US awards contract for F-16 supply to Pakistan - Political Forum

superdude17* · #1 (**permalink**) 01-02-2008, 12:59 AM

Source: US awards contract for F-16 supply to Pakistan -DAWN - Top Stories; January 02, 2008

Quote:

WASHINGTON, Jan 1: The US Defence Department has awarded a $498.2 million contract to Lockheed Martin Corp to supply 18 F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

The decision is in line with a senior US official’s assertion that the Congressional restrictions on providing $50 million in military aid to Pakistan would not affect the sales of F-16 aircraft.

“The F-16 programme is a Pakistani purchase, their money, they’re buying them,” said Richard Boucher, assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs. “And our foreign military finance, our military assistance goes for different purposes and is not involved at this point in the F-16 sales.”

On Monday, the Pentagon released a list of defence contract awards, which include an authorisation for Lockheed to sell 12 F-16C and six F-16D planes to Pakistan.

The F-16C is a single-seat aircraft while the F-16D is a two-seat flying machine. Pakistan already has a fleet of F-16AM, which is an upgraded single-seat version of F-16A.

During the Soviet-Afghan war, Pakistan Air Force’s F-16s shot down at least 10 Afghan and Soviet ground attack and transport aircraft between 1986 and 1988.Pakistan is to get 18 new F-16C/D fighters by 2010 besides upgrades for its current fleet of 34 F-16 combat aircraft as part of a $2.1 billion deal for new weapons, avionics, engines, and other equipment for F-16 fighters announced in September last year.

Lockheed, the Pentagon’s No. 1 contractor, won a $144 million contract in 2006 for materials needed to build the F-16s.

Pakistani F-16s will be equipped with AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM, AIM-9M-8/9, JDAM, Harpoon Block II, Joint-Helmet Mounted Cueing System, CFTs and possibly IRIS-T.

All 18 new aircraft will come from Block 50-52, first delivered to the US Air Force in late 1991.

very interesting regarding certain circumstances and instability in the country.

winter6126 · #2 (**permalink**) 01-15-2008, 10:53 AM

Chinese sell AK47,American sell F17
F16 is more expensive then AK47
let's sell J10 next time,we could get more money
: )

lizarddust · #3 (**permalink**) 01-16-2008, 09:35 AM

When will this madness stop!!

FRYandBENDER · #4 (**permalink**) 01-16-2008, 10:07 AM

Probably never.

FRYandBENDER · #5 (**permalink**) 01-16-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Warning: USAF is "Going Out of Business"

September 21, 2007— The Air Force’s attempts to fund replacement of its aged aircraft fleet by cutting personnel is failing, and if Congress and the White House don’t provide an infusion of cash soon, the service will no longer be able to win wars, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne declared.

Wynne, speaking at a Washington think tank Sept. 19, said that the service’s stay-within-its-topline bootstrap approach isn’t arresting the aging aircraft problem, and the inventory age is still rising, from 23.9 years today to 26.5 years by 2012.

The Air Force’s older fighters aren’t up to defeating a modern air defense system or modern foreign fighters, Wynne said, and in a fight with Venezuela or Iran, such aircraft would probably be shot down.

In More Depth: Warning: USAF is "Going Out of Business"

Quote:

F-15 fleet grounded after a jet falls apart

The aging planes are the nation's most sophisticated front-line fighters.
By Peter Spiegel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 6, 2007
WASHINGTON -- The Air Force has grounded its entire fleet of F-15s, the service's premier fighter aircraft, after one of the planes disintegrated over eastern Missouri during a training mission, raising the possibility of a fatal flaw in the aging fighters' fuselage that could keep it out of the skies for months.

Gen. T. Michael "Buzz" Moseley, the Air Force chief of staff, ordered the grounding Saturday after initial reports indicated that the Missouri Air National Guard fighter plane had broken apart Friday in midair during a simulated dogfight. The pilot ejected and survived.

F-15 fleet grounded after a jet falls apart - Los Angeles Times

LessGovMrPrez · #6 (**permalink**) 01-16-2008, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FRYandBENDER

In More Depth: Warning: USAF is "Going Out of Business"

F-15 fleet grounded after a jet falls apart - Los Angeles Times

Well, the F-15 was scheduled to be decommishioned soon anyways. The F-22 is its replacement.

I read my dad's Air Force Journal every month and in it they never talk about going belly up and thi sjournal is the "official" journal of the Air Force, only USAF personnel past and present can get it. Thye have all the numbers in it as far as budgeting and what not goes for each program. It is a pretty, objective journal and I have not seen anything said about the USAF going belly up in it.

Not saying it cant happen, I just think if it were true then the press would be all over it like "white on rice, on a paper plate, in a snow storm!"

LessGovMrPrez · #7 (**permalink**) 01-16-2008, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superdude17*

Source: US awards contract for F-16 supply to Pakistan -DAWN - Top Stories; January 02, 2008

very interesting regarding certain circumstances and instability in the country.

Yeah, but then again, it doesnt do us or the world any good, if their government crumbles and their nukes get passed out to terrorist elements.

Plus how do you stop a private company from selling its products in a world economy?

LessGovMrPrez · #8 (**permalink**) 01-16-2008, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountainMike

Once a country buy F-16 or other advanced equipment from the US manufacturers, they have to keep coming back for parts, advice on repairs, upgrades, etc... In other words, if Pakistan wants to break away from the US, they can't because they are now dependent on our support services for F-16's and other advanced equipment.

Which is a win for us either way it goes.

Diogenes · #9 (**permalink**) 04-15-2008, 12:25 AM

God. Why can't the US stop interfering for a bit? It's one thing to assume the role of policing the world, but considering that the current American administration has absolutely zero idea how to handle any situation harder then the domestic economy (oh wait...) I don't see that any good can come of it.

Diogenes · #10 (**permalink**) 04-15-2008, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LessGovMrPrez

Well, the F-15 was scheduled to be decommishioned soon anyways. The F-22 is its replacement.

I read my dad's Air Force Journal every month and in it they never talk about going belly up and thi sjournal is the "official" journal of the Air Force, only USAF personnel past and present can get it. Thye have all the numbers in it as far as budgeting and what not goes for each program. It is a pretty, objective journal and I have not seen anything said about the USAF going belly up in it.

Would you expect them to?