Saab’s JAS 39 Gripen might be a more attractive option for the Peruvian government, given its far lower operating costs and ease of maintenance.
Amid a wave of new fighter jet purchases across South America, Peru has not yet officially announced which fighter aircraft its air force might adopt. Still, earlier this week, the US Department of State approved Lima’s request for a potential $3.42 billion foreign military sale (FMS) for the F-16 Fighting Falcon—giving the Peruvian government the option to legally purchase the plane, though not committing them to do so. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has also notified Congress of the potential sale, a requirement before any deal can be finalized. It is highly unlikely lawmakers will object.
The proposed deal calls for Peru to receive 10 single-seat F-16C Block 70 fighters, two F-16D Block 70 trainers, support, training, and spares, including 14 F-110-129 engines, as well as a variety of ordnance for the aircraft. Among the listed munitions are 12 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, 52 LAU-129 guided launchers, plus 12 M61A1 20mm cannons.
Lima has also requested a list of non-Major Defense Equipment (MDE) items, which includes “Infrared Search and Track systems; missile warning systems; AN/ALQ-254 Viper Shield or equivalent electronic warfare systems; AN/AAQ-28 Litening targeting pods; Cartridge Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices (CAD/PAD); AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM CATMs; Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems II (JHMCS II) helmet-mounted displays; ammunition; cartridges, chaffs, and flares.”
Lockheed Martin, GE Aerospace, and RTX were announced as the prime contractors in the proposed FMS deal.
More F-16 Fighting Falcons Could Fly in South America
Peru is one of several South American nations currently seeking to modernize its aging fleet of combat aircraft, and Lima has been considering a few options. The Peruvian Air Force currently operates around a dozen French-produced Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters, along with Russian-made Sukhoi Su-25 (NATO reporting name “Frogfoot”) and Mikoyan MiG-29 (NATO reporting name “Fulcrum”) fighters. The oldest of those aircraft have been in service for decades and are nearing the end of their service lives.
The F-16 is currently in service with the militaries of Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela. The US State Department approved an FMS with Buenos Aires that allowed for the Argentine Air Force to receive two dozen Block 10/15 Fighting Falcons from NATO member Denmark. The first aircraft arrived in February.
Chile has operated the F-16 since the early 2000s, while Venezuela first received its Fighting Falcons in the 1980s as part of the “Peace Delta” FMS program. After relations soured between Washington and Caracas in the early 2000s, the US cut Venezuela off from American maintenance and spare parts supplies, so the Venezuelan Air Force has struggled to keep its aircraft flying. In spite of this, two Venezuelan Block 15 F-16s “buzzed” the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA Aegis guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) last month, during the warship’s deployment to the waters off Venezuela to counter drug smuggling activities.
Peru Is Considering Other Fighter Jet Options, Too
Even as the US State Department has given its approval for the sale, it is far from a done deal. As previously reported, Lima has a limited budget, and the high operating cost of the F-16 Fighting Falcon has remained a major issue with its procurement.
This explains why Peruvian officials have considered other options, including the French-made Dassault Rafale and Sweden’s Saab JAS 39 Gripen. The Rafale is likely to be out of contention, as it has an operating cost that is nearly as high as that of the Fighting Falcon. Moreover, the French aircraft was in the crosshairs of an aggressive mudslinging campaign launched by Beijing after a Chinese-made Pakistani J-10 equipped with the Chinese-made PL-15 air-to-air missiles downed an Indian Air Force Rafale during the brief flare-up this spring. Though some have argued the Rafale’s reputation was unjustly smeared by Beijing in support of its own exports, several of Dassault’s prospective international customers have soured on the plane in the aftermath of that conflict.
Saab’s JAS 39 Gripen might be a more attractive option, given its far lower operating costs and ease of maintenance. Last month, a delegation from Peru traveled to Stockholm for negotiations over a potential purchase of the JAS 39 Gripen for Lima.
This has not been the only showdown between the F-16 and JAS 39 in recent years. Roughly a year ago, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) selected the JAS 39 Gripen E/F to replace its aging fleet of F-16A/B aircraft. The Saab fighter had outperformed the F-16 Block 70/72 fighters in the competition. Interestingly, older models of both aircraft also took part in the recent border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia in July. Until that point, the Gripen had never been employed in combat, even after nearly three decades in service. That same combat mission saw Thai F-16s carry out strikes on Cambodian military targets.
The F-16 has a much longer and more distinguished combat record than the Gripen. It remains among the world’s most successful, combat-proven multirole combat aircraft in service, with more than 4,600 aircraft built since production began in 1976. Although the United States Air Force is no longer acquiring the Fighting Falcon, Lockheed Martin continues to produce the F-16 at its facility in Greenville, South Carolina.
Lima likely faces a difficult choice, but it appears it will come down to the F-16 and the JAS 39.
| Aircraft | F-16 Fighting Falcon (Block 70) | JAS 39 Gripen |
| Year Introduced | 2023 | 1996 |
| Number Built | 0 (on order) | ~300 |
| Length | 49.3 ft (15 m) | 14.9 m (48 ft 11 in) |
| Wingspan | 30 ft (9.5 m) | ~8.4 m (27 ft 6 in) |
| Weight (MTOW) | 37,500 lb (16,875 kg) | 14,000 kg (30,865 lb) |
| Engines | One General Electric F110-GE-129 afterburning turbofan | One General Electric F414G afterburning turbofan |
| Top Speed | Mach 2 (1,480 mph, 2,380 km/h) | Mach 2 (1,480 mph, 2,380 km/h) |
| Range | 2,000+ mi (3,220+ km) ferry range | 3,220 km (2,000 mi) ferry range |
| Service Ceiling | 50,000 ft (15,000 m) | 15,000 m (50,000 ft) |
| Loadout | One 20mm M61Aa Vulcan autocannon; 11 hardpoints; approx 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) munitions capacity | One 27mm Mauser BK-27 autocannon; 8 hardpoints; 5,300 kg (11,700 lb) munitions capacity |
| Aircrew | 1-2, depending on variant | 1-2, depending on variant |
| Cost Per Unit | ~$70 million | ~$85 million |
| Cost Per Flight Hour | ~$20,000 | ~$5,000 |
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock / Soos Jozsef.
