Lockheed to sell 24 F-16 fighter jets to Egypt

Space War ^ | 12/29/2009 | AFP via Space War

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin is to sell 24 F-16 jet fighters to Egypt in a 3.2 billion dollar deal, a company spokesman said Tuesday. "We understand that the governements of the United States and Egypt have reached an agreement over a contract for military sale to provide 24 F-16s to Egypt," Lockheed spokesman Joe Stout told AFP.

The company hoped to get the contract signed "early next year," he said, adding that the 3.2 billion dollars "was the amount in the agreement between the two countries."

The F-16 is flown by 25 nations, according to the company. More than 4,400 aircraft have been delivered worldwide from assembly lines in five countries.

The latest Egyptian deal, to "supplement" the current fleet, had been in discussion for some time but was officially notified to the US Congress in October, Stout said.

The Egyptian Air Force is the fourth largest F-16 operator in the world, according to defense industry reports.

It began flying the F-16 in 1982, after years of using military equipment supplied by the former Soviet Union.

US-Egypt relations have improved under President Barack Obama's administration.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a veteran Middle East power broker, flew to Washinghton in August for his first presidential summit in the United States in five years following differences with the previous George W. Bush administration.

Obama chose to address the Muslim world in Cairo in June, vowing a "new beginning" for US ties with the Islamic world and promising to end years of "suspicion and discord."

Egypt, which receives about 1.5 billion dollars in annual US aid, was the first Arab state to make peace with Israel, a top US ally.

[steel_resolve]

too bad Obummer is too much of a p*ssy to sell them to Taiwan.

[CondorFlight]

What this really means is that US aid money will buy the planes for Egypt...

(but it does keep the production lines open...)

[Dan Middleton]

I’m interested to know what variant of the F-16 these aircraft are. Will they be similar to the highly-capable models (possibly the best in the world) operated by the United Arab Emirates? Or will they be more on par with, well, what the U.S. Air Force flies?

[DemforBush]

According to wiki, Egypt’s mostly been taking delivery of F-16C/D Block 40 variants:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16_Fighting_Falcon_operators#Egypt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16_Fighting_Falcon_variants#F-16C.2FD_Block_40.2F42

“Entering service in 1988, the Block 40/42 is the improved all-day/all-weather strike variant equipped with LANTIRN pod; also unofficially designated the F-16CG/DG, the night capability gave rise to the name “Night Falcons”. This block features strengthened and lengthened undercarriage for LANTIRN pods, an improved radar, and a GPS receiver. From 2002, the Block 40/42 increased the weapon range available to the aircraft including JDAM, AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) and the (Enhanced) EGBU-27 Paveway “bunker-buster”. Also incorporated in this block was the addition of cockpit lighting systems compatible with Aviator’s Night Vision Imaging System (ANVIS) equipment. The USAF’s Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO) that added the night vision (NVIS)-compatible systems was completed in 2004. A total of 615 Block 40/42 aircraft were delivered to 5 countries.”

[lurk]

Pretty successful fighter platform to still be under production and competitive 35 years after prototype rollout.

[bushpilot1]

I think this is a grant..

[fish hawk]

Of course this would have to be top secret but we should install a device hidden in each and every airplane we send to any Islamic country whether a friend or whatever, that we can push a button and all the engines would instantly stop. I know it could be done and should as more than likely our young men will be in combat against these very planes.

[lmr]

No one would buy planes from us ever again if they found out we were doing that.

Don’t worry. Most of the F-16’s that we sell to other nations aren’t as good as the ones we have. I don’t have specifics, but in many cases the avionics and radar are inferior.

And even if that’s not the case, The F-16 would be no match for an F-15 or an F-22.

In every arms sale, we don’t give away too much. We always retain the edge.

[chainsaw]

Why are we arming a muslim nation with F-16’s?????????