The US State Department has approved the potential sale of a further eight Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 52 aircraft to Pakistan, but whether the $700 million deal can survive a 30-day Congressional review process remains to be seen.
The requested foreign military sales package includes two F-16C fighters and six twin-seat D-models powered by Pratt & Whitney F100-229 engines. These would bolster the Pakistan air force’s counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations and enhance fighter training, according to a 12 February notification by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently threatened to block the sale in a letter to US secretary of state John Kerry, citing US subsidies and Pakistan’s alleged support for terrorist elements in neighbouring Afghanistan. The same committee had also threatened to postpone Pakistan’s original Block 52 procurement, but ultimately that multibillion-dollar deal for 12 F-16Cs, six F-16Ds and hundreds of precision-guided bombs and missiles went ahead.
If realised, the new deal could extend production of the F-16 in Fort Worth, Texas beyond 2017. Assembly fell from 17 aircraft in 2014 to 11 last year: a 35% reduction. P&W would also cease F100 production without new orders.
US Air Force
Pakistan’s original F-16 Block 52s were delivered between 2009 and 2012. Iraq has since procured 36 examples for its air force, with its first examples arriving in country last year.
Islamabad will pay $70 million per aircraft under the proposed follow-on sale, including the latest F100-229 “increased performance engine” and 14 joint helmet-mounted cueing systems. Other equipment includes eight Northrop Grumman APG-68(V)9 mechanically-scanned, long-range radars and eight Exelis ALQ-211(V)9 advanced integrated defensive electronic warfare suites.
“The proposed sale improves Pakistan's capability to meet current and future security threats,” the DSCA notice says. “These additional F-16 aircraft will facilitate operations in all-weather, non-daylight environments, provide a self-defence/area suppression capability and enhance Pakistan’s ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.”
Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer database records Pakistan as operating 46 single-seat F-16A/Cs and 31 twin-seat F-16B/D trainers.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
