The Argentine government has formally approved the financing for the acquisition of new AW109M light helicopters for the Argentine Navy, within the framework of the “Naval Light Helicopter Acquisition Project,” through Decree 924/2025, published on December 26, 2025.
As made official in the Official Gazette, the measure authorizes the signing of a Financing Agreement backed by an Export Credit Agency between the Argentine Republic and Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank (CACIB), for a total amount of €71,676,175.26. The funds will be allocated to the purchase of Leonardo AW109M helicopters, intended to strengthen the embarked aviation capabilities of the Naval Aviation Command (COAN).
According to the decree, the overall objective of the project is to improve the surveillance and control capacity of Argentina’s maritime jurisdictional spaces through the incorporation of modern and versatile aerial assets capable of operating from naval vessels.
During the evaluation process, the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BCRA) assessed the impact of the operation on the balance of payments and concluded that it “entails a limited macroeconomic impact on international balance of payments flows,” further noting that such impact “will be contained and consistent with the projected dynamics of external operations.”
In turn, the National Public Credit Office of the Ministry of Economy reported that it raised no objections to the financing, considering that the financial cost of the loan is lower than what the Republic could obtain on international markets, based on the available information and assumptions used.
The decree authorizes the Minister of Economy and the Secretary of Finance, indistinctly, to sign the financing agreement and the corresponding complementary documentation. It also designates the Ministry of Defense, through the General Staff of the Navy, as the executing agency for the project.
The acquisition of Leonardo AW109M light helicopters has been a long-standing initiative of the Argentine Navy. In October, during the debate on the Draft National Budget for fiscal year 2026, the Secretary of Strategy and Military Affairs of the Ministry of Defense, Marcelo Rozas Garay, stated that the Ministry expected to move forward with the purchase of four units. In that context, he noted: “…We can say that we are going to have the four Leonardo helicopters…,” clarifying that “…this does not mean they will arrive before the end of the year…”.
According to previously released information, the AW109M helicopters will be assigned to operate from the OPV87/90 offshore patrol vessels currently in service with the Patrol Division, as well as from other ships of the Sea Fleet. Once incorporated, these aircraft will strengthen maritime surveillance, patrol, and search and rescue missions, being equipped with systems such as navigation radar, night vision capabilities, and rescue hoists.
With the approval of the financing, the project moves forward toward formal contractual execution, enabling the start of the implementation phase under the Ministry of Defense and the Argentine Navy. This will allow the Navy to renew part of its diminished embarked helicopter fleet, which currently has an increasingly limited number of operational units.
Images used for illustrative purposes.
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