The Peru Air Force (FAP) is in the final stage of the purchase of war airplanes.The government of On Biguarte is pending the signature and publication of a Supreme Decree to conclude with the process that seeks to acquire 24 combat aircraft, with an estimated budget of 3.5 billion dollars.

The process – approved in the congress of the Republic at the end of last year – is in its final phase and only subtracts the signing of the decree by the President to free the FAP funds assigned in the National Budget of 2025 and 2026.

However,the newspaper La República warned that the FAP would be tilting to choose the Gripen E of the Swedish company Saab,based in Brazil,thus discarding models with proven fighting experience such as the F-16 Block 70 (USA) and Dassault Rafale (France). Another alert launched by the newspaper is that the FAP seeks to pass over the Purchasing Agency of the armed Forces (ACFFAA) under the argument that Saab de Sweden is the only one in the market that meets the requirements of the Peruvian State and would be considered a single supplier. However, sources from the military institution ensure that the other airplanes that would be ruled out have greater advantages than the Gripen E.

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Experience in Combat

According to web portals specialized in military weapons and issues, the F-16 Block 70 of the United States is one of the most proven fighters in the world, with more than 4,600 units produced and operational in more than 25 countries. It has participated in conflicts such as Gulf war, Afghanistan, Iran, among others. Its proven combat history and interoperability with NATO and regional allies such as Chile and Colombia make it a low operational risk option.

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The Dassault Rafale de France has been intensely used by France in Afghanistan (2007-2014), Libya (2011) – were it carried out precision attacks and aerial superiority patrols – Mali (Operation Serval, 2013), syria and Iraq (Chammal Operation), has operated from aircraft carrier (Rafale M) and in desert conditions, demonstrating great versatility.

The specialized portal Defense Street points out that, Gripen E is a new and not tested version in real combat. Its predecessor, the Gripen Sweden has maintained a neutrality policy, and Brazil is just beginning to operate its first units.

If Peru opts for the SAAB GRIPEN E, a technical and logistics dependence with Brazil would be established, governed today by Inacio Lula da Silva, which already produces and operates this model under license. This would imply partial technological transfer. SAAB has established an assembly and production line in Brazil (Embraer Defense), which means that many of the pieces, maintenance and technical support would come from that country. This can be positive due to geographical proximity, but also implies that any political or economic crisis in Brazil could affect the availability of spare parts or services.

In 2024, the United States Department of Justice opened an inquiry into the sale of 36 Gripen planes to Brazil, made in 2014 for a value of approximately 5.4 billion dollars. the investigation focuses on possible acts of corruption during the process of adjudication within the surroundings of President Lula da Silva.

“We are in the final conversations with the Ministry of economy and Finance in an economic process called the Concertación. Last year the budget was approved and we are seeing the sources of financing to generate a supreme decree that must sign the president with which the funds approved in the Air Force account are enabled,” said Carlos Chávez Cateriano, general commander of the FAP, a few days ago after turning the page to the case of the tragedy of the pilot Ashley Vargas.

SAAB’s compensation

One of the reasons why SAAB would be chosen is for the legal compensation offered by the country, better known as ‘offset’. This is a mechanism through which a foreign company that sells goods or services (such as armament,airplanes or military technology) to a government is committed to making investments or transfers of technology in the buyer country as part of the agreement,even in sectors outside defense.

Precisely on June 10, SAAB executives met with the Director of Industrial and Social Compensation of the Ministry of Defense, Víctor Pomar Galdos. A visitor was Klas Forsman, head of the Saab delegation. Forsman, of Swedish nationality, is an executive with experience in government relations and international sales in the defense sector.His role in negotiations with Peru underlines the importance that SAAB gives to this process.

She has also visited Pomar, Ewa Nowaczewska, Director of Industrial Cooperation of SAAB. Christer Olsson, Saab Sales Executive in Latin America, was also present.

Mindef sources assure that the other suppliers do not offer the ‘offset’ that the Swedes raised for Peru and that it would be an exmaple of what was offered to Colombia where SAAB’s choice was confirmed as a supplier of hunting airplanes in the government of Gustavo Petro.

In Colombia, according to media of the neighboring country, this social investment component includes:

-Prewable energy: the installation of a state -of -the -art flexible solar panel factory in the department of Córdoba.

-Frastructure Water: projects for the installation of drinking water systems in various parts of the department of La Guajira.

-Salud: The restoration and installation of advanced technological medical equipment in the central tower of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Bogotá.

What would these compensations be in Peru?

drones: The future

while Peru considers manned fighters, the world moves towards a new era, that of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Armed drones have proven to be lethal,versatile and economic tools in recent conflicts such as Ukraine,where drone attacks destroyed more than 40 Russian aircraft in strategic air bases.

The conflict in Ukraine has been a modern war laboratory. At the beginning of this month, Ukrainian drones destroyed Russian strategic bombers TU-95 in air bases within Russian territory, using hidden drones in modified trucks 4. This operation, according to CNN, caused losses for more than 7,000 million dollars to Russian aviation, without Ukraine lost a single pilot.

The last time Peru acquired hunting airplanes was during the last years of the Government of Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), when a Russian Russian aircraft squad was bought and SU-25 bombers, which joined the French fighters Mirage 2000 received during the first government of Alan García (1985-1990).

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