Oman has issued a request for proposals to BAE Systems linked to the purchase of about 12 Eurofighter Typhoons, only one month after its plan to also buy a new batch of Lockheed Martin F-16s was revealed.
In a statement issued on 23 January, the UK government said it "welcomes the government of Oman's request for a proposal from BAE Systems for the supply and support of Typhoon aircraft". The milestone represents "an important step towards the contract", it added.
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The UK and Omani governments have been involved in bilateral discussions over a Typhoon sale for the past several years, with Muscat's interest now believed to be linked to the acquisition of Tranche 3 production examples.
A deal is expected to be signed later in 2012, said BAE, which added that deliveries would start three years after the order confirmation. The company has already handed over its first 24 Typhoons to Saudi Arabia under a Project Salam deal totalling 72 units.
The Royal Air Force of Oman's combat aircraft inventory includes eight F-16Cs, along with eight Sepecat Jaguars and 10 armed BAE Hawk 203s, as assessed by Flightglobal's MiliCAS database.
Oman's separate request for a second batch of 12 F-16C/Ds was outlined by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in December 2011. The purchase could be worth about $600 million, it said.
Source: Flight International
