US giving hi-tech weapons to Pakistan worries India

Combat Aircraft ^ | 3/26/2010 | Combat Aircraft

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

The prospect of a nuclear deal for Pakistan gives India less sleepless nights than the fact that the US, in an attempt to "incentivise" Pakistan, is piling on sophisticated military equipment that have little to do with counter-terrorism but more to do with targeting India.

With the first lot of 18 F-16C/D Block 50/52 combat aircraft due to be delivered in the next few months, India is raising the diplomatic pitch against the transfer of such equipment to Pakistan.

While defence minister A K Antony has articulated these concerns, this has been the subject of a lot of diplomatic traffic between New Delhi and Washington lately. Officials expect this will sharpen in the run-up to the India-US strategic dialogue scheduled for June in Washington.

Apart from the F-16s worth $1.43 billion, the US is also financing $477 million (of $891 million) for almost 60 mid-life update kits for its older fleet of F-16s A/B combat aircraft and financing part of 115 M-109 self-propelled howitzers. Under the "excess defence articles" EDA, the US will be giving one ex-Oliver Hazard Perry class missile frigate (worth $67 million) as well as 20 AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters (worth $48 million of which 12 have already been delivered) and 121 refurbished TOW missile launchers. The US has already given 5,250 TOW anti-armour missiles to Pakistan.

After the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue, Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said these military supplies would be expedited. "We've agreed to fast-track our requests that have been pending for months and years, on the transfer of military equipment to Pakistan," Qureshi said.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I’m surprised Pock-E-Stahn is not on his trip itinerary after Indonesia. He probably would want to show the wife and kids where his roommate radicalized him. If this sale goes through, he’ll go there sometime in the next year.

[Ramius]

Well... India is probably rightly concerned about these things. The final confrontation between India and Pakistan will happen some day. Personally, I’d support India in that one.

[pennboricua]

I am beginning to believe that it is not the nut in Iran pushing the world to war so that the 12th Iman can appear, but the nut in the White House that wants to beat him to it.

[UCANSEE2]

but the nut in the White House that wants to beat him to it.

As long as he agrees to be shoved down a bottomless well.

[Clock King]

I wonder why the US continues to treat the world’s largest Democratic Republic like third world crap, while we continue to cuddle up to dictators and military juntas. And we do this under both Republican and Democrat administrations. Seems short-sighted to me. Or someone else is really pulling the strings in government.

[cranked]

It worries me.......