At a ceremony welcoming the first six of 24 F-16 Fighting Falcons, President Javier Milei criticized previous administrations for failing to invest in Argentina’s airpower.

Last Sunday, President Javier Milei of Argentina officially accepted delivery of the first six American-made F-16 Fighting Falcon multirole jet fighters, which the Latin American nation had purchased from NATO member Denmark under a $300 million deal. In total, Argentina will receive 24 fighter aircraft, marking one of the largest arms deals for the nation in decades.

“After a long wait, I finally have behind me the first six F-16 fighter jets,” Milei said while speaking from the tarmac at the Río Cuarto Air Base in Córdoba Province. “With this important investment in military equipment, we will substantially strengthen our Air Force.”

Milei added that the aircraft will provide greater security to Argentina, and likened the fighter jets to “protective angels” that will guard the nation. “From today, each and every one of us will be a little safer.”

Milei, a right-wing populist whose victory in 2023 was widely regarded as a break with Argentina’s Peronist tradition, also framed the purchase of the aircraft as a key step in restoring Argentina’s military capabilities. He claimed the Argentine military had been on a long decline after former presidential administrations had “mistreated” it.

“This addition is essential because previous governments had left us defenseless,” Milei continued, further emphasizing that the F-16 acquisition was just one step to “rectify decades of mistreatment.”

As noted, the six former Danish Air Force F-16s are the first batch of the 24 aircraft that Copenhagen sold to Buenos Aires under a $300 million deal finalized in April 2024, following Washington’s approval of the sale. In addition to the two dozen F-16A/B mid-life upgrade (MLU) modernized jets, the South American nation will also receive spare parts and training equipment.

The aircraft will enhance the capabilities of the Fuerza Aérea Argentina (Argentine Air Force). The deal also ensured that the South American country wouldn’t explore options from China or Russia—notably the Chinese-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder or Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name “Fencer”).

In addition to approving the transfer, Washington contributed $40 million to Buenos Aires in Foreign Military Financing.

The F-16 Fighting Falcon’s Specifications

• Year Introduced: 1978
• Number Built: 4,600+
• Length: 47 ft 8 in (14.52 m)
• Wingspan: 31 ft (9.45 m)
• Weight (MTOW): 37,500 lbs (16,875 kg)
• Engine(s): One Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 afterburning turbofan (23,000 lbf thrust static sea level)
• Top Speed: 1,319 mph (2,122 km/h) / Mach 1.73
• Range: 1,260 mi (2,027 km)
• Service Ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,240 m)
• Loadout: One General Electric M61A1 20mm six-barrel cannon; up to 15,200 lbs on nine hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles (AIM-9 Sidewinder on wingtip rails; alternatives include the MATRA Magic 2 or Rafael Python 3)
• Aircrew: 1 (F-16A) or 2 (F-16B)

Argentina is now the latest nation to join a not-so-exclusive club of operators of the famed Fighting Falcon. There are approximately 3,000 operational F-16s in service today with more than 25 countries, a testament to what is easily the world’s most successful, combat-proven multirole jetfighter ever produced.  

The F-16 Fighter Jets’ Marathon Flight from Europe

The flight from Denmark to Argentina was quite the journey for the jets. The initial batch of aircraft, which included four two-seat F-16BMs and two single-seat F-16AMs, departed from Denmark on November 28. The flock of Fighting Falcons flew to Zaragoza, Spain, for refueling and flight checks, then continued to Gran Canaria, the largest of the Canary Islands, before a long flight across the Atlantic to Brazil.

The six F-16s arrived in Córdoba, Argentina, on December 5, after being supported by an Argentine Air Force Boeing 737-700 (T-99) and a C-130 (TC-69), while the United States Air Force also provided a KC-135 tanker to refuel the Fighting Falcons during the flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Last Saturday, the six jets performed a low-altitude flyover of Buenos Aires, flying in a diamond pattern over the city center and passing over the Obelisk, Argentina’s most iconic monument.

Three additional batches, each with six additional aircraft, will follow each December through 2028.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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