With a ceremony led by the President of the Nation, Javier Milei, alongside government officials and military authorities, the Argentine Air Force (FAA) officially inducted its first six F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Block 10 and 15 MLU aircraft at the Área Material Río Cuarto, in the province of Córdoba. The Peace Condor program represents an unprecedented industrial, technological, and cultural shift in the history of national defense: Argentina is qualitatively and quantitatively restoring its interception and air combat capabilities for the protection of its airspace.
Within a regional context marked by the growth and modernization of military capabilities, Argentina joins the list of historic F-16 operators. In the 1980s, Venezuela led the first procurement and acquisition process of U.S.-made F-16A/B Block 15 Fighting Falcons; its Peace Delta program specified the integration of 24 multirole fighters—18 single-seat A models and 6 two-seat B models—formally delivered between 1983 and 1985. During the first decade of the 21st century, Chile launched the Peace Puma program to replace its Dassault Mirage fleet, acquiring 10 F-16 Block 50+ aircraft (6 single-seat C and 4 two-seat D) from the United States and 36 second-hand Block 15 MLU units previously operated by the Royal Netherlands Air Force; their reception and entry into active service took place between 2006 and 2011.
The Mirage (IIIEA/DA-V-Finger/Dagger), historic fighter-bombers acquired by the FAA in the late 1970s, were withdrawn from service without a formal replacement project. Their retirement in 2015 marked a turning point in Argentine air defense: after more than three decades of active service and facing serious logistical and industrial limitations, the need to select an imminent successor was reactivated. As with its neighboring country, Argentina projected several prospective plans for the acquisition of new supersonic capabilities, lacking the political endorsement required to move forward. Other countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Peru—current and future operators of the Saab J-39E Gripen—also considered the F-16 as a multirole stealth fighter for their air fleets as a potential option.
The exercise of territorial sovereignty extends into the airspace, and without the means necessary to operationalize defense, protection, and control, such a mission remains incomplete. At the end of the Second World War, amid decisive geopolitical and economic changes, Latin America established common parameters for regional air defense using state-of-the-art technologies of the time: interceptors and jet fighters ushered in the “jet age,” enabling Latin American countries to equip their air forces with the instruments of attack and deterrence of the world’s great powers.¹
Considering technological advances, the F-16 continues to be a fundamental pillar of air fleets across all five continents. Its interception capability, speed, and maneuverability ensure efficiency in strike and air combat missions. Its operational range extends to 1,740 nautical miles, with the ability to carry bombs, external fuel tanks, or AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, in addition to a modular weapons system capable of integrating electronic countermeasure pods, missiles, and conventional munitions.
The F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Block 10 aircraft—the first units to arrive on Argentine soil—are part of the initial production batch from the early 1980s. Compared to their predecessor, the Block 5, each fighter features internal improvements and upgrades in avionics and radar, along with other enhancements to air-to-air and air-to-ground operational efficiency. The forthcoming aircraft, belonging to the Block 15 MLU, incorporate operational standards comparable to those of the F-16C/D Block 50/52, modernized through the Mid-Life Update (MLU) program to integrate advanced radar systems and greater compatibility with current technological systems.
Su incorporación a la Fuerza Aérea Argentina entre 2025 y 2028 marca hitos históricos con impacto regional. Formalmente, el país recupera sus capacidades supersónicas para la protección y salvaguarda de los intereses nacionales en todo su territorio. De acuerdo con los estándares comúnmente establecidos en Latinoamérica, Argentina reconstituye su flota para equilibrar la distribución de los recursos aéreos a escala regional. Brasil lidera, por un amplio margen, el ranking subregional de capacidades de ataque aéreo supersónico, con más de 170 aeronaves de combate para 2025, incluyendo el F-5 Tigre II, el AMX (en proceso de desmantelamiento) y el J-39E Gripen (en proceso de incorporación), seguido de Chile (80 aeronaves de combate), Venezuela (79) y Colombia (62).
El ecosistema industrial y logístico que rodea al F-16 obligó a Argentina a adherirse a los más altos estándares internacionales para su operación en el espacio aéreo nacional. Diversos hitos de la ingeniería aeronáutica occidental sentaron precedentes necesarios en la doctrina nacional, impulsando un avance tecnológico y académico sin precedentes. Con miras al entrenamiento nacional e internacional de los futuros pilotos del Fighting Falcon, Argentina promovió activamente la logística para la construcción y el mantenimiento de simuladores de entrenamiento como el DART (Deployable Advanced Readiness Trainer), sistemas operativos como el ILIAS y programas de entrenamiento en instalaciones estadounidenses y danesas. En las bases que albergaron a los cazas, como el Área Material Río Cuarto (ARMACUAR) y la VI Brigada Aérea de Tandil, se llevaron a cabo trabajos de reparación y reconstrucción en pistas, hangares, calles de rodaje, aviónica y sistemas de seguridad.
La llegada de los F-16 a Argentina reequilibra el equilibrio de poder regional sin socavar el sentido de equilibrio construido colectivamente. En ausencia de una hipótesis de conflicto interestatal, la competencia se modera mediante la cooperación en un contexto donde las ganancias relativas para la región son mínimas en comparación con las ganancias absolutas para el país sudamericano. Argentina recupera su capacidad de interceptación, de la cual surge un complejo marco de ingeniería, tecnología y logística favorable para la industria y la academia nacionales.
Referencias:
¹Hulaczuk, SA (2019). La defensa aeroespacial mediante aeronaves . Universidad de la Defensa Nacional. https://undef.edu.ar/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/03_Art-3_REVISTA-DEFENSA-NACIONAL.pdf
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