Denmark Hands Six More F-16 Jets to Argentina

F-16 Fighting Falcon supersonic combat aircraft. Photo: Argentine Ministry of Defense

The Argentine Air Force has received its second batch of six F-16 Fighting Falcon supersonic combat aircraft from Denmark as part of a $300-million contract signed in 2024.

The delivery comprised four single-seat F-16AM variants and two two-seat F-16BMs, all of which landed at the Río Cuarto Air Materiel Area in Córdoba following a 7,000-mile (11,265-kilometer) transatlantic flight supported by three US Air Force KC-135R Stratotanker refueling aircraft.

Argentine Defense Minister Carlos Presti presided over the ceremony, emphasizing that the shipment expands operational air defense capabilities lost when the Latin American country retired its Mirage fleet in 2015.

“When the first aircraft arrived, we received platforms; today we are building a capability,” Presti stated.

“A weapons system only reaches its full value when it is backed by doctrine, infrastructure, support, training, and an organization prepared to harness its potential.”

The arrival brings Buenos Aires’ F-16 fleet to 12 aircraft, marking the halfway point of the government-to-government deal for 24 jets as Copenhagen fully transitions to the fifth-generation F-35 fighters.

The initial six aircraft arrived in December 2025, and officials expect to receive the remaining 12 by 2027.

Local Argentinian media reported that the total program cost is estimated at up to $900 million, including the provision of weapons, aircrew preparatory programs, and airbase upgrades,

Following the handover, the latest jets will temporarily remain at Río Cuarto while modernization work continues at their permanent base under the air force’s 6th Air Brigade in Tandil.