yasin_khan
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The US is offering to sell 18 F-16 fighter aircraft to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) pending Congressional approval: one of several such deals in the works after years of US-led defence sanctions against Pakistan, the PAF Chief of Staff has disclosed.
"[The Americans] have indicated that they are ready to give us F-16s," said Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Kaleem Saadat. "This is not a rumour; it is from the American government."
Pakistan said it hopes the deal is the beginning of greater US co-operation. "Eighteen I consider to be the first instalment of what would follow," ACM Saadat told JDW. Approval from Congress, however, is not likely to come until after the US elections in November, he said.
Pakistan is asking that the F-16s be equipped with Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs). Along with additional fighter aircraft, Pakistan has also outlined a requirement for a beyond-visual-range missile, which the AMRAAM would meet.
In 1988-89, Pakistan arranged to supplement its stock of 40 F-16A/Bs - about 32 of which remained in service as of 2003 - by ordering an additional 71 aircraft. Lockheed Martin began producing them, but then the US Congress imposed sanctions in 1995 that barred military sales to the country unless the US president could certify that Pakistan was not pursuing nuclear weapons.
As a result, only 28 of the 71 were ever built and none of them were delivered to Pakistan. Instead they were kept in storage in the US until the Bush administration reimbursed the Pakistanis financially and assigned 14 aircraft each to the US Air Force and Navy in June 2002 for training and testing purposes.
The episode still rankles in Pakistan and the renewed possibility of acquiring F-16s is seen partly as making amends in thanks for Pakistan's efforts as an ally of the US in the wake of 9/11.
"Right from day one, we have been impressing upon the US government what symbolic value the F-16 has for the Pakistani people and the Pakistani nation," ACM Saadat said. "So it's not as if 10, 15, 20 aircraft would make a world of difference in our operational capability, but it's a symbol in the sense that the people of Pakistan think that if they give us this then they are really sincere in helping us."
http://www.janes.com/defence/air_forces/news/jdw/jdw040920_1_n.shtml
"[The Americans] have indicated that they are ready to give us F-16s," said Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Kaleem Saadat. "This is not a rumour; it is from the American government."
Pakistan said it hopes the deal is the beginning of greater US co-operation. "Eighteen I consider to be the first instalment of what would follow," ACM Saadat told JDW. Approval from Congress, however, is not likely to come until after the US elections in November, he said.
Pakistan is asking that the F-16s be equipped with Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs). Along with additional fighter aircraft, Pakistan has also outlined a requirement for a beyond-visual-range missile, which the AMRAAM would meet.
In 1988-89, Pakistan arranged to supplement its stock of 40 F-16A/Bs - about 32 of which remained in service as of 2003 - by ordering an additional 71 aircraft. Lockheed Martin began producing them, but then the US Congress imposed sanctions in 1995 that barred military sales to the country unless the US president could certify that Pakistan was not pursuing nuclear weapons.
As a result, only 28 of the 71 were ever built and none of them were delivered to Pakistan. Instead they were kept in storage in the US until the Bush administration reimbursed the Pakistanis financially and assigned 14 aircraft each to the US Air Force and Navy in June 2002 for training and testing purposes.
The episode still rankles in Pakistan and the renewed possibility of acquiring F-16s is seen partly as making amends in thanks for Pakistan's efforts as an ally of the US in the wake of 9/11.
"Right from day one, we have been impressing upon the US government what symbolic value the F-16 has for the Pakistani people and the Pakistani nation," ACM Saadat said. "So it's not as if 10, 15, 20 aircraft would make a world of difference in our operational capability, but it's a symbol in the sense that the people of Pakistan think that if they give us this then they are really sincere in helping us."
http://www.janes.com/defence/air_forces/news/jdw/jdw040920_1_n.shtml
