In the midst of a strong economic crisis, Argentina acquired on Tuesday (17) four P-3 Orion aircraft, recently retired by Norway. The deal between Oslo and Buenos Aires takes place six days after the approval of United States, which seek to regain political influence in the region, in the face of China's growing presence.
The acquisition, valued at US$60 million, was formalized in a ceremony presided over by Argentine Defense Minister Jorge Taiana, aboard the Sarmiento Frigate Museum. There are three P-3C Orion for maritime patrol and surveillance missions and one P-3N, specialized in search and rescue actions. According to Taiana, these will be the main activities of Argentina’s “new” P-3.
With the purchase, the Argentine Armada recovers capacity lost in 2015 with the write-off of its old P-3Bs. The country planned to modernize the planes, but a lack of resources prevented work. Only one P-3B remains, but it has not flown since, pending modernization. The tragedy with the ARA San Juan submarine, in 2017, also made clear the lack of an aircraft of this type in the country.
Norway retired its Orion fleet in June. The P-3 gave way to the modern P-8 Poseidon, which also replaced turboprops in other countries. The four ex-Norway planes are in the USA, where Argentine crew receive training to operate the aircraft. The first of four P-3s is expected to arrive later this year, with the rest being delivered in 2024.
F-16 or JF-17?
In addition to the Norwegian P-3s, Washington also approved the sale of 24 fighters F-16 Fighting Falcon for Argentina, also used. The planes retired by Denmark could be the new combat jets of the Argentine Fuerza Aérea, which has not operated supersonic fighters since 2015, when it retired its Dassault Mirage.
The British embargo imposes a major barrier on the Argentines, who saw the Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder fighter as a possible solution, which reinforced their rapprochement with Beijing. The choice and g of the purchase of the new Argentine fighter has been dragging on in recent years, ing from government to government. China and the United States have entered into a dispute for influence in the region, which has suffered from a severe economic crisis and is facing turbulent presidential elections.
With information Navy Recognition
