Sept 19, 2021: The Argentine government is planning to purchase 12 JF-17A Block III fighter jets from Pakistan and has reportedly allocated $664 million for the purchase of these aircraft.
According to the UK Defense Journal, a website focusing on defense matters, the Argentine government formally included 664 million in funding in the 2022 draft budget for the purchase of 12 PAC JF-17A Block III fighters from Pakistan.
The report said the move to buy the aircraft, a joint venture between Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, came after South Korea refused to sell jets to Buenos Aires last year under British pressure.
Similarly, in 2015, Sweden’s Saab AB refused to facilitate the sale of Gripen fighter jets to Argentina as a result of an agreement to build and export fighter jets from Brazil. It should be noted that after the Falklands War in 1982, the United Kingdom banned the sale of military equipment to Argentina. Last year, a former Argentine defense minister called the move “British imperial pride.”
However, it remains to be seen whether an agreement will be reached with Pakistan as the JF-17 ejector set was made by a British company, Martin Baker. A report in the South Atlantic News Agency says that the Argentine Air Force is almost on the ground while it is unable to replace the 50+ planes that were lost during the Falklands conflict. Be it financial reasons or UK restrictions.
The JF-17 Thunder is a single-engine multi-role fighter jointly developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation of China.
The makers say the JF-17 could be used for a variety of roles, including intervention, ground attack, antiship, and aerial reconnaissance. 58% of JF-17 airframes, including front fuse ledge, wings and vertical stabilizers are manufactured in Pakistan, while 42% are manufactured in China, the final assembly is held in Pakistan.
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