Buenos Aires, December 10 (NA) – Former Defense Minister Luis Petri defended the Argentine government's purchase of F-16 fighter jets as a way to support its Armed Forces, and rejected criticism of these aircraft by stating, 'now everyone has become a fighter jet sommelier.' Petri considered the purchase of the F-16s 'the most important for the Armed Forces in the last 40 years' and assured that they allow the Air Force to make 'a technological leap of at least 30 years.' The current national deputy, who, as head of the Ministry of Defense, led the purchase operation for these combat aircraft, asserted: 'We achieved effective deterrence, not just for show, and we achieved control of our airspace.' Recalling in an interview with the TN news channel that Argentina had not had supersonic aircraft 'since 2015,' when the French Mirages were decommissioned. Regarding the criticisms of the purchase from Denmark, Petri stated: 'The criticisms from Kirchnerism do not concern me, because they demonized the armed forces, dismantled them and defunded them.' 'They say they were about to buy Chinese JF-17 jets and did not do so, they would have done it, because no significant purchases have been made for the military in 40 years.' He added that 'this government has the decision to support its Armed Forces, and one way to do so is to equip them' and maintained that instead of criticisms, he prefers to prioritize the opinion of 'officers and non-commissioned officers of the Air Force who were excited' to receive the new aircraft. IP Regarding the Chinese FJ-17s, he pointed out that 'only 145 have been manufactured worldwide,' while of the F-16s like those acquired from Denmark, 'more than 4,500 have been manufactured, and of them, 3,600 are flying.' He explained that about 800 F-16s 'are used today by the United States, the world's leading military power' and highlighted: 'More than 26 countries use them, there is no possible discussion, they are modernized and we have aircraft for another 25 years.'
