Peru Is Putting Off Its Mammoth F-16 Deal

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President José María Balcázar indicated that the decision on whether to purchase the advanced fighter jet should be made by his successor, set to take office in July.

Last week, aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin made the Peruvian governmenta remarkable offer. This week, Lima appears to have refused, at least for the time being.

After the Fuerza Aérea del Perú (Peruvian Air Force/FAP) announced it had selected the US-made F-16 Fighting Falcon over the Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen E/F and France’s Rafale, Lockheed Martin sought to improve the original offer of a dozen F-16 Block 70 fighters for $3.42 billion, doubling it to 24 Fighting Falcons for $3.5 billion. This would provide the FAP with twice as many of the most advanced F-16s for just around $80 million, or less than half the cost of a single fighter.

Yet, instead of jumping on it, Peruvian officials have put the entire deal on hold.

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