Oman To Upgrade F-16 Fleet, Buy Missiles And Bombs

Oman has requested the U.S for the sale of a number of weapons upgrades for its F-16 fleet, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The latest request comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, if approved the deal will be worth $117 million. Contractors include Raytheon, General Dynamics, Textron and McAlester Ammunition. Among the intended purchases are: 27 advanced, medium-range air-to-air missiles, 162 GBU-12 Paveway 500-pound laser-guided bombs, and 150 BLU-111B/B 500-pound conical fin general purpose bombs. Earlier this year, Oman finalized an agreement to upgrade a dozen of the fighter jets. This followed a June deal with Lockheed to equip the jets with its Sniper targeting pods and a March deal with Northrop Grumman to upgrade the jets’ radars. U.S. aerospace companies have earned almost $1 billion from Oman in the past 18 months, according to reports.