Sep 29
JobelleAir Force, News block 50/52 F-16 aircraft, f-16, F-16 aircraft, F-16 block 50/52, F-16 deal, F-16 fighter aircraft, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-16 sale, F-16C, F-16C Fighter jets, F-16C Fighting Falcons, F-16C/D fighter, Fighting Falcon, Foreign Military Sales, George Little, Iraq F-16, Lockheed Martin F-16, Pentagon Press Secretary, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said on Sept 27th that the Iraqi government has transferred its first payment for 18 F-16C Fighting Falcons. This brings Iraq closer to independently securing its airspace.
“These aircraft will help provide air sovereignty for Iraq to protect its own territory and deter or counter regional threats,” Little said.
The F-16 fighter aircraft, he said, “are also a symbol of the commitment to a long-term strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq.”
According to Little, the F-16s are the block 50/52 variant of the aircraft – the current production version of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The sale is valued at about $3 billion. Such foreign military sales will be a cornerstone of future cooperation and support the development of a long-term cooperative security relationship with Iraq.
“Foreign military sales around the world, such as this purchase of F-16 aircraft,” the press secretary said, “strengthen our diplomatic and military relationships with our allies and supports American industry and jobs at home.”
The United States conducts foreign military sales with Iraq and fully supports Iraq’s efforts to purchase military equipment in line with its domestic spending priorities and in accordance with its budget laws and procedures, Little added.
Source: U.S. Air Force
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Jul 12
JobelleAir Force, News f-16, F-16 A/B, F-16 AB fighters, F-16 C/D, F-16 Falcons, F-16 Fighter, F-16 upgrade, F-16C/D fighter, F16 fighter, F16 jet, F16 sale, Taiwan F-16, U.S. Vice President Biden
According to news from Washington, U.S. Vice President Biden will visit China in mid-August and September to explain about a new round of arms sales to Taiwan.
U.S. side hopes the issue will not seriously harm bilateral relations. Although the protest and controversy, of course will continue, but if the long-troubled US-Taiwan arms sales F-16 fighters ends, both parties will be relieved.
The news from Washington that the Obama administration has tentatively decided to use this window of F-16 fighters to solve the problem of arms sales. Specific approach is Vice President Biden’s visit to China on August 17, in discussing the US-China relations and international relations, he will explain arms sales to Taiwan.
The F-16CD fighters of the Chinese arms sales has long been recognized as insurmountable red line. The Obama administration has refused to accept Taiwan’s asking price book. But even if the sensitivity is relatively lower, $ 4.5 billion worth of F-16AB fighters to upgrade the case, Obama has been unable to find an appropriate time to inform the Congress.
Source: http://global.dwnews.com
Jun 14
JobelleAir Force, News approved plane sale, c-130, c-130 hercules, C-130 Hercules transport, C-130E, c-130h, C-130J, C-130J Super Hercules, c130, f-16, F-16C/D, F-16C/D fighter, F-16C/D fighter jets, First Adm. Bambang Samoedro, Hercules plane, Indonesian Air Force
The Indonesian Air Force announced on Sunday that it would add five more C-130 Hercules transports to its fleet over the next two years. Admiral Imam Sufaat, the Air Force chief of staff, said the new additions would be among the nine such aircraft to be procured over the next few years. The fleet will consist of two C-130s used as refuelling planes, two outfitted to carry VIPs and 26 to transport troops.
“Once we get the nine C-130s, the Air Force will have 30 units of this plane,” he said.
Air Force spokesman First Adm. Bambang Samoedro said the service could be getting the planes from several countries by 2014.
“The countries that have offered us the planes are the United States, Norway and Australia,” he said.
The United States offered a fleet of six C-130Es for delivery in 2012 at a special discount. The planes were initially offered to other Asian and African governments but the orders never came to fruition.
The Norwegian government also offered to sell four used C-130Hs to Indonesia at a cost of $66 million. Under the terms of the deal, the Norwegian government would recondition the planes at its own cost before selling them to Indonesia.
A third bid came from Australia, which offered a fleet of six C-130J Super Hercules for immediate delivery.
Imam said that in addition to purchasing the transports, the Air Force was also waiting for the United States to approve the sale of 24 used F-16C/D fighter jets to the Indonesian Armed Forces. The F-16s had been offered as a grant, but the deal must be approved by US lawmakers.
“We are currently in the process of looking at the whether to get them through a grant or a soft loan, because this is strongly related to the country’s budget,” he added.
Source: The Jakarta Globe
Feb 21
JobelleAir Force, News F-16 Taiwan, F-16A/B, F-16C/D, F-16C/D fighter, F-16C/D fighter jet, Ma Ying-jeou, USAF F-16
Speaking to Washington Post on Thursday, Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou said the island’s request for new F-16C/Ds and upgrading its F-16A/Bs are both complementary and not mutually conflicting.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou on Thursday pressed his case for continued American weapons sales to the island, including advanced U.S.-made fighter jets, saying Taiwan needs to negotiate with China from a position of strength. Ma, in an interview, said Taiwan needed both new F-16C/D fighter jets to modernize its fleet, and also upgrades to its existing F-16A/B class fighters, which are aging and in need of replacement parts.
“Our objective in improving cross-strait relations is to seek peace and prosperity. However, the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign state; we must have our national defense. While we negotiate with the mainland, we hope to carry out such talks with sufficient self-defense capabilities and not negotiate out of fear. This is an extremely important principle,” says Ma.
“Therefore, we must purchase the necessary defensive weapons from overseas that cannot be manufactured here in Taiwan to replace outdated ones. This is essential for our national survival and development,” he added.
Ma says however that the request for F-16s do not to say that they cannot maintain a military capability necessary for Taiwan’s security.
President Ma said they have sought to acquire F-16/C/D fighter jets from the United States for quite a few years. But America keeps telling them it is under assessment, but no decision has been forthcoming.
As for the other part, some of the equipment on the F-16A/B jet fighters owned by our Air Force is gradually aging and needs to be updated. Thus, Taiwan considers these two needs to be complementary and not mutually conflicting.
The President hopes that, through these two strenuous efforts, Taiwan’s Air Force can maintain a certain defensive and fighting capability.
- The Washington Post
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