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April 28, 2006
Pakistan: F-16's Sale Scaled Back
Good. Lower-quality weapons to our eventual, if not current, enemies. Even if we are the ones selling them the planes: Pakistan scales back F-16 purchases from US
Pakistan has scaled back by half its ambitious planned purchase of new fighter planes from the US to help pay for the relief costs of last year's devastating earthquake.Foreign secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan announced on a visit to Washington that rather than buy new Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters, Pakistan would purchase "a mix" of old and new planes. The plan would be "far less ambitious", he said without giving figures.
Western diplomats familiar with the US-Pakistan discussions said Pakistan was now likely to spend US$1.6bn-US$1.8bn on the F-16s, down from as much as U$3.5bn.
Note: Pakistan's real reason for scaling back the purchases is an attempt to "punish" the U.S. for its nuclear deal with India. The result, of course, will be a Pakistan who falls farther and farther behind India in the defense sphere.
Posted by Ruy Diaz at April 28, 2006 10:34 AM
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