Argentina's defense ministry has agreed to buy four Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion fighter jets from Norway worth $67 million to strengthen the South American country's defenses in the South Atlantic Ocean, Buenos Aires announced on Friday.
The units are used by the Navy to combat illegal fishing at the 200 mile mark.
Chief of Staff Agustin Rossi told Congress last week that the purchase "will allow for a sustainable (surveillance) system for the next 20 years."
According to Buenos Aires media, the contract, which will be paid through Argentina's National Defense Fund over the next three years, has been signed with the Norwegian Defense Material Agency (NDMA), and the deal needs Washington's green light. Two of the four aircraft are in the US for maintenance.
The remaining two aircraft will be in Norway until June and July, after which they will be sent to the United States before moving to Argentina.
Equipment and repairs installed on the aircraft are included in the deal.
The Lockheed P-3 Orion was developed for the US Navy for maritime surveillance, reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare.
Based on the same company's Electra passenger aircraft, the Orion is a low-wing monoplane equipped with four turboprops and an undercarriage capable of dropping bombs, torpedoes and anti-submarine mines. It allows for increased attack payloads, including anti-ship missiles.
The external feature of this aircraft is the extended tail fin which is equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector to search and identify submarines. It has an autonomy of 12 hours and an autonomy of about 1,500 nautical miles (2,780 km).
Their technology is completely digital, these aircraft perform photo-surveillance and ship identification tasks. But in addition to performing maritime security duties, they are trained to participate in surface and submarine warfare, so they are historically considered powerful combat aircraft.
