Posted on 06/14/2002 10:19:22 AM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Fighters Find New Top Gun Home After 10 Years
The U.S. Navy "Top Gun" school, long neglected and nearly disbanded during the Clinton years, is finally getting some new life. The Naval Air Station at Fallon, Nev., is slated to obtain 14 of 28 F-16 Lockheed-Martin Fighting Falcons originally sold to Pakistan.
The 1992 sale of the 28 Falcons to Pakistan was canceled during the last days of the Bush Sr. administration because Islamabad had openly purchased nuclear weapons technology from China. The sudden appearance of Chinese nuclear-tipped M-11 ballistic missiles brought a swift embargo of U.S. arms sales on Pakistan, including the previously ordered F-16 Falcons.
The 28 Falcons were mothballed, sitting for nearly a decade in the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Maintenance Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The Block 15 A and B models are upgraded with advanced Head's Up Displays (HUDs) avionics and improved engines intended for foreign military sales.
In June 2002, the Bush administration determined that 14 of the 28 Falcon jet fighters should be turned over to the Navy's Top Gun school and serve as part of the adversary squadron. The F-16s are slated to replace aging F-18 and F-5 jets at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center.
All 28 of the F-16 jets have had their Pakistani star and crescent moon insignia painted out and engines reconditioned. The remaining 14 F-16 Falcons are slated to be transferred to Edwards Air Force Base to serve with the 412th Test Wing as chase planes. The planned transfer of the ex-Pakistani F-16s to the U.S.A.F. has run into opposition from a variety of sources.
Marine Corps Left Out
One suggestion that has topped the list for the ex-Pakistani F-16s is to send the Falcons to the U.S. Marine Corps aggressor squadron VMFT-401 in Yuma. VMFT-401 is currently equipped with Vietnam-era vintage F-5 fighter jets. The aging U.S.M.C. aircraft are described as "about to become pumpkins."
The Pakistani F-16 jets have had a checkered past and have frequently been used as a political softball. New Zealand was the last country to make a bid for the mothballed Falcons but changes in its government canceled the deal. Prior to the possible New Zealand sale, the Clinton administration offered the mothballed Falcons to Indonesian dictator Suharto. In April 1994, Indonesia replied to Clinton's offer and agreed to pay cash to buy 11 of the original order of 28 Pakistani F-16s, with delivery by the end of 1994.
Indonesian F-16 Deal
At the November 1994 APEC conference, Commerce Secretary Ron Brown convinced Indonesia that it could get a great deal on the remaining 17 F-16 jet fighters. Thus, Indonesia committed itself to purchase the entire lot of 28 jets, with delivery scheduled for 1997.
Indonesia was then tightly controlled by the brutal dictatorship of President Suharto and his family. Because of the documented human rights abuses of the Suharto regime, the Clinton administration had openly declared a policy barring small arms and crowd control equipment.
Yet, according to the same Clinton administration, there was no law banning the sale of the jet fighters to Indonesia.
"The sale to Indonesia would not conflict with U.S. policies on human rights because it is unlikely that Indonesia would be able to use the aircraft to suppress legitimate dissent, as it might with small arms," noted the official Clinton State Department policy on Indonesia.
Human rights abuses were not the only problem inside Indonesia. In August 1996, riots erupted in Jakarta when police raided the headquarters of the Indonesian Democratic Party, the main pro-democracy opposition. At least five people died and scores of buildings and vehicles were set on fire.
As a result of the unrest, the Clinton administration decided to put the F-16 sale on hold until later in the year, but then reversed itself, giving the green light for Suharto to acquire the F-16s.
"A regionally respected [Indonesian] armed forces with credible defense capabilities that trains and operates in a non-threatening manner is an important contributor to the regional stability," noted the official Clinton State Department announcement on the renewed sale.
F-16 Sale Linked to Illegal Clinton Donations By late 1996, the F-16 sale seemed relatively certain. However, this all changed after the 1996 U.S. elections when allegations arose concerning illegal campaign contributions by Indonesian nationals to the Democratic Party.
Congress began looking at the relationship between the sale of these planes and the campaign contributions. Both Democrat and Republican Senate leaders called upon the Clinton administration to delay the sale until after such an investigation could be completed.
Yet President Clinton continued to support the sale, which was to be completed in the latter part of 1997. Congressional criticism strengthened as the brutal Suharto regime continued to crack down on all opposition.
Finally, the F-16 sale was canceled by Indonesia after political questions were raised in the U.S. Senate on Suharto's close financial relationship with Clinton, John Huang and Webster Hubbell. In a letter sent to President Clinton, Indonesian officials cited the "wholly unjustified criticisms in the United States Congress against Indonesia."
In apparent retaliation to the congressional inquiries, Indonesian dictator Suharto renewed contacts with Moscow and cut a low-cost deal with Russia for 30 Sukhoi SU-27 jet fighters. The Russian fighter deal eventually failed due to Suharto's overthrow and final Indonesian economic collapse.
Pakistan Still Wants Jets
In November 2001, the Pakistani F-16 deal came back to haunt the new Bush administration. The president of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, made the F-16 transfer a major political issue with Washington as part of the new war against terrorism.
Musharraf said transferring the fighters would be an important symbolic gesture of American gratitude for his nation's strong support in the war in Afghanistan.
"I did take up this case, frankly, not because that much of it was significant from a defense point of view. It has its significance, certainly, but not as much as I should have highlighted it. It's more for public perceptions in Pakistan," stated Gen. Musharraf.
In November 2001, President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the matter with Gen. Musharraf in meetings in New York, and then decided against making the fighters a part of renewed ties with Pakistan.
"They would like to have the planes, but at the moment we are restarting our military-to-military relationship in a more serious way, and the planes are not an issue that we expect to be discussing in the very near future," stated Secretary Powell.
Despite the rejection, Gen. Musharraf said Pakistan still wants the planes as a visible sign that the United States is restoring Pakistan to the status of a genuine ally. Having his public request turned down flat was an embarrassing setback that Musharraf said would be "received negatively" in Pakistan.
The Bush administration, however, denied the transfer because of the tense situation between Pakistan and India. According to Bush officials, transferring the F-16s could upset that delicate balance, especially because the Falcons are capable of dropping nuclear weapons.
"Any transfer of advanced weapons would get everyone all riled up," a State Department official said.
America: "The jet's in the mail."
Yeah, right.
I suppose his excuse is that he was doing the people's work. Yea sure pervert, knee pads, cigars, stained dress and all.
Industry Outlook: F-16s Out Of Mothballs?
Source: Aviation Week and Space Technology; Published: June 10, 2002
America: "The jet's in the mail."
India: Here...have some of our Sukhoi 27/Su-30MK Flankers and MiG 29 Fulcrums and MiG 27 Flanker *Warthogskis*....
Good to know they went to a good home – glad to know they didn’t go to Indonesia.
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