"Gives away..." Bribery? Or what?

U.S. gives away eight war jets to Pakistan, valued at millions apiece
RAW STORY

The United States has given away eight of its long-range maritime patrol and anti-sub aircraft without charge to Pakistan's Navy, allowing it to more effectively engage in long-distance surveillance and fire Harpoon missiles at targets, the Indian-based Sify news service reported Wednesday.

The craft, new, are made by Lockheed Martin for $36 million apiece, making the gift a generous one indeed. The last Navy P-3 came off the production line at Lockheed in 1990.

"The P-3C Orion aircraft are being provided free-of-cost by the US Navy and the expenses for modification of aircraft avionics systems will be met mostly from the US military aid," a Pakistan Navy statement said in Islamabad on Wednesday.

According to the the Navy fact file, the long-range, anti-submarine warfare aircraft "evolved in the late 1990s and early 21st century to include surveillance of the battlespace, either at sea or over land. Its long range... has aided Operation Iraqi Freedom as it can view the battlespace and instantaneously provide that information to ground troops, especially U.S. Marines." It can remain aloft for up to 18 hours at a time.

Adds the Navy: "The P-3C has advanced submarine detection sensors such as directional frequency and ranging (DIFAR) sonobuoys and magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) equipment. The avionics system is integrated by a general purpose digital computer that supports all of the tactical displays, monitors and automatically launches ordnance and provides flight information to the pilots. In addition, the system coordinates navigation information and accepts sensor data inputs for tactical display and storage. The P-3C can carry a mixed payload of weapons internally and on wing pylons."

Navy Background: "In February 1959, the Navy awarded Lockheed a contract to develop a replacement for the aging P2V Neptune. The P3V Orion, derived from Lockheed's successful L188 Electra airliner, entered the inventory in July 1962, and more than 30 years later it remains the Navy's sole land-based antisubmarine warfare aircraft."
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