People. This was the Latin American equivalent of April Fool. Can we just kill it?

http://www.blackgate.com/wp-content/...akes-lucy1.jpg

Argentina Ramping up as we dumb down - 1982 all over again ?

Argentina set to sign deal for Chinese corvettes

Interesting about the focus on ASW,

Visiting Beijing between Feb. 3-5, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina is set to sign an agreement with China to increase the military-to-military cooperation between two nations, according to the UK-based Jane's Defence Weekly.
Under the agreement, China North Industries Corporation will help Argentina produce a version of the VN1 wheeled armored personnel carrier, while China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation will help develop various types of naval ship.
China is understood to have introduced five of its P18 export corvettes to Argentina. A source from the Argentine government said the vessels are estimated to cost US$50 million each.
Known as the Malvinas-class after the Argentine name for the Falkland Islands, the five offshore patrol vessels each carry a 76 mm main gun, two 30 mm cannon, eight anti-ship missiles and two triple torpedo launchers. The 1,800-tonne ship can also carry a medium-sized helicopter. Argentina has requested a larger flight deck to handle its Sea King helicopters and towed sonar to increase the vessel's anti-submarine capability. Two of the corvettes will be built in China while the other three will be co-produced in Argentina. The P18s may be delivered started in 2017 according to Jane's.
If the agreement is signed as expected, it should be considered a major step in Argentina's efforts to revive its military power with help from China. The agreement may also help China open a new market to export its military aircraft.
Source: China Times.

Also interesting is the rapid delivery dates mentioned.

talks about talks...............

China to supply Argentina five "Malvinas Class" offshore patrol vessels ? MercoPress

MP is quite good on the Argentinians

" Since the 1982 Falklands War, China has expressed its support for Argentina's continued claims over the Falklands, which Beijing compares to its claim over Taiwan. However, China's willingness to accept commodity payments to finance initial loans that fund military sales has been key to its military sales success in Argentina.

In 2011 the Fábrica Argentina de Aviones (Argentine Aircraft Factory: FAdeA) reached an agreement to start co-producing China's Changhe Z-11 light helicopter. Then, in June 2013, FAdeA sources told IHS Jane's that talks over co-production of the Chengdu FC-1 lightweight jet fighter had occurred over the previous two years.


This option appears to have been lost as Argentina has tried and failed to purchase retired Dassault Mirage F1 fighters from Spain, then refurbished Israeli Aircraft Industry Kfir fighters and, in late 2014, Saab Gripen fighters co-produced in Brazil.


However, the new Argentine-Chinese defense agreement could revive prospects for combat aircraft co-operation. In addition to the FC-1 fighter, China could offer low-cost combat-capable supersonic lead-in trainers like the Guizhou JL-9G/FTC-2000G or the Hongdu L-15."

Maybe we should be buying from China also. We can call them Thatcher Class. We are paying £348 million (US $584 million) for three OPVs armed with nothing more than a spud gun.

BAE, UK Government Settle Agreement on New Patrol Vessels | Defense News | defensenews.com

Old rubber face Kircher is getting 5 for $50 mill each and packing more heat than a Type 23.:{

they're purely to keep people in work

but in general we never seem to be able to get as many armaments on a vessel as other people

"they're purely to keep people in work"

If thats the case how about this.
Option A - Buy 6 armed to the teeth foreign built OPVs/Corvettes for about $300 million.
That leaves $284 million in the pot. Bus the ship yard workers the 45 mins to Rosyth and put them to work on the Carriers. Net result -twice as many OPVs, Carriers delivered early, skilled workforce retained, and money left in the Jar to pay for the Navy s Increased need to fund more Flight deck cocktail parties every weekend.

Option B -Buy 6 armed to the teeth foreign built OPVs/Corvettes for about $300 million. Give each BAE shipworker a mega golden hand shake and tell them to do one. With the remaining $200 million give it to India to pay towards their P8 MPA program. Simples

So to those who dismissed the proposed Su-24 deal between Russia and Argentina as a Latin American April Fools, any suggestions as to how/why it's come up again?

Argentina and Russia In Strategic Partnership Deal

Probably because the story continues to chug along in much the same vein, and the phrase "Among them could potentially be a deal for..." suggests that substance-wise things remain pretty much where they were. I've not been one putting this in the April Fool category, but I'll take more interest if and when the fine words show real signs of translating into buttered parsnips.

Totally off topic but I came across an article somewhere that Argentina reached advanced stages in buying 12 used Vulcan bombers in 1978, but it was blocked at the last minute. The irony is amazing.

They were actually two Vulcan bombers.

The british files that show the interest of the argentinean air force have been uploaded to the web for no less than three years now.

No deals have been sealed in Russia this time. Fear not.

CAW, can you recall where you saw that, I only read about it on a museum website which was only about a one sentence comment, and was interested in knowing a bit more about it?

Sure, my friend. Here it is:

Reemplazo de los legendarios Canberra | Página 4 | Foros Zona Militar

Page 4, post 69.

:ok:

If the Chinese are prepared to accept payment in corned beef, then good luck to them. If the Argentine treasury was given a dollar for every speculative story about a new fighter/warship they might have enough money to keep their existing ships from the repo-man.

Thanks, that's a very interesting read. They were actually after 6 to 12 Vulcan in 1982 of all years. Imagine if they had been sold them, might have made a difference to the outcome of the war and who knows they might still be in service.

Yes, we might have had to use what we had (Nimrod, better systems, more range and sensible bombload) for Black Buck instead. I would have been interested to hear the results of a Sea Harrier v Vulcan combat.....:D

I believe that the events were already overtaking the introduction of the Vulcan into Argentine service, had agreement been reached.

This weekend I will be seeing an engineering Argentine officer who would have been part of the team that would have involved in this purchase, he previously had been involved in the Dagger acquisition from Israel (and a very interesting story that is too - for example they had asked all the aircraft to be stripped and repainted - they did the first and the rest were just overpainted). I will see if I can find out more.

AndySmith wrote

IAI Dagger wreckage in the Falklands showing the remains of the Israeli IAI Nesher markings.

http://modelingmadness.com/review/mod/fr/calmp3e.jpg

Air Pictorial, I think it was, had some images of the following Dagger cockpit section? The Israeli "kill" markings were visible on the side where the paint had flaked off.

Falkland Islander Finds Wreckage Of A Fighter Jet - tribunedigital-orlandosentinel

Would I be correct in assuming that the deal to buy some Kfirs from Israel has gone bust?

It seems not...
Argentina in negotiations for Israeli Kfir fighters

I would've thought the US would put the bung in on that one?

-RP