Colombia’s Plan to Replace Fighter Planes Faces Challenges, Reported by Reuters

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Initial discussions between Colombia, France’s Dassault Aviation, and Sweden’s Saab AB regarding the replacement of part of the country’s aging air force fleet have fallen through, according to the defense minister on Monday.

Colombia currently operates approximately 20 Israeli-made Kfir aircraft that were acquired three decades ago and has emphasized the urgency of replacing these planes to maintain territorial defense, combat organized crime, and conduct aerial surveillance.

"Unfortunately, in the preliminary negotiations that took place at the end of last year, we were unable to finalize plans with either the French or the Swedish," stated Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez during a local radio interview. He also noted that the previously approved budget of $678 million for these aircraft has lapsed.

Manufacturers showed little interest in an initial sale of three to five planes based on the budget from the prior government. Instead, they aimed to negotiate for a total of 16 planes.

Velasquez indicated that efforts would persist this year to explore potential purchase options.

Last month, Colombia reported it had shortlisted a proposal from Dassault to sell 16 Rafale fighter jets for around $3 billion, along with two other bids from the United States and Sweden, which offered F-16 and Gripen aircraft, respectively.

Various Colombian administrations have sought to replace the Kfir planes for at least 12 years, although such efforts have been hindered by financial constraints.

The ongoing internal armed conflict, involving the government, leftist rebels, and criminal organizations led by former right-wing paramilitaries, has persisted for nearly 60 years and resulted in the deaths of at least 450,000 people.