The news of Colombia's planned purchase of Rafale fighter jets has attracted attention, the article seems to be without 'drama', the Colombian government is confused about choosing the Rafale as a replacement for the Israeli-made Kfir fighter jets which are aging.
What's even more interesting is that Colombia wants the Rafale to go fast, aka buying used, so it can be imported relatively quickly.
However, it seems that dynamics occurred, when two weeks ago the Colombian Minister of Defense Iván Velásquez confirmed to the 6AM Radio Caracol program, that the Colombian Government was leaning towards the choice of French-made combat aircraft, and hoped to start receiving the Rafale starting in 2023, now there is a change.
Quoted from aviacionline.com (2/1/2023), the Minister of Defense of Colombia has now reported on the 6AM Radio Caracol program, that it is impossible to reach an agreement with the Rafale manufacturer, Dassault Aviation this year.
To pay for the first part (down payment) of the acquisition, the Colombian Ministry of Defense had a US$678 million budget approved during the previous administration through a CONPES (National Council for Economic and Social Policy) document.
In total, Colombia intends to purchase 16 Dassault Rafale fighter jets over a 10-year procurement period, which is estimated to cost a total of around US$3.15 billion.
The obstacle that the Colombian Ministry of Defense had to overcome was discussing and obtaining a new CONPES document guaranteeing the necessary funds to make the purchase.
This will not be an easy task, as Velásquez has previously assured that the purchase will not have a direct impact on the country's financial resources, as the CONPES budget has been allocated in advance, and a five-year grace period is being negotiated with bidders to continue payments.
CONPES had an expiration date of December 31, 2022, and because negotiations with the two preferred bidders (Dassault Aviation and Saab) could not be concluded in time, the Kfir replacement fighter program was left without initial funding.
In the aftermath of budgetary issues, the intention to acquire Rafale is likely to experience delays, however. negotiations with Dassault Aviation and the French Government are continuing.
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