The Government presented the first F-16 and announced the arrival of the rest of the planes

The government , through the Minister of Defense, Luis Petri , presented the first F-16 Fighting Falcon acquired from Denmark , in an event held at the VI Air Brigade of Tandil . The aircraft , identified as No. 25, is fully assembled and equipped with training weapons. Although it does not have flight capacity, it will be used for training pilots and technical personnel.

The first F-16 is already in Argentina. Thanks to the determination of President @JMilei we have recovered supersonic capacity. pic.twitter.com/4jY5CkQF7X

— Luis Petri (@luispetri) February 25, 2025

The event was attended by the heads of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Xavier Isaac , and the Air Force, Gustavo Javier Valverde , as well as military authorities and representatives from the United States and Denmark . During the presentation, Petri highlighted that this acquisition represents a key step in the recovery of the operational capacity of the Armed Forces .

The minister stressed that the aim of this incorporation is to strengthen national defence. “This historic moment is defined in two words: sovereignty and peace ,” he said. He also responded to criticism of the government’s military strategy, pointing out that “it was they themselves who weakened and emptied the Armed Forces .”

The aircraft will be key to pilot training in a fully functional cockpit, with connected attack systems. This will allow technicians to perform maintenance tasks, scheduled inspections and weapons configurations. In addition, they will be able to familiarize themselves with hydraulic, electrical and avionics systems, optimizing the squadron's operations.

The 25th F-16 will remain at the VI Air Brigade's Ground Training Center , currently undergoing modernization. This strategy will allow the other 24 fighters that will arrive in the coming years to always be available for operations.

Brigadier Gustavo Valverde stressed that the choice of the F-16 was not random, but the result of an analysis of the needs of the Argentine Air Force . "We evaluated which system was ideal for replacing the aircraft lost in the South Atlantic conflict," he stressed.

For his part, Luis Petri exhibited the M-1210 aircraft with its training armament, consisting of a CATM-120B missile and a triple ejection rack (TER-9/A) . "Today we celebrate this achievement, tomorrow we continue working," concluded the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Xavier Isaac .