US to sell eight F-16 to Pakistan

Written by Fakhrul Islam

​Despite reservations about growing nuclear arsenal, USA is going to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. The new fighter jets would add to Pakistan’s sizable force of fighter jets which includes more than 70 F-16s and dozens of French and Chinese attack aircraft... ...

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According to New York Times report, as a symbolic step Obama administration has planned to sale F-16s to Pakistan which the US Congress could block. Plans to sale of the aircraft was announced during the last visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Washington. If the deal goes along then PAF would have a sizeable numbers of F-16s in its fleet.

​Earlier in April, the US State Department approved a billion dollar worth of military hardware and equipment sale program to Pakistan, identifying Pakistan as a country of vital importance for US foreign policy and national interests.

​In the meantime, in the month of May this year, the USA handed over to Pakistan over 14 combat aircraft, 59 military trainer jets and 374 armored personnel carriers.

​PAF is also going to get SU-35 Multi Role Fighter Jets from Russian Federation and 110 JF-17s Thunder from the People’s Republic Of China. Reports also surfaced that Pakistan would get Chinese origin J-20 Multi Role Fighter Jets and J-31 Stealth Fighters in due course of time.

[Compiled By: Fakhrul Islam. Source: Dawn, NYT]