Washington greenlights military sales to Pakistan & India, months after air skirmish
The sale to Pakistan will require the deployment of some 60 contractor representatives, who will “provide 24/7 end-use monitoring” for the country’s US-made fleet of fighter jets, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement on Friday. The package will service the Lockheed Martin F-16s delivered to Pakistan as part of the “Peace Drive” program, which includes 12 F-16C jets and 6 F-16D jets.
Political-Military Affairs, US Dept of State✔@StateDeptPM
.@StateDept authorizes a proposed Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to #Pakistan for Technical Security Team (TST) Continued Support of the F-16 Program worth $125 million @StateDeptPM @State_SCA #FMSUpdate–https://go.usa.gov/xysdn
Pakistan’s fleet of F-16s came into the spotlight in February during a security crisis, in which Indian and Pakistani warplanes engaged in direct combat for the first time in decades. New Delhi alleged that Pakistan had used the US-made jets during its retaliatory attack inside an Indian-controlled part of the disputed Kashmir region, losing one of them in an interception by the Indian Air Force. If true, it may have violated US arms export terms. Pakistan denied deploying F-16s for the mission and said it didn’t lose any aircraft.
ALSO ON RT.COM‘You’ll get a bloodier nose next time’: India issues warning to Pakistan on Kashmir war anniversaryAlso on Friday, Washington announced its plans to sell spare parts and equipment for the Indian fleet of Boeing C-17 military transport planes. The contract would require 23 contractor representatives, the agency said.
Political-Military Affairs, US Dept of State✔@StateDeptPM
.@StateDept authorizes a proposed Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to #India for C-17 Sustainment Follow-On support worth $670 million @StateDeptPM @State_SCA #FMSUpdate–https://go.usa.gov/xysdv
The DSCA explained that the sales “will not alter the basic military balance in the region.” The approvals come days after a visit to the US by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, and a month after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a high-level visit to India.
VT Editors is a General Posting account managed by Jim W. Dean and Gordon Duff. All content herein is owned and copyrighted by Jim W. Dean and Gordon Duff
ATTENTION READERS
Due to the nature of independent content, VT cannot guarantee content validity.
We ask you to Read Our Content Policy so a clear comprehension of VT's independent non-censored media is understood and given its proper place in the world of news, opinion and media.
All content is owned by author exclusively. Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT, other authors, affiliates, advertisers, sponsors, partners or technicians. Some content may be satirical in nature. All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT.
About VT - Read Full Policy Notice - Comment Policy
