WORLD: PAKISTAN
Pak to get two P3C Orion aircraft from US
Thursday, December 01, 2005
IANS
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy is preparing to induct two P3C Orion long-range maritime patrol aircraft after they are delivered by the US next month, a naval official said here on Thursday.
The US agreed to provide eight P3Cs to Pakistan last year, followed by the formal signing of transfer documents for the planes in August.
The aircraft are being provided free of cost by the US Navy and the expenses for modification of avionics systems will be met mostly from US military aid to Pakistan.
'We will receive two planes next month and there is no change in the delivery schedule,' the official told DPA.
US President George W. Bush announced a $3-billion economic and military aid package for Pakistan in July 2003 in acknowledgement of the latter's role as a frontline state in the ongoing war against terror.
With the induction of eight P3Cs, Pakistan's existing fleet of the aircraft will increase to 10. The Pakistan Navy is already flying two P3Cs in addition to French-origin Atlantic surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.
A team of Pakistan Navy pilots recently visited the US for advanced training before the arrival of the two P3Cs.
The manufacturers, Lockheed Martin, will fit the P3Cs with modern avionics and mission systems. The aircraft can also carry Harpoon missiles.
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