US OKs $3.42B F-16 Sale to Peru

Washington cleared a possible $3.42 billion F-16 sale to Peru, a move designed to strengthen Lima’s air defense and counter-narcotics capabilities.

The US State Department has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) valued at $3.42 billion that would supply Peru with F-16 fighter aircraft plus associated logistics and program support. Principal contractors named for the program include Lockheed Martin, GE Aerospace and RTX. The package is intended to expand the Peruvian Air Force’s control of its airspace and its precision-strike options.

What the F-16 sale to Peru includes

Officials say the equipment and support would be used for border defense, counter-narcotics and counterterrorism missions. The announcement framed the sale as consistent with US national security interests and stated it would not diminish US military readiness or change the overall regional military balance.

Aircraft and support: F-16 fighters plus logistics, training and sustainment — central to the F-16 sale to Peru.
Contractors: Lockheed Martin (airframe/vendor), GE Aerospace (engines/systems) and RTX (electronics/support).
Operational aims: airspace control, border security, precision strike, counter-narcotics and counterterrorism.

The US statement also noted there are no offset agreements currently in place and that no additional US personnel are expected to be assigned to Peru specifically to implement the program. That suggests the transaction would follow standard FMS channels with Peruvian forces receiving support and training under existing arrangements.

Beyond hardware, analysts say the sale is political as well as practical: it signals deeper US-Peru defense ties and interoperability with North American suppliers and systems. For Lima, acquiring F-16s would modernize its fighter fleet and expand mission options; for US industry, the deal reinforces long-standing supplier relationships with Latin American operators.