The real question is whether Pakistan will bold enough to accept the F-16Vs when the time comes.
The question outta be, at what cost?*
*Not hinting towards finance.
Does the F-16 bring anything
new to the table in terms of capability compared to the upgraded JF-17 Block III or the newly (soon-to-be) inducted J-10's?
Ans. NO!
Both the Block III & J-10's have AESA. They both have BVR (PL-15), which by numbers is superior to the AMRAAM (Aim-120C).
F-16's come with a lotta baggage. You gotta deal with Congress/Senate & strong Indian lobbying that goes with it. Even if you bypass all that b.s., you have to deal with their
End-User Agreement that F-16's can only be used for Defense and not against anyone.
Fine. I think we took care of that loophole during our skirmish in 2019 by not using them as Strike.
Its a fair assessment that the US (now) know that Pakistan has called their bluff, opted for the J-10's and now they're feeling the pinch.
They know full well that Pakistan is not in any position to cough up hard cash for brand new Block 70/72's and would wanna off-load some of their older inventory by keeping us as one of their infamous non-NATO ally & make a lil' money off something that is collecting dust in Arizona and/or Nevada.
Like it or not - and this is to address some of our Members that aren't fans of the F-16...
...your opinion/feelings towards the F-16 means d!ck to the PAF leadership 'cause they love the F-16's because its the one jet which has always come through.
Your precious
Ops Swift Retort piggybacked on the presence of the
Viper.
Do I (personally) think PAF will get additional F-16? Honestly, I don't know. What I do know is if it did happen, it won't be one of those shinny new ones off the assembly line. It'll be one of those that have seen their share of flights and might require some serious oiling.
-T23