The American company Lockheed Martin has reduced the price of the F-16 Block 70 fighter jets offered to the Peruvian Air Force to stay within the budget set by the Peruvian government.
Peruvian La República reported on this.
While the initial offer involved the sale of 12 F-16C/D Block 70 aircraft for $3.42 billion, the new offer includes 24 aircraft of the same model for $3.5 billion.
Thus, the company has effectively halved the unit cost to stay within the financial limits set by the Peruvian Ministry of Defense.
The media notes that this may be one of the reasons why the F-16 was chosen over the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen, which won last year’s tender.
The initial US bid to supply 12 aircraft from September 2025 covered 98% of the funds the Peruvian government had allocated for the purchase of 24 fighter jets.
It is currently unknown how such a significant reduction in the proposed cost compared to the initial offer was achieved.
According to sources, 12 F-16 Block 70 fighter jets will be purchased this year for $2 billion, and the remaining 12 for $1.5 billion in 2027. 30% of the funds for the first phase have already been approved and are available, allowing the Peruvian Air Force to sign the contract.
The French company Dassault Aviation, with the Rafale F4, and the Swedish company Saab, with the Gripen E/F, also participated in the selection process for Peru’s new fighter jets. However, between March and April of this year, representatives of the Peruvian Defense Ministry held meetings almost exclusively with a Lockheed Martin delegation.
F-16 Block 70
The F-16 Block 70 is the most advanced production version of the American multi-role F-16 fighter jet, also known as the F-16V (Viper).
A key feature of the aircraft is the AN/APG-83 SABR radar with an active electronically scanned array (AESA), which significantly increases target detection range, resistance to electronic countermeasures, and weapon guidance accuracy.
The fighter is equipped with modernized avionics, a new computing system, a digital cockpit with a large display, and state-of-the-art communication and data exchange systems.
