Rossi’s decision comes only a day after the Argentine government announced the purchase.
The basis of the agreement would see an initial outlay of $60 million and payments in instalments until the delivery of the first aircraft, which could take 18 months. Each aircraft costs $21.6 million and the total cost of $317 million includes five years of service maintenance.
The Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Kfir is an Israeli built multirole combat aircraft based on a modified French Dassault Mirage 5 airframe, with Israeli avionics and an Israeli-built version of the General Electric J79 turbojet engine.
IAI had been offering a Block 60 version of the roughly 40-year-old Kfir design, powered by a GE Aviation J79 engine. The company says the powerplant will be supplied in a “zero-hour” condition after a complete overhaul, with replacement required after 1,600 flight hours.
The jet will also be fitted with an Elta Systems EL/M-2032 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a relatively potent sensor system.
This comes after a significant period of decline in which the Argentine armed forces ceased to be a capable military force. In August 2015, the Argentine air force retired its Mirage fighters, with only a handful of them even flyable.
The problems don’t stop there, their submarine crews despite benefiting from a recent upgrade, need at least 190 days of immersion practice and in 2014 only spent 19 hours submerged. A similar situation is faced by their four destroyers, they don’t have any weaponry.
Argentine ground forces rarely have the resources for training and are vastly under equipped, their kit dates back to the 70’s and is in very short supply. In addition to this, the Argentine Air Force largely consists of a collection of obsolete aircraft mostly dating back to the 1970’s, which are frequently grounded due to poor serviceability. They’re now even getting rid of their only semi-capable fighter aircraft.
According to IHS Janes
“The Argentine Air Force is drastically cutting staff working hours and decommissioning its last fighter aircraft amid continuing budget issues.
A recently published daily agenda indicates that the service’s working hours have been significantly reduced, from 0800 to 1300; rationing of food, energy consumption, and office supplies has been directed headquarters staff and property residents; and only the minimum personnel required to staff headquarters, directorates, and commands are working.
These orders, issued on 11 August, take effect 18 August. A next step will cut Monday and Tuesday as working days. Moreover, air force officials said any aircraft taken out of service will not undergo maintenance for now.”
This left the Argentine military with just two types of jet aircraft A-4’s and IA-63’s and both are subsonic, decades old and barely serviceable. Argentina had looked into buying new Gripen’s from Sweden via Brazil but this was vetoed by the United Kingdom which makes a large number of internal components for the aircraft. They had also looked at JF-17’s from China, but the JF-17s proved too expensive to modify.
Argentina lost most of its Air Force to the British armed forces during the 1982 Falklands conflict. Except for a few A-4 Skyhawks supplied by the US, there have been virtually no replacement.
The acquisition would have seen Argentina join Colombia, Ecuador and Sri Lanka in operating the Kfir.
You really shouldn’t laugh…
What a surprise………?
Worrying capability (not).
Rumour has it that the Argie Navy is going to be re-equipped with pedilos ?
No, you mean dildos, fixed it for you ??
Just like that guy said yesterday
Indeed but we can;t report speculation from facebook comments.
Dear Santa…
Waheeeyyyy!
it,s not surprising when kirchner or what ever you call her has embezzled the countries money,on stuff like botox and other stupid things along with not paying hedge funds etc..her and her husband really screwed argentina,which maybe a good thing where the falkland islands are concerned,but bad for their own citizens that pay the taxes…
Hahaha! Scruffy argies!!
Ross Cook ave a read
????
As I said yesterday, you have to worry about China, Russia and Korea. Argentina is not a military threat to you. We have very serious internal problems, we are living a civilian dictatorship
Good call yesterday.
You know your country well 🙂
LOL
I’m sure we’ve a few mothballed jet provosts knocking around somewhere,,,maybe they could just ago t afford one or two of those
With zero equipment,air force way out of date,workers lay off,ships and aircraft dcomissione and military in a right mess and bankrupt alround..So wherever the cash will come from for rearm only god knows.argentina should now inform by official letter from argentine president to Mr Cameron.Inform the british goverment that they will no longer state a claim on falklands..This is to take immediate effect,officially that ARGENTINA WILL NOT OR NEVER WILL EVER STAKE A CLAIM ON THE FALKLANDS.sign to that as no funds available for equipment.