The State Department has approved a possible $634.7 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Chile of modernization equipment for the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-16 fighter.
The Chilean Air Force, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh), wants to modernize its fleet of several dozen F-16s to keep them in service until 2040.
Included in the possible sale to Chile will be 19 Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS); six inert MK-82, 500-pound general purpose bomb bodies; two MXU-650KB Air Foil Groups (AFG); 44 LN-260 Embedded GPS/INS (EGI); 49 Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radios (MIDS JTRS) by Data Link Solutions LLC–a joint venture of BAE Systems and Collins Aerospace [RTX]; avionics and Mode 5 equipment and software upgrades, integration, and test; software and software support; Rohde & Schwarz ARC-238 radios; Combined Altitude Radar Altimeters (CARA); Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) support; Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) AN/APX-126 Combined Interrogator Transponders by BAE Systems, cryptographic appliques, keying equipment, and encryption devices; and other equipment and support.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner in South America,” per the State Department. “The proposed sale will improve Chile’s capability to meet current and future threats by modernizing its F-16 fleet, which will allow Chile to maintain sovereignty and homeland defense, increase interoperability with the United States and other partners, and deter potential adversaries. Chile will have no difficulty absorbing the upgrades into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”