Argentina’s first six F-16 fighter jets depart Denmark for initial ferry flight
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Argentina’s Ministry of Defense reported that the first group of F-16 fighters purchased from Denmark began their planned ferry flight.
As reported by the country’s Defense Minister, Luis Petri, Argentina’s first six F-16 fighter jets purchased from Denmark departed Skrydstrup Air Base on November 28, 2025, beginning a scheduled ferry route through Zaragoza for the initial stop, then continuing toward Gran Canaria, Brazil, and ultimately Área Material Río Cuarto in Córdoba, where reception and technical teams are preparing for handover. The transfer involves coordination among Argentine, Danish, and U.S. Air Forces for the country’s most significant fighter introduction in a decade.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The six fighters are the first part of a broader program that includes 24 operational F-16AM/BM fighter jets plus one non-flying airframe for ground instruction under an agreement signed in April 2024 within the Peace Condor framework. (Picture source: Argentine MoD)
The first six F-16 fighter jets purchased by Argentina from Denmark have now begun their ferry flight toward national territory, with departure from Skrydstrup Air Base and a first technical stop in Zaragoza before continuing to Gran Canaria, Brazil, and Córdoba. The arrival is expected around December 5, 2025, and represents the operational start of Argentina’s integration of the F-16 Fighting Falcon into its air force. The Ministry of Defense has highlighted each stage of the transit as the aircraft move closer to national airspace, presenting this first group as the opening step in a program intended to restore and expand national air defense capabilities. The transfer involves coordination among Argentine, Danish, and U.S. Air Force units, reflecting Argentina’s intent to adopt new standards of interoperability.
The Royal Danish Air Force was one of the earliest European F-16 operators after joining the original NATO consortium in the late 1970s, which selected the F-16A/B as a standard lightweight fighter. Danish F-16s were modernized through multiple Mid-Life Update (MLU) phases that introduced new avionics, datalinks, precision weapons, and structural extensions, allowing the fleet to remain operational for more than four decades. These jets supported national air policing, NATO Baltic Air Policing rotations, Arctic patrols over Greenland and the Faroe Islands, and international missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. The gradual phaseout began as Denmark selected the F-35A, creating a surplus of airframes suitable for transfer.
The six aircraft consist of four F-16BM two-seat fighters and two F-16AM single-seat fighters identified as M-1004, M-1005, M-1007, M-1008, M-1009, and M-1020, departing in two formations of three separated by roughly one hour and using callsigns CONDR11 to CONDR16. After departure from Vojens-Skrydstrup, the jets landed at Zaragoza for refueling and checks, then will continue to Gando Air Base in Gran Canaria before moving to Natal in Brazil for an additional stop before their final approach to Área Material Río Cuarto in Córdoba. The ferry is supported by a Boeing 737-700 T-99 “Islas Malvinas,” an Argentine KC-130H Hercules TC-69 positioned earlier in Denmark, and a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker providing in-flight refueling across Atlantic legs. Argentina has emphasized that these stages indicate the progressive advance of the fighters toward national territory and that the route is designed to manage fuel reserves efficiently, as it marks the country’s first large-scale fighter ferry in years.
The six fighters are the first part of a broader program that includes 24 operational F-16AM/BM fighter jets plus one non-flying airframe for ground instruction under an agreement signed in April 2024 within the Peace Condor framework. The F-16 package is valued at about $340 million for the fighters and spare parts, with an additional package of roughly $310 million that includes AIM-120C8 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, Mk-82 bombs, GBU-12 Paveway II kits, reconnaissance pods, and electronic warfare equipment. Earlier authorization in October 2024 covered 24 used F-16A/B Block 10/15 fighters with communications, cryptography, navigation, and mission-support systems, with a maximum possible value approaching $941 million when training and sustainment are included. Deliveries of the 24 aircraft are planned between late 2025 and 2028, allowing a phased transition. The new fighters will restore a supersonic interception capability lost since the 2015 retirement of Mirage IIIs, but also permit a gradual reduction of the operational load on the A-4AR fleet.
The F-16s will initially operate from Área Material Río Cuarto, prepared as the main reception and maintenance site, before final deployment with VI Brigada Aérea at Tandil, where a Technical Instruction Center and simulators are being implemented. Río Cuarto is undergoing runway resurfacing, reinforcement of the 2,260-meter surface, installation of BAK-12 arresting gear, taxiway reconfiguration, and expansion of platforms and hangars to support higher-performance aircraft. Tandil is being modernized through upgrades to shelters, hangars, and training spaces, and it has received a static F-16B airframe designated aircraft Nº25 with tail number M-1210, transported disassembled by KC-130H Hercules and reassembled for ground instruction. A ceremony in February 2025 introduced this airframe as the foundation of a new training center. Firefighting and safety elements are being updated accordingly, with the objective of establishing a long-term operational infrastructure.
Industrial work was conducted by the Danish Defence Maintenance Service FVT in Aalborg, including structural inspections, corrosion treatment, surface preparation, component replacement, and repainting in NATO-standard gray tones tailored to Argentine specifications. Technical teams from the F-16 program, the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO), and the U.S. Air Force coordinated final assembly, system checks, and flight preparation, while also defining the ferry sequence supported by KC-135R and Argentine C-130 transports. An Argentine delegation of nine personnel traveled to Kolding and Skrydstrup to verify the first logistics package through the ILIAS Material Management system, checking each item against contractual and technical requirements. After processing, the material was consolidated at Skrydstrup, shipped through Aarhus, transported to Buenos Aires, and then redistributed to Río Cuarto. Local technicians conducted inspection, inventory, and integration of parts, tools, and equipment.
Training involves pilots, technicians, and support personnel in Argentina, Denmark, and the United States. Pilots are already using simulators installed at VI Brigada Aérea in Tandil, while physiological adaptation to 9G flight has been conducted through centrifuge and hypobaric-chamber sessions in the United States. Maintenance personnel participated in technical courses in Phoenix and will rotate during ferry phases and early service integration to work directly with Danish teams. A Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the United States includes training services delivered through Top Aces and curriculum development supported by AFSAT within the US Air Education and Training Command. Delegations from AFSAT, Top Aces, and DALO visited Río Cuarto, Tandil, Mendoza, and the Military Aviation School to examine the DART system, IA-63 Pampa, and Texan II training roles, ground schools, and English proficiency. These visits also verified runways, braking systems, and maintenance capabilities.
As previously reported by Army Recognition, Argentina has requested two KC-135R Stratotankers from the United States through the Foreign Military Sales program to enable full-range operations of the F-16, since KC-130 Hercules tankers use a probe-and-drogue system incompatible with the F-16 flying-boom requirement. The KC-135R, derived from the Boeing 367-80 prototype and in service since 1957, has undergone major modernization, such as re-engining with CFM56 turbofans that increased fuel offload by up to 50 percent, reduced fuel consumption, and improved climb performance. Block 45 cockpit upgrades added digital displays, a modernized autopilot, and an advanced flight director, while some aircraft gained multi-point refueling pods and receiver capability that permits in-flight refueling from other tankers. The KC-135 family has supported most major United States operations since the Cold War and remains the principal tanker for several allies, including Chile, France, Turkey, and Singapore. For Argentina, it would enable extended patrols over long north-south distances, as well as maritime surveillance sectors.
Financial considerations shape the operating model for the Argentine F-16 fleet, with estimates placing the cost of each used aircraft at about $25 million and operating expenses at approximately $20,000 per flight hour, creating constraints on training and deployment patterns given existing budgets. Argentine Air Force leadership recognizes that the F-16 introduces new readiness requirements, maintenance cycles, and operational planning methods, since the aircraft provides beyond-visual-range capability with AMRAAM, precision-strike options, modern electronic warfare systems, and integration with Link-16 networks that alter tactical employment. National authorities present the program as a multi-year undertaking involving scheduled payments for aircraft, infrastructure, and service contracts with the United States and Danish organizations. Milestones for 2025 have been met according to the established calendar. As the first six aircraft progress along the Atlantic route, ceremonies planned at Río Cuarto and Tandil will mark the beginning of the reintegration of Argentina into the community of F-16 operators.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Argentina’s Ministry of Defense reported that the first group of F-16 fighters purchased from Denmark began their planned ferry flight.
As reported by the country’s Defense Minister, Luis Petri, Argentina’s first six F-16 fighter jets purchased from Denmark departed Skrydstrup Air Base on November 28, 2025, beginning a scheduled ferry route through Zaragoza for the initial stop, then continuing toward Gran Canaria, Brazil, and ultimately Área Material Río Cuarto in Córdoba, where reception and technical teams are preparing for handover. The transfer involves coordination among Argentine, Danish, and U.S. Air Forces for the country’s most significant fighter introduction in a decade.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The six fighters are the first part of a broader program that includes 24 operational F-16AM/BM fighter jets plus one non-flying airframe for ground instruction under an agreement signed in April 2024 within the Peace Condor framework. (Picture source: Argentine MoD)
The first six F-16 fighter jets purchased by Argentina from Denmark have now begun their ferry flight toward national territory, with departure from Skrydstrup Air Base and a first technical stop in Zaragoza before continuing to Gran Canaria, Brazil, and Córdoba. The arrival is expected around December 5, 2025, and represents the operational start of Argentina’s integration of the F-16 Fighting Falcon into its air force. The Ministry of Defense has highlighted each stage of the transit as the aircraft move closer to national airspace, presenting this first group as the opening step in a program intended to restore and expand national air defense capabilities. The transfer involves coordination among Argentine, Danish, and U.S. Air Force units, reflecting Argentina’s intent to adopt new standards of interoperability.
The Royal Danish Air Force was one of the earliest European F-16 operators after joining the original NATO consortium in the late 1970s, which selected the F-16A/B as a standard lightweight fighter. Danish F-16s were modernized through multiple Mid-Life Update (MLU) phases that introduced new avionics, datalinks, precision weapons, and structural extensions, allowing the fleet to remain operational for more than four decades. These jets supported national air policing, NATO Baltic Air Policing rotations, Arctic patrols over Greenland and the Faroe Islands, and international missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. The gradual phaseout began as Denmark selected the F-35A, creating a surplus of airframes suitable for transfer.
The six aircraft consist of four F-16BM two-seat fighters and two F-16AM single-seat fighters identified as M-1004, M-1005, M-1007, M-1008, M-1009, and M-1020, departing in two formations of three separated by roughly one hour and using callsigns CONDR11 to CONDR16. After departure from Vojens-Skrydstrup, the jets landed at Zaragoza for refueling and checks, then will continue to Gando Air Base in Gran Canaria before moving to Natal in Brazil for an additional stop before their final approach to Área Material Río Cuarto in Córdoba. The ferry is supported by a Boeing 737-700 T-99 “Islas Malvinas,” an Argentine KC-130H Hercules TC-69 positioned earlier in Denmark, and a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker providing in-flight refueling across Atlantic legs. Argentina has emphasized that these stages indicate the progressive advance of the fighters toward national territory and that the route is designed to manage fuel reserves efficiently, as it marks the country’s first large-scale fighter ferry in years.
The six fighters are the first part of a broader program that includes 24 operational F-16AM/BM fighter jets plus one non-flying airframe for ground instruction under an agreement signed in April 2024 within the Peace Condor framework. The F-16 package is valued at about $340 million for the fighters and spare parts, with an additional package of roughly $310 million that includes AIM-120C8 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, Mk-82 bombs, GBU-12 Paveway II kits, reconnaissance pods, and electronic warfare equipment. Earlier authorization in October 2024 covered 24 used F-16A/B Block 10/15 fighters with communications, cryptography, navigation, and mission-support systems, with a maximum possible value approaching $941 million when training and sustainment are included. Deliveries of the 24 aircraft are planned between late 2025 and 2028, allowing a phased transition. The new fighters will restore a supersonic interception capability lost since the 2015 retirement of Mirage IIIs, but also permit a gradual reduction of the operational load on the A-4AR fleet.
The F-16s will initially operate from Área Material Río Cuarto, prepared as the main reception and maintenance site, before final deployment with VI Brigada Aérea at Tandil, where a Technical Instruction Center and simulators are being implemented. Río Cuarto is undergoing runway resurfacing, reinforcement of the 2,260-meter surface, installation of BAK-12 arresting gear, taxiway reconfiguration, and expansion of platforms and hangars to support higher-performance aircraft. Tandil is being modernized through upgrades to shelters, hangars, and training spaces, and it has received a static F-16B airframe designated aircraft Nº25 with tail number M-1210, transported disassembled by KC-130H Hercules and reassembled for ground instruction. A ceremony in February 2025 introduced this airframe as the foundation of a new training center. Firefighting and safety elements are being updated accordingly, with the objective of establishing a long-term operational infrastructure.
Industrial work was conducted by the Danish Defence Maintenance Service FVT in Aalborg, including structural inspections, corrosion treatment, surface preparation, component replacement, and repainting in NATO-standard gray tones tailored to Argentine specifications. Technical teams from the F-16 program, the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO), and the U.S. Air Force coordinated final assembly, system checks, and flight preparation, while also defining the ferry sequence supported by KC-135R and Argentine C-130 transports. An Argentine delegation of nine personnel traveled to Kolding and Skrydstrup to verify the first logistics package through the ILIAS Material Management system, checking each item against contractual and technical requirements. After processing, the material was consolidated at Skrydstrup, shipped through Aarhus, transported to Buenos Aires, and then redistributed to Río Cuarto. Local technicians conducted inspection, inventory, and integration of parts, tools, and equipment.
Training involves pilots, technicians, and support personnel in Argentina, Denmark, and the United States. Pilots are already using simulators installed at VI Brigada Aérea in Tandil, while physiological adaptation to 9G flight has been conducted through centrifuge and hypobaric-chamber sessions in the United States. Maintenance personnel participated in technical courses in Phoenix and will rotate during ferry phases and early service integration to work directly with Danish teams. A Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the United States includes training services delivered through Top Aces and curriculum development supported by AFSAT within the US Air Education and Training Command. Delegations from AFSAT, Top Aces, and DALO visited Río Cuarto, Tandil, Mendoza, and the Military Aviation School to examine the DART system, IA-63 Pampa, and Texan II training roles, ground schools, and English proficiency. These visits also verified runways, braking systems, and maintenance capabilities.
As previously reported by Army Recognition, Argentina has requested two KC-135R Stratotankers from the United States through the Foreign Military Sales program to enable full-range operations of the F-16, since KC-130 Hercules tankers use a probe-and-drogue system incompatible with the F-16 flying-boom requirement. The KC-135R, derived from the Boeing 367-80 prototype and in service since 1957, has undergone major modernization, such as re-engining with CFM56 turbofans that increased fuel offload by up to 50 percent, reduced fuel consumption, and improved climb performance. Block 45 cockpit upgrades added digital displays, a modernized autopilot, and an advanced flight director, while some aircraft gained multi-point refueling pods and receiver capability that permits in-flight refueling from other tankers. The KC-135 family has supported most major United States operations since the Cold War and remains the principal tanker for several allies, including Chile, France, Turkey, and Singapore. For Argentina, it would enable extended patrols over long north-south distances, as well as maritime surveillance sectors.
Financial considerations shape the operating model for the Argentine F-16 fleet, with estimates placing the cost of each used aircraft at about $25 million and operating expenses at approximately $20,000 per flight hour, creating constraints on training and deployment patterns given existing budgets. Argentine Air Force leadership recognizes that the F-16 introduces new readiness requirements, maintenance cycles, and operational planning methods, since the aircraft provides beyond-visual-range capability with AMRAAM, precision-strike options, modern electronic warfare systems, and integration with Link-16 networks that alter tactical employment. National authorities present the program as a multi-year undertaking involving scheduled payments for aircraft, infrastructure, and service contracts with the United States and Danish organizations. Milestones for 2025 have been met according to the established calendar. As the first six aircraft progress along the Atlantic route, ceremonies planned at Río Cuarto and Tandil will mark the beginning of the reintegration of Argentina into the community of F-16 operators.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
