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Pakistan will purchase 6 SAAB aircraft

LAHORE: Mounting media and public pressure notwithstanding, Pakistan will go ahead with the purchase of six SAAB early warning system aircraft from Sweden, a Defence Ministry source told Daily Times on Friday. The $1 billion deal for the aircraft was signed with Swedish companies SAAB and Ericsson on October 19, roughly two weeks after the October 8 earthquake that struck northern Pakistan. In face of overwhelming reconstruction costs and limited foreign assistance, President Pervez Musharraf said this week that the F-16 aircraft deal with the US would be postponed. “Though the deal was signed after the earthquake, it was negotiated much earlier. Also, Pakistan will not have to pay the full amount now, as the payment schedule ends in 2010,” the source added. However, the source said Pakistan was bound to pay 15 percent or $150 million as down payment by April 2006. “Pakistan badly needs a state of the art early warning system, especially when India has acquired a similar system from Israel. Also, in order to maintain the conventional arms balance, especially for the Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan needs the aircraft,” he said. “India has recently acquired Mirage and Sukhoi aircraft and the Israeli Phalcon airborne surveillance system and is poised to get a large number of F-16s from the US. Therefore, our air force requirements become more pressing,” the source said. Musharraf started negotiating for the aircraft during his July 2004 visit to Sweden. The deal was finally sealed on October 19 under which SAAB will receive two thirds of the 8.3 million Swedish kronor (878-million-euro, one-billion-dollar) contract and Ericsson will get the other third. mohammed rizwan

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