Islamabad: The United States is to deliver two P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft to Pakistan in December as part of an arms deal approved by Washington last year, a naval official Friday said.
The U.S. approved the arms deal worth 1.2 billion dollars for Pakistan last November, which also included supply of eight P-3Cs at the cost of 970 million dollars.
“The Pakistan navy will receive two P-3C aircraft in the first phase in December, marking commencement of the delivery process for the eight aircraft,” the official told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
“Purchase of these planes is part of a comprehensive plan envisaging modernization and up-gradation of the naval aviation arm,” the official said.
He added that a team of Pakistan navy flyers is expected to leave for the U.S. in September for an advanced training before arrival of the two P-3Cs.
The Pakistan navy is already flying two P-3Cs in addition to French-origin Atlantic surveillance and anti submarine warfare aircraft.
Meanwhile, a team of U.S. experts has arrived in the port city of Karachi following lifting of all military sanctions from Pakistan to carry out necessary maintenance of the two P-3Cs, which the navy had bought in late 1980s from the United States.
In March 2004, the U.S. lifted all military sanctions, which it imposed on Pakistan after its nuclear tests in May 1998, in recognition of the latter’s role as the frontline state in the war against terror.
