US Hoping to Fund Pakistan F-16 Upgrades
The US gave confirmation on July 24th of its hope to use a large portion of the finances provided to Pakistan this year to upgrade the Pakistan Air Force’s fleet of US-built F-16 combat aircraft.
The New York Times publication wrote of the negative responses to the news of certain members of US Congress, who said that the aircraft did not contribute to counter-terrorism work.
F-16s in Counter-Terrorism
Dana Perino, spokeswoman for the White House, confirmed the modernisations, but was adamant that the F-16s had a role in counter-terrorism.
According to some analysts, the decision is likely to upset India.
"The F-16s that they [Pakistan] have are used in counter-terrorism operations”, Ms Perino said, adding: “We made them available to the Pakistanis and they need to be maintained."
Last year, lawmakers in the US said that military finances supplied to Pakistan should be used either for law enforcement or in counter-terrorism efforts.
Pakistan has used the aircraft in the latter capacity, albeit infrequently.
Strikes on Militant Forces
Quoting officials, the New York Times wrote that that, once upgraded, the F-16s would be equipped to strike militant forces with a greater degree of accuracy than before.
The original contract between the US and Pakistan for the provision of F-16s was signed in 1981 and covered 46 aircraft, all of which were in service by 1986.
Approximately half the remaining fleet are thought to be banned from flight owing to factors including spare parts unavailability.
Newer F-16s
Three years ago, a new agreement was forged, concerning the supply of newer F-16s to Pakistan and, at the same time, it was agreed that the current fleet would be modernised, on the basis that Pakistan provide the funding.
The updated plan now sees the latter scenario forming part of the US counter-terrorism funding allocation.
F-16s in Military Service
The F-16 is a legend among modern military aircraft. First flown in 1974, the type is in widespread service with Air Forces including those of Holland, Belgium, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Norway, as well as Pakistan and the US.
Source – Armed Forces International’s Aviation Expert
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