Posted on 09/21/2004 10:22:30 PM PDT by Mike Fieschko
Washington, DC
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."
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I don't care what the Indians have, no way should we give the Pakistani's AMRAAM. They haven't earned it, they won't protect it, even if they need it. The Paks are way too tight with the Chinese and N Koreans to allow them access to those weapons.
This will take about ten days to make it to Iran->then North Korea.
Bush should be ashamed. If Clinton tried this you all know what you'd be (rightly) saying.
funnily enough iran already had 160 f-16s and some f-14s that the USA sold them back in the 70's.
id have to guess that very few are still operational, though.
Bush might as well declare war on India. Give those Pakis F-16 and it's all over.
Avionics are light years ahead, though.
http://www.f-16.net/f-16_users_article28.html
A list of countries that use the F-16 is on Lockheed Martin (formerly General Dynamics-Fort Worth Division) 's page:
"Some" F-14s actually totaled 79.
http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-squadron-iiaf.htm
Those are the ones on their last legs.
Jason
Don't worry,India operates a range of medium range AAMs including the Russian AA-12 Adder(rated to be analogous to the AMRAAM),AA-10 ALAMO which are carried on its Mig-29s,SU-30s & Mig-21UPGs(upgraded variants) & will probably acquire the Israeli Derby for it's carrier borne Sea Harriers & Since it is set to buy a huge number of Mirage-2005s from France(120jets) the MICA medium range AAM is a near certainity.The Pakis don't have anything like this as of now ,with only the (still in development) Chinese SD-10 & possibly the AMRAAM.Moreover India is buying the Israeli Phalcon AWACS which will be mounted on the Russian IL-76 ,giving it's AF far greater C4I capabilities than the PAF or the PLAAF.If you do a google search on China's new J-10 fighter,ul think it's a cousin of the F-16 & there were rumours that the Pakis leased a F-16 to China in the early 90s & oh they do have a highway through the Himalayas through to Tibet, known as the Karakoram highway & which various intell agencies have stated has been used to transport missiles from China -an AMRAAM can be transported with a minimum degree of fuzz.
The Iranians don't have the F-16.
Thanks for making my point. Why give the Paks AMRAAM only to have them give one to the Chinese. It is bad enough having the Chinese field a weapon that looks just like a Python-3.
i could be wrong but i thought only the second order was cancelled (ie redirected to israel).
ive seen picturtes of iranian f-16s.
actually i think you guys are right, i misread. i thought the second order was cancelled, but it seems both were cancelled.
i was really sure i saw a piccy of an iranian f-16 once but i might be getting mixed up with the tomcats. sorry for spreading dis-information!
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