April 25, 1998 (by Lieven Dewitte) -
The United Arab Emirates is expected to announce next month its intention to buy some 80 F-16 warplanes worth about $6 billion from Lockheed-Martin. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khalifa bin Zaid al-Nahayan, a son to UAE President Sheikh Zaid bin Sultan al-Nahayan, is due to go to Washington next month on an invitation by Vice President Al Gore. An announcement on the intention to go for the F-16 could be made at that time. The UAE is after F-16s that can conduct long-haul operations without the need of aerial refueling and equipped with systems like the HARM(High-Speed Anti-Radar Missiles) and AMRAAM (Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles).
