The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the Pentagon’s top arms broker, announced that the U.S. State Department has cleared a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Philippines of F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets and related equipment.
On Thursday, the U.S. Military’s Agency announced that U.S. State Department has cleared a possible $2.43 billion foreign military sale of twelve F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft to the Philippines.
The announcements say that the пovernment of the Philippines has requested to buy ten F-16C Block 70/72 aircraft and two F-16D Block 70/72 aircraft.
According to a DSCA release, the deal also includes fifteen F100-PW-229EEP engines or F110-GE-129D engines, Improved Programmable Display Generators, AN/APG-83 Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars, missiles. boms and other weapon systems.
“The proposed sale will improve the Philippines’ capability to meet current and future threats by enabling the Philippines to deploy fighter aircraft with precision munitions in support of counterterrorism operations in the southern Philippines, increasing effectiveness and minimizing collateral damage,” DSCA said in its announcement. “The Philippines is committed to modernizing its military forces and will have no difficulty absorbing this aircraft and services into its armed forces.”
It is important to note, however, that U.S. government approval does not mean a country has agreed to purchase the weapons or other systems in question.