March 27, 2024 (by Lieven Dewitte) - Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen, arrived in Argentina on March 26 to seal the agreement for the purchase of 24 to 28 F-16MLU fighter jets, decommissioned by the Danish Air Force (RDAF), putting an end to the exaggeratedly long search for a supersonic multi-role fighter for the Argentine Air Force (FAA).
On Tuesday Troels Lund Poulsen signed a letter of intent with Defense Minister Luis Petri of Argentina for a deal worth approximately US$ 300 million. US Ambassador Marc Stanley was also present at the ceremony as a token of Washington's acquiescence to the operation.

The purchase of the F-16s would benefit from generous U.S. financing, whereby Argentina would have six years to pay for the nearly $700 million involved in the operation. This budget would be divided almost equally between the purchase of the aircraft, spare parts, simulators and training of FAA personnel, and the acquisition of the guided armament to be carried by the fighters.

The final contract will be signed next month in Copenhagen when Petri travels to the European country. Economy Minister Luis Toto Caputo was also reported to have greenlighted the expenditure.

Denmark is donating 19 F-16s to Ukraine, and the Danish government has decided to sell 24 Danish F-16 fighters to Argentina.

The transaction involving these aircraft for the Argentine Air Force ends all previous talks with India, and particularly with China, whose JF-17 model was also a likely option.

With this choice, Argentina's military forces and systems will be technically in line with those of the United States. Had Argentina opted for the JF-17s, Buenos Aires would have lost security and defense cooperation agreements with Washington.

The contract with Denmark and the United States was discussed by Petri last Monday with British Ambassador Kirsty Hayes, given the UK's military embargo on Argentina following the 1982 South Atlantic war. The F-16s are said not to have any UK-made components.

In 2017 Argentina phased out the French-built Dassault Mirage after four decades of service.

March 26, 2024 (by Lieven Dewitte) - The Dutch government has committed to an aid package valued at over EUR 350 million for Ukraine. The Netherlands will procure ammunition worth more than EUR 150 million specifically for the F-16s that will soon be transferred to Ukraine. This ammunition is being directly purchased from the industry.
The Netherlands is also investing more than EUR200 million in the purchase of new intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) drones for Ukraine, together with partner countries.

Ten Ukrainian pilots have undergone basic flight training in the United Kingdom and will now move to advanced flying training provided by the French Air Force before learning to fly F-16 fighter jets.

The Netherlands, Denmark and the United States co-lead the Air Capability Coalition — that also comprises Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom — as part of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG).

Eighteen Dutch fighter jets were provided for training in Romania. The remaining 24 aircraft are intended for delivery to Ukraine in the second half of 2024. An undisclosed number of these operational jets are now being made ready for transfer to Ukraine, the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

The Netherlands is contributing F-16s to Ukraine as part of the wider ‘F-16 coalition' that also comprises Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.