Pakistan gets 6 more F-16 fighter aircraft
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, Dec 13, IRNA -- Six more high tech fighter F-16 fighter planes arrived in Pakistan from the United States on Monday, the Pakistan Air Force said.
Pakistan had signed a contract with the U.S. administration in 2005-06 for the acquisition of 18 F-16 C/D Block 52 aircraft and the arrival of the last batch of six aircraft marked the arrival of all 18 planes, it said.
The PAF said the aircraft arrived at PAF Base, Shahbaz in the city of Jacobabad in southern Sindh province.
The F-16 C/D Block 52 aircraft is a high tech fighter aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art avionics suite and latest weapons with Night Precision Attack capability, a PAF statement says.
These aircraft are part of the bid by PAF to modernize and enhance its Air Defence capabilities, it says.
TV channels report that the PAF chief and the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan were present on the arrival of the aircraft.
Also in the late 1980s Pakistan had struck a deal with the US for F-16 jets, but Washington blocked the sale in 1990 as a sanction against Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme.
The revised the sale after Pakistan joined the U.S-led coalition in the wake of attacks in the U.S. in 200.
The F-16 is built by Lockheed Martin and is one of the world's most successful fighter aircraft.
The first batch of three aircraft arrived in Pakistan in May, the second three in October and third group of six aircraft were delivered last month.
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