The Pentagon has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale of 18 F-16s to Oman. Under a deal with an estimated total value of $3.5 billion, Oman would acquire new-build F-16 Block 50/52 aircraft and associated parts, training, and logistical support, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s Aug. 3 announcement. Among the equipment on these F-16s would be AN/APG-68(V)9 radars, joint helmet mounted cueing systems, and Sniper or “similarly capable” targeting pods, said DSCA officials. “The proposed sale will provide a significant increase in the Royal Air Force of Oman’s capability to train with US and coalition forces and augment coalition forces in a regional conflict,” they wrote. Oman currently has 12 F-16s in its inventory. In June, the US Air Force began deliveries of new F-16s to Pakistan under a separate FMS arrangement.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
