Denmark has signed an agreement for the potential sale of its F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft to Argentina.
The letter of intent stipulates the sale of 24 F-16s to Buenos Aires, which Copenhagen is replacing with Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II.
The Danish defense agency wrote that the decision to sell the F-16s was negotiated in partnership with the US government, which produces both platforms.
“I have had an extremely fruitful meeting with my Argentine colleague who has expressed great satisfaction on becoming member of the family of F-16 nations across the globe,” Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.
“I am therefore very pleased that my Argentine colleague and I today in Buenos Aires have signed a letter of intent on the possible sale.”
The F-16 first entered Copenhagen’s military service in the 1980s as part of a joint NATO effort to integrate a common strike platform into the air forces of Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Belgium.
In September 2023, Lockheed Martin delivered the Royal Danish Air Force’s first four Lightning IIs.
F-16s for Ukraine
During the announcement, Denmark also confirmed that the donation of some of its old F-16s to Ukraine is underway.
Copenhagen revealed last year it will be retiring the fleet by 2025 from its supposed service life to 2027 as the government’s upcoming fifth-generation fighter aircraft might arrive “earlier than planned.”
Poulsen said that this transition will initially bring out 19 F-16 units for Kyiv.
Also in 2023, Denmark announced plans to train Ukrainian airmen with the F-16s in collaboration with other countries.
The British Air Force started sessions under this program last December. A month later, the Norwegian armed forces deployed F-16s to Danish territories for the purpose.
Meanwhile, the Dutch government allocated funds earlier in March to procure shells for Ukraine’s future F-16s following its pledge of 24 Fighting Falcons to Kyiv in 2022.