(FC-1 Xiaolong fighter jet jointly developed by China and Pakistan, called JF-17 in Pakistan)
News that Argentina wants to purchase FC-1 "Fierce Dragon" fighter jet has been circulating for many years, but due to various reasons, the ideal has not been achieved has become a reality, and recently there has been news that Argentina plans to purchase FC-1 fighter jets. However, this time the Argentinian ambition is not just to purchase "Fierce Dragons", but to try to be the "agent of Chinese fighter jets" in South America. ", the "Fierce Dragon" fighter is just a starting point.
(The US "Defense News" reported that Argentina plans to purchase the "Fierce Dragon" fighter jets jointly developed by China and Brazil)
According to the report of the Global Times citing the US "Defense News", the head of the Argentine Joint Military Staff Juan Martin Pa Leo recently met in Islamabad with a number of heavyweight officials from the Pakistani military and government, including the Commander of the Pakistan Air Force and the Minister of Defense Production. According to reports, the Argentine Air Force went to China in May to inspect the FC-1 "Fierce Dragon" fighter jet that China customized for the Pakistan Air Force, and conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the aircraft. This time, an Argentine official revealed to Defense News that Argentina hopes to assemble the "Fierce Dragon" in Argentina and have China and Brazil provide corresponding spare parts. In this way, Argentina can not only obtain modern fighter jet manufacturing experience in disguise, but also hope to become the "agent" of Chinese fighter jets throughout South America. For Argentina, this is tantamount to killing two birds with one stone.
(The British destroyer "Sheffield" was hit by an "Exocet" anti-ship missile launched by Argentina during the Falklands War. The ship later sank in waves while being towed back home)
Historically, the Argentine Air Force At a certain period, it was still very powerful. For example, in the "Battle of the Anglo-Armania Islands" in 1982, although Argentina ultimately lost the war, its air force performed very well. During the entire Falklands War, the Argentine Air Force sank and damaged a total of 18 British ships, causing the British Navy to lose more than half. And this was when there were only 5 anti-ship missiles, mainly using ordinary bombs and rockets. Achievements below. It is not difficult to imagine that if the Argentine Air Force had more anti-ship missiles, the outcome of the entire war might really be rewritten!
(The last jet fighter of the Argentine Air Force is the American-made A-4 "Skyhawk". After the last four "Skyhawks" were retired in 2018, the entire Argentine Air Force no longer has jet fighters until now)
But in After the Falklands War, Argentina's military spending was suppressed again and again due to years of economic downturn. After the "Phantom" fighter jets were retired in 2015, the Argentine Air Force only had 10 old A-4 "Skyhawk" attack aircraft left. These were fighter jets that were in service in 1956 and were equivalent to the MiG-21. But even so, by 2018 In 2018, even the last four A-4s in Argentina were unfit for use and retired. As a result, the Argentine Air Force has been in the embarrassment of no jet fighters since 2018, and the "empty window" without supersonic fighter jets has also lasted for 7 years. as long as.
It is not that Argentina has not considered purchasing fighter jets for its air force during this period. After all, the big South American country next door, Brazil, is equipped with JAS-39 "Griffin", and another big South American country, Chile, is equipped with 46 F-16s and 9s. An F-5E fighter jet. Comparing Argentina with Brazil and Chile, it is simply a comparison between swords and spears versus machine guns and cannons.
(Due to the "difficulty" with the United Kingdom, Argentina is now unable to purchase any aircraft equipped with British components, including trainer aircraft! The picture above shows the South Korean FA-50 combat trainer aircraft that Argentina originally wanted to purchase, but still because of this aircraft The contract for using British ejection seats was eventually cancelled)
Faced with this dilemma, Argentina also wanted to purchase advanced fighter jets. However, since the "Falks Islands War" occurred with the United Kingdom in 1982, the "difficulties" between Britain and Argentina have even Therefore, despite Argentina’s many attempts to purchase new fighter jets from overseas over the years, they have basically been thwarted by the United Kingdom.The most recent one is that Argentina is preparing to purchase a batch of FA-50 "Golden Eagle" combat trainer aircraft from South Korea. This FA-50 is generally on the same level as our country's L-15 "Falcon" advanced trainer aircraft, but even this FA-50 As for the training aircraft, the United Kingdom still refused to provide seats to South Korea on the grounds that the FA-50 used the British "Martin Baker" ejection seat. In the end, the contract was completely ruined.
(Although Argentina also considered Russia's MiG-29 fighter jets, considering the cost-effectiveness, especially the political relationship issues, it had to give up in the end)
After many lessons, Argentina finally realized that the United Kingdom, the United States, and France both Belonging to the Western camp, offending the United Kingdom, and having fought a war with the United Kingdom, this means offending the entire Western camp. It is impossible to buy Western fighter jets. Then there are only two options left: China and Russia. In fact, before evaluating the "Fierce Dragon" fighter jets, the Argentines also consulted Russia about the technology and price of the MiG-29. However, in the end they still felt that the price-performance ratio of the MiG-29 was a bit unsightly, coupled with the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war , Argentina finally targeted the "Fierce Dragon" fighter jets.
(The "Fierce Dragon" fighter jets participating in the joint military exercises of the Gulf countries are indeed not inferior to the real "international big names")
It was previously reported that the Argentine Air Force plans to purchase 12 fighter jets, and the total budget is 664 million US dollars, which means that the unit price budget of a fighter jet is about US$55.33 million. If you include a full set of airborne weapons and some logistics and maintenance services, this price is indeed not high. After all, in the international arms market today, the price of a brand-new fourth-generation and a half fighter jets Generally, it is more than 60 million US dollars, which does not include the cost of airborne weapons and logistics maintenance.
(The Xiaolong fighter is equipped with various airborne weapons, the most recent of which is the CM-400 supersonic anti-ship missile)
And the most noteworthy thing is that the "Fierce Dragon" sold in China can be said to be "cheap and high-quality" . According to relevant reports, the "Fierce Dragon" fighter jets purchased by Argentina are likely to be the "Fierce Dragon 3" equipped with a KLJ-7A active phased array radar, and the performance of this radar is comparable to that used by the US military's F-35A. APG-81 radar! Not only that, there are also reports that Argentina's purchase of "Fierce Dragon" fighter jets will be accompanied by the purchase of YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, PL-15E air-to-air missiles and even CM-400 supersonic air-to-ship missiles. In this regard, Western military observers generally believe that if Argentina purchases the "Fierce Dragon 3" and is equipped with PL-15E air-to-air missiles and CM-400 supersonic anti-ship missiles, it will undoubtedly be able to defeat the British F-35B and EF-2000 Typhoons and other fighter jets, as well as British Navy ships, pose a substantial threat.
(The Xiaolong fighter is currently the best choice for Argentina)
Since Argentina is really "poor", it is very likely that Argentina hopes to establish an assembly plant for the "Fierce Dragon" fighter in Argentina, with parts provided by China and Pakistan. Spare parts, this will not only save a large amount of procurement funds, but also help Argentina have the ability to produce modern fighter jets. More importantly, Argentina can assemble and produce the "Fierce Dragon" and sell it to other countries in South America. Once an order is obtained, Then you can still make some money. It is reported that Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and Cuba are all very interested in the "Fierce Dragon" fighter jets. Perhaps after the "Fierce Dragon" successfully enters Argentina, Chinese fighter jets will open up a vast market in South America.
