Latest news with #ColombianAirForce
Yomiuri Shimbun
23-04-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Colombia's Lonely Chimp Finds New Home in Brazil
AFP-Jiji Chimpanzee Yoko is seen in his crate on board a Colombian Air Force plane in Bogota during his transfer to Brazil in March. PEREIRA, Colombia (AFP-Jiji) — Kidnapped from his family as an infant, then raised by a drug lord before ending up in a Colombian zoo, Yoko the chimpanzee has lived the last two years of his life alone. He lost his last friend, Chita, in 2023 when she escaped from the zoo with Pancho — Yoko's rival — and the pair was shot dead by soldiers out of human safety concerns. Last month, 38-year-old Yoko was flown to Brazil to finally join others of his kind at a sanctuary there. But will he make friends? Yoko is in many ways more human than chimp, his caregivers say. He uses a knife and fork, plays ball, watches television and makes artwork with crayons on paper and canvas. He is fond of eating sweets and chicken. Fed junk food by his captor — a narco trafficker whose name has not been divulged — Yoko has only four of his teeth left. Chimps, like humans, are meant to have 32. It was common for narco bosses such as Pablo Escobar in the 1990s to keep exotic animals as pets, including tigers and lions, and even hippos and giraffes. Yoko was taught to smoke and dress up in human clothes — causing him to develop a skin disease and lose part of his fur. 'Yoko … is a highly humanized chimpanzee, the degree of tameness is very high … He basically behaves like a child,' said veterinarian Javier Guerrero. The vet accompanied Yoko on the first part of his journey, dubbed 'Operation Noah's Ark,' from Ukumari Biopark, a zoo in the Colombian city of Pereira. A smile is not a smile Experts fear Yoko may find it hard to adapt to life with other chimpanzees at Sorocaba in the Brazilian state of Sao Paolo — the largest great ape sanctuary in Latin America. There are more than 40 other chimps there, but vets and animal behaviorists worry Yoko may not fit in. 'Yoko … is not a chimpanzee in the strict sense … he is an animal that identifies much more with human beings,' said Cesar Gomez, Ukumari's animal training coordinator. 'To give you an example, a smile is something positive' for humans, 'but for chimpanzees, it is something negative and Yoko does not understand these types of communication,' he said. Yoko was seized from his owner's lair by police in 2017 after spending an unknown amount of time there, then taken to a refuge that flooded before he became a resident of the Pereira zoo. 'He was denied the chance to be a chimpanzee and grow up with his family,' assistant vet Alejandra Marin told AFP. In the wild in their natural home in Africa, chimpanzees die at about 40 or 45 years of age. They are social, group animals, and with good care in captivity, they can live up to 60. The chimpanzee is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. With Yoko's transfer last month, Colombia became the first country in the world to rid itself of entirely captive great apes, said the Great Ape Project, an NGO. 'The great apes are chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and bonobos — none of these species are endemic to our country, and they have no reason to be here,' said Andrea Padilla, a Colombian senator of the Green Alliance who oversaw Yoko's 'deeply symbolic' transfer. 'From a very young age, Yoko was a victim of trafficking and trade, passed from one drug trafficker to another,' she added.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
JAS 39 Gripen E/F Chosen As Colombia's Next Fighter
Colombia's new fighter will be the Saab Gripen E/F, the country's president has confirmed. The acquisition of the Swedish-made combat aircraft will finally allow the retirement of the veteran IAI Kfir with the Colombian Air Force. The development is also of major significance for Saab. Other than Brazil, which co-produces the Gripen E/F, the company has previously failed to achieve any export sales of the jet. Thailand has provisionally selected the Gripen E/F but not yet placed an order. Colombian President Gustavo Petro took to X to confirm the country's decision to buy Gripen fighters: 'Following the letter of intent signed by the government of the Kingdom of Sweden, and the approval of the country's strategic air defense as a priority project, I report: the fleet of aircraft to be acquired is completely new, with the latest technology, already implemented in Brazil, and will be of the Saab 39 Gripen type.' Después de la carta de intención firmada por el gobierno del Reino de Suecia, y de aprobar la defensa aérea estratégica del país como proyecto priorizado informo:Los flota de aviones que se adquirirá, es completamente nueva, ultima tecnología, ya implementada en Brasil, y son… — Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) April 2, 2025 In a statement, Mattias Rådström, Saab's head of media relations, told TWZ: 'It is very positive for Saab and Sweden that Colombia's President Petro has announced his intention to acquire the Gripen E/F advanced multirole fighter. Saab has the most comprehensive offer for Colombia, and we are convinced that Gripen E/F is the best choice for the long-term defense, security, and prosperity of Colombia. Although no contract is yet in place, we look forward to finalizing negotiations with Colombia.' At this point, it's unclear how many Gripens Colombia wants to acquire and how much they might cost. The delivery timeline has also not been publicized. In the past, however, Colombia has reportedly been looking to buy between 15 and 24 new or secondhand fighters to replace its Kfirs, as a matter of urgency. Colombia will likely acquire a certain number of two-seat Gripen Fs to operate alongside Gripen E single-seaters, although this too is unconfirmed. The Gripen E/F, which you can read more about here, has often been pitched as a more affordable, albeit less capable, alternative to fifth-generation combat capabilities, such as those embodied in the F-35, against which the Swedish fighter has repeatedly lost out in various international competitions. Smaller than many of its contemporaries, the Gripen E/F was developed from the earlier 'legacy' Gripen that was designed to meet a very specific Swedish requirement. However, the Gripen E/F variant includes features that would otherwise be more commonly found on larger and more complex fighters. Compared with the older Gripen C/D, the Gripen E/F has a bigger fuselage that accommodates approximately 30 percent more fuel and has a more powerful General Electric F414 engine, plus a total of 10 hardpoints for weapons and other stores. The cockpit is entirely revised, and the pilot is provided with a single Wide Area Display (WAD), replacing the three separate displays in the Gripen C/D. The Gripen E/F can carry up to seven MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles. It features the Leonardo ES-05 Raven active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and the Leonardo Skyward G infrared search and track (IRST) sensor. It also includes a new Saab Electronic Warfare System (EWS), featuring a 360-degree spherical Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS). Reflecting its Swedish roots, the Gripen E/F is designed specifically to operate in austere environments with very high reliability and minimal support infrastructure, attributes that might make it especially attractive to South American operators. Less obvious is the Gripen E/F's avionics architecture, which is designed to enable the rapid insertion of new hardware and updated software applications to take on new missions. Customers are also able to design and develop their own software, to introduce new technologies and systems to keep pace with ever-evolving threats. Despite Saab winning many plaudits for packing an impressive amount of high-end capabilities into a relatively small and easy-to-maintain airframe, the Gripen E/F has, so far, been a less-than-stellar performer on the export market. Brazil is the first and to date only export customer for the Gripen E/F, with its decision to buy the fighter influenced to a significant degree by the opportunity to establish a domestic production line. This will assemble 15 of the 36 aircraft currently contracted to the Brazilian Air Force. Meanwhile, Sweden is buying 60 single-seat Gripen Es for its own requirements. Last August, the Royal Thai Air Force identified the Gripen E/F as its preferred next fighter. However, the government is yet to sign off on the purchase and a deal with Sweden hasn't been signed so far. Ultimately, the increased concerns about the political stability of American arms exports could boost Gripen export sales, although the fighter will still face stiff competition from other European and non-U.S. combat aircraft. As for Colombia, the selection of a new fighter has been a long time coming. For more than a decade, Colombia has wrestled with the problem of replacing its Kfir fleet, which was determined to reach the end of its viable service life in 2023. To keep the Kfirs operational until then, Colombia instigated an upgrade program, known as Colosseum. This saw surviving Kfirs brought up to C10/ C12 standard, which added a new Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode fire-control radar, electronic countermeasures, Rafael Derby beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, Rafael Python 5 infrared-guided air-to-air missiles, and Elbit's Display and Sight Helmet (DASH) system. The upgraded Kfirs also received Rafael Spice 1000 precision-guided bombs. By the time the Kfir upgrade work was completed in 2017, Colombia had short-listed the F-16 Block 70, Gripen E/F, and Eurofighter Typhoon for its new fighter requirement. While a decision was stalled by budget constraints and the COVID pandemic, the option of secondhand Danish F-16s was raised — ultimately, this was the route that Argentina took to procure new fighters, as you can read about here. Then, in 2022, when President Petro took office, the Dassault Rafale was reported to have emerged as the most likely candidate for the Colombian Air Force, with suggestions that 16 examples might be acquired. However, the Gripen E/F offer finally won out, perhaps a reflection of Saab's determination to secure further orders in South America, which it has long identified as a key battleground for the aircraft. Unconfirmed reports from the Colombian media suggest that, while at least some elements of the Colombian Air Force preferred the Rafale, the Gripen E/F was chosen 'due to its versatility and technical benefits.' 'It is a very important market to us, and we need to show our capabilities and have a supply chain in place,' Saab CEO Micael Johansson told AirForces Monthly in 2023, about the South American market. 'We are working to achieve that and have done a fantastic job transferring technology to Brazil. To get the development center and production capabilities set up at Gavião Peixoto, where we even have a structures component factory. It means we could fulfill more technology transfers to the likes of Colombia. It can be supported from Brazil and would benefit the whole continent.' At this stage, it's unclear to what degree the Brazilian factory at Gavião Peixoto, in the state of São Paulo, will support the Colombian deal, although there's potential for significant involvement. As well as the final assembly of 15 of the aircraft ordered for Brazil the plant builds tail units and front fuselages for Gripen Es as well as wing boxes and front fuselage sections for the Gripen F. In the past, Saab CEO Johansson has said the plan is for the Gavião Peixoto facility 'to manufacture any future Gripen orders for Brazil, as well as for other countries. We want the country to become an export center for Latin America and potentially other regions.' As for the Kfir, Colombia's almost four-decade relationship with this fighter now looks to be coming to an end. During the long conflict with the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (better known by the Spanish acronym FARC), the Kfirs saw a good deal of combat. However, the fleet suffered from some high-profile accidents, and finding spare parts has become increasingly costly and complicated. The situation has gotten worse after Petro's government broke off diplomatic relations with Israel, in protest against the conflict in the Gaza Strip. This renders the Israeli maintenance contract for the Kfirs obsolete and makes their replacement all the more urgent. It remains to be seen how many Gripen E/Fs will be procured to replace the Kfirs, or when they might start to arrive, but we now finally have confirmation of Colombia's chosen replacement for these hard-worked jets. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colombia president welcomes first flights of deported migrants after losing public spat with Trump
After teetering on the brink of an all-out trade war with the United States, Colombia welcomed its first flights of deported illegal immigrants, with its president heralding their "dignified" return and insisting they are not criminals. The arrivals are taking place just two days after President Donald Trump threatened crippling tariffs and sanctions on Colombia to punish the country for earlier refusing to accept military flights carrying deportees as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown. Two Colombian Air Force planes carrying deported Colombian nationals arrived in Bogota early on Tuesday, Reuters reported, citing local media. One plane, flying from San Diego, California, brought home 110 Colombians and the other, which departed from El Paso, Texas, brought home 91, the Colombian Foreign Ministry said on X. A Victory For Trump's 'Fafo': How The White House Strong-armed One-time Close Ally Colombia Over Immigration "They are Colombians, they are free and dignified and they are in their homeland where they are loved," Colombia President Gustavo Petro wrote on X with images of the migrants disembarking a flight. Read On The Fox News App "The migrant is not a criminal, he is a human being who wants to work and progress, to live life." The Colombian government hailed the returns as Petro fulfilling his commitments and said it is working on a "structured and accessible credit plan" to support the migrants' reintegration. This weekend, American officials sent two flights of Colombian illegal aliens as part of Trump's ongoing deportation program. Petro rejected the flights, writing that the U.S. cannot "treat Colombian migrants as criminals." Trump immediately clapped back, writing in a Truth Social post he was going to slap 25% tariffs on all goods from Colombia, a travel ban on Colombian government officials and other steep financial sanctions. He said the tariffs would reach as high as 50% by next week and insisted the migrants being sent back were "illegal criminals." At first, Petro retaliated with his own 25% tariffs on U.S. goods coming from Colombia. Petro had insisted he would not accept the return of migrants who were not treated with "dignity and respect" and who had arrived shackled or on military planes. Colombian Leader Quickly Caves After Trump Threats, Offers Presidential Plane For Deportation Flights But amid intense political pressure from within his own government, the former Marxist guerrilla fighter acquiesced to all U.S. demands. The White House confirmed on Sunday that Colombia's president had caved "to all of President Trump's terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay," President Trump hailed it as a victory for his "f--- around and find out" [FAFO]-style of governing. After the debacle, the 47th president posted a celebratory AI-generated image of himself dressed as a mobster next to a sign that read "FAFO." Trump officials cheered the deal as a victory and said Trump used Colombia as an example of U.S. power, while Colombian officials have said the agreement is a win for both sides. Dozens of frustrated Colombians had long-awaited visa appointments at the U.S. embassy in Bogota canceled on Monday. Colombia is one of the top recipients of U.S. aid in the world due to a security partnership. Since 2000, Colombia has received more than $13 billion in foreign assistance from the Departments of Defense and State and from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), largely focused on counternarcotics efforts, continued implementation of the government's 2016 peace accord with the FARC rebel group, integration of Venezuelan migrants and refugees, and environmental programs. Fox News' Morgan Phillips, Andrea Margolis, Bill Melugin, Lorraine Taylor, Landon Mion, and Reuters contributed to this report. Original article source: Colombia president welcomes first flights of deported migrants after losing public spat with Trump
Fox News
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Colombia president welcomes first flights of deported migrants after losing public spat with Trump
After teetering on the brink of an all-out trade war with the United States, Colombia welcomed its first flights of deported illegal immigrants, with its president heralding their "dignified" return and insisting they are not criminals. The arrivals are taking place just two days after President Donald Trump threatened crippling tariffs and sanctions on Colombia to punish the country for earlier refusing to accept military flights carrying deportees as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown. Two Colombian Air Force planes carrying deported Colombian nationals arrived in Bogota early on Tuesday, Reuters reported, citing local media. One plane, flying from San Diego, California, brought home 110 Colombians and the other, which departed from El Paso, Texas, brought home 91, the Colombian Foreign Ministry said on X. "They are Colombians, they are free and dignified and they are in their homeland where they are loved," Colombia President Gustavo Petro wrote on X with images of the migrants disembarking a flight. "The migrant is not a criminal, he is a human being who wants to work and progress, to live life." The Colombian government hailed the returns as Petro fulfilling his commitments and said it is working on a "structured and accessible credit plan" to support the migrants' reintegration. This weekend, American officials sent two flights of Colombian illegal aliens as part of Trump's ongoing deportation program. Petro rejected the flights, writing that the U.S. cannot "treat Colombian migrants as criminals." Trump immediately clapped back, writing in a Truth Social post he was going to slap 25% tariffs on all goods from Colombia, a travel ban on Colombian government officials and other steep financial sanctions. He said the tariffs would reach as high as 50% by next week and insisted the migrants being sent back were "illegal criminals." At first, Petro retaliated with his own 25% tariffs on U.S. goods coming from Colombia. Petro had insisted he would not accept the return of migrants who were not treated with "dignity and respect" and who had arrived shackled or on military planes. But amid intense political pressure from within his own government, the former Marxist guerrilla fighter acquiesced to all U.S. demands. The White House confirmed on Sunday that Colombia's president had caved "to all of President Trump's terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on U.S. military aircraft, without limitation or delay," President Trump hailed it as a victory for his "f--- around and find out" [FAFO]-style of governing. After the debacle, the 47th president posted a celebratory AI-generated image of himself dressed as a mobster next to a sign that read "FAFO." Trump officials cheered the deal as a victory and said Trump used Colombia as an example of U.S. power, while Colombian officials have said the agreement is a win for both sides. Dozens of frustrated Colombians had long-awaited visa appointments at the U.S. embassy in Bogota canceled on Monday. Colombia is one of the top recipients of U.S. aid in the world due to a security partnership. Since 2000, Colombia has received more than $13 billion in foreign assistance from the Departments of Defense and State and from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), largely focused on counternarcotics efforts, continued implementation of the government's 2016 peace accord with the FARC rebel group, integration of Venezuelan migrants and refugees, and environmental programs.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Deportation flight lands in Colombia after migration dispute with US
The first plane carrying Colombian migrants deported from the United States has landed in the South American country after the settlement of a dispute between the nations over US deportation policy. "They are Colombians, they are free and dignified, and they are in their home country, where they are loved," Colombia's President Gustavo Petro announced on social media platform X on Tuesday. "The migrant is not a criminal, he is a person who wants to work and get ahead, who wants to live," the president wrote. The Colombians arrived in the capital Bogotá on a Colombian Air Force plane. On Sunday, Petro had initially prevented two US military aircraft carrying deported Colombians from landing. He justified his decision by saying that migrants were not criminals and should be treated with dignity. US President Donald Trump reacted promptly and announced tariffs of 25% on goods from Colombia and entry restrictions for Colombians. Petro flexed his muscles and also announced tariffs – but then backed down. Just a few hours later, the White House issued a statement saying that Petro had agreed to all of Trump's conditions. On the basis of this agreement, the tariffs would not be imposed, the White House said. With the landing of the plane in Colombia, the visa sanctions imposed by the US State Department and the increased customs and border protection checks on all Colombian goods and nationals would cease to apply. Petro's decision to reject the flights on Sunday was met with criticism in his own country. Local media reported that a think tank had called on the president to pursue a responsible and pragmatic foreign policy.
