According to foreign media reports, Argentine military sources recently stated that the Argentine government may have signed a letter of intent worth $2 billion for submarine procurement with the French Navy Group in mid October. However, the source stated that due to the impact of Argentina's domestic financial debt, this procurement plan may not be completed as expected. According to reports, given that the Argentine Navy currently has no available submarines, the Argentine government will purchase three Scorpaean class conventional submarines this time. Argentina purchased two TR-1700 conventional submarines from the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1980s, named "San Juan" and "Santa Cruz" respectively. In November 2017, the submarine San Juan sank in the South Atlantic near Cape Horn due to an internal explosion. The Santa Cruz has been undergoing upgrades and renovations since 2016, with upgrades suspended in 2020 and currently in a retired state. In addition, the Argentine Navy also has one old German made submarine, the Salta, which is no longer capable of performing diving missions and is only used as a basic training platform for the navy. For this reason, Argentina is constantly seeking suitable alternatives to submarines. In 2019, the Argentine government negotiated with Brazil to purchase four second-hand Tupi class conventional submarines, but there was no follow-up news. In 2021, the Russian delegation visited Argentina. It is reported that the Russian delegation has expressed to the Argentine side that they can provide an improved version of the Kilo class conventional submarine or an export version of the Rada class conventional submarine, but there has been no further progress on this matter. In July 2022, Argentina's then Defense Minister Tayana visited the French Navy Group shipyard to inspect the construction process of the Scorpaean class conventional submarine, and then visited Germany to discuss the procurement of German made submarines with the German Defense Minister. In April 2023, the Argentine Ministry of Defense submitted a report to parliament stating that Argentina is in negotiations with the French Navy Group and the German company ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems to purchase three conventional powered submarines. The Argentine government has chosen the French Scorpaean class conventional submarine this time, possibly because the submarine can be customized according to demand. It is reported that there are three models of the Scorpaean class conventional submarine, among which CM-2000 is the basic model, AM-2000 can be equipped with AIP system, and CA-2000 is a scaled down version of the basic model. According to reports, the Argentine government is taking multiple measures to expedite the commissioning of submarines, including sending personnel to Peruvian naval bases for submarine operation training. But sources say that Argentina has been facing financial difficulties in recent years, making it difficult to meet the loan guarantee requirements of participating banks, which may affect the submarine procurement plan. Argentina's inflation rate is expected to reach 211.4% in 2023, with a poverty rate of over 50%. According to analysts, Argentina should pay more attention to the issue of military procurement costs in the face of serious economic problems, and may be more suitable for purchasing second-hand submarines. It is reported that in addition to planning to purchase submarines, Argentina is also purchasing a large amount of other equipment. In April of this year, Argentina signed a procurement contract with Denmark for 24 second-hand F-16 fighter jets. Meanwhile, the Argentine Army has begun receiving the first batch of TAM 2CA2 medium tanks and is expected to receive 12 of these tanks by the end of this year. In addition, Argentina plans to purchase frigates for the navy, wheeled armored vehicles for the army, and new helicopters and assault rifles for the army, navy, and air force. Analysts say that Argentina's efforts to modernize its military will to some extent increase the domestic economic burden. Considering that the majority of its procurement is second-hand equipment, modernizing the military may be difficult to achieve the expected results. (New Society)