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The UAE will take delivery of a first batch of the latest US-built F-16 jet fighters in May this year, UAE Air Force Commander has disclosed. "The UAE will start receiving the first batch of the 80 fighters in May," Major General Khaled Mubarak al-Bu Ainan, Commander of the UAE Air Forces, said in an interview to 'Al Jundi' magazine on the occasion of IDEX 2005, which will get underway on Saturday.
'The highly sophisticated multi-role "Block 60" fighters purchased from the US Lockheed Martin will be a valuable addition to the our air force capabilities,' he added. He said the F-16 fighter deal was an important step towards boosting defence capabilities of the UAE and building an affective defence system based on a conventional deterence force.
He said there were ambitious plans to modernise the air force and defence force to keep abreast of requirements of the third millennium.
The UAE signed a contract worth a total 6.4 billion dollars for 80 of the F-16 fighters built by Lockheed Martin Corp in March 2000 for delivery from the end of 2004 through 2007. The 8.6 billion-dollar package, which involves the purchase of 80 F-16s, includes delivery, training, construction of air bases and other related facilities, spare parts and maintenance.
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