New Delhi: The US has handed over to Pakistan the first of the eight PC-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft, which gives them an edge over India in naval surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.
The Orions are a part of the $1.3 billion American military assistance package to Pakistan, and will be armed with the Harpoon missile.
The reason stated for the arming of Pakistan is to empower it to fight the global war on terrorism.
At the moment, the Pakistan Navy operates the Atlantique and Fokker aircraft for reconnaisance, which are a generation behind the Orion.
The US will deliver all eight Orions to Pakistan by 2009. The arms package includes the Tow missiles and Phalanx gun systems.
Pakistan will spend $300 million out of $698 million being extended by United States early next year for the purchase of F-16 fighter planes and maritime patrol aircraft Orion PC-3.
The US Congress approved a $698 million for Pakistan as part of foreign appropriations bill for 2006 few days back, which includes $300 million for military financing and $300 million in economic support fund.
The fresh US allocation is a part of a $3 billion, five-year assistance package announced by President George W Bush for Pakistan in June 2003 after a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf at the Camp David presidential resort.
Out of $698 million, the hefty amount of $300 million would be spent on the purchase of F-16s and PC-3 surveillance planes despite the government?s decision to defer the buying of fighter jets because of October 8 earthquake, said the officials here.
They said the deal has been put off until April next year and by that time Pakistan would have received $698 million dollars which would be diverted to the purchase of F-16 planes.
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