MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK defense capabilities of the Falklands, following the Danish F16s deal for Argentina

Denmark’s plan to sell 24 of its 43 F-16A/B fighters will provide Argentina with capable fourth generation fighter aircraft, able to conduct a wide range of missions.

Army Technology, a business service agency located in London that focuses on the technologies required by military personnel and companies working in this important field, has offered a piece on the UK defense capabilities of the Falkland Islands following the agreement between Denmark and Argentina for the sale of a squadron of F16 fighters to Buenos Aires.

The operation, with the blessing of United States concerned about the advance of China in the Americas, has placed renewed attention on the UK’s ability to defend the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, and whether the balance of power is shifting.

After the 1982 Falklands War between UK and Argentina, (triggered by the military invasion and occupation of the Islands by the Argentine Junta), UK moved to reinforce its ability to defend the Falkland Islands through the creation of a tri-service defense capability. Central to this is RAF Mount Pleasant, an airbase constructed some forty miles south of the capital city of Stanley on East Falkland.

British Army and Royal Navy assets are also assigned to the territory, with units rotating in and out as required. There are around 1,500 UK military personnel stationed on the Falkland Islands at any one time.

The UK also holds sovereignty over South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, located some 1,500km further east of the Falkland Islands.

Denmark’s plan to sell 24 of its 43 F-16A/B fighters will provide Argentina with capable fourth generation fighter aircraft, able to conduct a wide range of missions. The deal is also being supported by the United States, with the US State Department publicly stating its “steadfast support” of Argentina’s Air Force modernization efforts last year.

In January 2024, James Heappey, then UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces, stated in a written UK parliamentary response that he was “satisfied” that the military presence in the South Atlantic was “at the appropriate level to ensure the defense of the Islands”.

On the occasion of the deal with Denmark, the UK Defense Journal published that Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen and Argentina’s Minister of Defense, Luis Alfonso Petri, in Buenos Aires, signed a letter of intent entailing the sale of 24 Danish F-16 fighter jets to Argentina.

”I have had an extremely fruitful meeting with my Argentine colleague who has expressed great satisfaction on becoming member of the family of F-16 nations across the globe. The deal has been negotiated in collaboration with the United States”, said Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen.

The decision to sell the Danish jets to Argentina has been made in close collaboration with the American government, which has approved the sale of the US-produced aircraft.

“Danish Defense is in the process of replacing its F-16 fleet with new F-35 jets. Denmark is donating 19 F-16 jets to Ukraine, and the government has decided to sell 24 Danish F-16 jets to Argentina. I am therefore very pleased that my Argentine colleague and I today in Buenos Aires have signed a letter of intent on the possible sale”, pointed out Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen.