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Iraq moves closer to buying 18 F-16s
by Staff Writers
Baghdad (UPI) Sep 16, 2011

Romania cannot afford F-16 jets: president
Bucharest (AFP) Sept 18, 2011 - Romania cannot afford to purchase second-hand F-16 combat aircraft unless granted a long-term financing plan, Romanian president Traian Basescu said on Sunday.

"We have no money and we cannot commit ourselves to such a contract without a long-term financing scheme," Basescu said during an interview on private TV channel ProTV.

"There is no pressure from the US to buy aircraft, but on joining NATO we committed ourselves to equipping the armed forces with 48 fighter jets compatible with the Alliance's," he added.

Romania had announced in March 2010 its decision to purchase 24 F-16 aircraft currently used by the US air forces, at a cost of 1.3 billion dollars (1.1 billion euros), in order to replace its ageing, Soviet-made MiG Lancer jets.

The announcement triggered criticism from European groups Eurofighter and Saab, which stressed authorities should have issued a call for tenders.

But a few months later, struggling with a deep economic crisis, the governement announced it would not be able to finance the buy in 2010.

The American ambassador to Romania, Mark Gitenstein, this week said that a regional plan involving the purchase of new F-16 also by Croatia and Bulgaria was "in the works" in order to reduce costs.

Maybe even the Hungarians and the Czechs might be interested, he said.

"Then you have a flow of orders that makes it easier to keep the assembly line open and reduces the cost per airplane," he said.

Iraq is "very close" to finalizing a deal to buy 18 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets, enough for one squadron for its nascent air force and the first of as many as 96 of the strike aircraft.

But even if the sale goes through following months of indecision, oil-rich Iraq will lack air power for several years, leaving it vulnerable in a region riddled with rivalry and crisis.

For instance, right now Iraq can do nothing to prevent warplanes from northern neighbor Turkey conducting airstrikes against Kurdish separatists in their sanctuaries in Iraq's northwestern Kurdish zone.

Providing the Shiite-dominated coalition government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki with advanced combat aircraft is one of the Americans' major dilemmas as they move toward completing their military withdrawal by Dec. 31.

Iraq's neighbors remain wary of Baghdad, despite the fall of Saddam Hussein. He invaded twice -- Iran in September 1980, triggering an eight-year in which 1 million people died; then Kuwait in August 1990, starting another war.

But the United States needs to ensure that Iraq's armed forces, rebuilt, trained and largely armed by Washington since the 2003 invasion, are capable of maintaining security and stability in a tough and warlike neighborhood.

Maliki froze a $2.4 billion deal for 18 F-16 Black 52 export models in February, with delivery expected in 2013.

Baghdad said it was diverting a planned down payment of $900 million to ease food shortages and prevent protests breaking out as the Arab world was plunged into turmoil by a wave of pro-democracy uprisings.

In July, Maliki announced plans to purchase 36 F-16s, doubling the number aircraft initially planned, which would give the Iraqi air force its first combat aircraft.

"We have to provide Iraq with airplanes to safeguard its sovereignty," Maliki declared.

Now the order appears to have gone back to 18, with the two sides negotiating an overall package that includes maintenance, training pilots and ground crews, avionics and weapon systems.

But U.S. Air Force Gen. Russell Handy, head of the U.S. air forces in Iraq, said Wednesday Maliki still wants 36 F-16s.

"They're seeking to buy a larger number of F-16s than they had originally, up to 36," he said.

"This first letter of offer and acceptance is for 18 of them, so we hope to hear from them very soon but there's no final word on that yet."

Iraq's decision to go for 36 F-16s indicated that Maliki wants to secure a long-term U.S. military training presence in the country.

But whether that's linked to moves to retain several thousand U.S. troops in Iraq after the Dec. 31 withdrawal deadline isn't clear.

Lockheed Martin said in May that it hoped to finalize the deal early next year.

It remains unclear whether Baghdad wants to buy the 36 planes in one swoop or over a particular period of time.

However, Handy said that prospects the contract can now move ahead were "promising."

Handy added, "We feel we're very close to the signing that letter of offer and acceptance."

The Iraqis have said they ultimately want 96 F-16s, enough for five or six squadrons.

Contract talks apparently got back on track amid Iraq receiving windfall profits from oil exports as prices remained above the budget predictions of Maliki's government.

Iraq earned $7.31 billion from oil sales in July, the fifth consecutive month that revenue topped $7 billion.

That gave Baghdad total revenue for the year to that point of $48.6 billion, putting it well on the way to reaching its target of $80 billion for the year. That would be a hike of 53 percent over the $52 billion earned in 2010.

Iraq's air force is the weakest branch of its reconstituted armed forces, which are still fighting insurgents eight years after the U.S. invasion that toppled Saddam.

Under Saddam, Iraq's air force was the sixth largest in the world, with more than 900 aircraft, 40,000 personnel and 24 operational bases. But as a fighting force it was effectively destroyed in Operation Desert Storm in 1990-91.

Some jets were flown to neighboring Iran to escape destruction but these were commandeered by Tehran. When the Americans invaded in March 2003, the remnants of the air force never got off the ground.

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US won't sell new fighter jets to Taiwan: source
Washington (AFP) Sept 16, 2011 - The United States has decided not to sell Taiwan new F-16 fighter jets and will instead provide upgrades to its existing planes, a US congressional source said Friday.

The US State Department was to brief key lawmakers Friday on the decision, which was sure to anger China critics in the US Congress and upset Taiwan, but "no official announcement will be made for weeks," the official said.

"We are hearing from State that it will be an upgrade and no sale," the source, who requested anonymity, told AFP.

Taiwan applied in 2007 to buy 66 F-16 C/D fighters, which have better radars and more powerful weapon systems than the 146 F-16 A/Bs it currently has, in response to China's growing military muscle.

US magazine Defense News reported recently that Washington had told Taiwan it will not sell the jets, but both US and Taiwan officials have insisted no final decision has been made, amid strong Chinese resistance to the sales.

And the Washington Times reported Thursday that the upgrades would be part of a $4.2 billion arms package for Taiwan from US President Barack Obama's administration.

The White House in January 2010 had announced a $6.4 billion arms deal with Taiwan which included Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters and equipment for Taiwan's existing F-16 fleet, but no submarines or new fighter jets.

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory awaiting reunification with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Washington recognizes Beijing rather than Taipei but remains a leading arms supplier to the island.

In response to the reports, Republican Senator John Cornyn condemned the decision as "capitulation to Communist China" and "a sad day in American foreign policy" as well as "a slap in the face to a strong ally and long-time friend."

"This sale would have been a win-win, bolstering the national security of two democratic nations and supporting jobs for an American workforce that desperately needs them," he said in a statement.

In Taipei, Taiwan's defense ministry said that as far as it was aware Washington had yet to decide on the issue.

"We have not heard from the US that a decision on the F16 C/D has been made," said defense ministry spokesman David Lo.

"We are actively pursuing the request as we need to replace our ageing F5 jets to maintain our serial defense."





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MILPLEX
Defense cuts could boost US unemployment:Pentagon
Aboard A Us Military Aircraft (AFP) Sept 15, 2011
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is warning Congress that possible sweeping cuts to the defense budget would put millions more out of work and add a percentage point to the country's unemployment rate, a spokesman said Thursday. The Pentagon described a dire scenario if a congressional "supercommittee" fails to agree by November 23 to trim $1.2 trillion from government deficits, which would tr ... read more


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