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Argentina Receives its First Six F-16s

FlyMarshall NewsroomBy No Comments8 Mins Read

Following their journey from Denmark’s Skrydstrup Air Base, the delivery of the first six F-16 marks the return of a supersonic fighter capability in Argentina after decades.

The Argentine Air Force’s (Fuerza Aérea Argentina – FAA) first six F-16AM/BM MLU (Mid-Life Upgrade) Block 15s reached the country on Dec. 5, 2025, landing at the FAA’s Río Cuarto airbase (Área Material Río Cuarto/Rio IV Material Area – ARMACUAR). Images released by the Argentine government showed a U.S. Air Force KC-135R Stratotanker flanked by three F-16s on each side flying over ARMACUAR upon arrival, followed by the other two KC-135 which supported the delivery.

Beginning their journey on Nov. 28, 2025, from Denmark’s Skrydstrup Air Base, the jets stopped at both Zaragoza Air Base and Grand Canaria in Spain, the Brazilian Air Force’s Natal Air Base (Base Area de Natal – BANT) and finally the ARMACUAR. These F-16s are part of 24 bought from RDAF (Royal Danish Air Force) stocks, with the remaining 18 aircraft to be delivered through 2027.

The six aircraft delivered sport the tail numbers M-1009, M-1005, M-1008, M-1020, M-1004 and M-1007. Of these, four, M-1004, 05, 07 and 08, are F-16BM twin-seaters. M-1001, which was the first Argentine F-16 spotted at Denmark’s Aalborg Air Base in September, was not among the ones delivered on Dec. 5.

A ceremony is expected to take place on Dec. 6, in the presence of President Javier Milei and the general public, marking the induction of the fighters in the FAA. You can read more about our previous coverage about Argentina’s ex-Danish F-16B MLU Block 15s here, here and here.

Long Awaited Capability

Manuel Adorni, Argentina’s chief of Cabinet of Ministers, while sharing the images on X, said: “The Argentine F-16s have landed. The first six fighter jets are already in our country, restoring our supersonic capability and the real protection of our skies. Today national defense makes history once again.”

All the aircraft will be assigned to the FAA’s VI Air Brigade in Tandil. The Ministerio de Defensa (Ministry of Defense) has previously reiterated how the F-16 would give the country again a supersonic fighter capability, which was missing since the retirement of its Dassault Mirage IIIs.

The event has also become a major national topic, with the Fighting Falcon’s service in Argentina coming amid increasing military tensions in South America, with the U.S.-Venezuela confrontation over narco-terrorism.

Journey from Denmark to Argentina

For their trans-Atlantic journey from the Canary Islands to BANT, the FAA F-16s were refuelled by three U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers. After taking off from Denmark’s Skrydstrup Air Base with callsigns CONDOR 11 to CONDOR 16, and landing at Zaragoza by late evening on Nov. 28, Argentina’s defense minister Luis Petri shared the images of the nine pilots and the two crew holding the Argentine flag.

Stills from a video shared by Luis Petri on Dec. 2 showed two of the twin-seater F-16s with only a pilot in the front seat. All aircraft bear the dark-grey paint scheme and full Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina) insignia.

The aircraft were supported by an FAA T-99 (Argentine designation for the Boeing 737-76N) that was captured landing at Zaragoza, possibly carrying support crew and equipment. An FAA KC-130H Hercules (TC-69) was also reported on Nov. 29 at the Grand Canary Islands off the coast of Western Sahara in northwestern Africa. Subsequently, TC-69 was also reported at BANT on Dec. 4.

After entering the South American airspace on Dec. 4, flight tracking from Flightradar 24 showed the KC-135s, one of them with the callsign RCH071, at Brazil’s Belem Val de Cans International Airport (Belén Air Base). A video on the same date also showed the KC-135 landing at Belén AB.

During the journey from BANT to ARMACUAR, flight tracks published by ‘SA Defensa’ showed the three KC-135s, registrations 63-8031, 60-0328 and 63-8034, entering Argentine airspace. The aircraft later conducted the flypast with the six F-16s over ARMACUAR.

Preparations

An Argentine MoD press release on Nov. 5 noted an FAA delegation traveled to Denmark to accept, upon thorough inspection and documentation, “the first logistics package for the F-16 program, formally marking the start of the equipment transfer to Argentina.”

Taking place at the Danish city of Kolding and the Fighter Wing at Skrydstrup beginning Sep. 29 and concluding on Oct. 20, the process also saw the FAA team signing of the Receipt and Transfer Document by the Directorate of Operational Logistics (DALO). The two teams also coordinated the material’s transport to the port of Aarhus, where it would be shipped to the Port of Buenos Aires.

ARMACUAR has also undergone a massive infrastructure upgrade program, including runways, aprons, taxiways, hangar modernization and arrestor cable system, vetted by the U.S. Air Force Security Assistance Team, DALO and the Top Aces ADAIR (Adversary Air) training services company.

Argentina’s Peace Condor program

The FAA received its first F-16B MLU (Mid-Life Upgrade) Block 10, a twin-seat variant, on Dec. 16, 2024, in a disassembled state aboard the service’s KC-130H Hercules at El Palomar. The aircraft departed from Denmark’s Aalborg Air Base, and was later transported to Tandil Air Base.

The FAA’s VI Brigade then unveiled it with full service markings, livery and tail number M-1210, on Feb. 24, 2025, at Tandil. This aircraft however is not a flying airframe, and would only be employed for training purposes.

The aircraft was previously numbered ET-210 while in Danish service, and was coincidentally involved in the operationalization of the RDAF’s (Royal Danish Air Force) F-35s, flying as chase plane at Edwards AFB, California, during testing.

The FAA has been without a supersonic fighter since 2015, after retiring its last Dassault Mirage IIIs. The service has relied, since then, on the older generation A-4AR Fightinghawk, with around 30 jets bought from the U.S. in 1983 after the Falklands War.

To weaponize the F-16s, Buenos Aires has also been approved a $941 million package by the U.S., which includes 36 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) and 102 500 pound Mk-82 bombs.


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