Colombia announces purchase of Swedish fighter jets to replace aging Israeli aircraft

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia says it will buy up to 24 fighter jets from Swedish company Saab to replace aging Israeli aircraft whose maintenance has become complicated after the South American nation broke diplomatic ties with Israel over its war with Hamas.

Colombia’s Aerospace Force chief commander, Carlos Fernando Silva, says they are still working on the details of the contract with Saab, so in the end the number of planes could be less than 24.

Sweden’s Defense Minister Pal Jonson confirms on X that negotiations are under way.

Colombia has 22 Israeli-made Kfir fighter jets purchased in the late 1980s, and any maintenance can only be done by an Israeli firm. Those aircrafts were used in several attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the then-Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The offensives helped push the rebel group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016.

Although the new purchase plans were announced amid a lack of diplomatic relations with Israel, the last three governments in Colombia already had cited intentions to replace the Kfir jets. The administration of current President Gustavo Petro started reviewing specific offers from countries like France, the United States and Sweden.

The Aerospace Force chief commander says that the Kfir planes will continue to operate for now. Once the new contract is finalized, the old planes will be replaced as the new ones arrive.