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According to Pakistani sources, Pakistan’s Air Force has purchased one squadron of F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft from Jordan. The 13 F-16s were in service in the Royal Jordanian Air Force and will be inducted into the Pakistani air force next month. The deal has been finalized, approved by both countries, as well as the United States. The 13 aircraft are the same F-16 A/B Block-15 variant that Pakistan’s Air Force already operates.
The purchase brings the Pakistan Air Force’s total F-16 count to 76. According to Defense Industry Daily, the Royal Jordanian Air Force’s F-16 MLUs (Mid-Life Update) were bought from Belgium and the Netherlands. The set sold to Pakistan is from a separate set of F-16s in use by the Jordanian Air Force. “This set being sold is from the 33-plane Peace Falcon I/II purchases of F-16 ADFs in 1997 and 2003,” according to Defense Industry Daily. The ADF variant–ADF standing for Air Defense Fighter–is more suited for dogfighting, air superiority, and interception.
Pakistan’s The News International cites “well-placed defense sources” as confirming that the purchased aircraft were in good condition and could serve for up to another 20 years, with about 3,000 flying hours available to them. The deal was set up between Pakistan and Jordan a year ago when Pakistan’s Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Tahir Rafiq Butt visited Jordan to pursue the deal. The total amount Pakistan paid for the aircraft is not known at this point, but Defense Industry Daily speculates that Jordan likely made a profit on the sale of the aircraft.
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