New Tanker Planes, F-16s Set to Arrive

The first of three KC-135 transport aircraft is due to land in Chile Feb. 18. The planes can also provide in-flight refueling, extending the operating range of Chile's F-16 fighters. The tankers were one of several program updates announced Jan. 26. Defense Minister Francisco Vidal said the 18 used F-16 jets, acquired from the Netherlands, will start arriving in October. The $270 million deal gives Chile a total of 44 F-16s. The latest batch is being assigned to the 5th Aviation Brigade in Antofagasta. Also, the first six of a dozen Super Tucano trainers have been delivered, with the remainder arriving in several months. Chile's air force also has taken delivery of some of its 12 brand-new Bell 412 helicopters. The KC-135s bolster Chile's transport capacity and combat range, but the aircraft are old and it's unclear how long they can remain operational. It's conceivable that one of the three planes will be used for spares. If the announcement wasn't enough to rile Peru, air force Gen. Ricardo Ortega fanned the fire with a thinly disguised warning: "Everyone watching us knows we have the capability to strike hard. So, it's better that they leave us alone."

What New President Means for Chile's Defense

Businessman Sebastian Pinera is taking office March 11, becoming the first right-wing president of Chile since Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Do Pinera's conservative credentials mean a boost for Chile's military? Not necessarily. Pinera's campaign agrees that the so-called copper law -- responsible for a huge increase in defense spending the past several years -- needs to go away. The critique: The law provides plenty for acquisitions but nothing for operating expenses; funds must be split evenly among the armed services; and the cash flows from copper don't necessarily coincide with defense needs. Pinera may have another motive. He wants to privatize at least part of Codelco, the state-owned copper company that provides 10% of its export sales to the military. Privatizing would be a lot easier if Codelco didn't have a defense committment. Codelco's military ties also hurt its foreign expansion plans. One area of national security that figures to get a major boost is the national police force. Pinera has vowed to add thousands of Carabineros, and equip them better, to fight Chile's crime problem. Is Pinera a hawk? Yes, but he also knows the value of good relations with neighboring countries. His businesses, including Lan Airlines, make a lot of money abroad. Chile, after all, became a wealthy country thanks largely to free trade.

Chile General Takes Command of Haiti UN Forces

With the current leader of the UN peacekeeping force missing after Tuesday's earthquake, Chilean army Gen. Ricardo Toro has assumed command of the 9,000-strong force. The job is doubly tough for Toro, whose wife is among the missing. Chile has about 500 troops in Haiti. Their deployment since 2004 has been fairly uneventful until this week. No Chileans were hurt in the quake, although several from other nations died. Chile's air force is dispatching a Hercules C-130 and a Boeing 767 with humanitarian aid, while a navy landing ship is sailing to the disaster area. UPDATE: Chilean firefighters on Jan. 22 found the body of María Teresa Dowling, the wife of army Gen. Ricardo Toro, in the ruins of a hotel that collapsed in the Haiti earthquake. Gen. Toro spent only a couple of days in control of UN forces before being relieved to focus on the search for his wife.

Air Force Gets First Tucano Deliveries

Embraer has delivered the first four of a dozen Super Tucano aircraft to the air force. The turboprops are primarily for pilot training but can be modified for anti-insurgency roles. In its press release, the Brazilian plane manufacturer said the Chile deal includes a flight simulator, a mission planning station and a mission debriefing station.

A Worthy Opponent for the Leopard 2

Peru is acquring MBT 2000 tanks from China as it tries to close the gap against Chile's potent armor. The MBT 2000 doesn't normally match up to Chile's Leopard 2. But China is adding reactive armor and other improvements that Peruvian officials say put the MBT 2000s on equal footing with the Leopard 2. The MBT 2000 can launch anti-tank missiles from its 125 mm gun, which give the tank a kill range of 5 km. Theoretically at least, that's a longer range than the Leopard 2's. Press reports say the deal is for 30 tanks at a cost of $5 million each. The MBT 2000 won out over the Russian T-90, the Polish PT-91 and Ukraine's T-84. The deciding factor was cost. Peru also hopes to purchase self-propelled artillery and other systems to supplement its new tanks.

More on the Proposed Military Budget Framework

The proposed financing mechanism for Chile's armed forces would keep a current budget surplus, of perhaps $3 billion, in a contingency fund. The money could be used in case of conflict or to support Chile's peacekeeping missions, according to details given from the Defense Ministry. Meanwhile, the navy's new commander, Adm. Edmundo Gonzales, voiced concerns that the plan has no spending floor. If the country's economy expands, he reasons, more military resources would be needed to protect those assets. Also, he noted that if spending plans are authorized in four-year segments, it may be difficult to finance acquisitions with multiyear loans. Under the current funding mechanism, based on revenues from the state-owned copper company, a minimum of $100 million goes to each of three major branches.

New Video Game Set at Chile-Peru Border

"Battlefield: Bad Company 2" is set in what publisher Electronic Arts calls Arica Harbor. A look at its preview videos leaves no doubt this is the same Chilean city of Arica, just south of the border with Peru. In this tactical shooter game, U.S. and Russian forces battle it out over desert and urban terrain with infantry, armor and air elements. Incidentally, the scenario is not much different than Western-style Chilean forces and Russian-style Peruvian army engaging in war. The game, being released next March, is getting positive reviews from gamers.