The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible sale to Oman of various munitions for F-16 Fighter Aircraft and associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $42 million.
Among Oman’s requests are two of the most advanced American munitions. The GBU-31( v)3/B Joint Direct Attack Munitions is a smart bomb, developed from the lessons of the 1991 Gulf War. Once released from the aircraft, the JDAM autonomously navigates to the designated target and has a guaranteed accuracy of within 13 meters. The CBU-97/105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon is a cluster bomb - it opens up in the air and releases hundreds of little bombs inside. It can be launched from 12 miles (about 18 kilometers) away from the target - allowing the aircraft carrying it to attack strongly defended targets.
The sale of 12 F-16 C/D Block 50 fighters to Oman was announced in October 2001. In March 2002, Oman announced that the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) had selected General Electric [GE's] F110 engine to power its new fleet of 12 F-16 aircraft in a contract valued at more than $50 million.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, the F-16 is in use by Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Turkey and Israel. The F-16 is made by Lockheed Martin. It is considered one of the most advanced and most successful fighter airplanes in the world.
The Royal Air Force of Oman is today still equipped with old British aircraft. These are all attack aircraft, not fighters and thus they cannot defend against enemy aircraft attacking Oman. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
