US starts F-16 delivery to Pakistan

Islamabad, July 11: The United States has delivered two F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft to Pakistan, starting a process of delivering pre-used jets to Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

The handing over ceremony was held at the PAF base near Sargodha where two F-16s landed after being directly flown from the US yesterday.

Chief of the Air Staff Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed, US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Peterson and a large number of senior officers of the PAF attended the ceremony.

Commander of Central Air Command of US Air Force Lt-Gen Gary L North, along with a colleague, flew the aircraft and reached here after a continuous flight of over eight hours across the Atlantic.

The handing over marked the beginning of the programme for the delivery of the fleet of aircraft to Pakistan. These aircraft were manufactured in 1990s and their delivery to Pakistan was stopped following imposition of the Pressler Amendment.

Later, these were given to the US air force and navy.

Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted Air Chief Tanvir as saying that the remaining 10 aircraft would be given to Pakistan in batches till the middle of next year.

These are exceptionally used aircraft and are being given to us at very nominal prices, he said.

He said the delivery of the aircraft to Pakistan was only possible after hectic negotiations with the US Air Force.

Efforts are also being made to get 16 more aircraft which were being used by the US Navy and these were part of the 28 aircraft for which Pakistan had made the payment.

UNI