black-hawk_101
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Argentina Air Force officials have been interested in the Kfir for several years, but it was at the 2013 Paris Air Show that delegates met officials of Chengdu Aircraft Corp. and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, the Chinese-Pakistani partnership that produces the JF-17 fighter jet, the sources said.
The Chinese-built machines were of interest to Argentina because of their relatively low cost and the possibility of being locally assembled at the Fabrica Argentina de Aviones, the former FMA industrial plant at Cordoba.
Using Chinese-supplied components at the beginning, the local assembly offered the possibility of locally manufactured parts at a later stage, opening the way to licensed production and even the development of a version specially tailored to Argentina’s requirements.
Negotiations for the acquisition and assembly of the JF-17 in Argentina started soon but the increasing demands by Argentina for Western avionics and modifications increased the cost of the aircraft.
The integration work needed to accommodate the new avionics also delayed the process and in May 2015, after almost two years of negotiations, the Argentine authorities discarded the JF-17
Argentina Eyes Second-Hand Kfirs To Replace Mirages
I think KFIR might comes with more goodies from Israel and there are many users of it from whom they can easily gain Engines and Airframe parts and even engine parts from USA too.
How many are they buying and @ which cost. Also, are there any other which they can buy for spares?If Argentina is not satisfied with the avionics then how good is JF-17???
JF-17 looses to Israel Aircraft Industries' Kfir Block 60 for Argentina's next-generation multirole fighter program
Argentina has decided not to purchase the FC-1 Xiaolong, a multirole fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan also known as the JF-17 Thunder, reports the Shanghai-based Guancha Syndicate.
Argentina has opted for Israel Aircraft Industries' Kfir Block 60 as its next-generation multirole fighter. Though the Xiaolong's lower price had been attractive, China refused to provide anti-ship missiles under diplomatic pressure from the UK, according to the Moscow-based Military Parade.
The price of the Xiaolong would not have been too much of a bargain in the end, since Argentina had insisted that China install avionics and weapons systems purchased from Israel as part of the deal.
Israel Aircraft Industries has declined to comment.
It currently serves with the Israli Air Force in a ground attack role instead of aerial combat. Additionally, Argentina will be buying previously used planes.