Pakistan
goes defence shopping again; this time to Sweden SUMIR
KAUL LONDON, NOV 7 (PTI) Pakistan is finalising a USD
one billion defence deal with a Swedish firm for
delivery of Airborne Early Warning (AEW) surveillance
system.
According to a report in the latest issue of 'Janes
Defence Weekly', Pakistan, which is struggling to
provide aid to survivors in all of its quake-hit
areas, moved a step closer to adopting a Saab-Ericcson
AEW system after signing a provisional contract, which
envisages replacing of F-27 Fokker planes from the
Pakistan Air Force.
This was
announced by the Swedish company on October 18, 10
days after the killer quake struck Pakistan and
Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), the weekly said.
The
deal was believed to be for seven aircraft but a final
step had to be taken as the company was going to seek
a final nod from the US.
The
contract is worth USD one billion with two-third going
to Saab company for providing Turboprop aircraft and
the rest to Ericsson which would be providing Erieye
airborne radar.
Saab
Chief Executive Ake Svenson was quoted by the weekly
as saying that a number of outstanding issues remained
to be resolved but the Janes said that it is
understood that the deal was now close to being
finalised.
On
the hurdles, a spokesman of the Saab company Peter
Larsson said "we are not disclosing what exactly these
issues are..." All of the integration work attached to
the contract will be carried out in Sweden, he said.
In
the past Swedish industry sources had noted that a
Saab 200 AEW conversion would take 43 months from the
contract signature.
Importantly, the deal could lead to the selection of
Saab's multi-role fighter aircraft, the weekly said,
adding the purchase of these aircraft would provide
access to datalink and command, control, computers and
communication capability.
The
AEW systems to be supplied to Pakistan are to be
primarily used for continuous surveillance of the air
territory, borders and the sea.
The Saab's 2000 turbo propel would be ex-lease
aircraft. It was orgiinally planned that 14 aircraft
would be sold to Pakistan with the extra seven
aircraft going to Pakistan International Aiirways,
which has, however, since opted for Dash-8 planes.
Powered by two Allison or Rolls-Royce AE2100 engines,
the Saab 2000 can remain airborne for nine hours at
30,000 feet and Ericsson's Erieye radar can
effectively spot a fighter-sized target about 330
kilometres away. Seaborne targets can be detected 320
kilometres away when the aircraft is at optimum
cruising height.
Pakistan government had recenly postponed purchasing
F-16 fighter jets from the US in the wake of the quake
that killed over 73,000 people. The decision followed
criticism from the opposition parties and human rights
groups which demanded a cut in military spending after
the quake. |
