Colombia begins negotiations to buy 16 Rafale fighter jets

SANTIAGO, Chile — Colombia is negotiating the purchase of 16 Rafale multirole fighter jets for its Air Force, a deal potentially worth $3.15 billion, according to a news release from the country’s president.

After local media recently reported negotiations with the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault were underway, Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a statement confirming the information. However, he also noted that two other offers remain under consideration , and that Dassault’s bid was only preselected as Colombia’s preferred option.

Earlier this month, the president had announced during a military ceremony that the country would soon replace its Israeli-made Kfir jets, which are more than 40 years old and approaching the end of their service lives. According to the president’s news release, the operation and maintenance of the Kfirs “have become very expensive and also risky,” as not enough of them remain operational around the world, which makes it difficult to obtain spare parts.

Petro added that the cost of procuring the Kfir replacements “is not going to use a single dime” from funds earmarked for social investment.

Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez later explained that funding will come from a 20-year credit provided by the French government, which includes a grace period of five years before the start of payments.

The other two offers under consideration are the F-16 Block 70 from American company Lockheed Martin, and the Gripen NG from Sweden’s Saab.

Colombia’s Air Force has shown interest in the F-16, but officials are concerned over what they consider restrictive conditions associated with acquiring missiles under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, local military sources told Defense News on the condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to discuss the topic.

The U.S. State Department did not return requests for comment on Colombia’s missile ambitions.

As for the Gripen NG, the military sources said it’s considered here to be a lightweight and less capable fighter than the alternative options. While the aircraft is cheaper that the other offerings, Saab’s financial conditions are not as generous, with a shorter grace period and payment schedule. The Swedish contractor also offered cheaper refurbished and upgraded secondhand aircraft, but Colombia declined.

Emilio Meneses, an independent analyst based in Santiago, Chile, told Defense News that Petro has surprised observers with his defense acquisition efforts.

“Against what was expected from him and his left-leaning background, he has launched two big military programs — to build frigates and to procure new fighter jets. He is raising the strategic profile of Colombia in South America,” Meneses said.

José Higuera is a Latin America correspondent for Defense News.

智利圣地亚哥——据哥伦比亚总统发布的新闻稿称，哥伦比亚正在就为其空军购买 16 架阵风多用途战斗机进行谈判，这笔交易的潜在价值为 31.5 亿美元。

此前当地媒体报道称，哥伦比亚正与法国飞机制造商达索公司进行谈判。随后，哥伦比亚总统古斯塔沃·佩特罗发表声明证实了这一消息。但他同时指出，哥伦比亚仍在考虑另外两份报价，达索公司的报价只是哥伦比亚的首选方案。

本月初，总统在一次军事仪式上宣布，南非将很快更换其服役超过40年、即将退役的以色列制造的“幼狮”（Kfir）战斗机。总统在新闻稿中指出，“幼狮”战斗机的运营和维护“成本高昂且风险巨大”，因为全球范围内仍在服役的“幼狮”数量已经非常有限，导致备件难以获取。

Petro补充说，采购Kfir替代车辆的费用“不会动用”指定用于社会投资的资金中的一分钱。

国防部长伊万·贝拉斯克斯后来解释说，资金将来自法国政府提供的 20 年期贷款，其中包括 5 年的宽限期，之后才会开始付款。

另外两款正在考虑的机型分别是美国洛克希德·马丁公司的 F-16 Block 70 和瑞典萨博公司的 Gripen NG。

据当地军方消息人士匿名向《防务新闻》透露，哥伦比亚空军对F-16战斗机表现出了兴趣，但官员们担心根据美国对外军售计划获取导弹的相关限制条件，因为他们没有被授权讨论这个话题。

美国国务院没有回复有关哥伦比亚导弹野心的置评请求。

至于鹰狮NG战斗机，军方消息人士称，它在这里被认为是一款轻型战斗机，性能不如其他备选方案。虽然这款飞机比其他方案更便宜，但萨博公司的付款条件并不优惠，宽限期和付款期限都比较短。这家瑞典承包商还提供了价格更低的翻新升级二手飞机，但哥伦比亚拒绝了。

智利圣地亚哥的独立分析师埃米利奥·梅内塞斯告诉《防务新闻》，佩特罗的国防采购努力让观察人士感到惊讶。

梅内塞斯说：“与人们对他及其左倾背景的预期相反，他启动了两项大型军事计划——建造护卫舰和采购新型战斗机。他正在提升哥伦比亚在南美洲的战略地位。”

何塞·伊格拉是《防务新闻》拉丁美洲记者。