Chile to increase F16 fighter numbers

R

rock45

Active member
Looks like Chile's going to add to their F-16 fleet a little article I found after this goes though Chile will have 44 Vipers. I wonder this will cause Peru's to start buying new aircraft?

Chile to increase F16 fighter bombers wing to 44 Chile is interested in purchasing another batch of refurbished F 16 fighter bombers for the Air Force, according to diplomatic sources in Santiago which was partially confirmed by Defence officials. The new fighters to be purchased from Holland would replace the ageing F-5 Tiger III to be decommissioned next year. Chile currently has 28 F-16 fighter bombers, of which ten model C/D Block 50 were purchased brand new in 2002 as part of the free trade agreement signed with United States. Total cost 660 million US dollars.

Three years ago Chile incorporated 18 A/B MLU F16 from the Dutch Air Force costing 180 million US dollars. They replaced ageing Mirage 5 Elkan and Mirage 50/Panther.

The second batch totalling 16, model MLU, plus spares and support equipment, would have a cost of 170 million US dollars and would be delivered next year. When all are delivered Chile’s Air Force will have 44 F16, probably the strongest and most modern in the continent.

More over the new fighter bombers would be stationed in the south of the country a move which has been criticized by some Chilean congress members who feel this is contrary to the cooperation and integration spirit with Argentina and could be interpreted as “unfriendly”.

According to Santiago press reports the Chilean Armed Force still have savings of almost three billion US dollars for the purchase of military equipment such as anti-aircraft systems, deep sea sonar, early warning aircrafts and unmanned surveillance aircrafts.

The fund for military equipment purchases in Chile is financed with a percentage of copper windfall earnings and supported by legislation dating back to the Pinochet years. The bill is to be amended following a political agreement reached in Congress to review legislation inherited from the military regime and considered non democratic.

Eduardo Santos a military affairs analyst estimated the fund currently has 2.9 billion US dollars and is expected to increase in the coming months.

In the last ten years Chile acquired two specially built conventional Scorpion submarines from France and Spain; 350 German Leopard 1 and 2 tanks from Germany and Holland; 28 F-26 from United States and Holland and eight refurbished frigates from Holland and United Kingdom.

Recent purchase include 100 Marder combat vehicles from Germany; 12 Bell 412 helicopters from United States; three marine patrol aircrafts CASA C-295 from Spain; ten Super Puma AS535 helicopters from France and 12 training and attack turbo Super Tucano from Brazil.




Link
http://www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=14828&formato=HTML
 
F-16 is no doubt still a very capable platform and will serve in air forces throughout the world for many more years. But other than those already in the internation JSF consortium, I wonder how many of the F-16 using nations will eventually switch to the F-35?
 
Funding

Did you catch the part where Chile has:
Eduardo Santos a military affairs analyst estimated the fund currently has 2.9 billion US dollars and is expected to increase in the coming months.
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Peru can't touch that and if I'm mistaking only Brazil and of course Venezuela can go near that. Chile has some armed forces for such a small country and those tanks numbers, wow.

Peru has T-55/s can assume Argentina can field some TAM tanks but nobody is setup like Chile down there.

For Chile future needs or ways to spend that money:
AWACS?
Aircraft tankers?
Missile defenses ? Against what a handful of flyable Fulcrums and old Mirage 2000-P's that badly need parts.
Maybe increase transport assets?
More helicopters?
Increased training across the board?

I pick training myself can't go wrong there.
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Then maybe helicopters.
 
I'm not very familiar with South America but because of the way Chile is set up on the map and its geography, I think the defense strategy that makes the most sense would be maintaining air superiority at all costs. Versus Argentina, it has a very long border to protect and if those guys really wanted to swim in the Pacific I think they could punch through quiet a few places. But air superiority would make sure that those advancements can only be very limited and most probably short lived.

chile_map.gif
 
eventually switch to the F-35?
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Left this part out I may be wrong but I think the F-35 going to be a huge hit and many follow up orders will follow. So much will have been learn from the F-22 program and other means that will be and has been built into this aircraft. I'm sure C/D models will follow.

If the F-35 didn't carry more fuel, larger payload, 40,000 thrust engine, and much more, because of this less platforms will be made or needed. The aircraft does more therefore less are needed. If contracts come in fast I think high totals are possible maybe not like the current Vipers 4,000+ numbers but up there.

With its stealth and very low RCS it should be able to get first shots on EF2000, Rafale's and any type Flankers. Flankers just have to be the biggest targets in the skies and will be for years to come.
 
Maps

I love maps and yes Chile is thin but I can assume Chile has groups of those Leo tanks by all if not most of the main mountain crossings. Like you said air superiority must be maintained. Even A-4 can cover that distance quickly but Argentina military has many needs it has been through a series of deep cuts.

I read that China tried selling Argentina some radar's a few years back but nothing came of it. I think China buys some of their beef and wheat not sure if Argentina exports any oil. I think they produce enough to take care of themselves but need Bolivia natural gas still.

I started paying attention to South American and their Armed Forces after the Peruvian-Ecuadorian war in 1995.
 
I also love maps. :smil:

Out of all the South American countries what concerns me the most is Brazil, because of their relatively more resources (they lead the world in biofuel production, for example), developing nuclear technology, hot supermodels who keep marrying American movie stars and of course football (soccer) abilities that threaten the sanity of the rest of us European ball chasers. :smile:

But yeah, I'm sure those new Chilean F-16s will serve their purpose well.
 
Sorry to ask an AFV question here, but what dose venezuela drive these days? I recon if Chile has Leo 1A5 or better they cant be touched...Unless Venezuela is driving T-72(even than close match)...
 
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