Pak hopes for F-16s from the US in 2005

Pakistan hopes to finalise the purchase of 18 to 25 F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft from the US during the first half of next year, a leading defence weekly reported on Thursday.

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The hope stems from the US Department of Defence notifying the Congress on November 15 of its intention to sell Islamabad a foreign military sales package, not related to F-16 sales, worth more than $ 1.2 billion, The Jane's Defence Weekly claimed.

The proposed package includes eight P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, equipped with T-56 engines, for the Pakistan Navy with a potential value of $ 970 million.

According to the report, Pakistan has also requested 2,000 tube-launched, optically tracked wire-guided-2A (TOW-2A) missiles and 14 TOW-2A fly-to-buy batch evaluation missiles, valued at $ 82 million. The TOW package will equip the Pakistan Army to continue operations against militants in the mountainous tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.

Islamabad has also requested six new Phalanx close-in weapon systems for the navy, along with an upgrade for six already in the inventory, under a package with a potential value of $ 155 million.