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US formally hands over 3 F-16s to Pakistan

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, June 28, IRNA -- The United States on Sunday formally delivered three new F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighters to the Pakistani Air Force at a military airbase, officials said.

General Norton A Schwrtz, US air chief attended the ceremony at Shehbaz air base at the town of Jaccobabad in Sindh province.

The US air chief told the ceremony that delivery of the aircraft is a sign of deepening relations between the United States and Pakistan.

Pakistan Air Chief Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman and the US ambassador to Pakistan also attended the ceremony.

The US Air Force will deliver a total of 18 new F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighters to the Pakistani Air Force.

Fifteen more ae to be delivered later this year and next, US officials say.

This sale of F-16s to Pakistan renews new aircraft sales that existed between the United States and Pakistan in the 1980s, but were halted in the 1990s.

The F-16 is a multirole jet fighter sold to 24 countries around the world, according to its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin.

The 18 being sold to Pakistan are the Block 52 versions of the aircraft which will give Pakistan new capabilities, including day-night, all-weather and precision-attack capabilities, US officials say.

Pakistan is paying $1.4 billion for the 18 new aircraft, in addition to $1.3 billion in upgrades to its existing F-16 fleet, which are to begin being delivered in 2012.

The US Air Force also is training Pakistan air force pilots, according to US officials. The first eight recently completed training with the Arizona National Guard in Tucson, with additional training done by Lockheed Martin, they said.

The Air Force also is training Pakistanis in night-attack training and recently completed training for four instructors and five flight leads, US officials added.

The first batch of three F-16 aircraft arrived at Shehbaz air base on Saturday. The aircraft were ferried from the US to Pakistan by PAF pilots, who had recently completed training on the new aircraft in US, a PAF statement said.

The delivery of all 18 aircraft would complete by the end of this year, the PAF says.

The F-16 C/D Block 52 aircraft is a high tech fighter aircraft equipped with sophisticated state-of-the-art avionics suite, latest weapons with Night Precision Attack capability, a statement said.

These aircraft are much superior to the F-16A/Bs already in the inventory of the PAF, it added.