Colombia Explores Potential Purchase of Second-Hand Spanish Air Force Eurofighters

Twelve years have passed since Colombia unveiled its plans to incorporate new combat aircraft to replace its aging fleet of Kfir jets, second-hand aircraft purchased from Israel in the late '80s. However, despite four governments and several evaluated models, the project remains nothing more than an aspiration. Despite the long-postponed purchases benefiting the Armed Forces—such as constructing five frigates for the Navy during Gustavo Petro's presidency—the acquisition of new fighters is still pending.

Colombia was on the verge, by the end of 2022, of finalizing an agreement with France for the purchase of Rafale planes, but negotiations collapsed at the last moment. Now, the Colombian government has once again turned its attention to Spain, exploring the possibility of acquiring between 12 and 16 Eurofighters in service with the Spanish Air Force. Under Gustavo Petro's leadership, the government is determined to provide the Colombian Air Force with the long-awaited "air superiority" it has sought for over a decade.

To finally realize this project, valued at up to $3.8 billion, Bogotá has requested a new offer for Eurofighter units from Airbus and the Spanish government, as reported by the specialized outlet Infodefensa. According to Erich Saumeth, a Colombian analyst in defense and security matters, "Colombia was very specific that the aircraft must be at least from the Tranche 2 version, meaning aircraft with updates that allow them to have technical superiority over other currently available fighters on the continent."

Years ago, the Colombian Air Force had shown interest in incorporating second-hand Spanish aircraft. At that time, they were highly rated after a technical evaluation that also included the American-origin F-16 fighter and the Gripen, a Swedish-manufactured aircraft chosen by Brazil as its combat aircraft. However, the Eurofighter was subsequently discarded due to the high operating costs. This new opportunity to acquire these fighters has been well received by Airbus. In fact, during the Expodefensa fair, held in Bogotá in early December and being one of the most important events in the Latin American military sector, the Eurofighter regained significant prominence, which it had lost in the last editions of the event.

Throughout 2023, the Colombian government has shown a greater inclination to engage in military business with Europe rather than with the United States. While discussions have continued with the French company Dassault for the Rafale fighter, these have not succeeded due to Paris' refusal to offer improvements regarding the price and financing of the aircraft. Therefore, the renewed interest in Spanish Eurofighters could also be interpreted as Colombia's strategy in negotiations with France.

EUROFIGHTER IN SPAIN

Currently, Spain has a fleet of 69 Eurofighters distributed across the 11th Wing at Morón de la Frontera Air Base (Seville) and the 14th Wing at Los Llanos Air Base (Albacete). These units come from different production phases, known as Tranches by the manufacturer, incorporating new capabilities into the design. The Spanish Air Force has 17 aircraft from Tranche 1, 32 from Tranche 2, and 20 from Tranche 3. The latest aircraft was received in 2020.

In September last year, the Spanish government approved the purchase of 25 Eurofighters for €4.5936 billion as part of the second phase of the Falcon program, aimed at replacing the fleet of outdated F-18s of American origin. Previously, in June 2022, an agreement was signed to acquire another 20 Eurofighter aircraft to replace F-18 units at the Gando Air Base in Gran Canaria, the oldest in the Spanish fleet. With these two announced purchases, Spain will have 114 of these fighters, a number that could decrease by up to 16 units if negotiations with Colombia are successful.