London, November 25
Pakistan hopes to finalise purchase of 18 to 25 F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft from the USA during the first half of next year, a leading defence weekly reported today.This follows the US Department of Defence notifying the Congress, on November 15, of its intention to sell Islamabad an unrelated foreign military sales (FMS) package worth more than $1.2 billion, Jane’s Defence Weekly claimed.
The proposed package is anchored by eight P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, equipped with T-56 engines, requested for the Pakistan Navy under an FMS contract with a potential value of $970 million.
According to the report, Pakistan has also requested 2,000 tube-launched, optically tracked wire-guided-2A (TOW-2A) missiles and 14 TOW-2A fly-to-buy batch evaluation missiles, valued at $82 million.
The TOW package will equip the Pakistan Army Aviation Corps’ AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters in continuing operations against militants in the semi-autonomous mountainous tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.
Islamabad has also requested six new Phalanx close-in weapon systems for its navy, along with an upgrade for six already in its inventory, under a package with a potential value of $155 million. Islamabad had given no previous indication of its interest in such a programme.
Pakistani officials said they expected the proposed sale to proceed smoothly in view of the country’s high profile as a major non-NATO ally. —
PTI
