In yet another strange twist, the Ministry of Defense from Colombia confirmed that it did not finalize with Dassault the purchase of Rafale fighters to replace the current Kfir. Furthermore, the Swedish Saab Gripen E, already operated in Brazil, can also go back to bidding.
In an interview with a local radio station, Defense Minister Ivan Velásquez said yesterday (02) that the Colombian government has not reached an agreement with 's Dassault or with Saab. Velásquez also made it clear in the same interview that Bogotá has the Rafale as a favorite and the Gripen as a second option.
The minister @Ivan_Velasquez_ confirmed that in 2022 the negotiation for the acquisition of the planes that will replace the Kfir was not achieved. It clarifies that this fleet starts its obsolescence stage from December 2023, so there will be a gradual retirement pic.twitter.com/S5ryvpDogH
– Ministry of defense (@minidefensa) January 2, 2023
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The minister explained that the negotiations failed because the budget of US$ 678 million, destined to purchase the new planes, expired on December 31st. Velásquez said that the government's proposal to European manufacturers is that the initial contract be limited to the amount, the so-called CONPES.
With the US$ 678 million it would be possible to buy three Rafales or six Gripens, but neither company would be willing to sign a contract for that number of aircraft. Both want to negotiate the total purchase of 16 aircraft.
In this way, the Colombian Air Force will continue to operate the veteran (but modernized) IAI Kfir without a certain replacement. Minister Velásquez says that the government will carry out a review on the purchase of the planes, as well as a new “budget allocation” still in 2023.
On the other hand, experts believe that this new obstacle could favor both the Gripen and the F-16 Block 70. However, the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana has already sent its opinion to the government, pointing out the Rafale as a superior alternative to the other competitors, even the Gripen E being a newer aircraft, with an open architecture (which facilitates the integration of weapons) and with a much lower operating cost.
Understand the case
On December 21, Minister Velásquez surprised the defense sector and his country by announcing the pre-selection of the Dassault Rafale as a replacement for the Kfir. The unilateral declaration by the Ministry of Defense went completely against the analyzes of industry and market specialists, who pointed to the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 and the Saab Gripen as the favorites in the dispute.
Velásquez also shocked when he stated that the contract for the purchase of the 16 planes would be signed in December. Deals of this type typically take months to negotiate, even after the winning aircraft has been selected; in the case of Colombia it would be a maximum of 10 days.
The FAC currently has around 19 Kfir fighters, an Israeli version of the third-generation Dassault Mirage V. The jets were recently modernized, but the airframes are already at the end of their useful life. In this way, the FAC has been trying to acquire new planes for almost 10 years, but ends up bumping into budget constraints.
