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FC-1 / JF-17 - Replacement Fighter Aircraft
Reemplaz aviones de combate

In 2013 China offered to co-develop and produce part of their FC-1/JF-17 fighter in Cordoba, Argentina, in order to sell the aircraft to the Argentine Air Force. Officials from Argentine aerospace company Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) told IHS Jane's at the 2013 Paris Air Show they had multiple discussions with Chinese officials over potential co-production of the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) FC-1 multirole combat aircraft.

Richard D Fisher reported that discussions were far from concluded, with FAdeA officials saying "technology transfer" issues remain a sticking point. This was the first formal effort that could lead to the co-production of a modern Chinese fighter in Latin America. FAdeA officials said the co-produced FC-1 could be called the 'Pulqui-III', recalling FAdeA's Pulqui-II, Latin America's first swept wing jet fighter.

China’s President Xi Jinping visited a number of Latin American countries in July 2014. Although China announced several new projects in strategically-sensitive industries, including collaboration with Argentina on a nuclear reactor, the significant Chinese arms sales to the nations that Xi was visiting were played down. There was no public mention of talks with Argentina to co-produce China’s JF-17/FC-1 fighter.

Somehow, the situation in Argentina was not too far from Pakistan, but the latter has a new solution for their warplane multi-role to come to fruition right now. However, the similarities are genuine, especially in terms of the lack of funding and options; this reality could favor the prospects of selling Pakistan JF-17, if a strategy with well-defined objectives commitments runs.

By 2020 the Pakistani Air Force operated more than 100 units, belonging to Block I and Block II. At the end of 2019, the first prototype of the Block III version had its maiden flight. This new version was equipped with a new AESA radar, internal infrared sensor and modernized flight controls.

On 03 May 2021 zona-militar reported that "the Chinese delegation made up of envoys from the CATIC firm began their official visit to Argentina. The delegation will integrate personnel from both the Ministry of Defense and the Argentine Air Force in different technical work sessions that focus on a specific proposal: the JF-17. ... The CATIC firm's proposal to Argentina, which was raised both to the force itself and to the defense portfolio, includes the offer of 12 newly manufactured JF-17 combat aircraft. Of the total number of aircraft, 10 are single-seater and another 2 are two-seater. Although cofabrication or assembly has not yet been discussed, it is estimated that the visits to Córdoba will be carried out with the objective of surveying the country's industrial capacities to face a similar challenge."

The United States has always viewed these kinds of negotiations with suspicion in a market that it has historically monopolized, having it as its main supplier.

In May 2021 a delegation from CATIC (China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation) carried out various contact with local institutions in order to conclude a sale for the FC-1/JF-17. The offer was for 10 single-seater aircraft plus 2 two-seater Block 3.

CATIC offered a full range and unconsistricted restrictions on armaments. In the same way, the motorization offered was at selection of the client. The options revolve around the current Russian Klimov RD-93 engine of 8300 kg thrust (JF-17 Block 2) or the new Klimov RD-93MA of 9300 kg thrust (soon to enter production and that will become the standard engine of the JF-17 Block 3).

As regards the cost of aircraft, with the provision of 4 air-to-air missiles per aircraft; ( infrared short-range, plus BVR medium-range missiles), the figure would exceed 50 million dollars per unit (each fighter and its 4 A-A missiles - $600 million the total).

The aircraft would be assembled and maintained in the Área Material Rio Cuarto, belonging to the Argentine Air Force. For its part, the Argentine Ministry of Defense, raised the interest of implementing some type of off-set, thinking that the Argentine Aircraft Factory (FAdeA) participates in it, in case of advancing the incorporation.

It should be noted that, like the sale of combat aircraft to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, it is the Chinese government that carries out the proposal through CATIC to the Argentine Republic, since it is fully empowered to do so as a partner of the program. In turn, and if necessary, the People's Republic of China proposes country-country financing.

Marcelo R. Cimino wrote: "it is worth affirming that CATIC is one more, of the several offers that our Nation receives regarding flight material. Our Air Force is at a turning point, where it must be defined by incorporating flight material. The options that appear with possibilities, are those of used Western material (without new capabilities, extinguished logistics or about to be extinguished and with almost zero firepower), or those of material of Russian or Chinese origin, new (0 hs), with technological capabilities and intelligent weaponry, that reintroduce it in a framework of credible deterrence."

The Government of Argentina officially included $664 Million in funding for the purchase of 12 PAC JF-17A Block III fighters from Pakistan in a draft budget for 2022 presented to its Parliament submitted 17 September 2021. The JF-17 has developed into three generations, often referred to as the Block 1, the Block 2 and the Block 3. The Block 3 is equipped with very advanced systems including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a combination of China's top beyond-visual-range and short-range missiles, as well as avionics and flight control systems. The previous blocks are less costly but still perform well.

During the Airshow China 2022 held in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, Argentine Ambassador to China Sabino Vaca Narvaja spoke with representatives from the China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corp about the possibility of Argentina procuring the third-generation JF-17 aircraft jointly developed by China and the Pakistan Air Force.

The Argentine Embassy in China said on 14 March 2023 that the South American country is considering procuring the JF-17 aircraft, with Chinese analysts saying on 13 March 2023 that the fighter jet jointly developed by China and Pakistan is the best choice for Argentina in terms of performance and availability. Argentine Ambassador to China Sabino Vaca Narvaja recently held a work meeting with Argentine Defense Minister Jorge Taiana and his team in Buenos Aires to promote cooperation with China in the field of national defense, the embassy.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times that Argentina has long been seeking to procure new fighter jets to replace its aging and shrinking warplane fleet, but because of the issue of the Malvinas Islands, the UK has blocked Argentina's aircraft procurement attempts on the international market. The UK can lobby Western countries not to sell through diplomatic means, and it can also deter countries like South Korea and India, because their fighter jets use UK parts, including ejection seats, Fu said.

China's position on the issue of the Malvinas Islands is consistent, and China firmly supports Argentina's legitimate claim to exercise full sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in the UK stated last year. That is why the JF-17 is the most available fighter jet to Argentina, Fu said.