On Monday, April 29, 2024, the Government published in the Official Gazette the information corresponding to the acquisition of 24 F-16 aircraft through an agreement signed with Denmark for US$301,200,000 to be paid in five annual installments. Following that news, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Brigadier Xavier Isaac, announced the armed forces’ intention to incorporate two Basler BT-67 aircraft. Three new wishes were added to that list: two multipurpose frigates and a submarine.
The fact was recognized by the chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Navy, Carlos María Allievi, in an interview he gave to the site specialized in military information, Pucará.org. Everything happens in a world convulsed by war conflicts that are currently developing and possible scenarios of confrontations that may occur in the future.
According to the Argentine military perspective, perhaps the most important concern for the armed forces today is in the maritime area of the South Atlantic. The fact is that the current conflicts in the Middle East and other latitudes of Planet Earth enhance the global importance of finding maritime alternatives to the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal, to name just two examples.
In this context, Argentina decided to move forward with the purchase of four vessels intended for patrolling and moved forward with an agreement to acquire four P-3 Orion aircraft. Something similar happens with the Basler BT-67, which the Army wants to use for tasks in Antarctica, since the model contains the necessary features to fly from the Belgrano II base to the South Pole, without the need to make stopovers.
The official argument to continue modernizing the armed forces It is based on the fact that the average age of national weapons exceeds 40 years. It is not an exclusive idea of this administration. In previous years, Argentina sought to develop the Patagón hybrid in 2003, completing the development of four units by 2005, although the project ended up being canceled apparently for financing reasons.
On November 8, 2023, it was 6 years since the last time the ARA San Juan submarine departed from national soil. The tragic story, which ended the lives of 44 crew members, is known worldwide. That fact triggered the decision to retire another ship, the ARA Santa Cruz. This is where the request that the national military authorities have been making to the Minister of Defense, Luis Petri, arises: to recover submarine capacity.
Here, always following Allievi’s responses to Pucará, the acquisition of the French model Scorpène would be the main option. Nor is it ruled out going in another direction, as is the case of the German submarine 209 New Generation. There is also the need to incorporate two multipurpose frigates. “As for the Sea Fleet, we drafted a project for two multipurpose frigates. They can be the Italian, French or Spanish FREMM. The documents have that potential that does not direct which ship or submarine, but rather speaks of the capabilities and the desired effect that the unit has to achieve. That BAPIN is present and is priority two,” the military authority stated to the specialized page.
