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Colombia Selects Rafale to Replace Kfir

Initial Requirement for 16 Aircraft

On 21 December, Colombia announced it has preselected the Dassault Rafale as its next combat aircraft, expected to replace the IAI Kfirs currently equipping the Air Combat Command No. 1. The government’s goal is to order an initial batch of 16 aircraft, to be funded over 10 years.

In partial explanation of the motivation behind the decision, the government stated that, so far, “the proposal of the Rafale aircraft is the best option for the country in terms of price, efficiency and operability. An hour of flight of a Rafale aircraft is approximately 30% cheaper than the flight hour of a Kfir,” [estimated at 89 million pesos, about US$18,000). However, the ministry stressed no contract has yet been signed, and that this is a pre-negotiation. “The offer that the government will study has an estimated cost of up to 15 billion pesos [about $3.35 billion dollars], and not 26 billion pesos, as has been said erroneously.” Until recently, the Colombian Air Force (FAC) favoured the F-16V Block 70: although they considered the Eurofighter Typhoon the best type among the candidates, the European aircraft was too expensive to purchase and to operate.

A replacement programme for the Kfir has been under way for a decade. Requests for information were made in 2012, when neither Boeing nor Dassault paid much attention, believing the FAC was not serious. However, in2013, the Colombians visited manufacturers, including Boeing and Lockheed Martin in the US, Eurofighter, Saab’s Gripen factory and Dassault, with the Russians offering the MiG-35: they also had meetings with various air forces, including Brazil.

In 2020, although political progress was lacking, the selection committee conducted various assessments, wherein the Typhoon won in all cases – at which point, Dassault began to pay closer attention. The Typhoon’s problem was high operating costs, so the F-16, previously in second place, now lead the field. For the FAC, the F-16V was “the F-35 of the poor.

However, the FAC argued that the Kfir’s current EW system is superior to that on the F-16 Block 70, and that its Python 5 missiles are better than the versions of Sidewinder and AMRAAM on offer from the US, which seemed unwilling to offer an alternative EW fit. As time elapsed, there was apparently an offer to generate a variant taking these requirements into account, but the FAC considered that the result would be too unique a configuration and the US government was reluctant to go down that road. In addition, finance conditions were less than ideal, and the US was not keen on modifying them.

On the other hand, the FAC did not consider Gripen to be in the lead in any aspect: an officer who was part of the selection process told MON the Swedish aircraft “was second in everything.” One problem was the long delivery timeframe, with Swedish and Brazilian deliveries taking priority over Colombian, in addition to significant programme delays.

The Eurofighter suffered in these assessments from high acquisition costs and maintenance complexity although, at the same time, the Colombians argued that some Rafale operating costs are higher. The FAC was targeting the Typhoon Tranche 3, but the only bids received had been for secondhand Tranche 1 and 2 aircraft for immediate delivery, or new aircraft on very extended delivery. Financing costs were also higher than the rest.

Faced with American intransigence and the high costs of the Eurofighter, in addition to the limitations of the Gripen, the French decided to gamble in the middle of 2022, starting by removing end-user restrictions, which still applied to Gripen and Eurofighter. In addition, they agreed to offer integration of the Meteor missile, together with Derby, Python 5 and Spice bombs, making the Rafale the most capable of all candidates. Only the restriction on the use of nuclear weapons remains. In addition, having a naval version means the Rafale has an anti-ship capacity right at the start, making it the best multirole candidate. This aspect interests Colombia because of the crises it has had with Nicaragua and Venezuela.

France also said it can begin delivery in a year – the shortest term of all those offered. This is essential, because the Kfir will be decommissioned at the end of 2023: the support contract with IAI, which has already withdrawn its staff from Colombia, will expire at year end, and sustaining the fleet will thereafter become too complex and expensive.

The French offer convinced the Selection Committee, even though it was inclined towards the F-16. The committee agreed with Dassault, who raised the issue with President Macron, whose good relations with Colombian President Gustavo Petro achieved the first step towards an agreement between the governments. The offer resolved a number of issues for the committee: the Rafale’s EW capability is customisable and gives the FAC access to the database to modify it. It can integrate Israeli weaponry, avoids end-user restrictions, has ‘native’ anti-ship capability and is combat proven.

Another advantage is the short runway ability that both Typhoon and F-16 lack. This allows them to operate in places such as Tres Esquinas, Grupo Aéreo del Oriente and San Andrés, and also requires less logistical support. Also, the committee stressed that it is a more maneuverable aircraft, with a better power-to-weight ratio. Rafale’s operating costs are slightly under those of the Kfir, but with many more capabilities. As the committee explained, Rafale consumes 35% less fuel per engine, making it more cost-efficient, especially for short missions without using afterburner.

Funding has been in place since the 2017 National Council of Economic and Social Policy (CONPES) publication of the document reserving funding – so other resources remain unaffected. Although the government continues to emphasise the importance of offset conditions, the reality is that all bidders offered it and, according to the FAC, the scheme proposed by the Swedes was the best.

The next steps will be to negotiate the agreement in detail and to sign a contract, which could take place in early 2023.

An exclusive report from Santiago Rivas in Buenos Aires

While the F-16 was for some time the preferred Kfir replacement, the new French offer made the Colombian government opt for the French model. (Dassault)

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Publish date

01/27/2023

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