Colombia is preparing to keep its aging Israeli-made Kfir fighter jets in service until October 2027, despite having signed a multibillion-dollar agreement to acquire new Swedish Gripen E/F combat aircraft. The decision highlights the country’s continuing dependence on an increasingly unreliable fleet of Israeli-origin fighters, even as maintenance costs rise and the number of operational aircraft continues to decline.
The timeline is reportedly linked to technical support for the Martin-Baker ejection seats installed in Colombia’s Kfir fleet, which is scheduled to end in October 2027. Colombia is now among the few remaining operators of the Kfir, alongside Sri Lanka, keeping the aircraft in service decades after Israel retired it from frontline operations.
The situation is particularly striking because Colombia previously severed diplomatic relations with Israel over its military campaign in Gaza. Despite that political rupture, the South American country has continued to depend on Israeli-designed aircraft and the technical support required to keep them operational.
The Kfir fleet, however, is approaching the end of its operational life. Ageing airframes, engine reliability problems, expensive maintenance and diminishing spare-parts availability have sharply reduced the Colombian Air Force’s ability to deploy the aircraft.
According to defence publication Janes, only five Colombian Kfir aircraft remain airworthy, and that number is expected to fall to just three by the end of 2026. The declining availability is attributed primarily to problems with the General Electric J79-GE-J1EQD engines, increasing maintenance expenses and the deteriorating condition of the airframes.
The situation has become increasingly difficult for the Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC), which depends on the aircraft for both air-defence and ground-attack missions.
In October 2026, the entire Kfir fleet was temporarily grounded while personnel from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) conducted engine inspections and overhauls. The episode highlighted the technical difficulties involved in keeping the ageing aircraft operational.
The financial burden is also substantial. According to sources cited by Janes, operating a Kfir currently costs approximately $30,000 per flight hour. With only a handful of aircraft available, maintaining the fleet is becoming increasingly expensive relative to its operational contribution.
The declining availability is also affecting Colombia’s ability to conduct aerial bombing missions against drug-trafficking organisations and armed groups operating across the country. Such missions have been an important component of the military’s internal security operations.
The October 2027 deadline is therefore not simply an administrative milestone. It represents the approaching end of a fighter fleet that has remained central to Colombia’s combat aviation capabilities for nearly four decades. Sources told Janes that the government is exploring temporary alternatives to maintain its air-attack capability until the Gripens become operational, with their integration expected to begin in late 2028.
Colombia became the first Latin American country to acquire the Israeli Kfir in 1989, purchasing 12 second-hand Kfir C2 fighters previously operated by the Israeli Air Force, along with a two-seat trainer.
The acquisition was driven by Colombia’s requirement for a supersonic combat aircraft capable of performing air-defence and precision ground-attack missions. At the time, the country was fighting several armed insurgent organisations and needed stronger aerial capabilities to support its military operations.
The initial aircraft began arriving in 1989 and subsequently became an important part of the country’s combat aviation fleet.
However, Colombia’s demand for additional aircraft increased as its security requirements evolved. During the administration of President Álvaro Uribe, the country pursued another acquisition programme to expand its Kfir inventory.
In 2007, Colombia signed an agreement to acquire 13 additional second-hand Kfirs from Israel Aerospace Industries, alongside a programme to modernise 11 existing aircraft. The first four aircraft from the additional batch were delivered in June 2009, with the remaining aircraft scheduled for subsequent delivery.
The modernisation programme transformed the older fighters into more capable combat aircraft, designated Kfir C10 and C12.
The upgraded aircraft received improved avionics, advanced radar systems, electronic-warfare equipment, helmet-mounted sights and modern weapons integration. Their capabilities included the Derby beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, Python infrared-guided missiles and precision-guided bombs.
The upgrades significantly extended the aircraft’s operational relevance, allowing Colombia to retain a relatively capable multirole fighter without immediately purchasing an entirely new fleet.
Following the acquisition and modernisation programmes, Colombia’s Kfir inventory reached approximately 25 aircraft, although the exact number of operational airframes fluctuated over the years.
Despite repeated modernisation efforts, the Kfir’s age eventually made replacement unavoidable.
In April 2025, then-President Gustavo Petro announced that Colombia had selected Sweden’s Saab Gripen E/F as the replacement for its ageing Israeli fighters.
In a post on X, Petro said the government had decided to acquire entirely new aircraft featuring advanced technology already being introduced in Brazil.
The decision followed an evaluation of competing fighter aircraft, including the American F-16 Block 70 and French Rafale. The Gripen was ultimately selected as the preferred option, offering Colombia a modern multirole combat platform with advanced sensors, electronic warfare capabilities and precision-strike weapons.
On November 14, 2025, Colombia and Swedish defence manufacturer Saab signed a formal contract for 17 Gripen E/F aircraft. The agreement, valued at approximately €3.1 billion, includes 15 single-seat Gripen E fighters and two twin-seat Gripen F aircraft.
The package also covers associated equipment, weapons, training and support services, alongside industrial cooperation agreements involving aerospace technology, cybersecurity, healthcare, sustainable energy and water purification.
The acquisition represents a major technological transition for Colombia’s air force. The Gripen E/F belongs to a considerably more advanced generation of combat aircraft than the Kfir, with modern active electronically scanned array radar, advanced electronic warfare systems, improved situational awareness and sophisticated weapons integration.
However, signing the contract does not immediately provide Colombia with a replacement combat capability.
The aircraft must first be delivered, followed by pilot conversion training, maintenance infrastructure development, weapons integration and operational evaluation. The transition will take several years, leaving the FAC dependent on its remaining Kfirs or alternative aircraft during the interim period.
That gap is becoming particularly concerning as the number of serviceable Kfirs continues to decline.
Perhaps the most politically striking aspect of Colombia’s continued reliance on the Kfir is the country’s recent diplomatic confrontation with Israel.
On May 1, 2024, Petro announced that Colombia would sever diplomatic relations with Israel over its military campaign in Gaza. The decision took effect on May 2.
Petro accused the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pursuing a genocidal campaign against Palestinians and argued that Colombia could not maintain normal diplomatic relations amid the mounting civilian casualties and destruction in Gaza.
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry formally communicated the decision to Israel, saying the move reflected its objections to the conduct of the war and its concerns about international humanitarian law.
The diplomatic rupture followed similar moves by other countries in Latin America, including Bolivia, which had severed relations with Israel in October 2023.
The decision created considerable uncertainty over future defence cooperation, particularly because Colombia’s military had long relied on Israeli-origin equipment and technology.
Although the diplomatic relationship was severed, the Colombian military’s existing dependence on Israeli-made systems did not disappear overnight.
The Kfir aircraft continued to require specialist maintenance, replacement components and technical assistance, illustrating the practical difficulties of separating defence procurement and military capabilities from diplomatic relationships.
In 2024, retired General Guillermo León, a former commander of the Colombian Air Force, warned that the Kfir fleet was approaching a critical maintenance deadline.
He told the Associated Press that maintenance and spare-parts supplies were expected to run out by the end of that year, potentially leaving the aircraft without the resources needed for continued operation. He also noted that three aircraft had been withdrawn from service because they had reached the end of their useful life cycle.
The warning demonstrated that Colombia’s fighter replacement problem was not merely a question of diplomatic relations. It was also the consequence of decades of dependence on an ageing aircraft whose continued operation required specialised international support.
Interestingly, the diplomatic confrontation did not last permanently.
Following Gustavo Petro’s departure from office, Colombia’s new President Abelardo de la Espriella moved to restore relations with Israel.
The two countries formally restored diplomatic relations on August 11, 2026, marking a major reversal of the previous administration’s foreign policy.
The rapprochement accelerated in October 2026, when Colombia restored its free trade agreement with Israel. On October 14, Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar officially inaugurated the country’s embassy in Jerusalem, accompanied by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
The move represented a significant diplomatic shift, particularly because Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent Palestinian state, while Israel regards Jerusalem as its capital. Most countries continue to maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv because of the disputed status of the city.
Speaking at the embassy inauguration, Bula described the restoration of relations as an important step towards rebuilding cooperation between the two countries.
“Today, we are taking a concrete step towards restoring diplomatic relations between our countries, relations that should never have been broken. Israel is a strategic partner. It always has been, and from now on, it will be an even stronger one,” he said.
The restoration of relations also reopened opportunities for cooperation in defence, security, intelligence, cybersecurity, trade and technological development.
Nevertheless, the political reversal has not changed the immediate military reality: Colombia still needs its Kfir aircraft to maintain a limited strike capability until the Gripen programme becomes operational.
The Kfir itself has an interesting history rooted in Israel’s earlier dependence on French military technology.
During the 1960s, Israel relied heavily on French combat aircraft, particularly the Dassault Mirage III, which played an important role during the 1967 Six-Day War.
However, following the conflict, France imposed an arms embargo on Israel and halted the delivery of 50 Mirage 5 aircraft that Israel had already paid for.
Faced with the prospect of losing access to an important source of fighter aircraft, Israel accelerated its domestic aerospace development programme.
Israel Aerospace Industries subsequently developed the Nesher, based on the Mirage 5 design, before introducing the more advanced Kfir.
The Kfir incorporated a General Electric J79 turbojet engine, replacing the French powerplant used in the Mirage family. It also featured aerodynamic improvements, including canards on later variants, and was developed into a supersonic multirole fighter capable of air-to-air combat and ground-attack missions.
Its weapons systems included 30mm DEFA cannons, air-to-air missiles and a range of air-to-ground weapons. The aircraft could also carry a substantial external weapons load, making it particularly useful for strike operations.
The Israeli Air Force eventually replaced the Kfir with more advanced aircraft, including the American F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Although Kfirs continued to serve for some time, Israel gradually withdrew them from frontline service during the 1990s.
The aircraft subsequently found export customers, including Colombia, Ecuador and Sri Lanka.
For Colombia, however, the Kfir became much more than an imported fighter. It remained a central component of national air power through changing governments, shifting foreign-policy priorities and repeated delays in military modernisation.
Now, nearly four decades after the first aircraft arrived, Colombia is approaching the final chapter of its Kfir era.
The Gripen E/F programme promises a modern replacement, but the transition will not happen overnight. Until then, the Colombian Air Force faces the difficult task of keeping a small number of increasingly expensive and ageing Israeli fighters operational.
The irony is unmistakable: Colombia once broke diplomatic relations with Israel over Gaza, but its military continued to depend on an aircraft developed by Israel and sustained through decades of technological and industrial cooperation. Even as diplomatic relations have now been restored, the Kfir’s approaching retirement underscores how deeply defence capabilities can outlast political disagreements.
