The Ministry of Defense launched an audit of contracts signed during the administration of former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner , which aimed at the acquisition of military equipment, including drones, airplanes and even the modernization of military vehicles and vessels . The review could lead to legal action , as they say, having discovered payments for services and products that were not received.
Audits were requested at the Argentine Aircraft Factory (FADEA); in the Argentine Tandanor Industrial and Naval Complex and in Fabricaciones Militares Sociedad del Estado (FMSE) and agreements between the Argentine Air Force and the Argentine Navy are being investigated, with FADEA and Tandanor for the incorporation and modernization of 17 Pampa and Pucará aircraft and some 14 vessels , among which the ARA Parker cover stands out.
During the Kirchner administration, the State disbursed a considerable amount of money for materials and developments that, according to reports, never materialized , or in unit updating processes that, to date, present notable delays .
An example of this is the Argentine Robotic Aerial System (SARA) project, to which more than 200 million pesos were allocated. Project whose purpose was the creation of two drone prototypes that never saw the light of day.
In addition, the allocation of large funds for the manufacture of Pampa, Pucará and IA100 aircraft is being investigated, which also never reached the hands of the Ministry of Defense.
This is an agreement signed in 2015 between the Ministry of Defense and INVAP , which contemplated the creation of two operational prototypes of Unmanned Aerial Systems within a period of 7 years, in exchange for a total sum of more than $2 billion. of pesos , of which 200 million were delivered .
This ambitious project ranged from unmanned aerial vehicles to a ground control station, communication systems and cutting-edge technology to detect high-speed aerial targets . However, to date, much of this program has not come to fruition , leaving doubts about the destination of the million-dollar funds involved.
The head of the Ministry of Defense, Luis Petri, maintained that “there are more than 21 million dollars in projects for the realization of drones” and “today we do not have a single nationally manufactured drone and the challenge is to have, manufacture, produce drones in the Argentine Republic to enable the control and surveillance of our borders, the control and surveillance of our maritime airspace.”
On the other hand, he charged against the administration of FADEA , taking into account that "more than 260 million dollars that were paid in the previous government, were not returned in specific benefits."
“ So today we lack the planes, the IA 100, the Pampas and we lack the tugboats that they owe us and also those resources were often going to cover the deficits of the defense companies and that is how more than 160 million dollars were to cover operating deficits" , concluded the official.
Fountain:
Argentine News
