Colombia has agreed to purchase 17 Gripen fighter jets from Swedish defense manufacturer Saab under a $4.3 billion deal, President Gustavo Petro announced on Friday. The long-anticipated agreement comes as Colombia faces what Petro describes as growing military, economic, and geopolitical friction with the United States.
While Bogotá had earlier confirmed its intention to buy aircraft from Saab, it had not disclosed the number of jets or the contract value. Speaking at a military base, Petro revealed the full scope of the procurement, emphasizing that the new jets would play a critical role in safeguarding national sovereignty.
Petro argued that U.S. military operations targeting alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have increased security risks for Colombia and the wider Latin American region. Relations between Petro — Colombia’s first leftist president — and U.S. President Donald Trump have been strained, with Petro accusing Washington of using military deployments to destabilize Latin America and secure access to Venezuela’s oil resources.
He stated that the Gripen jets would be used to “deter aggression against Colombia, from wherever it may come,” noting that threats in an increasingly unstable geopolitical climate could emerge from “any direction.”
Tensions escalated after Trump labeled Petro “a leader of illegal drug cartels” due to Colombia’s high cocaine production, subsequently cutting U.S. financial aid and removing Colombia from Washington’s list of partners in anti-narcotics cooperation.
French and American manufacturers had also attempted to secure the fighter jet contract. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, a close ally of Petro, has claimed that U.S. military deployments in the region aim to unseat him.
Sources: Al Jazeera, AFP