Colombia months away from selecting new fighter aircraft, says minister

As first reported by Reuters, Colombia is “months” away from deciding from which NATO country it will purchase its new fighter jet, according to its Defence Minister, Pedro Sánchez.

In the mix for selection by Colombia to replace its ageing Israeli Kfir aircraft are the US’s Lockeed Martin F-16, France’s Dassault Rafale and Sweden’s Saab JAS 39 Gripen aircraft.

The minister reportedly refused to comment on the number of aircraft Colombia would buy, or the total cost of the deal, but claimed that the deal was an issue of “sovereignty”.

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In 2023 the Colombian government said it had a US$3.65 billion budget to buy 16 aircraft – although negotiations then stalled. Shephard Defence Insight estimated that the programme value cost would be around $1 billion.

According to a Swedish news source in November 2024, Saab’s JAS 39 Gripen aircraft had been selected to replace Colombia's Kfir aircraft. However, a Saab source disclosed to Shephard at the time that no such final decision had in fact taken place.

Minister Sánchez doubled down on his comments about Saab’s Gripen in a recent interview with Swedish radio station, Ekot. He denied that the United States had threatened to veto any Saab sale because of corruption, on account of the US-made General Electric engine in the fighter aircraft.

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

Rafale

JAS 39E/F Gripen

F-16V Block 70/72