General Juan Martin Paleo, the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Argentina, recently traveled to Pakistan to see the PAF’s JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, which Argentina will purchase soon.
General Juan learned about the capabilities of the JF-17 Thunder Block III 4+ generation multirole fighter aircraft while touring Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra.
He was also informed of PAC’s top-notch fighter aircraft production capabilities and its demonstrated capacity to produce aircraft on schedule and in accordance with client demands.
Additionally, General Juan made calls to senior members of the Pakistan Air Force and the PAC Kamra administration.
In June of this year, General Juan also traveled to Pakistan. He met with Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar, the PAF’s chief of air staff, on this tour.
Both top officials spoke about JF-17 fighter jet purchases and other aspects of bilateral military cooperation.
Argentina made the decision to purchase JF-17 Thunder fighter jets in December 2020 after South Korea declined to provide FA-50 fighter jets to the Argentine Air Force as a result of diplomatic pressure from the UK, Argentina’s geopolitical opponent.
Since Argentina invaded British Overseas Territories (BOTS), particularly the South Sandwich Islands, the Falkland Islands, and its dependent territory South Georgia, in 1982, relations between the UK and Argentina have been strained. The action led to the Falklands War, an unofficial conflict lasting ten weeks and culminating in a British triumph.
Defense experts are of the view that the acquisition of JF-17 Block-III fighter jets by the AAF could have significant political and military ramifications for the UK next to the Falkland Islands and the South Sandwich Islands.
For the purchase of 12 JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, of which 10 will be single-seaters and 2 will be dual-seaters, the Argentine government formally set aside $664 million in the country’s 2022 budget in September 2021.
