Egypt has accepted delivery of new US F-16 warplanes ordered in 1999, reported the Middle East Newsline (MENL) on Saturday.
The first four of 24 F-16s arrived at Gianaklis Air Base last Sunday.
The F-16 order marks the sixth Egyptian program for the advanced US warplane, said the news service, adding that the order would result in an Egyptian air force fleet with more than 215 F-16 jets, the fourth largest F-16 fleet in the world.
Officials were quoted as saying four additional F-16s would be delivered to Egypt over the next few weeks. The remaining 16 aircraft will be handed over this year and in early 2002 under what they termed an accelerated delivery schedule.
Egypt's neighbor, Israel, has nearly 250 F-16s and has ordered or plans to order more than 100 additional jets, according to Middle East Newsline (MENL). The Jewish state used them on Sunday to bomb Palestinian security posts, said AFP.
According to Haaretz on Sunday, Israel is complaining that the US has hushed-up its deals and military support to Cairo, which Israeli analysts and the security establishment see as a “danger” that might one day become a “threat.” – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
