Argentina seals $300 million deal for 24 F-16 jets from Denmark

Argentina’s Minister of Defence Luis Alfonso Petri arrives in a Danish F-16 aircraft at Skrydstrup Airport where he meets with Denmark’s Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen, in Jutland, Denmark, April 16, 2024. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrup via REUTERS

(Reuters) -Argentina inked a deal for 24 F-16 jets for its air force from Denmark for some $300 million, the government said on Tuesday.

President Javier Milei and Defense Minister Luis Petri announced the purchase in a video posted on X.

“With these new aircraft we are taking a transcendental step in our defense policy,” Petri said via video from Copenhagen.

“From today, Argentines, we once again have forces from heaven to protect us,” Petri added.

Milei had planned to take part in the contract’s signing but cancelled his trip to the Danish capital to focus on the crisis in the Middle East, the government said over the weekend.

Argentina’s Minister of Defence Luis Alfonso Petri arrives in a Danish F-16 aircraft at Skrydstrup Airport where he meets with Denmark’s Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen, in Jutland, Denmark, April 16, 2024. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrup via REUTERS

“The contract is for around $300 million, below the market cost,” government spokesman Manuel Adorni said at a press conference.

Argentina’s Minister of Defence Luis Alfonso Petri arrives at Skrydstrup Airport where he meets with Denmark’s Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen, in Jutland, Denmark, April 16, 2024. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrup via REUTERS

The purchase comes as the administration of libertarian Milei cuts spending elsewhere across government as part of an effort to correct imbalances plaguing the economy.

The purchase of the aircraft, originally from the U.S., ratifies the government’s decision to promote investment to strengthen the country’s military capabilities, a government statement said.

The agreement included delivery of four flight simulators, eight engines and spare parts for the aircraft for five years, it said.

(Reporting by Lucila Sigal and Adam Jourdan; Writing by Natalia Siniawski and Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Barbara Lewis and Bill Berkrot)

Argentina’s Minister of Defence Luis Alfonso Petri arrives in a Danish F-16 aircraft at Skrydstrup Airport where he meets with Denmark’s Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen, in Jutland, Denmark, April 16, 2024. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrup via REUTERS