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White House Set to Sell New Fighter Jets to Pakistan in Bid to Bolster Partnership

Should Pakistan go for this offer?

  • No thanks Uncle Sam.

    Votes: 89 57.8%
  • Yes, offcourse F16 an awesome machine.

    Votes: 47 30.5%
  • We need a twin Engine Jet. CA/F18 would be best

    Votes: 18 11.7%

  • Total voters
    154
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Sorry, NO DEAL PRESIDENT LA BAMBA.....
 
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Long debates and debated, and I don't want to repeat again and again.
Money is just one lame excuse, PAF got funds and wasted somewhere alse, not even bought ayf sola.

We are not a rich kid but we sure know how to make best use of our asset ,just to answer you
In 80s and 90s, PAF answer to IAF was ayf sola. Simply no rivalry with F16 at that time ,proof Russian planes
They bought SU-30, PAF answer was ayf sola. We brought block 52 + MLU was the reason to cater Flanker with modern goodies it can fight in Pak Soil and even offensive mission you are highly underestimating Block 52 .Only significance lacking is IRST .
They are going for Rafale, PAF answer will be ayf sola. Lets see when IAF inducts and in what number ,Rafael just like F16 was developed primarily for ground attack so we need to understand what role it can play also Rafael has no history of A2A engagments where as F16 has his days even against typhoons
They will be going for 5th generation, PAF babas would be going to Washington for more ayf sola.Relax you are talking things which are going to happen 10 years from now .Our planning for 5th Gen is already done ,Thunder with Block 3/4 will incorporate many features which will be our local 4++ /semi 5th Gen ,J31/J20 is already being evaluted .So IAF today is crazy as they are trying to buy every plane you know what is going to happened Cost and which they have already started to feel in case of Rafael .More Platforms more cost
 
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1983 - Pakistan getting new F-16
2015 - Pakistan getting new F-16

Seriously ? Get over this lolly.
 
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White House Set to Sell New Fighter Jets to Pakistan in Bid to Bolster Partnership

Pakistan, senior American officials said, an overture intended to bolster a tenuous partnership despite persistent concerns about Islamabad’s ties to elements of the Taliban and quickly expanding nuclear arsenal.

  • The decision comes ahead of President Obama’s meeting on Thursday with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, which is to be dominated by the president’s decision to extend the American troop presence in Afghanistan and a quiet effort to get Mr. Sharif to halt the deployment of a new generation of tactical nuclear weapons.

    But Mr. Obama, like President George W. Bush before him, is trying to balance pressure on Pakistan with signs that Washington still considers it a vital ally. Congress was notified just days ago about the proposed sale of the additional fighters, although it is not clear if the White House plans to announce the sale of the aircraft during the visit.

    The Federation of American Scientists, a leading American group that monitors the spread of nuclear weapons, published a report on Wednesday that shows that Pakistan has expanded its arsenal to 110 to 130 warheads, up from a range of 90 to 110 four years ago.

    While those figures show a steady but expected increase, the group estimated that by 2025 the figure would rise to 220 to 250 warheads. That would make Pakistan the world’s fifth-largest nuclear power, behind the United States, Russia, China and France, but ahead of Britain, which is shrinking its arsenal.

    It is the nature, not the size, of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal that tops Mr. Obama’s agenda. Over the past two weeks, officials in Washington have said they are exploring whether a deal might be possible to halt the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons that American experts fear are vulnerable to being launched without authorization, or stolen, on the battlefield. Until earlier this week Pakistani officials had said nothing about the program, although the foreign secretary, Aizaz Chadhary, told reporters in Islamabad on Tuesday that the country had built “low-yield nuclear weapons” to counter India, according to the Dawn, a major daily newspaper in Pakistan.

    It is unlikely that either side will talk publicly about nuclear weapons on Thursday, but Mr. Obama plans to raise the issue at length, according to administration officials. Selling Pakistan more arms, however, is an issue that is often discussed more publicly to signal that Pakistan is acting in its role as a “major non-NATO ally,” a designation Mr. Bush bestowed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

    The new aircraft, whose sale could be blocked by Congress, would add to Pakistan’s already sizable force of fighter jets — it has more than 70 F-16s and dozens of French and Chinese attack aircraft. But perhaps of equal importance to supporters and critics alike is the symbolic value of the sale to an ally whose relationship with the United States has been marked by long stretches of acrimony in recent years.

    Much of the tension has arisen from Pakistan’s ties to elements of the Taliban, especially the Haqqani Network, which is linked to Al Qaeda and is seen by American commanders as the most deadly faction of the Taliban fighting in Afghanistan. In recent years, numerous American officials have publicly and privately complained about the support to the Haqqanis provided by Pakistan’s main spy agency, the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence.

    At the same time, many American officials have continued to insist that the best path forward with Pakistan is to work with its elected leaders and military commanders in hopes of convincing them to crack down on all militants, not just those who actively fight the government there. The Obama administration is also looking for Pakistan to help bring the Taliban to peace talks — an effort that the administration has pursued for years. As a result, officials are loath to antagonize Islamabad at a crucial moment in the war in Afghanistan.

    The Afghan peace process appeared to be gaining momentum this summer with meetings between Afghan officials and Taliban representatives in Pakistan. But it was derailed by news that the Taliban’s elusive leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, died about two years ago, and the insurgents have made significant gains in the months since. Late last month they seized a city for the first time since 2001, taking Kunduz, Afghanistan, and holding off Afghan forces for more than two weeks before pulling back.

    Fearful that Afghan forces would be outmatched without American support, Mr. Obama announced last week that American troops would remain in Afghanistan through the end of his term. But after 2016, there would only be about 5,500 Americans left in Afghanistan, so the administration is eager to revive the peace process, which is expected to be on the agenda when Mr. Obama and Mr. Sharif meet on Thursday.

    While Pakistan has gone after Qaeda operatives since 2001, and allowed the C.I.A. drone program to strike targets in the country’s tribal areas, it has also provided a safe haven for the Taliban and supported elements of the Afghan insurgency. Pakistan has also supported other militant groups fighting in Kashmir and targeting India.

    Many in Congress fear that the F-16 jets are more useful to Pakistan in its long confrontation with India than for counterterrorism. It is unclear if Congress will approve the deal: Congress and the State Department are already in a standoff over an effort to sell used Navy cutter vessels to Pakistan earlier this year.

    In March, the House Foreign Affairs Committee put a hold on about $150 million in foreign military financing — aid from the United States that foreign allies could use to purchase American weapons and other military equipment, said American officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the issue has not yet been made public.

    The committee said the cutters were not essential to fighting militants, the officials said. But in a letter sent in February to Secretary of State John Kerry, Representative Edward Royce of California, the committee’s chairman, and Representative Elliot L. Engel of New York, the ranking Democrat, outlined their broader concerns about Pakistan.

    “We remain deeply concerned that Pakistan has failed to take meaningful action against key Islamist terrorist groups operating within its territory,” they wrote.

    The letter urged the administration to change its approach to Pakistan, suspend some assistance and begin imposing travel restrictions and sanction officials thought to have ties to militants.

    Follow the New York Times’s politics and Washington coverage on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for theFirst Draft politics newsletter.

why I feel American's trick workd and our stupid leaders well under it. how many F16. how many F16????? we need twine engine jets.. I feel our leaders doesnt know the improtance of twine jets.. may Allah bless us
 
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Most of the posters on PDF have no idea what is happening right now. US needs Pakistan, not the other way around.

The F-16 deal will go ahead, US cannot jeopardize it's relations with Pakistan, specially after Obama announced that US military will stay in Afghanistan beyond 2016.

As for people whining about "why F-16, it's a lollipop etc etc", well this beast is still a formidable aircraft! I wouldn't mind getting more of them. Better to get these than some $100m+ a piece stealth air craft which is still in testing phase.

& as for Indian's, well, your Govt is worried (like always) about us getting F-16s, or else why they spend millions of $'s on lobbyists, in US, to stop such significant arms deal with Pakistan? lol
 
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American are smart enough . They want to kill birds with a single stone . First Su 35 second Pak tactical nukes. Sometimes i can't stop myself from admiring Indian foreign policy where they keep balance between East and West. We should for twin Asian fighter and we should continue our Nuclear program
 
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Most of the posters on PDF have no idea what is happening right now. US needs Pakistan, not the other way around.

The F-16 deal will go ahead, US cannot jeopardize it's relations with Pakistan, specially after Obama announced that US military will stay in Afghanistan beyond 2016.

As for people whining about "why F-16, it's a lollipop etc etc", well this beast is still a formidable aircraft! I wouldn't mind getting more of them. Better to get these than some $100m+ a piece stealth air craft which is still in testing phase.

& as for Indian's, well, your Govt is worried (like always) about us getting F-16s, or else why they spend millions of $'s on lobbyists, in US, to stop such significant arms deal with Pakistan? lol

But only new 8 is hardly any good news.. If US or Pak wanted new f16s, why only 8? The fact tht number is only 8, is the reason it feels like only a lollipop... If we reslly wanted a good package, then the number should have atleast been 18, to make the number 36 of block 52s, which PAF originally desired
 
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The offer at all did not mention that we can't go anywhere else. As mentioned in threads Pakistan is in good position and no such restrictions will be applied by US as they know where we stand so get the 16s and explore other markets as well and JFT is moving forward.

Let lobbyists cry more.
 
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I think these may be coming through aid money and if that is the source then I would say yes I want more. I don't think that a small number induction may stop us to go for SU-35 because we are also falling short of aircrafts as our 3rd Gen aircraft's are well passing their lifetime and falling from skies time to time.
So I believe we need a platform which may replace Oldest Mirages in zipzap manner and that is only one aircraft which can achieve it in a way like no other can that as it lands in Pakistan it's become a part of routine sortie and that is none but F-16.
I would not negate JFT in this scenario but it is evolving day by day and it's an LCA to Pakistan which can take a main roll but PAF if got chance then they may induct more aircrafts from other sources and JFT may become a daily workhorse and a serious force multiplier like we can mix them with any combo and they will become headache for any situation as these birds are growing teeth.
Now I think it's better to go for a better version of F-16s like "V" and slowly acquire more of them to reach a total of 120 of F-16s and later we can upgrade our Blk 52+ to V standards. All in all these acquisitions may not affect our diversification of weapon systems from other sources which may be is SU-35 PN a customised version for Pakistan and with similar engine which is F-117 FN in J-10C with some body tweaks and Full European avionics package with full TOT and that is possible. If someone say anything about MONEY then I would say it's never been a problem for us to source money and now it's flowing like never before but most people don't know.

Take them but stay with SU-35s deal and dump US , WE DON'T NEED BACKSTABBERS !!!!!

The point is we don't need to DUMP anyone but to include others as well so we could become a global player.
IMHO this dumping thoughts are not useful ever before & neither in today's worlds scenario.
 
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We should completely move away from papa sam and go for alternatives with no leverage on Pakistan they cannot dictate any of their lobbyists terms on us.
 
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