Pakistan says US has agreed to refurbish its F-16 fleet

[Judi Lynn]

Pakistan says US has agreed to refurbish its F-16 fleet
(AFP)

1 October 2003



ISLAMABAD - The United States has agreed to modernise Pakistan’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets and provide fresh military hardware to help in the pursuit of Taleban and Al Qaeda fugitives, Pakistan’s top defence bureaucrat was quoted saying on Wednesday.


“In addition to providing us modern equipment, the US would also modernize and refurbish our existing fleet of F-16 aircraft,” defence secretary Hamid Nawaz Khan said according to the official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).

However the US made no promise to sell additional F-16s to its key war on terror ally, a move Pakistan has been seeking ever since the lifting of military sanctions which had prevented the handover of 28 F-16s it purchased in the late 1980s.

Khan was speaking on the outcome of September 15 to 18 talks between Pakistan and US defence officials in Washington, at which Pakistan presented a list of military equipment needed to curb alleged Taleban infiltrators on its western border with Afghanistan.

“Pakistan has handed over a list of modern equipment required by our three forces including, army, navy and air force,” he said, without specifying the equipment. (snip/...)

~~~~ link ~~~~

[teryang]

1. What a laugh

<to help in the pursuit of Taleban and Al Qaeda fugitives...>

What are they going to do, bomb themselves? Bomb their side of Kashmir? Bomb Islamabad?

[saigon68]

2. Now entering the Bribe Zone

Fair and balanced refurbishment for all members of the

"Coalition of the Willing"(God I hate that term) Spin propaganda.

[legin]

3. Intrestingly...

From the Byrd report, for the u.s. to produce 2 new infantry divisions, 25,000 - 35,000 men, it costs up to 18bn and takes 5 years, so the u.s. have got a large pocket to dip into for their bribes to get international troops into Iraq.

[legin]

5. So in terms of buying support

$10bn per division of international troops is probably reasonably cost effective.

[legin]

8. Mmmmmmm...

thinking about it actually, I don't know whether the 10bn is quite enough.

150,000 troops in Iraq is costing the u.s. approx $50bn per year, which works out at about 5bn per division of 15,000 troops.

So the price for a division of King legin's troops should be let's say $12.5bn for the first year, and 3.5bn for every year after that, and you supply the accomodation.

seems like a fair deal to me.

:evilgrin:

[legin]

9. And that's hard cash up front

bollocks to this loan guarantee crap. :P

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. That should sit well with India, don't you think?

[Aidoneus]

6. they're getting things also

through Israel, the Indian military is being supplied with their own set of toys as well.

[loudnclear]

7. The US keep supplying WMDs and war equipment to the ME

Why should we expect peace in our time?

[tabasco]

10. Sure will make India happy

The more bribing and coercing this administration does, the worse it makes our overall international situation. We must oust this corporate cabal, and NEVER let this happen again!