F-16 Fighter Jets

Titlu: Philippines Seeks 12 F-16 Fighter Jets, Coast Guard Ship From US Amid Territorial Row
Sursa: http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/12/dtn-news-philippines-defense-news.html
Autor: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources WP - Washington Post
Data 22.12.2012

Citat :

Philippines Seeks 12 F-16 Fighter Jets, Coast Guard Ship From US Amid Territorial Row

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / MANILA, Philippines - December 22, 2011: The Philippines will seek a squadron of F-16 fighter jets and a third coast guard ship from longtime ally Washington amid simmering territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Wednesday that he and the country’s defense chief will meet their U.S. counterparts in Washington next year to discuss the requests. The Philippines has turned to the U.S., a defense treaty ally, for warships and planes to patrol South China Sea areas it claims.

Del Rosario said the requests for 12 F-16 fighter jets and a third coast guard cutter have already been relayed to American officials and their initial response was encouraging.

“We are getting good signals,” Del Rosario told reporters.

The Philippines wants to build “a minimum credible defense posture and the U.S. has expressed their willingness to help us,” del Rosario said.

Washington has provided a Coast Guard cutter and agreed to send another one next year to the Philippines, which is locked in territorial disputes with China and four other governments.

The Philippine military, one of Asia’s weakest, only has about six aging fighter jets. It relaunched the first U.S. Coast Guard cutter it acquired from Washington as the local navy’s biggest and most modern warship in an austere ceremony led by President Benigno Aquino III last week.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources WP
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Titlu: Oman Orders Second Squadron Of F-16s
Sursa: http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/12/dtn-news-oman-defense-news-oman-orders_1457.html
Autor: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources F-16.net
Data 22.12.2012

Citat :

Oman Orders Second Squadron Of F-16s

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 22, 2011: The US Department of Defense on December 14th, has announced that Lockheed Martin have been awarded $600M fixed-price contract for a Foreign Military Sales program that will provide the government of Oman 12 additional F-16 C/D block 50 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft.

The exact verbiage of US DoD released - 1021/11 on December 14, 2011 is as " Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $600,000,000 dollar firm-fixed-price, time-and-material and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for a Foreign Military Sales program that will provide the government of Oman with following: 12 F-16 C/D Block 50 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (10 C models, two D models); support equipment; technical orders; and integrated logistics support. The location of the performance is Fort Worth, Texas. Work is expected to be completed Nov. 30, 2016. This was a sole-source acquisition. Therefore, one proposal was received. ASC/WWMK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8615-12-C-6011)."

The order consists of 10 single seater 'C-Models' and 2 'D-Models' and in addition to assembling the aircraft at its Fort Worth site in Texas, Lockheed will also provide associated support equipment and logistics services, the DoD said. Work under the deal should be concluded by November 2016.

The F-16 production line at Fort Worth seems to have improved as this is the second order to come in matter of weeks after Iraq also placed a follow on order for 18 additional F-16s. Just six months ago, Lockheed officials were warning that F-16 production could come to a halt by the end of 2013. With these new orders that same line will extend production to well into 2015.

Oman's surprise selection appears to have dashed the UK's hopes of selling Eurofighter Typhoons to the nation.

The Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) currently has 12 F-16C/D block 50 aircraft (8 'C-models' & 4 'D-Models'), delivered as part of Peace A'sama A'safiya Program, thus making the country the 23rd customer for the F-16 and the 5th Arab airforce F-16 customer.

Privately, senior Eurofighter sources seemed sanguine about the F-16 order. “Oman always intended to buy a further squadron of F-16s, so this is no surprise, and is entirely consistent with its ambitions to expand and modernise its air force. The Typhoon negotiations continue to make great progress,” a source said.

It is not even certain that the F-16 deal will alter Omani plans to keep its ageing Jaguars (which were recently re-winged) in service as long as support from India is available.

The Omani F-16 order comes only weeks after Iraq placed a follow-on order for 18 additional F-16s. These new orders will ensure F-16 production out to 2015.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com
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