Iraq eyes Lockheed F-16 fighter aircraft purchase
Jim WolfWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Iraqi government hasasked for information about buying 36 F-16 fighter aircraftbuilt by Lockheed Martin Corp, the Defense Departmentsaid Friday.
The request, received Aug. 27, is being reviewed "in thenormal course of business" as part of the U.S.government-to-government arms sale process, said Air Force Lt.Col. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman.
Updated F-16s are among the world's most advanced multirolefighters and a powerful symbol of military ties to the UnitedStates.
Iraq's interest in the fighter jet, reported first by TheWall Street Journal, could spark concerns among neighborsworried about advanced arms in the hands of a country stillfacing major internal challenges.
U.S. reviews of possible arms sale can take a year or more.They involve the departments of State and Defense as well asCongress and weigh power balances, technology security andother thorny issues. If a contract were ultimately signed,deliveries could take another year or more, depending on themodel in question.
The Pentagon did not specify which F-16 version Iraq waseyeing, nor whether it was new or refurbished. A Lockheedspokesman referred questions to the Pentagon.
F-16C/D Block 50/52 models are now being produced forPoland, Israel, Greece and Pakistan. The United Arab Emirateswas the maiden customer for the Block 60 version, the mostsophisticated F-16 produced to date.
More than 4,400 F-16s have been delivered worldwide,according to Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin. Moroccothis year became the 25th and latest overseas buyer with a dealfor 24 new Block 50/52 models and related gear said by thePentagon to be worth as much as $2.4 billion.
Iraq's request for pricing and availability data might notnecessarily lead to a sale. Sometimes governments seek suchinformation for planning purposes only, the Pentagon's Rydersaid.
Flush with billions of dollars from oil sales, Iraq isemerging as the biggest client for a wide range of U.S. weapons-- a shot in the arm for defense contractors such as Lockheed,Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman Corp, General DynamicsCorp and Raytheon Co.
Among other systems, Iraq is seeking more than 400 armoredvehicles plus six C-130 transport planes built by Lockheed, thePentagon's No. 1 supplier.
On July 30, the Pentagon notified Congress that Iraq also wasseeking to buy 24 Textron Inc Bell Armed 407 or 24 BoeingAH-6 helicopters along with 565 120mm mortars, 665 81mm mortars,200 AGM-114M Hellfire missiles and other arms that could be worth$2.4 billion.
Baghdad and Washington are working on a long-term securitypact that calls for U.S. military forces to quit Iraq's cities bynext summer as a step toward a broader withdrawal from the countrythat U.S.-led forces invaded in 2003 to topple President SaddamHussein.
F-16s would let Iraqi forces conduct airstrikes of their ownon insurgent positions rather than relying on U.S. forces to doso, as is now the case.
Overseas sales have kept Lockheed's F-16 production lineopen after the U.S. military shifted to more advanced fighters,including the radar-evading F-22 also built by Lockheed.
"The program is healthy and full of activity, with firmproduction through 2012 and a strong likelihood of new ordersthat will extend the line for several more years," John Larson,vice president for Lockheed's F-16 programs, told reporters inJuly at the Farnborough Air Show outside London. (Editing by Lisa Von Ahn, John Wallace, Phil Berlowitz)