Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-jl) -- The Chilean Air force incorporated 12 new F-16 warplanes into its forces located near its border with Peru and Bolivia, according to a report from Chile's La Tercera newspaper.

Eight of the new warplanes have been permanently moved to a Chilean Air Force base located in Antofagasta, located 1,305 kilometers to the north of Chile's capital city of Santiago, while the other warplanes were dispatched to another Chilean Air Force base in Iquique, 500 kilometers north of Santiago.

The United States designed and built F-16 Fighting Falcons were delivered to Peru's southern neighbor approximately 15 days ago. Their incorporation into the Chilean Air Force is part of a planned renovation project that will outfit the Antofagasta air base with a total of 18 new F-16 war planes by the end of the year.

Chilean pilots have already began maneuvering and training exercises in the new planes over Chile's northern desert terrain.

According to La Tercera, Chile will spend approximately US$3 billion on military equipment, including hundreds of French/Spanish built Scorpene submarines and German attack tanks.

Although the F-16 Fighting Falcon is no longer built for the United States Air Force, they are still being actively produced for export.