Colombia Buys Swedish Fighter Jets in $4.3 Bln Deal

Colombia has confirmed the purchase of Swedish-made fighter jets in a defense agreement worth 4.3 billion dollars with aerospace manufacturer Saab, President Gustavo Petro announced on Friday.

The decision comes at a time of increasing political friction between Bogotá and Washington.

The Colombian government had revealed in April that it intended to acquire new combat aircraft from Saab, but the number of jets and full financial details were not disclosed at the time. Speaking at a military base, President Petro confirmed that the country will acquire seventeen Gripen fighter jets as part of its modernization strategy.

Colombia, along with several Latin American nations, has expressed concern over a United States military campaign targeting boats that Washington claims are used for drug trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Regional governments have criticized the operation, arguing that the allegations lack supporting evidence.

President Petro, the first leftist leader in Colombia’s history, has exchanged harsh words with US President Donald Trump following Petro’s assertion that the ultimate aim of the American military deployment is to gain control of Venezuela’s oil wealth and sow instability across Latin America.

He stressed that Colombia must be prepared to deter aggression from any source in an increasingly turbulent geopolitical climate and argued that the newly purchased jets will enhance national defense capabilities.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated further when President Trump suspended US financial assistance to Colombia and removed the country from Washington’s list of anti-narcotics allies. Trump accused Petro of enabling illegal drug production, citing the rise in Colombian cocaine output.

Both American and French defense companies had sought to sell fighter aircraft to Colombia, but the government ultimately selected Sweden’s Saab for the contract.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a close political ally of Petro, has also criticized the growing US military presence in the region, arguing that it is intended to undermine his government.