Peru likely to choose fighter jet in October, air force chief says

MONTREAL, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Peru will probably decide in October which fighter jet it will choose to replace its aging fleet, the commander of the country's air force said on Sunday in an interview.

Among the candidates are the F-16 from principal contractor Lockheed Martin LMT.N and Gripen from Swedish defence firm SAAB SAABb.ST.

Commander General Carlos Enrique Chávez Cateriano said on the sidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization's Innovation Fair in Montreal that the new planes are important for Peru's defense.

"We urgently need to buy new ones. If we don't do this, we're going to be unprotected," he said.

The U.S. State Department said last week it approved the potential sale of F-16 aircraft and related elements of logistics and program support to Peru in a deal valued at an estimated $3.42 billion, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The final price for the aircraft "is not yet known," Chávez Cateriano

Peru is looking to eventually acquire a total of 24 jets, but a first deal would be for 12.