Argentina may field interim fighter as it seeks Mirage replacement

[Zarvan]

The IA-63 Pampa is now just one of three combat capable aircraft types left in the FAA's inventory. The chief of the air force has said that he may look to field an interim fighter until a permanent replacement for the now-retired Mirage can be decided upon. Source: IHS Markit/Gareth Jennings

Argentina may look to field an interim jet fighter while it continues to study possible replacements for its now retired Dassault Mirage platforms, the chief of the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina - FAA) told Jane's on 27 March.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Air Force, Brigadier General Amrein, said that with the FAA studying a wide and varied list of potential Mirage replacements, an interim aircraft may be sourced to allow the service to bridge the capability gap.

"In this context we support the concept of a 'complementary aircraft', which is an aircraft that is in line with current needs and that allows us a gradual introduction into [future requirements and capabilities]," he said.

In terms of his requirements, Gen Amrein told Jane's that, while the cost of acquiring and operating the platform is an important factor, "particularly in times unfavorable to a country's economy", it is not the only or the most important one.

"The acquisition of such an aircraft comes at the forefront of many considerations that make the choice a complex issue: First, the aircraft's capabilities [aerodynamics, systems, and armament], the unit value and flying cost, the total life-cycle cost, the political conditions, the availability of financing, the transfer of technology, and industrial co-operation in important and sensitive areas for our own development, [as well as] the foreign and strategic relations of our country, all play a factor," the general explained.

Aircraft types that have been touted in relation to Argentina include the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 Fighting Eagle, the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Kfir, the Dassault Mirage F1, the Alenia M-346FT, the Aero L-159 ALCA, the CAC FC-1 / PAC JF-17 Thunder, the Saab Gripen, and the Sukhoi Su-24 'Fencer' (although this is now widely believed to have been a hoax).

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