Chile will increase the Air Force fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft

Chilean Air Force intends to purchase 16 additional F-16 fighter aircraft and, thus, bring the total to 44 units. It is reported MercoPress referring to the diplomatic and military sources in Santiago.

F-16 fighter jets release A / B MLU planned order from the Netherlands for about 170 million dollars. They will replace the obsolete F-5 Tiger III, to be written off next year.

In 2005, Chile has been arming of the first batch of fighter F-16A / B MLU from the Netherlands Air Force to replace the fleet of Mirage 5 Elkan and Mirage 50/Panther. Purchase of 18 aircraft cost the Chilean defense budget of 180 million dollars.

Prior to that, in 2002, the Air Force ordered Chile to the United States 10 new F-16 fighter aircraft version of C / D Block 50. The contract price was, according to different estimates, from 660 to 900 million dollars.

Further modernization of aircraft will significantly enhance the combat capacity of the Air Force of Chile, that the level of sophistication, and so took the leading position in Latin America. It is expected that additional F-16 fighter jets will be deployed in the south.

According to press publications, for the time being, Chile has a fund for the purchase of weapons and military equipment of approximately $ 3 billion. This amount is in line with current legislation, even in times of Pinochet, has accrued for royalties from the export of copper. However, shortly Parliament intends to abolish the practice.

Over the past ten years, the Ministry of Defense of Chile in addition to 28 F-16 fighter aircraft purchased two submarines French draft Scorpene, eight modernized navy frigates from the Netherlands and the USA, as well as 350 tanks Leopard-1/-2 of the armed forces of Germany and the Netherlands. Among recent acquisitions include 100 German armored personnel carriers Marder, 12 American helicopter Bell-412, 3 Spanish base patrol aircraft C-295 aircraft, 10 French AS535 Super Puma helicopters and 12 Brazilian training combat aircraft EMB-314 Super Tucano.