By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Pakistan on Monday received another batch of four F-16 fighter jets from the United States, marking the completion of a package of U.S. delivery since 2005.
Lieutenant General Martin E. Dempsey, acting commander of the U.S. Central Command, handed over the four F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed at Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Base Mushaf.
Tanvir said that the batch of aircraft will significantly augment its combat capability in defending the aerial frontiers of Pakistan, Geo TV channel quoted.
The handover ceremony also marks the completion of the delivery of 14 F-16 aircraft the United States agreed to provide Pakistan under the Foreign Military Sales program, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
The first two F-16s were delivered in December 2005, two more in July 2007, two in February 2008 and four in June 2008, the APP added.
Pakistan received the fighter jets just days after the U.S. government proposed shifting 230 million U.S. dollars from its counter-terrorism aid package to Pakistan to help the country upgrade its aging F-16 fighter jets.