Argentina delays order for Israeli Kfir fighters

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- The Argentine Defense Ministry has suspended an agreement with Israel to purchase 14 IAI Kfir C.10 multirole fighters.

The contract for the fighters was valued at between $220 million and $360 million. While the technical agreements have been worked out between the two countries' defense officials, Argentine Defense Minister Agustín Rossi made a last-minute decision to suspend the deal until the next government assumes power, according to IHS Janes.

Argentina is in election season. The opposition party has stated it would use a different evaluation procedure for the Argentine Air Force's fighter procurement program. Rossi explained it was better to leave the decision on the deal with Israel to the next administration.

The Jewish Press reports Argentina finalized the agreement to purchase the jets from Israel in November after almost two years of negotiations. The deal was an alternative for the Argentine government, also considering buying 16 surplus Spanish Mirage F1 fighters. Under the contract, deliveries would be scheduled to begin about eight months after the official signing of the agreement.

The Kfir jet is a single-seat multitask fighter developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries, first built for the Israeli Air Force entering service in 1976. Since the jet's first combat mission in 1977, it has been sold to a variety of customers around the world, including the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy.