Argentine President Buys 24 F-16 Military Aircraft From Denmark

Skrydstrup (Denmark), 16/04/2025.- Argentina’s Defense Minister Luis Alfonso Petri arrives in a Danish F-16 aircraft at Skrydstrup Airport, where he is expected to meet with his Danish counterpart Poulsen, in Jutland, Denmark, 16 April 2024, on the occasion of a signing ceremony of the contract for the sale of 24 Danish F-16 combat aircraft to Argentina. (Dinamarca) EFE/EPA/BO AMSTRUP DENMARK OUT

April 16, 2024 Hour: 8:38 am

On Tuesday, Argentine President Javier Milei celebrated the signing of an agreement to purchase 24 F-16 fighter jets from the Danish Army.

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“The task we are carrying out is only possible because I am accompanied by a cabinet with extremely talented human beings,” Milei told Defense Minister Luis Petri, who was at the Skrydstrup Air Base in Denmark.

“This is also possible thanks to this wonderful cabinet of which you are a part. Thank you very much and, as appropriate, the libertarian rallying cry: long live freedom, damn it!” he added.

The Argentine President had planned to travel to Denmark to meet with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and celebrate the signing of the purchase agreement. However, he suspended his trip after the incidents between Iran and Israel.

Desde hoy, los argentinos, volvemos a tener fuerzas del cielo que nos protejan.

Bajo el liderazgo del presidente @JMilei y con el apoyo de aliados como Dinamarca y Estados Unidos, Argentina adquiere 24 aviones de combate F-16, marcando un hito en su defensa y fortaleciendo su… pic.twitter.com/ZiFiqxJO6V

— Luis Petri (@luispetri)
April 16, 2024

Defense Minister Petri’s text reads, “From today, we Argentines once again have forces from the sky to protect us. Under the leadership of President Javier Milei and with the support of allies such as Denmark and the U.S., Argentina acquires 24 F-16 combat aircraft, marking a milestone in its defense and strengthening its Air Force to preserve sovereignty and freedom.”

Instead, Petri traveled to Denmark, from where he informed Milei of the successful signing of the agreement with Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

According to the official presidential speech, the acquisition of the F-16s marks “a milestone” in Argentina’s defense and strengthens its Air Force to “preserve sovereignty and freedom.”

The transaction has an approximate cost of 2.1 billion Danish kroner, or about 280 million euros, according to data from the Ministry of Defense.

“I am very pleased that the Danish F-16s, which have served us very well over the years and have been well maintained and technologically updated, will be used by the Argentine Air Force,” Poulsen said in a statement.

“With the deal, we strengthen defense cooperation between Denmark and Argentina, while Argentina joins the global family of F-16s,” he added, recalling that Denmark is about to replace its fleet with new F-35 models.

The statement explained that the sale had been negotiated in close coordination with the Washington government, which has given its approval for the transaction of the U.S.-made fighters.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Argentina’s President Javier Milei ordered negotiations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). pic.twitter.com/PJHQiWbZE9

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
April 12, 2024