August 26, 2003	Tuesday	Jumadi-us-Sani 27, 1424

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WASHINGTON, Aug 25: The United States already has the six C-130 aircraft it plans to sell to Pakistan and would soon deliver these to that country, a State Department official told Dawn on Monday.

The US has rejected the Indian protest over the proposed sale. “There’s nothing exceptional about this sale. Pakistan already has C-130s in its inventory,” said the official when asked to comment on the Indian protest.

Asked how long would it take to deliver the planes to Pakistan, he said: “Not that long as we already have the planes.”

Under the foreign military finance programme, he said, the US would provide $75 million needed to buy the six Lockheed Martin, C-130 Hercules aircraft.

The sale also includes the complete upgradation of cockpit avionics for the current Pakistan Air Force C-130 fleet, which provides the PAF with a newer and more versatile avionics package as well as the same cockpit design for the entire fleet.