Second batch of Danish F-16s arrives in Argentina
Six more of the second-hand fighters arrived in South America after being ferried from Denmark.
Argentina has received its second tranche of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters, bringing the country’s fleet to 12 jets.
Canadian contractor Top Aces confirmed the delivery on 5 October, which follows the delivery of an initial batch of six F-16A/Bs in late 2025. Top Aces is on contract to provide basic and advanced flight training on the F-16 to the Argentinian air force (FAA) over the next two years, with the option for a third-year extension.
“Top Aces is proud to support the delivery of the Fuerza Aerea Argentina’s newest additions to Argentina’s defence capability and to continue supporting the training of Argentina’s next generation of F-16 fighter pilots,” the company says.
The $33 million programme will cover initial qualification on the single-engined jet, as well as certification on more advanced skills including mission qualification, flight lead and instructor pilot status. Top Aces operates the world’s only fleet of privately owned F-16s, which the company uses to offer adversary air training to Western air forces.
Argentina’s flight training programme is being carried out using FAA aircraft, not Top Aces-owned F-16s, which currently work exclusively with US fifth-generation fighter squadrons.
Argentina is set to receive 24 secondhand F-16s from Denmark, including single-seat A-models and two-seat B-variants. The Royal Danish Air Force has already retired its fleet of legacy F-16s and begun operating the newer Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighter.
Denmark’s former F-16 fleet is being divided between Argentina and Ukraine, with Kyiv receiving 19 jets free of charge, while Buenos Aires reportedly paid $40 million for its 24 aircraft.
A $1 billion Foreign Military Sales request from Argentina was approved in 2024, covering armaments for the F-16 fighters, including Raytheon AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, Mk82 226kg (500lb) general purpose bombs and Raytheon GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs.
The latest F-16 delivery to the FAA comes amid renewed tensions between Argentina and the UK in the long-running dispute over control of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, which London has continuously administered since 1833. The two countries fought a war over the archipelago, which Argentina calls Las Malvinas, in 1982.
Combat losses and sanctions imposed by the British government after the conclusion of hostilities led to the steady deterioration of the FAA in the years since the Falklands War. Before receiving its first F-16s in 2025, Argentina had not operated a modern jet-powered fighter since the retirement of its last Dassault Mirage IIIs in 2015.
The US embassy in Buenos Aires, which is supporting the transfer of the American-made fighters from Denmark to Argentina, says the Argentinian air force will receive its full complement of F-16s by late 2028.
The jets are being ferried from Europe to Latin America in batches of six aircraft.
The inaugural ferry flight last December launched from the RDAF’s Skrydstrup fighter base with intermediate stops in Zaragoza, Spain; the Canary Islands; and Natal, Brazil. A US Air Force Boeing KC-135 tanker supported the transatlantic crossing.
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