**SANTIAGO, Chile** — French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to South America last week, specifically to attend the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During his trip, he also visited Argentina and Chile, where he promoted French-made military equipment with a potential value exceeding $4 billion.
According to the French daily *La Tribune*, while the primary purpose of Macron’s trip was to attend the G20 Summit and strengthen ties with Brazil, Argentina, and Chile—France’s main trade partners in South America—his agenda included advocating for the sales of Scorpene type diesel-electric submarines developed by the French shipbuilder Naval Group.
Macron’s first stop was Argentina, where he held discussions with President Javier Milei on November 16 and 17. Military sources in Argentina, who requested anonymity, informed *Defense News* that Macron expressed support for Argentina’s plans to acquire three Scorpene submarines valued at $1.5 billion. The Argentine Navy is in urgent need of these submarines as it currently lacks any fully operational vessels, leading to the training of its submarine specialists in Peru.
Local sources indicated that Argentine Defense Minister Luis Petri had signed a letter of intent for the submarine purchase during a visit to Paris in October, initiating negotiations on specific terms. Moreover, the Argentine government has requested parliamentary authorization for a multiyear loan of $2.31 billion as part of the 2025 budget, which would cover both the cost of the submarines and an $800 million debt servicing component, approximately 55% of the total submarine value.
Following his visit to Argentina, Macron attended the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where he met Brazilian President Inazio “Lula” da Silva to discuss a possible follow-on order for two additional Scorpene submarines. Brazil had previously entered a $10 billion deal in 2009 for four submarines of this type; this agreement is nearing completion, with technology-transfer provisions allowing Brazil to construct certain components domestically.
The Scorpene submarines in Brazil are constructed by Itaguai Construçoes Navais, a company jointly owned by the Brazilian government (59%) and Naval Group (41%), incorporating a significant number of parts imported from France.
Between November 20 and 21, Macron also traveled to Chile, which was the first export customer of Scorpene submarines, having ordered two vessels in 1998. Chile plans to launch a tender in 2026 to replace its older German-built submarines, a contract potentially worth $1 billion.
*José Higuera is a Latin America correspondent for Defense News.*
