German and French defence manufacturers have offered to build three submarines for Argentina as Buenos Aires seeks to modernise its ageing navy and reinforce its long-standing claim to the Falkland Islands.
President Javier Milei has previously vowed that Argentina would “recover” the Falklands. Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, he also warned that his country could eventually be forced to “take matters into our own hands”.
Earlier this month, Argentina’s military leadership confirmed that the government was pursuing plans to acquire three new hunter-killer submarines.
Admiral Marcelo Dalle Nogare, chief of the joint staff of Argentina’s armed forces, said both Germany and France had submitted offers to manufacture the vessels.
“Whichever of the two options we choose, they are among the best submarines in the world today,” he said.
France’s Naval Group has proposed its Scorpene-class submarines, while Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has put forward its Type 209NG design.
Both governments have offered to finance the purchase upfront, with Argentina repaying the cost in instalments, Admiral Dalle Nogare said.
TKMS has reportedly lodged a formal bid with Buenos Aires, with a decision in principle expected this year.
German and French defence companies have offered submarine designs aimed at restoring Argentina’s struggling naval fleet. Pictured: a French Scorpene vessel
Argentina has intensified its claims to the Falkland Islands in recent months
Argentina previously purchased German-built Type 209 submarines during the 1970s.
Among them was the ARA San Luis, which conducted patrols and launched torpedo attacks against British forces during the 1982 Falklands War.
Although it failed to score a hit, the submarine evaded British anti-submarine operations and remained in service until 1997.
The two companies competing for the Argentine contract are influential players in the global defence sector. TKMS’s British division, Atlas UK, supplies submersible countermeasures to the Royal Navy.
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Any submarine agreement with Buenos Aires would require approval from the relevant government before the vessels could be exported.
Admiral Dalle Nogare said the “final decision will ultimately be a geopolitical one, based on interests and, above all, financing”.
He said the submarines would be expected to arrive six years after a contract was signed.
“I’ve always said that I believe the Falklands will eventually be recovered on the day it is no longer economically feasible for the United Kingdom to maintain them,” he added.
His remarks echoed President Milei’s stance as Argentina’s government adopted a tougher tone over the islands while confronting domestic challenges, including high inflation.
However, Mr Milei said this week that he would rule out military action to seize the islands and instead pledged to pursue “diplomatic means”.
A German Type 209 submarine manufactured by TKMS, a company with a British subsidiary that supplies the Royal Navy
Argentina’s President Javier Milei has stepped up rhetoric on the Falklands amid a difficult domestic backdrop, including an inflation rate of more than 30 per cent
Reform UK MP Andrew Rosindell said the British Government should summon the German and French ambassadors to ‘demand a full account of their actions’ after news of the talks broke.
Mr Rosindell said he received a ‘non-answer’ from ministers when he submitted a written question on the issue in Parliament.
Earlier this month British paratroopers staged a mock invasion of the Falklands as tensions over the islands escalated.
Around 150 soldiers joined 100 local reservists for a six-day military exercise which saw troops storm beaches, march 20 miles through the night and launch simulated attacks on enemy positions.
The latest British military drills, codenamed Exercise Cape Upholder, are understood to be the first in years to simulate the amphibious landings that helped Britain recapture the islands more than four decades ago.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously vowed to do ‘whatever it takes’ to keep the Falklands British, insisting that remaining part of the UK was the ‘clear and declared will of the islanders’.