U.S. To Provide 26 Utility Helicopters To Pakistan

U.S. To Provide 26 Utility Helicopters To Pakistan

By Sharon Weinberger

Defense Daily April 21, 2004 Pg. 4

The United States government is set to approve the sale of a range of new military equipment to the Pakistani military, including 26 utility helicopters, according to a senior Pentagon official.

The arms package is aimed at bolstering Pakistan’s effort to fight Al Qaeda forces along the Afghan border. According to the official, the United States is planning to provide Pakistan with helicopters, night vision devices, and tactical radios. The potential sale is currently awaiting final approval and “we could see some things as early as the next 30 days,” the official told Defense Daily.

The most significant part of the order will be for 26 Bell Helicopter Textron 412 helicopters, sold as part of a unique lease deal. Using a lease rather a traditional sale was the most efficient way to get Pakistan the helicopters.

“Pakistan had asked for them to be there as quickly as possible. If we did things through the traditional system, if would have taken too long,” the official said. “The notion of a commercial lease of these helicopters came on to the table early on. We determined that would be a very fast way to do business.”

The Pakistani military has fought Al Qaeda holdouts along the Afghan border sporadically since the U.S. military offensive to dislodge the Taliban regime in 2001. Pakistan last month conducted one of its most intense military campaigns along the border.

The U.S. government has approved a large number of arms sales to Pakistan since lifting sanctions against the country post-9/11. Those sanctions were imposed in response to the Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program and a military coup.

Now designated an ally in the Bush administration’s war on terror, Pakistan has received substantial U.S. economic and military support. President Bush last year announced a five-year aid package to Pakistan that included $300 million a year in foreign military financing.

The Bell 412 is a medium utility helicopter that can carry up to 15 passengers and is used extensively for medical and aerial rescue missions as well as law enforcement.

Final approval of the deal hinges on formal congressional notification and a required 30-day waiting period. The State Department has already notified Congress as part of the formal “vetting” that is routinely done for all foreign military and direct commercial sales above the mandatory threshold.

In September of last year, Congress signed off on a plan to sell Bell 407 helicopters to Pakistan.

The Pentagon and State Department notified Congress that Pakistan had requested to buy as many as 40 of the Bell 407 helicopter and related equipment in a sale that might have been worth as much as $97 million.

However, the government in Islamabad ultimately changed its mind and decided it didn’t want to buy the 407s. Over the last year, U.S. military officials have been working with their Pakistani counterparts to determine which helicopters were best suited for the military’s needs, the U.S. official said.

A spokesman for Bell was not immediately able to offer comment on the sale. The Pakistani Embassy did not return a phone message.

Once Congress gets it official notification, there is a 30-day period in which lawmakers can object to a sale. Such objections are rare, however, since issues are normally dealt with during the pre-notification vetting period.

The sale is also expected to get wide Congressional support. Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the head of the Appropriations Committee and its defense panel, both visited Pakistan recently and have expressed support for the sale, according to the official.