New rift in Argentina government over purchase of military aircraft from China

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A new division in the Argentine government – after the resignation and replacement of 5 ministers – has been generated by the negotiations to purchase military aircraft from China. The procedure caused a division between the heads of Economy and Defense, Martín Guzmán and Jorge Taiana, respectively.

According to newspaper La Nación, the 2022 budget bill – sent last week by the Ministry of Economy to Congress – contains an authorization to manage credit for US$664 million, aimed at acquiring 12 supersonic JF-17 Thunder-Block III aircraft of Chinese origin. The aircraft are intended for air control and airspace surveillance.

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In this regard, the Minister of Defense, Jorge Taiana, indicated in a statement that he requested the authorization to ask the credit for the acquisition of multipurpose fighter jets, clarifying that he has not yet decided whether to purchase from China.

“Several alternatives are being considered. The United States, Russia, South Korea, and Israel are other options that are being technically evaluated, in addition to China”, said a spokeswoman for Taiana to the media as mentioned earlier.

The government “has not issued a decision on the purchase of supersonic aircraft from any origin and is in the stage of technical-economic and financial evaluation of five alternatives”, the Ministry of Defense officially stated.

Likewise, sources inside the Air Force of the country assured that the chief of this branch of the Armed Forces, Major Brigadier Xavier Julián Isaac, requested the incorporation of a squadron of multipurpose fighters. However, this request did not go beyond the “initial analysis stages”.