March 15, 2016
News
Pakistan set to purchase more F-16 jets as 190 aircraft due to retire by 2020
WASHINGTON – As a moved to block sale of eight F-16 jets to Pakistan was successfully blocked in the US Senate, Islamabad is looking forward to buy another 10 F-16 aircraft from Washington, a local TV channel reported.
“Pakistan has bought eight F-16 aircraft, two single seat F-16Cs and six twin-seat F-16Ds, along with some relevant equipment against US$699 million and recently a decision has been reached to buy another ten such aircraft,” the US based IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly quoted an unnamed military sources as saying.
Last week, the US Senate rejected a move to shoot down the proposed sale, which is now in its final stages. On Saturday, the 30-day mandatory period, that allows Congress to block an arms sale to a foreign country, also passed. Although some technical details are still being worked out, the deal for these eight aircraft is almost final.
A “decision in principle has been made to buy 10 more F-16s”, a senior Pakistani government official told Jane’s, while adding that “the exact timing to place an order is yet to be decided”. “No, not yet,” said a senior defence official when asked if Pakistan indeed had decided to buy another batch of 10 F-16s from the United States. “But we do need to retire 190 planes by 2020. And we already looking for various options,” he added.
Hence Pakistan desperately needs to induct more fighter planes such as F-16 and JF-17 Thunder in the coming years. Pakistan, currently, has as many as 76 operational F-16 jets while incoming eight F-16 of C/D type will make it 84. Acquiring another ten F-16s will raise the number to 94. On the other hand PAF has also inducted 66 JF-17 Thunder -locally prepared in coordination of China- and hundred more such planes will join the fleet by mid-2018.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk