
Specifically, the package includes:
- 36 AIM-120 C-8 AMRAAM beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, along with two guidance sections
- 102 MK-82 500-pound general-purpose bombs
- 50 GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs
- 102 FMU-152A/B programmable fuzes
In addition to the weaponry, the package also includes AN/ARC-238 tactical radios, mission planning equipment, inert fuzes, ground support equipment for Link 16 systems, and components for the F-16s’ self-protection systems: chaff and flare cartridges, KY-58M and KIV-78 cryptographic systems, and AN/PYQ-10 key loaders.
The operation was later formalized in early December with the signing of the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA), signed by Argentina’s Minister of Defense Luis Petri and then-U.S. Ambassador Marc Stanley, in the presence of the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Brigadier General Xavier Isaac, Argentine Air Force Chief Brigadier General Gustavo Valverde, and other officials associated with the program.
However, as confirmed in the recent interview with Zona Militar: “…The LOA that was signed is not the only one that will be signed,”
indicating that the government and Ministry of Defense are currently negotiating additional weapons and equipment packages to fulfill the operational requirements set by the Air Force for the new weapons system to be based in Tandil in the coming years.
Integration with Locally Developed Weaponry
One of the most notable moments during the presentation of the first F-16BM Block 10 aircraft last February was the appearance of aircraft tail number M-1210 carrying a Dardo glide bomb, which sparked a range of speculation.
When asked about it during the Zona Militar interview, the F-16 Program Chiefs simply stated: “With respect to the Dardo, let’s put it this way: the aircraft will have stand-off capabilities.”
It is worth noting that in recent months, testing and evaluation of the Dardo bomb have once again come into focus following confirmation of flight tests conducted by the Argentine Air Force Flight Test Center, which carried out a series of trials using the IA-63 Pampa III EX-03.
However, as Zona Militar previously reported: “The challenges ahead are not few if the Dardo is to be incorporated into the Argentine F-16s’ arsenal: this not only requires completing its development but also establishing serial production of the glide bomb, and then integrating it into the F-16. And this last step absolutely requires U.S. approval—an objective that presents significant complexities, not all of them technical,” which explains the cautious tone in the response provided to Zona Militar.
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