Posted on 01/22/2016 5:30:05 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
The Congress has recently blocked the White House-approved sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. The deal is viewed to have no relevance to Pakistan’s war against terror besides being used in offensives against India, Washington’s recent ally with a staunch lobby.
Last March, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs blocked sale of cutter vessels worth $150 million to the Pakistan Navy on the same pretext. Defense purchases from the US have rarely been upfront commercial transactions. The White House never shies away from taking political and diplomatic mileage, thereof.
High performance
Despite its plan to induct at least 150 indigenously produced JF-17 Thunder, F-16s currently remain the heart and soul of the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) fighter squadrons. First acquired during the 1980s, Pakistan has 70 combat-ready fighting falcons. In 2012, the United States delivered 14 used but upgraded F-16s to the PAF. Islamabad managed to acquire older version of 13 Jordanian F-16s in 2014, which will go through a mid-life upgrade programme.
The formidable fighter jets set a production record of 4,550 units, sold to 26 air forces. Despite technological advances in fighter technology generation after generation, this system is the most affordable and reliable in its category. In a recent competition, F-16 outmaneuvered F35-lighten II, the most expensive fifth-generation fighter.
Along with the F-16, the PAF does eye SU-35, F-35 and F-22 Raptor besides some J series Chinese fifth-generation fighter jets. During the period of US sanctions, Pakistan eagerly pursued purchase of French Mirage 2000 and Swedish JAS 39 Gripen. The deal with the French could not go through mainly due to the high price tag while Sweden succumbed to US pressure.
The risks of continued and added reliance on F-16s are dreadful. Given the influential Indian lobby in the States, sanctions are likely to be slapped against Pakistan in case of war with its eastern neighbour. The other undermining factor will be increased presence of US officials at PAF airbases to prevent the latest version from being shared with China.
Regardless of hiccups such as the Pressler Amendment, which banned most economic and military assistance to Pakistan, and Indian opposition to the sale, F-16s continue to be every Pakistani pilot’s favorite multi-role fighter. Until the Chinese fifth-generation fighter technology matures up and becomes ready to be shared with Pakistan, the Air Force will rely on an assortment of F-16s in good numbers against India’s Su-30, MiG-29, Mirage 2000-v and Rafale jets. The F-16 is a resilient fighter jet with an excellent safety record and since PAF servicemen have a long experience in handling the machine the crew won’t need training if the jets are added up again. Induction of a new platform, on the other end, will be costly and time consuming both.
Give and take
Ironically, F-16s continue to be a determinant of relations between Pakistan and the United States. Although blocking the sale of F-16s to one of the earliest users sounds absurd in Pakistan, US Congressmen believe ties between Washington and Islamabad are not warm enough for such a sensitive transaction to continue.
For Obama administration, sale of a handful of fourth-generation fighters is a means to exercise leverage over Pakistan. Islamabad has already tied itself closely to China, and to an extent Russia. It’s anybody’s guess if the Obama administration will be able to overcome the obstacles to the deal posed in the Congress for the time being.
Naveed Ahmad is a Pakistani investigative journalist and academic with extensive reporting experience in the Middle East and North Africa. He is based in Doha and Istanbul. He tweets @naveed360
I am against selling any advanced weaponry to primarily Muslim countries wherever they are on this planet. In the end it will come to no good.
Guess which Presidential candidate was at the Texas home of a Pakistani recently, raking in $500K via a private fundraising dinner?
Hillary Clinton. Remember the article about 6 people waiting to greet her in Texas, that’s why she was there. For a fundraiser in Beaumont at an event held by Pakistani “businessman” Tahir Javed. She was pandering to Muslims, esp the Pakis...
nice huh?
If you give a Muslim an advanced fighter, he will use it to kill your compatriot.
Pakistan - one of the world’s most “important” Muslim nation.
Pakistan - one of the world’s most evil supporters of child rape.
Pakistan’s Hidden Shame
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSrH09lLsBI&feature=youtu.be
“Along with the F-16, the PAF does eye SU-35, F-35 and F-22 Raptor besides some J series Chinese fifth-generation fighter jets”
No way they are getting F-22s. F-35s are too expensive and the rest. Leaving the SU35 and siblings plus what ever J-series the Chinese export for the Paks to buy.
FMS security deletions are in effect. This means they buy the jet but it is performance limited and technologically hamstrung.
They simply are buying a jet that looks like ours but does not have the same capability—the guts are entirely different.
F-22’s are limited by law from export, and if the jet was to be allowed to be exported by congress, software changes to remove US Only technology would cost over $1B.
I understand block/versions and levels of operational software and control. But this does NOT control the subterfuge, espionage and collusion like our former President Clinton, possibly Obama through his Muslim brothers, and rogue arms dealers and agents operating in this country to subvert this “version control” of which you speak. I know better.
They don’t make F-22s (of which there are only about 185 existing) was the point - the tooling may or may not be mothballed. If they were to restart the line from mothballed tools and allow export, the first batches would go to Australia and Israel. None, none would ever be sold to the Paks.
The F-22 by law is prohibited from ever being exported. In the authorizing budget language was inserted that prohibited the jet from being exported. And changes to the technology would be cost prohibitive. . .over a Billion dollars.
Talking to air force pilots, they don’t have much problem with the US selling aircraft to potential enemies.
“More targets” they say.
Camel riding doesn’t translate well to fighter jet piloting, I guess.
That’s fine and dandy until someone like another Clinton comes along and transfers authority over the technology to commerce instead of defense (like they did with satellite technology, allowing China to land a nuke anywhere on the planet).
I’ve talked to plenty also. It’s good business but they do not and cannot recognize the level of treason that can occur against us. They’re too busy risking their lives to know about it.
Just said that ...
This is not a Block issue.
It is a FMS security limitation issue.
Because you know about FMS, the following is for those that do not know: FMS security deletions are in place to ensure we retain a qualitative edge.
You can buy Block-whatever but the software is different so its is a different jet with different capabilities, though it might have the same “Block” number.
Security deletions are secret and published internally and administered by the ALC, as well as SAF/IA (regional directorates as well as policy and weapons directorates, among others on the CSAF-side).
DSCA and Congress have oversight/approval roles when determining what can be exported and what cannot, as well as other agencies.
Basically, lots of oversight on what goes out the door.
Since you know better about FMS, that means you know its classified inner-workings and been there, so, please let me know when you were working in FMS and at what level. . .we might have met. Thanks.
That is true.
Yes, but I said the jet is prohibited from export by law.
Post 16.
And the clintoon issue, can’t happen today without breaking laws (sigh*. . .yes, we all know obozo is above the law but the thousands that would be involved in illegally exporting technology would pay the price by being prosecuted and go to jail).
Yeah, the only serious attempt to export the F-22 was to Japan. I don’t think that even got to the software cost stage: we just flat out said “no.”
Regarding the Swedish Gripen deal mentioned, the Swedes didn’t “sucumb” to US pressure. We just refused to grant export for the GE F404 powerplants.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.