South Asia Tribune, March 25, 2005
US to Sell F-16 Jets to Pakistan, May Manufacture Them in India
Special SAT Report
WASHINGTON, March 26: President George Bush on Friday announced sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan and offered the same planes to India in a major policy shift which may give a political boost to General Pervez Musharraf domestically but anger the Indian Government.
But to counter balance the deal with Pakistan, Washington has indicated it is prepared to sell India additional defence technology, including command and control and Early Warning Systems, besides considering sale of Patriot missiles which could hit at the Pakistani missile capabilities.
Washington is also prepared to go into joint production of F-16 aircraft in India, officials said confirming proposals discussed between the US and Indian sides during the last visit of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region.
Pakistani Ambassador to US, General Jehangir Karamat said in February Islamabad will have no objection to Indian acquiring the F-16 aircraft, provided Pakistan also gets them.
As US announced the sale to Pakistan there was no indication which model and what equipment may be on board these jets but officials made it very clear the latest versions which have inbuilt capacity to carry nuclear weapons will not be available.
The US Air Force took delivery of these latest version F-16s last week and the last jet was delivered on March 18 at the Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. USAF has now 2,231 Fighting Falcons since the first delivery in 1978. It is still the workhorse of the air force with more than 1,300 in service, according to the US military.
The multi-role jet -- intended for aerial combat and ground attacks -- flew more sorties than any other aircraft during the 1991 Gulf War and its success has helped Lockheed Martin sell more than 4,000 planes to about 20 countries. Each costs about 25 million dollars.
The F-16 is 14.8 meters (49.4 feet) in length, with a wingspan of 9.8 meters (32.7 feet). It comes in a one- and two-seat model. Capable of flying at twice the speed of sound at an altitude of 12,200 meters (40,000 feet), it has an action range of 925 kilometers (575 miles).
Its firepower is provided by a rapid-fire, 20 millimeter Vulcan M-61 cannon and eight attachments for AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles or for laser and satellite-guided weapons. During the 1991 Gulf War, 250 F-16s carried out 40 percent of allied bombing raids, dropping 20,000 tons of bombs and explosive devices.
The Lockheed Martin Aero plant in Fort Worth, Texas, will continue to produce F-16s for the international market. The latest has a new computer, a "friend or foe" identification system and an automatic target-cueing system. It has been upgraded with the latest software and cutting-edge precision weapons.
President endorsed the sale of F-16 to reward a key ally in the war on terror but he also risked a deterioration of relations with India.
The US expects to sell Pakistan around 25 of the jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp., US officials told a State Department briefing today in Washington. The sales must be approved by Congress.
The endorsement is a reversal of US policy dating back to 1990, when Congress blocked an F-16 sale in protest of Pakistan's efforts to develop nuclear weapons. The US now wants to encourage stronger relations with Pakistan, which has taken steps to halt nuclear proliferation and to assist in tracking terrorist suspects, US officials said.
"This symbolizes American support'' for the policies of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, said Stephen Cohen, a South Asia researcher at the Brookings Institution, a Washington policy study group.
India is "greatly disappointed'' by the US decision, said Gautam Bambawale, a spokesman for India's embassy in Washington. "There will be negative consequences for India's security and our security environment,'' Bambawale said.
Bush, in advance of the public announcement, called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday morning and "explained his decision to move forward on the sale of F-16s to Pakistan,'' White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in Crawford, Texas.
US officials, describing Bush's decision to support the sales to Pakistan, said the administration also will endorse US companies competing for an expected larger purchase of F-16s by India.
India is currently considering Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed and companies in three other countries, including France and Russia, for a planned 126-plane purchase, Bambawale said.
A Lockheed spokesman wasn't immediately available for comment. Teal Group, an aerospace consulting firm in Fairfax, Virginia, estimates the planes cost about $35 million each.
India, unlike Pakistan, doesn't need the US to ensure the strength of its air force, said Karl Inderfurth, who served as assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs in the Clinton administration. More important to India are suggestions by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during her trip last week to the region, that the US might allow Lockheed to co-produce F-16s with India, Inderfurth said. "This has New Delhi very excited,'' he said.
US officials did not identify the type of F-16s that would be offered to Pakistan, though they said it would not be a version that is explicitly configured to carry nuclear weapons. The US proposal does not contain any limit on how many F-16s Pakistan eventually could purchase, they said.
Congress likely will approve the request, though lawmakers probably will want conditions designed to ensure relations with India are not jeopardized, Inderfurth said.
Congressman Tom Lantos of California, the senior Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, said he "strongly supports'' US arms sales that contribute to the war against terrorism.
In an e-mail statement, Lanton said he would back a "concurrent sale of F-16s'' to both Pakistan and India, which he said would not "undermine stability in the region.''
India, despite its disappointment over the proposed sale to Pakistan, also "will continue to build a closer and stronger relation with the United States,'' Bambawale said. - Agencies reports added
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