In view of the information published on media on the possible acquisition of new air superiority aircraft by Colombia, the Colombian Air Force informs:
1- For more than four years, the Colombian Air Force has carried out an analysis of technical, operational and logistical factors in order to establish which would be the best option for platforms to replace the K-fir aircraft fleet, which currently serves the country.
2- Replacing aircraft is a process that takes time, for the management of resources to finance the project, the willingness of the States to provide them, the production lines for the purchase of new aircraft or the availability of used squadrons, among many other factors to consider.
3- The Air Superiority Squadron of the Air Force (Kfir, C-12) currently has the latest technology to respond to all the requirements demanded by the constitutional mission: the defense of sovereignty.
Being at the highest point of its capacity, in terms of language, training, techniques, tactics, procedures and, in the same way, technology, is what precisely has led the Colombian Air Force to participate with the Kfir Squad in demanding combined exercises, such as Red Flag, where interoperability demands the most rigorous operational standards.
4- The Colombian Air Force periodically checks the status of its fleet to determine the useful life of the equipment and the suitability of its replacement.
The capabilities of the Kfir system, the life of the aircraft structure, the logistic support chain, the sustainability of the equipment, the cost-benefit relation, among other aspects, have led to establish a priority in the plan of Aircraft replacement, the replacement of this squad.
5- Different countries, including Spain, Sweden and the United States, have submitted formal proposals to Colombia to replace their Air Superiority Squadron.
6- According to the Defense and Security Policy for Legality, Entrepreneurship and Equity, it is the interest of the Colombian State to strengthen military defense capabilities for deterrence.
In this sense, aircraft such as SAAB Gripen, Eurofighter and F-16 are under evaluation, a process that will lead the Institution to present recommendations for decision-making to the national government.
The Colombian Air Force maintains its constant put into custody of and commitment for the defense of national sovereignty and security, carried outing military operations with high technical and operational enlistment, and with trained and prepared crews for the fulfillment of the mission.
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