Lockheed Martin has secured a $42.3 million contract to provide 10 upgrade kits for Pakistan’s F-16 A/B aircraft, under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. Despite troubled relations with Washington after America’s Special Forces raided into Pakistan to kill Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, the Pentagon continues to support the South Asian country’s air force.
The upgrade kit deal follows a late July announcement that specialist communications producer L-3 Communications was awarded a contract to build two F-16C Block 52 aircrew training devices for Pakistan Air Force. In late May, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that Pakistan had requested a FMS deal to acquire spare parts for a number of its aircrafts including the Lockheed Martin C-130 transport, F-16 fighter and T-33 trainer, in addition to the Cessna T-37 trainer.
Earlier this year, Pakistani air force inducted 17 new F-16 Block 52+ fighters into 5 Squadron – part of an 18-aircraft deal signed in 2006. Pakistan’s 34 F-16A/B Block 15 aircraft are also undergoing mid-life upgrades.
