Procurement: Pakistan Gets More F-16s

Archives

January 3, 2008: Pakistan has purchased another 18 U.S. F-16 fighters, for about $28 million each. Twelve will be single seat F-16C models, while the other six will be two seat (for training) F-16Ds. These are aircraft without a lot of the latest electronics, which can nearly double the price. Over 4,000 F-16s have been sold so far, and is still being built. The Pakistanis already have 35 F-16s, armed with AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM and AIM-9M-8/9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, as well as JDAM smart bombs and Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles. Pakistan is also getting the Joint-Helmet Mounted Cueing System, and targeting pods. The 17 ton F-16 is to be replaced by the F-35, in many air forces, over the next two decades. Pakistan wants to replace its 160 Chinese F-7s (a copy of the MiG-21) with F-16s and other more modern aircraft.