A Peruvian Air Force pilot conducts an aerial demonstration in a Mirage 2000 aircraft for the Chiclayo Airshow in Chiclayo, Peru, June 15, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer)
WASHINGTON — When a high-profile delegation of Peruvian government officials, including the minister of defense, made a visit to their counterparts in Washington, DC, last week, they added another stop to the trip to see a Lockheed Martin facility.
Ray Piselli, Lockheed’s vice president for international business, hosted the group at the company’s Fighter Demonstration Center, where conversation centered around “a shared interest in the F-16 and Black Hawk platforms” and talk that “underscored a mutual commitment to building a strategic, long-term partnership,” according to a LinkedIn post by Piselli.
Piselli’s mention of an F-16 discussion is timely: Peru is in the market for a new fleet of fighter jets, and international firms have been jockeying to win the contract.
The commander of the Peruvian air force, Gen. Carlos Enrique Chávez Cateriano, said in late April that he expects his government to purchase 24 combat aircraft in two batches, with 12 to arrive this year and 12 more in 2026, though analysts said recent political instability throw that tight timeline into question.
It was around the time of Cateriano’s comments that Peruvian Army’s headquarters in Lima (affectionately called the Little Pentagon, or “Pentagonito”) hosted the country’s annual defense expo, SITDEF. There, South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) displayed its KF-21 next-generation fighter, along with its FA-50 multi-role jet.
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At the same show, Sweden’s Saab showcased its Gripen fighter, a move that came weeks after the Swedish government reportedly requested Parliament’s approval to sell 12 JAS 39 Gripen E/F multi-role fighters to Lima, should it come to that. (In a statement, Saab told Breaking Defense it was “certain that Gripen is the best fit to meet Peru’s fighter requirements,” but declined to comment further on any negotiations.)
Also, French firm Dassault is reportedly in the running with its Rafale fighter.
Two of the four warplanes already fly across South American skies. Chile’s air force operates the F-16, while Argentina is receiving a fleet from the Royal Danish Air Force. Similarly, the Brazilian air force already flies Gripens, while Colombia recently chose the Swedish warplane as well, as Breaking Defense has reported.
The Peruvian Air Force currently flies a fleet of Dassault Mirage 2000 warplanes, purchased in the 1980s, while the service’s Russian-made Sukhoi Su-25s were controversially bought secondhand from Belarus in the 1990s.
Cateriano has said he wants a future fleet of 24 multi-role aircraft “to protect the sovereignty and integrity of our country for the next 30-40 years.”
The nation has good relations with four out of five neighbors, and while tensions and a historical animosity with Chile remain, the possibility of interstate warfare is very remote.
Rather, the country’s primary security challenges are internal, including criminal violence, and a dangerous narco-insurgent movement that operates in the Amazon and Andean regions, particularly in the VRAEM and Huallaga regions.
Hence, the new warplanes will be helpful in patrolling the country’s ample borders for drug traffickers and other internal operations.
Carlos Rada Benavides, a Peruvian analyst of international affairs and security affairs, argued that purchasing the warplanes “are necessary to regain Peru’s strategic deterrence capabilities” since “the current fleet is composed of warplanes that are over 40 years old.”
Having one main combat aircraft will also help supply and repair programs moving forward.
“Peru had a rough couple of decades by having a diverse combat fleet,” explained Andrei Serbin Pont, president of the CRIES think tank. “Unifying the fleet to one model will address logistical support challenges and other gaps.”
President Dina Boluarte has generally supported the modernization of the armed forces, including the air force. Alas, the country has a history of troubled defense acquisition programs, which are often muddled with accusations of corruption and bribery, or are politicized between pro- and anti-government groups.
Just Tuesday, Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén resigned to avoid a no-confidence vote in congress. (The political upheaval was caused by the recent murder of 13 mining workers in La Libertad region which highlights the wave of criminal violence Peru faces.)
The move forces Boluarte to replace her entire cabinet, which was sworn in Wednesday. Defense Minister Enrique Astudillo remained in place.
Rada Benavides said he believes that the country’s political instability could jeopardize the acquisition program.
“It’s plausible that the acquisition of the combat aircraft will be delayed until next year,” he said.
The opinion was shared by Serbin Pont, who explained “deliveries in the very short term sounds too optimistic, especially if we talk about a complex platform” like a fourth- or fifth-generation warplane.
“When delivery expectations cannot be met, internal politics become a factor,” he added.
Peru is scheduled to have general elections in April 2026.
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