WASHINGTON, Sept 16: Upgrading Pakistan’s aging fleet of F-16 aircraft will dramatically reduce collateral damage and civilian casualties in Fata, says a senior US military commander.

Vice Admiral Jeffrey Wieringa, director of the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency, told a congressional panel on Tuesday that a mid-life upgrading of these aircraft will “very significantly” increase PAF’s capability to conduct close air support and night precision attack missions.

Pakistan had purchased the aircraft in the 1980s, when they did not have night vision capabilities. Since most of the aircraft are more than 20 years old, they need upgrading also to enhance their service life.

Admiral Wieringa told the House Subcommittee on South Asia that four of these aircraft were being upgraded in Fort Worth, Texas, and will be delivered to Pakistan in December 2011.

In July this year, the US State Department notified the committee that it has accepted Pakistan’s request to make available $226 million from the foreign military finance programme for upgrading the F-16s.

Initially, Pakistan had agreed to bear most of the cost but under the new arrangement the United States will provide almost half of the money needed.

The proposal is strongly resisted in the US Congress, particularly in this subcommittee which is headed by Congressman Gary Ackerman, a senior member of the India Caucus on Capitol Hill who was awarded India’s third highest civilian award in 2002.Mr Ackerman strongly opposed providing funds to Pakistan for the F-16s, saying that the upgraded aircraft will be used against India and not Al Qaeda.

He also doubted Pakistan’s sincerity to the war on terror and to its relationship with the United States. He brought with him the copy of a news release which quoted a senior Pakistani military official as saying that Pakistani troops have been ordered to shoot US soldiers if they entered their territory.

Throughout the hearing, Mr Ackerman and some of his fellow lawmakers continued to present Pakistan as an irresponsible state, which was on the verge of an economic collapse. They argued that Pakistan needed financial support to revive its economy and not for buying F-16s.

They also said that given the country’s economic situation, Pakistan may fail to pay its share for upgrading the aircraft, thus forcing the United States to bear all the expenses.

Four senior officials of the US State and Defence Departments, who appeared as witnesses, did not agree with Mr Ackerman.

Donald Camp, a senior official at the State Department’s Bureau for South Asian affairs, sought the panel’s support for providing $110 million to Pakistan in 2008 and additional $142 million in the future for upgrading its F-16s. Pakistan, he said, would pay the rest.

He recalled that Pakistan had also planned to buy 36 aircraft at a total cost of $5.1 billion but after the 2005 aircraft, it reduced its order to 18 aircraft. The 18 new planes are valued at $1.4 billion each.

Pakistan will also spend $641 billion on associated ammunitions and $891 billion for 46 mid-life update.

Additionally, the US has provided Pakistan with 14 F-16s designated as excess defence articles.

“Not only a component of Pakistan’s national defence,” said Mr Camp, “the F-16 also has become an iconic symbol of our bilateral relationship and our commitment to each other.”

Given the tangible and symbolic importance of Pakistan’s F-16 programme, “we request congressional support to redirect” funds from the foreign military financing for upgrading the aircraft, he said.

The upgraded aircraft, he said, would provide PAF with the technology to conduct precision air strikes against Al Qaeda, Taliban and other groups.