With the 13 F-16 fighter aircraft received from Jordan, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has raised a new squadron, No 19, at Mushaf Air Base. The F-16 fleet of the PAF now stands at 79. The Government of Pakistan has requested the US for a possible sale of up to 36 F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft – a purchase of 18 jets, with an option for another 18. The planes would be equipped with the APG-68(V)9 radars which are the most modern F-16 radar except for the UAE’s F-16E/F Block 60 “Desert Falcons” and their AN/APG-80 AESA.
The engine contract was less certain. Pakistan’s existing F-16s use the Pratt & Whitney F100 engine but the new planes involved a competition between Pratt & Whitney’s F100-PW-229 and General Electric’s F110-GE-129 Increased Performance Engines. The total value, if all options are exercised, was estimated as high as $3 billion, which is in line with Pentagon releases that eventually peg the negotiated cost of twelve F-16Cs, six F-16Ds and ancillary equipment at $1.4 billion.