Argentina negotiating to buy Kfir fighters from Israel

[CougarKing]

A threat to the 4 RAF Typhoons in the Falklands?

Argentine-Israeli Kfir negotiations held indefinitely

Jane's

11 November 2015

Argentine minister of defence Agustín Rossi had reached technical agreements with Israel to buy 14 IAI Kfir C.10 multirole fighters for the Argentine Air Force, but at the last minute the deal was put off for the next presidential administration.

According to various reports, the contract was thought to be worth about USD220-360 million. Given its magnitude for Argentina, Rossi decided to leave the contract for the next government.

Plus past articles on this possible deal:


FlightGlobal.com : Argentina to sign for AESA-equipped Kfir fighters

Argentina is expected to sign a contract on 10 November covering the purchase of 14 Kfir Block 60 fighters. The nation's air force opted to acquire upgraded examples of the Israel Aerospace Industries-produced combat aircraft, which have been non-operational for two decades.

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 upgraded fighter also will be fitted with an Elta Systems EL/M-2032 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, and use open architecture avionics that will allow the customer to instal other systems. Elta says the sensor provides an all aspect, "look-down shoot-down" performance, and will support simultaneous air-to-air and strike missions, with the ability to track up to 64 targets.
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August 01, 2015


Argentina buying 18 Israeli Kfir Fighter Planes

The Block 60 is the latest upgraded version of the Kfir, which was used by the Israeli air force between 1975 and 1994. Some aircraft are being offered with General Electric J79 engines with zero hours following a complete overhaul, while other examples would need to have this work performed after their powerplant reaches 1,600 flight hours.

The upgraded fighter will carry an Elta Systems EL/M-2032 active electronically scanned array radar, which can operate in simultaneous air-to-air and air-to-surface modes and is capable of tracking up to 64 targets. Its open architecture design will also allow the customer to integrate other systems, industry sources say. Argentina could pursue a deal to acquire 18 of the combat aircraft from Israel.

There are currently a combined 36 Kfirs in operational use with the air forces of Colombia (pictured), Ecuador and Sri Lanka.

China's FC-1 Xiaolong, a multirole fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan also known as the JF-17 Thunder, had a lower price but China would not provide anti-ship missiles because of pressure from the UK.

The UK imported $26 billion of goods from China in 2014 Argentina imported $10.4 billion from China in 2014.- 
Source:
Next Big Future