The new investment of around 350 million dollars has a subsidy of 40 million dollars granted by the United States and provides for the acquisition of missiles, laser-guided bombs and other advanced weapons systems for the F-16.
These are AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120D AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, as well as air-to-surface weapons, elements that have already been approved by the United States Congress for sale to Argentina.
It is within the framework of the purchase of 24 F-16 combat aircraft by our country from Denmark , with the support and management of the United States , in addition to the economic contribution. The total amount for the Argentine investment is 650 million , 300 which were used to purchase the planes and another 350 million for the necessary equipment.
Despite the criticism that has arisen because these are not modern aircraft , but rather technology that is already about 40 years old , national authorities consider that it implies a technological leap of two decades for the Argentine Air Force.
The first part of the operation, which has to do with the purchase of the F-16s, will be paid by the United States to Denmark and financed to the Argentine Republic in several installments , for approximately 6 years.
The weapons to be purchased from the United States include both Air-to-Air and Air-to-Surface weapons : AIM-9M/X Sidewinder, a short-range supersonic air-to-air missile; AGM-65 Maverick, a tactical air-to-ground guided missile with a range of up to 28 km; AGM-88 HARM, a high-speed anti-radiation missile designed to destroy enemy air defense systems equipped with radar; GBU-31/38, a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) that converts unguided bombs into guided bombs that can be used in all weather conditions; GBU-10/12 Paveway II, a laser-guided free-fall bomb for use against surface targets at close range.
